Ska-punk band Reel Big Fish will get reacquainted with Washington University when they play this Spring’s W.I.L.D. concert, nearly a decade after performing in the Gargoyle.

Their booking agency, The Agency Group, confirmed that the band would take the stage at the University on April 27, 2007.

“I want to make it clear that Reel Big Fish is not the main headliner. I don’t know if we’re having them as co-headliners, or as the main opener, but they will be the second band of the three slots,” said sophomore Randy Lubin, co-chair of Team 31.

“We could either get one pretty big band, which would cost between $50,000 to $55,000, or we could go for two bands that were slightly smaller than that. We hope that with two different big groups, it will have the chance of appealing to a larger crowd.”

Lubin explained the selection process for choosing Reel Big Fish, which came up as a suggestion several times through Team 31′s online request form. “Team 31 really wants to appease the needs of the students. We strive to have a balance of rap and rock. I think that was evident in the Guster concert with Rahzel opening for them.”

“For the spring, people wanted a concert with more energy, so going into this concert, we looked really hard in trying to meet that. We looked at rapper Jibbs before the offer fell through.”

Other bands that Team 31 considered for the spring concert include rap groups Lupe Fiasco and Gym Class Heroes, both of whom were considered before Reel Big Fish. Team 31 is still working on confirming a hip-hop opener for the spring concert.

“We had a couple of problems with trying to get rap on campus. One of them is that a good rap act costs a lot more than a rock act of the same popularity and it would take up a much more significant proportion of our budget,” said Lubin. “Another problem is not only does the date have to work out, but [the band] has to have enough incentive to route their tours through St. Louis.”

Reel Big Fish has released seven albums, starting with “Turn the Radio Off” in 1996. They gained mainstream popularity in 1997, with their hit “Sell Out.” Their most recent release, “Our Live Album is Better Than Your Live Album,” is a double live CD and DVD set. Reel Big Fish currently includes six band members, ranging from a pianist to a trombonist.

The Gargoyle’s previous booking of Reel Big Fish drew a crowd of over 900 students, which ended the Gargoyle’s relaxed alcohol policy. The Battle of the Bands this past Thursday marked the first event where the Gargoyle served alcohol since the performance by Reel Big Fish.

Junior Sharad Wadhwani was enthusiastic about the spring WILD performance. “I think it’s great. They’re a good live band and have good music.”

Senior Alexa Nathanson, president of the Gargoyle Committee, agreed. “I’ve seen them play before around two years ago. They were really good live – really energetic. They sold out the venue where they played in New York City. I think they’ll be a really good show.”

Not everyone was equally excited about the ska band’s arrival for spring W.I.L.D., however. Several students said they preferred the tradition of having one rap W.I.L.D. and one alternative rock W.I.L.D.

“I prefer hip hop bands like Lil Jon. They’re much more W.I.L.D.,” said sophomore Ryan Cotter. “They should at least mix it up instead of having three low-key bands in a row.”

Lubin defended Team 31′s decision to bring in two rock bands in a row to headline WILD. “The supposed tradition of rap one semester and rock one semester is not that big of a tradition. It’s only happened in the past few years. If you look historically, it hasn’t been that big of a trend.”

The rest of the spring 2007 lineup will be announced during the Ben Kweller concert in the Gargoyle on Wednesday, Feb. 28.

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