The Decemberists and student band The Ride round out lineup for Spring Fling

    Tufts Concert Board Co-chair Alan Munkacsy confirmed yesterday that the rock act for Spring Fling 2009 will be folk-rockers The Decemberists. Munkacsy, a junior, also confirmed that The Ride, the Tufts student funk band that won Saturday's Battle of the Bands, will perform during set changes on a side stage.
    Munkacsy declined to speak with the Daily over the phone but said via e-mail that The Decemberists were not the organization's first choice. "We looked at other bands such as Eve 6, My Morning Jacket, The Strokes, MGMT and Vampire Weekend first; however, they were either out of our price range or were unavailable for Spring Fling."
    The Decemberists formed in 2000 in Portland, Ore. and independently released their first EP, "5 Songs" (2001) the following year. Three full-length albums, "Castaways and Cutouts" (2002), "Her Majesty the Decemberists" (2003) and "Picaresque" (2005) followed, but it was not until 2006 that the group was picked up by a major label, Capitol Records. "The Crane Wife" (2006), produced by Chris Walla of Death Cab For Cutie and Tucker Martine, helped the band gain a wide following when National Public Radio listeners voted it their favorite album of the year.
    The Decemberists' lyrics, penned by guitarist and front man Colin Meloy, eschew traditional rock themes in favor of folk tales from different cultures as sources of inspiration. Some of the songs from "The Crane Wife" told a Japanese folk tale of a woman who could transform into a crane, while their most recent album, "The Hazards of Love" (2009), centers around a vaguely Shakespearean story arc, rooted in the British folk tale tradition.
    "We acknowledge that [The Decemberists] are a more laid-back style than we have had in previous years; however, we still feel that this type of music has a place at Spring Fling," said Munkacsy. "We were concerned that the Tufts community may have very polar opinions regarding The Decemberists, but we felt that they would have a large appeal to students."
    Concert Board first announced that The Decemberists would round out this year's Spring Fling lineup during Saturday's Battle of the Bands. At the event, five different bands competed in Hotung Café for the chance to play the side stage during Spring Fling.
    The Ride was selected by a panel composed of Michael Ullman, a lecturer in the department of music, and one student from each class. The band features junior Caleb Shapiro on vocals, freshman Evan West on bass and sophomores Alexander Hoffman and Zachary Meyer on saxophones, Justin Binder on guitar, Aaron Cannon on trumpet and Robert Resnick on drums. Other contestants in the battle were the student bands Ferris Wheel, The Bookends, Electric Mustache and Brennivín, which placed second and will perform at Tuftonia's Day on April 24.
    "The competition was steep," Binder said. "There were a lot of great musicians, but we enjoyed ourselves more than we ever have playing; it was one of our best [performances]."
    Tickets to Spring Fling will be sold at the information booth at the campus center during business hours from April 21 at 10 a.m. until 12:30 p.m. on April 25, the day of the show. Tickets are free to Tufts undergraduates, with tickets for up to two additional guests per student available for $20 each. Lost tickets will not be replaced, and a strict no re-entry policy will be enforced at the show.
    Gates to the President's Lawn will open at 11:30 a.m., with The Gentlemen's Bet taking the stage at noon. Asher Roth will begin his set at 1 p.m., with The Decemberists following at 2:30 p.m. and Ludacris at 4 p.m. The Ride will provide entertainment during set changes.