Blue Devils will jam to not one, not two, but three musical acts to celebrate the Last Day of Classes April 26.
The LDOC committee announced Monday that it has secured hip-hop artist Rahzel as an opening act for alternative rock band Guster.
The committee's announcement closely followed Guster's decision that folk rock singer Matt Costa will be its own opener.
"[Rahzel's] great. He's awesome live," said senior Mark Middaugh, chair of the LDOC committee. "We've talked to several people who saw him live as a headliner, so we're really excited to see him as an opening act."
Rahzel-a former member of the hip-hop band The Roots-refers to himself as a "vocal percussionist" because of his mastery of the beat-box art form. Rahzel released his latest album, Rahzel's Greatest Knockouts, in June 2004.
"What he does best is beat-box. He calls himself the 'Godfather of Noyze,'" Middaugh said, citing the song, "If Your Mother Only Knew," in which Rahzel beat-boxes the bass line while simultaneously singing the chorus.
In the past, Rahzel has collaborated with artists such as hip hoppers Q-Tip and LL Cool J and alternative rockers The Shins and Everlast. The beat-boxer also performed alongside O.A.R. at Yale University last April.
"What Guster and Rahzel have in common is that they're awesome live acts," Middaugh said. "We're shooting to have the best performances possible. He was, by leaps and bounds, our first choice for the opening act."
As for Guster's own opening act, songwriter Matt Costa is influenced by popular singer Jack Johnson. The two collaborated on Johnson's album, Sing-A-Longs & Lullabies for the Film Curious George, which was released last month.
Costa will visit Duke following the end of the Jack Johnson Europe Tour.
"[Costa] is Guster's choice," Middaugh said. "We think that if Guster is excited about playing with him, then he's going to do a great job."
Planners are continuing to work out the daytime programming details for LDOC, which is expected to start in the early afternoon April 26. The three live acts will begin performing at 5:30 p.m.
"We're having a three-band set for the first time," Middaugh said. "We're going to have [to allow for] more time to run sound checks and more technical stuff than in years past."
He added that the committee will work out the details over the next few weeks.
Several students said the three LDOC acts appeal to many musical tastes.
"I think it's cool to have such a diverse array of music for LDOC," sophomore Meagan Gray said. "I like Matt Costa because he does that one song 'Lullaby' with Jack Johnson."
Others said they are looking forward to the live beat-box in Rahzel's act.
"He definitely sounds like an entertainer and not much of a musician," senior Joanna Hundley said. "It'll be cool to see him live. People love that."
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