2008 Woodie Awards
ASUPS Popular Entertainment Director Speaks
Travis McNamara
Issue date: 2/16/07 Section: A&E
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Micaela O'Connor is the ASUPS Popular Entertainment Director.
Trail: Why did you choose Blackalicious over other acts?
MO: When I first applied for this position, I knew I wanted to bring a hip-hop act to campus. Although we have had great shows in the past, I thought UPS was ready for a change, musically. I was looking to bring something to campus that had never been done before. I chose to bring Blackalicious for their universal appeal and generalized awesomeness.
When bringing a concert to UPS, it's important to find an act that is going to appeal to all subcultures within the school. We want the frat guys as well as the independents. We want the hippies as well as the hipsters. We want the freshmen as well as the fresh emcees. Blackalicious is a group which is undeniably talented and funky fresh. In my experience, I have yet to come across an individual who didn't love them.
Trail: Why has it been so hard to get big names to campus?
MO: It's hard to get big names to campus because UPS is a small liberal arts school with limited funding. Because big named artists are in such high demand, they are able to charge exorbitant amounts of money, especially for college shows.
Also, booking a band is a very complicated procedure which requires the cooperation of many parties. It's very difficult to solidify a concert date that works for the artist, the agent, the Fieldhouse staff, myself, my advisor, security services, etc…
Trail: Is there anything students can do to help UPS get bigger and better concerts?
MO: Well, they can buy tickets to see Blackalicious, for one. I will be using the money I make off of this show to put on another one in early April. So the more tickets I sell for Blackalicious, the more funding I will have available for the show in April.
Also, I am completely open to suggestions. We've been throwing around several ideas for April, but I'd love to hear from the campus directly.
• Travis McNamara is funky-fresh-alicious.
Trail: Why did you choose Blackalicious over other acts?
MO: When I first applied for this position, I knew I wanted to bring a hip-hop act to campus. Although we have had great shows in the past, I thought UPS was ready for a change, musically. I was looking to bring something to campus that had never been done before. I chose to bring Blackalicious for their universal appeal and generalized awesomeness.
When bringing a concert to UPS, it's important to find an act that is going to appeal to all subcultures within the school. We want the frat guys as well as the independents. We want the hippies as well as the hipsters. We want the freshmen as well as the fresh emcees. Blackalicious is a group which is undeniably talented and funky fresh. In my experience, I have yet to come across an individual who didn't love them.
Trail: Why has it been so hard to get big names to campus?
MO: It's hard to get big names to campus because UPS is a small liberal arts school with limited funding. Because big named artists are in such high demand, they are able to charge exorbitant amounts of money, especially for college shows.
Also, booking a band is a very complicated procedure which requires the cooperation of many parties. It's very difficult to solidify a concert date that works for the artist, the agent, the Fieldhouse staff, myself, my advisor, security services, etc…
Trail: Is there anything students can do to help UPS get bigger and better concerts?
MO: Well, they can buy tickets to see Blackalicious, for one. I will be using the money I make off of this show to put on another one in early April. So the more tickets I sell for Blackalicious, the more funding I will have available for the show in April.
Also, I am completely open to suggestions. We've been throwing around several ideas for April, but I'd love to hear from the campus directly.
• Travis McNamara is funky-fresh-alicious.
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