3LAU, Nostalgics Join YardFest Bill

In addition to the previously revealed YardFest performers The Cataracs and Das Racist, mash-up artist 3LAU and student motown and soul band The Nostalgics will perform at this year’s spring concert, the College Events Board announced on Friday.

The concert will return to its historic location in Tercentenary Theatre.

The artists were chosen based on a public poll distributed to House lists during the fall semester.

In the survey, students gave preferences for artists and genre of music.

According to Robert M. Hero ’13, a member of the YardFest selection committee, the most requested genres were Top 40 and hip-hop.

“Jay-Z and Kanye West were way more expensive than what we could afford,” Hero said. “It’s hard to appease everyone while working on a budget.”

J. Andre Mauri ’13, co-chair of the College Events Board, said he is happy with the lineup given the budgetary and scheduling constraints.

“YardFest is one of our favorite events because it brings school spirit and gets all years [of students] united,” he said.

The Cataracs, a hip-hop indie-pop duo based in Los Angeles, will be the headline artist at YardFest.

The group was formed in 2003 when high school friends David “Campa” Benjamin Singer-Vine and Nyles “Cyrano” Hollowell-Dhar joined forces. After releasing their first album in 2006, their most popular hits have included “Top of the World,” “Club Love,” and “Baby Baby,” the last of which was featured on “Keeping Up With the Kardashians.”

Das Racist, an alternative hip-hop group based in Brooklyn, N.Y., will also perform.

The group emerged as internet celebrities in 2008 after releasing their song, “Combination Pizza Hut and Taco Bell.”

Their most popular songs include “Hahahaha JK?” and “Girl.”

The third artist, 3LAU, is a 21-year-old mash-up, remix, and House producer, who is also a student at Washington University in St. Louis.

Currently the official House DJ of FratMusic.com, 3LAU has produced hits like “Girls Who Save the World,” “Dubsex,” “Yacht Week in America,” and “All Night Long.”

YardFest will feature a Harvard student band as an opening act for the first time, following the CEB’s mission of encouraging student involvement in social events on campus, according to Mauri.

“We wanted to draw more attention to YardFest by having the students participate and take ownership of the event,” Mauri said.

Friday night, the CEB hosted “Battle for YardFest,” a competition that determined which student group would perform. The CEB has hosted several “Battles” in the past.

The Nostalgics, which is composed of Harvard undergraduates, emerged victorious.

“We were totally surprised and felt pretty flattered,” band member Charles G. Gertler ’13 said. “This will be one of the biggest venues that we play in, so we are very excited.”

In preparation for YardFest, Gertler said the group is “definitely going to try to learn and write new tunes” and adapt its music for the venue.

“Our fans, if we have any, should be excited about hearing us with a really well-mixed sound system and professional sound people behind us,” Gertler said.

Formed in the spring of 2010, The Nostalgics features students from each class.

The band describes itself as “the soul of Harvard University,” according to its website.

In the fall, the Nostalgics performed at the inter-house formal at House of Blues after winning a battle of the bands contest.

—Staff writer Eliza M. Nguyen can be reached at enguyen@college.harvard.edu.

—Staff writer Jane Seo can be reached at janeseo@college.harvard.edu.