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Music Committee plans to bring Hellogoodbye

By Haley Otman GVL A&E Editor
1/14/2009

Last fall when country singer Josh Gracin performed on campus, students had the Music Committee of Spotlight Productions to thank.

On March 18, the committee is hoping to bring the alternative rock band Hellogoodbye to Grand Valley State University for a similar concert.

"I'm pretty sure it's going to happen," said Alicia Dembinski, chair of the Music Committee of Spotlight Productions.

Spotlight Productions is comprised of three committees: Music, comedy and E.T.C., or Events & Traditions on Campus.

The Music Committee may not be the most well known of student groups on campus, for the members work mostly behind the scenes, but they are responsible for many popular GVSU events.

The committee is allocated a budget they use to bring both large and small bands to campus, Dembinski said.

The Music Committee also plans to begin holding twice-monthly open mic nights in Area 51, downstairs in the Kirkhof Center on GVSU's Allendale Campus.

"It's nice having that extra space down there -- it's more intimate and fun," Dembinski said.

In addition, the Music Committee holds one show each month for GVSU students, most of them in the Kirkhof Center.

"We're doing smaller shows that can help students on campus get their name out there," Dembinski said.

The committee gets the opportunity to plan all details of events, and even meet some of the talent.

"I think it's a great opportunity for, specifically, (Hospitality and Tourism Management) majors -- they actually plan the events (and) market them," said Stacey Baisden, Office of Student Life adviser for Spotlight Productions.

Dembinski joined the group on a whim after attending Campus Life Night last year, but as a HTM major decided it would be a great avenue to gain experience in event planning. To plan each year's large event, the group first tries to get an idea of what will be popular on campus, Dembinski said.

"I really like the whole premise of Spotlight (Productions) bringing entertainment that's tailored to what the campus likes," said Roberta Scarbrough, who is in her first year as a member of the Music Committee.

They have been giving out surveys on campus to discover what genre of band to aim for, though Scarbrough said they are trying to formulate a better way to survey GVSU students.

"It's really exciting to be a part of planning concerts," Scarbrough said.

The committee determined that, this year, the GVSU student body liked pop-punk and alternative rock, then proceeded to choose a band in those genres and in their budget.

The choice for this year was Hellogoodbye, and the committee is hopeful about bringing the group to GVSU. The contracts have not been finalized, but they are working out the logistics, Baisden said.

"It's a huge planning process," Dembinski said.

The students in the committee receive the opportunities to negotiate contracts and talk to the talent, Baisden said.

Sometimes the group even gets to pick up the bands from the airport, or take them to dinner.

"A lot of it is hands-on experience," Dembinski said.

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