Alternative rock band OK Go will take the stage as W.I.L.D. headliner this spring, joined by ska-punk band Reel Big Fish and Cut Chemist, a hip hop-style opener. The announcement came during last night’s Ben Kweller performance at the Gargoyle and was met with mixed reactions.

OK Go is best known for the music video “Here It Goes Again,” which featured them dancing in time on treadmills. The group, consisting of four members, won a 2007 Grammy award for “Best Short Form Music Video” and is known for their distinctive “geek” rock look.

Cut Chemist, a solo turntablist, was a former member of Latin-funk band Ozomatli and underground rap group Jurassic 5. His song “The Audience is Listening Theme Song” has recently been featured in an Apple iPod commercial.

“[Cut Chemist] doesn’t have a lot of name recognition, but he’s a legitimate artist. Last night when we were putting the names on the underpass, people were excited. It’s not straight hip hop – it’s different than what we’ve done recently,” said Hovey.

Hovey explained the difficulties Team 31 faced in getting the band lineup to match students’ requests.

“When we only have one day to pick from and a limited budget, the odds of us getting the first and second choices are pretty slim. The reason we didn’t get Lupe Fiasco, our first choice, is because they are playing Coachella which is a decently large music festival.”

After the announcement of Reel Big Fish as one of the acts in spring W.I.L.D., a Facebook group was created in protest named “Say NO to W.I.L.D.,” which had 138 members as of Thursday.

“It demonstrated that there are people on this campus that were really looking forward to hip hop. There are always going to be some people complaining,” said Hovey. “The reaction was a little bit more intense than in the past. I think 95 percent of people that show up will have a good time.”

In response to some criticism that Team 31 did not give ample opportunity for students to provide input, Hovey said that they were working in conjunction with the Office of Student Activities and the Social Programming Board to come up with an e-mail survey to better understand the student vibe.

“We have a band request link on our website that goes straight to our e-mail. All the bands that we looked at, both the ones that didn’t make it and the ones that are here now were requested by someone,” said Hovey. “Funnily enough, they were all rock bands.”

Senior Sarah Duve was enthusiastic about hearing Cut Chemist, even though the other acts tended more towards rock. “I’ve never been a fan of the rap W.I.L.D.s.” said Duve. “I feel like [the rappers] spend most of their time talking and dissing other rappers, so I’m satisfied with the movement towards more rock.”

“I’m a big fan of OK Go. I’ve seen them live before; they put on a really great show. I think it will be a good time,” said senior Eliana Tselepidakis.

Others hoped that W.I.L.D. followed the more traditional format of previous years. “I wish that they would mix it up. I liked the fact that they used to do half R&B and half rock,” said junior Beryl Ojwang.

Hovey encouraged students to become involved with Team 31 productions by joining their “roadies” crew, which helps with the setup of the shows in return for perks such as meeting the band and receiving free t-shirts. According to Hovey, becoming a “roadie” is a stepping-stone for getting onto the executive board for Team 31.

“I would consider all three of them to be a pretty big deal to get for a concert. We were very lucky to pull together a show within our budget, without overspending. All three of these acts are known for having a lot of energy,” said Hovey.

For more information on the bands or how to get involved with W.I.L.D., visit team31.wustl.edu.

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