the Informer

Every year Spring Fling offers students, alumni and friends of the university a weekend of celebrations, music and activities on the Village Lawn. For this year’s “Las Vegas”-themed weekend, the activities are less centralized and spread out across campus, but that doesn’t mean it can’t be a fabulous few days. This weekend there is a great line-up of musical artists, activities and comedy to keep us occupied as we enjoy the sun for one last hurrah for the seniors and one last weekend of fun for the rest of the university community. Girl Talk The main event of every Spring Fling is usually the Saturday night concert on the lawn, but this year’s artist, Girl Talk, will perform on Friday night in the sports center. DJ Greg Gillis, better known by his stage name Girl Talk, made a name for himself in electronic/experimental styles, digital sampling and mash-ups. His scantily clad MySpace (myspace.com/girltalk) has 14 songs available to listen to, where you can get a feel for his style and hear the beats you will be dancing to on Friday night. Many people wonder how this Pennsylvania DJ ended up with a name like Girl Talk. Gillis told FMLY (thefmly.com) in 2009, “[it] is a reference to many things, products, magazines, books. It’s a pop culture phrase.” He goes on to say that he wanted to stir up some controversy within the small, “overly serious, borderline academic type electronic musicians… Girl Talk sounded exactly the opposite of a man playing a laptop, so that’s what I chose.” Signed to Illegal Art Records, Girl Talk has four albums and two EPs, along with several compilations and remixes credits. There are no other members of Girl Talk, so expect to see Gillis on stage with his laptop Friday night. Envy on the Coast Opening for Girl Talk on Friday night, Envy on the Coast is a post-hardcore/alternative/pop-punk band from Long Island. Envy is signed to Photo Finish Records and has spent time on tour with the likes of 30 Seconds to Mars, Head Automatica, Cobra Starship and The Receiving End of Sirens, among others. Their album, “Low Country,” is available to stream on the band’s MySpace (myspace.com/envyonthecoast). The band has a driving alternative rock sound that will likely bring smiles to a lot of faces. Students should expect a powerful live show from Envy on the Coast. Loni Love Comedian Loni Love, Campus Activity magazine’s “Hot Comic” of 2009, will be performing on Saturday night in GSU. Love can be recognized from her appearances on various television series, including VH1’s “I Love the 70s/80s/90s,” and comedy stints on Jay Leno and Chelsea Lately, and Comedy Central just announced they will be filming a 1-hour stand-up special on May 8, “Loni Love: America’s Sister.” Her humor is popular on the college comedy circuit and she has television credentials up the wazoo. Love will be in GSU at 11:00 p.m. on Saturday night. The comedy shows are always popular so make sure you arrive early in order to secure a place inside. Village Lawn Bands Throughout the afternoon and into the evening on Saturday, the Village Lawn will be home to a half-dozen bands. Some of these bands are new while some are old favorites of Spring Fling. Repeat offenders include Bronze Radio Return, a rock band from Connecticut who’s album, “Old Time Speaker,” is available through the iTunes store; and The New Band!, featuring Vice President of Student Affairs Lee Peters (who previously performed Spring Fling with Back in Time). New acts this year include: Brotherhood of Thieves, Zach Lockwood, Lifted and Cipha Sounda. Approximate times for each act are posted on the Spring Fling website uhaweb.hartford.edu/spgfling/events.html. Activities As always, there will be plenty to do if you don’t want to watch the performances. Lawn activities include traditional favorites like the mechanical bull and wax hands, with other opportunities for fun while making spin art frisbees or taking a ride on the giant slide. These activities all take place on the Village Lawn on Saturday afternoon, while other activities will take place across campus. On Friday night, there will be an after party at the University Commons when Girl Talk is over, and Saturday brings Hangover Bingo to GSU at 8 p.m. As usual, there will be a food court this year but it will not be in the Konover parking lot. Instead, it will be in the parking lot between Village Quad 6 and Quad 7. There, students can take a short break to fill their stomachs with food from various vendors. Participation Students must remember that in order to participate in any Spring Fling activities, they must have a wristband and must also register online. Students can register on the Spring Fling website and pick up their wristbands in the Suisman Lounge in GSU during the following times: Thursday 4/22- 12 noon-11p.m., Friday 4/23- 8 a.m.-8 p.m., Saturday 4/24- 8 a.m.-8 p.m. Without wristbands, students may be escorted off campus or prohibited from entering certain events. Wristbands can be obtained at no cost for University of Hartford students, but guests must pay $25 in order to participate. Each student may register up to two guests. Students are encouraged to review policies in The Source, the official student handbook for the university, as well as the information provided on the Spring Fling website, to ensure that everyone is clear on Spring Fling policies. This year’s events are lining up to make a great weekend. Details about the weekend can be found on the Spring Fling website: http://uhaweb.hartford.edu/spgfling/. Get ready for a fantastic weekend of music, events and friends because the biggest social event of the year is right around the corner.