With the goal of attracting a diverse audience to campus, Ohio State Marion student organizers of Springfest, a community music and arts festival taking place on Saturday, April 13, 2013, drew from a wide variety of musical genres to choose their line-up of performers.
From the metal sound of national touring act Bobaflex and Columbus based Overtheory, who perform later in the evening, to the R&B funk sound of local central Ohio fan favorite Willie Phoenix, Springfest encompasses pop, rock, blues, classic rock, alternative, funk, soul, acoustic, R&B, metal, hip-hop, and maybe even a little country.
The campus organization putting on Springfest, a group made up primarily of non-traditional students, say they struck “pay dirt” when landing performing artist Eliot Lewis. Not only does he have a national following, but his resume as a vocalist and musician is like a who’s who of the music industry.
A multi-instrumentalist, Lewis is a member of the famed musical group Hall & Oates, and continues his highly successful solo tour with a special appearance at Ohio State Marion’s Springfest on Saturday, April 13th at 2:00 p.m.
He is on tour promoting his newest solo CD, entitled “Enjoy the Ride” which was released in September 2012.
“I have really concentrated on my solo tour over the last 3 years, and done a lot of shows in both the Northeast and the Midwest,” said Lewis.
“I’ve seen many old friends,” he added, “but enjoy making new fans along the way.”
Lewis’s music style can be best described as a mix of pop, soul, and progressive blues. He provides the audience with a high-energy show, and incorporates all of the instruments he plays into his live performances.
“I use a bit of technology in my solo shows,” Lewis explained. “The guitar and the vocals are live, and the drums, bass, and background vocals are on my backing tracks, but everything that you hear is all me.”
Lewis is just one of seven performers featured at the daylong music festival.
Schedule of Live Performances & Festival Events
- Children’s Activity Area – 9:30 a.m.-5 p.m.
- Classic Car Show – 11 a.m.-6 p.m.
- Acoustic pop/rock sister act duo – Lucky Penny 11:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m.
- Pop/rock female solo artist – Samantha Howard 12:30-1:30 p.m.
- Nationally accomplished vocalist & musician – Eliot Lewis of Hall & Oates 2-3:30 p.m.
- High energy pop/rock cover band – Cherry Blonde 3:45-5:00 p.m.
- The King of R&B Funk – Willie Phoenix 5:30-7:00 p.m.
- Columbus based rock/metal band – OverTheory 7:30-9:00 p.m.
- Headliner: Bobaflex 9:30-11:00 p.m.
General admission for all the concerts is free. There will be a special VIP area for those who want closer access to the stage and are interested in access to the bands. VIP access wrist bands are currently available for purchase in Maynard Hall, Room 100, at the reception desk. The wrist band will get you the best seats near the stage in the VIP area for all the performances. Wrist Bands are $5 for Ohio State Marion and Marion Technical College students and $10 for all others.
Formerly referred to as May Day on the Marion Campus, The Ohio State University at Marion hopes to revitalize what was a springtime tradition that dates back to the early 1970s. May Day ended in the early 1990’s and a group of current Ohio State Marion students spearheaded the effort to rework the event under a new name and attract people to the Ohio State regional campus in north central Ohio.
The annual campus-wide celebration signifies the end of the academic year and the rebirth that comes with spring. Student organizers hope to attract Ohio State students from all 6 of the university’s statewide system of campuses in Columbus, Lima, Marion, Mansfield, Newark, and Wooster; Marion Technical College students; university faculty, staff, and alumni; and the general public.
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