Concert Crew brings on new talent

With the restructuring of Associated Students (AS) and the formation of the Torero Programming Board (TPB), special effort will now be made to ensure that the 2010/2011 school year will be full of concerts that appeal to a variety of demographics. While USD concerts have previously been limited to two big-name shows per year, the newest members of the Torero Programing Board have new ideas for the scene.

This year, the two people organizing concerts at school will be Director of Center Stage, Bryce Carr, and Director of Spotlight, Jared Barris. These two positions were created during the formation of the Torero Programming Board and will take the place of positions previously established in AS. As Director of Center Stage, Carr will oversee the concerts planned at USD with a specific focus being placed upon large-scale shows. As the Director of Spotlight, Barris will focus on smaller shows, mainly at Aromas or during Torero Lunch on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Both individuals will work together to organize all events and bring talent to USD.

In looking at this year, Carr and Barris have everything planned out. "Our main goal is to mix things up a bit and bring in more large scale acts to school," said Carr. "Jared and I are working with different agents and managers to try to grab bands to come play a brief set at USD before they play in town that night. We can use USDtv, USD Radio,and The Vista to cover the event so that the bands can count the performance as publicity. I think we'll have some cool things happen in that regard."

Another big change will be the number of shows that USD has each year. "We've tried to move the budget around to not leverage as much money on two shows. Joe (Bello) and Alan (Brunet) did great things last year and we've got big shoes to fill," said Carr. "We'll keep the homecoming tradition alive but not spend as much money on talent for that show. The concert will still be an awesome party and will certainly bring the school together. At the end of the school year, Jared and I are planning a big show, slightly smaller than that of last year. This frees up extra money for us to use to bring mid-size acts to USD throughout the semester."

With all these changes, it really seems as though AS and TPB will be able to bring a mix of performers to school. The first show is taking place during homecoming on Oct. 18, but Carr was not ready to disclose all the details. "We've got some great acts lined up for homecoming. It'll be a high-energy party but we can't name any names yet." One thing remains certain though. All of the new USD students picked a great year to become a Torero.