SpringFest is the last big event of the semester, allowing students to take a break from schoolwork and have some fun while listening to live music. SpringFest is back on April 27, with Timeflies and DJ Drama as this year’s performers.

“SpringFest is a great way to just forget about the stress of the semester and upcoming finals,” said Mickaela Zaffino, junior Psychology major. “You can hang out, party, dance and just have a good time.”

Last semester, students had the opportunity to vote for their favorite genre of music, allowing students to have the opportunity to give input into the artist choice. The winning genre was pop.

Lucy Knappenberger, junior Hospitality Management major and MSG Events Coordinator, wanted to bring in an artist who would vibe well with the students.

“I want everyone to come and feel comfortable with who is up on stage,” Knappenberger said.

The Timeflies duo formed in 2010 after meeting at a party at Tufts University. The group consists of Cal Shapiro on vocals and Rob Resnick as the producer. Their sound is a mix of pop and EDM, producing hip-hop, rap and pop tracks. The band has released music under Epic Records and Island Records.

John Harry, senior Criminal Justice major, is looking forward to hearing Timeflies at Springfest.

“I’m super excited for them to come to Mercyhurst. They are one of my favorite groups to listen to because they can do different kinds of music,” Harry said.

DJ Drama is a hip-hop DJ and producer from Philadelphia. He is best known for his mix-tapes, most notably for Gangsta Grillz. He is currently on the Artist and Repertoire team for Atlantic Records.

“The process for picking Timeflies and DJ Drama actually happened fairly quickly,” Knappenberger said.

MSG received a list of roughly 30 artists to pick from, all within the genre of pop. The student representatives were then able to listen to the top songs from each artist, narrowing down the selection.

“Timeflies really stood out to me because all of their songs are fun and upbeat,” said Knappenberger. “They don’t have any profanity within their songs, and that is something I really wanted to focus on.”

This was a particularly important aspect for the selection of this year’s SpringFest artist due to the controversy that last year’s performer, Mike Stud, had caused.

“We definitely thought about last year when picking our artists,” said Knappenberger. “We would never want to offend anyone on campus, and we believe DJ Drama and Timeflies will resonate well with everyone.”

Students seem to be happy about the artist selection and are excited for SpringFest this year.

Maddie Castele, senior Public Health major, is one such student.

“I like the artist. I think they’re pretty good,” said Castele. “I have two of their songs already.”

Ticket distribution for undergraduates begins April 18 and goes until April 20. Tickets for graduate students, adult students, faculty, staff and others within the Mercyhurst community will be sold on April 23. Remaining tickets will be available for guests on April 24.

All tickets are going to be distributed to students in the Student Union, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 4 to 6 p.m. each day. Limited tickets are available, and a Mercyhurst ID is required to get one.