Rite of Boogie
It all adds up to Summer Send-off, an all-day music festival, picnic, and pre-finals celebration. This annual Kenyon College event will place on Saturday, April 30, on Ransom Lawn. The festivities begin at 1:00 p.m.
It's the last main weekend of the school year, so it's also the last hurrah for underclassmen and their senior friends. "It helps students blow off some steam and gets them ready to buckle down for finals in the last two weeks," saysTacci Smith, director of student activities.
This year's headlining band, Medeski, Martin, and Wood, will take the stage at 10:00 p.m. The band is an "acid funk jazz" trio based in New York City. With instrumentation ranging from electric guitar to horn section, to turntable, to wood flute, and techniques ranging from acoustic improvisation to looped synthesizers, Medeski, Martin, and Wood offers a versatile performance. They have put out 15 albums since 1992, of which Notes from the Underground, a reference to the Dostoyevsky novel, is one of the more well-known.
As the champion of Kenyon's most recent Battle of the Bands, student Irish rock group Potato Famine will open for Medeski, Martin, and Wood at 9:00. Preceding them will be several popular Kenyon student and alumni bands, including Marquis de Rad, the Dead Cover Band, and Fat Kid.
Those who want to take a break from dancing, listening, and lying in the sun can enjoy bouncy boxing, a bungee run, the joust, or other inflatable entertainment. T-shirts to commemorate the event, designed by Andrew Ritter, Class of 2007, will be available as well.
"It's quite a unique experience; it's part of what makes Kenyon the college it is," saiys Brendan McCarthy, cochair of the Social Board and member of the Class of 2007.
Lauren Ostberg, Class of 2007