Speech sophomore Jeffrey Shuter and band Sweet Sweet Candy got a sweet, sweet deal Friday when Mayfest announced that both bands would be playing Saturday on the Dillo Day main stage.
Shuter, whose stage name is jephreee, and Candy tied at a Battle of the Bands competition and Mayfest members decided to retool the Dillo Day schedule to feature both bands – Candy will start the day off at noon, and Shuter will play right before headliners Mighty Mighty Bosstones take the stage.
Mayfest co-chairwoman Sarah Alexander said the two bands offer sounds from both ends of the campus music continuum.
“Since the bands come from such different genres and types of music, it was hard for the judges to compare them and choose a winner,” said Alexander, a Weinberg junior.
Alexander said Sweet Sweet Candy was picked to open the show because they have a large campus following and would bring people out to the Lakefill in the early afternoon. Music junior Jeremy Bass, who sings and plays guitar for Candy, said the band has been hoping to play Dillo Day since they first formed.
“This is the biggest gig we’ve ever played and we’re really geared up for it,” he said.
Shuter, who describes his music as a “hybrid combo between rock and electronica,” will set up the stage with synthesizers, keyboards and computers to play his Moby-esque set. He said he was surprised when he learned he would be playing because his style is incongruous with the punk and ska bands who fill out the show. But he still thinks he’ll be able to connect with the crowd.
“(My music) has the energy that ska or punk bands have, but instead of being in your face, it’s developed on building a bond with audience,” he said. “The crowd has to let the building happen instead of just placing the music in front of their face.”
Although Shuter said he is “psyched” to be playing in front of thousands of people at the Lakefill, he’s worried technical difficulties might pop up during his performance.
“Something always screws up at every show I play,” he said. “I have about 100 cables; so many things have potential to happen that it unnerves me the whole time I’m playing.”
Alexander also announced a change in bands, as Finnish rock band HIM cancelled and All Mighty Senators were hired to replace them. The final schedule of bands has Sweet Sweet Candy starting at noon, followed by Nymb, Dismemberment Plan, All Mighty Senators, Black Eyed Peas, Shuter and the Bosstones.
