Stephani Anderson
On Wednesday, May 10, UCSB’s Associated Students Program Board officially announced that Schoolboy Q, Tinashe, and GRiZ will be the main artists for Extravaganza 2017. This year, Extravaganza will start at 1 p.m. on Sunday, May 21 at Harder Stadium.
Students gathered at Storke Plaza in the afternoon and waited patiently for each banner with the artist’s name to be unveiled. Each artist was revealed about 20 minutes apart to build up anticipation. AS Program Board gave out yellow bandanas with camping-related images like a raccoon, tent, campfire, and singing bee to match the Camp X‘17 theme.
First, AS Program Board unravelled Tinashe’s banner. Tinashe is a contemporary R&B singer and songwriter from Kentucky who has collaborated with Chance the Rapper, Schoolboy Q, Snakehips, and Chris Brown, to name a few. She is best known for her hit songs “Player”, “All Hands on Deck” (as remixed by Iggy Azalea), and “2 On feat. Schoolboy Q” from her album Aquarius, as well as her recent standout “Flame”. In addition to being a singer, Tinashe is an actress and model who appeared on seasons 6 and 7 of “Two and a Half Men”.
Next, GRiZ, a Michigan-born electronic music producer, was revealed. GRiZ describes his music as “future funk” with a mix of dubstep, jazz, hip hop, and soul. As a kid, he played piano and saxophone, which inspires his jazzy and soulful sounds. GRiZ’s best known songs are “Good Times Roll,” “PS GFY,” and “Smash the Funk.”
The anticipation reached its peak when ASPB revealed Schoolboy Q, last but not least. Schoolboy’s style is rap, or West Coast rap specifically. His songs vary from socially conscious subjects to smokers’ anthems. His hit songs are “Man of the Year,” “Collard Greens,” “Hands on the Wheel (feat. A$AP Rocky),” and “THat Part (feat. Kanye West).” Schoolboy Q spent three years in the mixtape underground until he caught Kendrick Lamar’s attention in 2008 with his autobiographical mixtape, Schoolboy Turned Hustla.
Later that night at Behind the Music, AS Program Board announced the remaining two acts, Thundercat and Twin Peaks. Thundercat is a bass guitarist from LA who produces and sings under several genres like soul, jazz fusion, electronic, and funk. He appeared on Kendrick Lamar’s 2015 album To Pimp a Butterfly and won a Grammy for his track “These Walls.” Twin Peaks is an indie band from Chicago, Illinois that formed when all the members were in high school. Their style is similar to 1960s garage rock resulting in a 2010 garage punk sound with influences from The Beatles, Rolling Stones, and The Stooges.
With the official lineup released, students can look forward to another Gaucho Extravaganza with a variety of artists and genres.