Last week, the Johns Hopkins Spring Fair Committee, in partnership with the Hopkins Organization for Programming (HOP), made an announcement presenting the L.A.-based indie band GroupLove as the highlight of this year’s Spring Fair Music Festival. Known for its hits, “Colours,” “Tongue Tied,” and “Itchin’ on a Photograph,” GroupLove is scheduled to perform in company with a diverse lineup of artists from April 12 to April 14.
While the editorial board applauds the Spring Fair Committee and the HOP for their effort to present the Hopkins community with a line-up of popular artists, it questions if GroupLove was the best selection for the highlight of this Spring Fair’s musical performances.
Seeing as Spring Fair had reserved funds reallocated from the canceled Neon Trees concert last fall, it would have been nice if a better-known band was able to perform. The editorial board does not know the exact process the Spring Fair Committee went through in deciding which band to book, as students who are not a part of the committees do not have a say in the band chosen.
The editorial board would like to see more student involvement in band selection for Spring Fair. While student groups are responsible for choosing the artists, they are not representative of the tastes of the entire Hopkins community. The Spring Fair Committee and the HOP should reach out to students and gauge their reception to possible bands before they are booked for Spring Fair. This level of student involvement should also apply to all HOP and SGA sponsored concerts, as these groups are supposed to represent the student body as a whole.
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