By Maureen O’Donoghue

The Student Government Associate recently announced that this year’s headliner for the annual Loyolapalooza festival on Sunday, April 25, 2010 will be Eric Hutchinson, who will be preceded by the up-and- coming band Barefoot Truth and this year’s winner of the Battle of the Bands, Chas Mayer and the Clearspring Sensation.

Ashley Bergman, vice president of social affairs for SGA, said it is difficult to schedule big names because of the small budget allocated to the entertainment of Loyolapalooza, so the key is to find good up and coming artists that are strong live performers.

“I wanted to ensure that the artists would give off the vibe that students associate with Loyolapalooza- a day to sit back and relax in the sun with your friends before the chaos of exams begins,” said Bergmann.

Hutchinson, a Maryland native, is an up and coming singer-songwriter, pianist, and guitarist. He is known most widely for his hits “Rock and Roll” and “OK, It’s Alright With Me” both from his May, 2008 album Sounds Like This. Hutchinson’s music, heavily influenced by Stevie Wonder, The Beatles, Billy Joel, Ben Folds Five and G. Love & Special Sauce, is a mix of pop, rock, folk, and power pop.

Sophomore Jacqueline Truesdale said she was very excited to hear that Eric Hutchinson would be performing at Loyolapalooza.

“He’s awesome, and I think most students will definitely love him,” said Truesdale. “I think he’ll definitely set a great vibe at Loyolapalooza.”

Barefoot Truth is an American indie/roots folk-jam band from Connecticut. They formed in 2005 and have since gained a reputation as a college act. They’re new album Threads was released this past February, and their diverse sound ranging from reggae to country is sure to complement Hutchinson’s act.

The first act of Loyolapalooza and perhaps the most anticipated performer for many students is this year’s winner of the Battle of the Bands, Chas Mayer and the Clearspring Sensation. The band includes members Christian Ventimiglia as lead singer/rhythm guitarist, Chas Mayer on guitar, Tim Williams on bass, Jonathan Khouri on keyboard, and Chris Dunn on drums- all members are currently Loyola seniors. The group came together for the first time last semester for a show at Ryan’s Daughter.

“We did kind of an acoustic set at the Daughter and it just came together so nice, and everybody came out and loved it, had such a great time and so we decided ‘What the hell, let’s go for Battle of the Bands’,” said Ventimiglia.

The Band’s sound is influenced by various classic rock bands including The Beatles, Phish and Moe. They say they like playing a variety of songs that people enjoy hearing, singing along and dancing to, though they consider their genre mostly classic rock. For Loyolapalooza, Clearspring will definitely be playing some “oldies” such as Gloria Gaynor’s “I Will Survive” and Steve Miller Band’s “Fly Like an Eagle.” They say they would like to introduce the student body to more of their own originals at Loyolapalooza like “Spanish Steps” and “Jazz Band” which they played at Battle of the Bands.