They Might Be Giants and SR-71 to Jam at Spring Fling
BY KARI WETHINGTON

A college kid need not be briefed on the biographical statistics of They Might Be Giants, the classic pop-rock group that will headline this weekend’s Spring Fling. Hailing from Lincoln, Mass. (but forming the band as we know it in Brooklyn), the college-radio-friendly duo’s sound began to take shape in the early 1980s and 20 years later, TMBG is still making quality pop and attracting new fans into their cult-like following. 

TMBG was formed by the two Johns (Linnell and Flansburgh), who made up the whole of the band until 1996 when they enlisted the help of musicians to cover drums, bass and horns, thus erasing the need they previously had for their “backing tape” — the tape they played to accompany their delightfully zany songs. Linnell and Flansburgh didn’t let anything get in their way; after realizing the difficulties of securing a record deal in their early years, the group formed their notorious Dial-a-Song phone line that played songs over an answering machine. 
The band, though Dial-a-Song is still up and running, has come a long way since those days, and now their eclectic tunes can be heard as the theme song for a hit sitcom, Fox’s Malcom in the Middle, which features the punk-inspired “Boss of Me.” With a new release to come in August, TMBG is sure to have a full roster of tunes for their insatiable fans. 
Opening for TMBG is SR-71, a refreshing pop-punk group from Baltimore that is touring to support their debut album on RCA, Now You See Inside. Combining charmingly pessimistic lyrics and melodic punk riffs makes their sound tight and catchy. Their sound may not be groundbreaking, but they may just prove to stand out from the proliferation of pop-punk that record companies everywhere have been pushing. Though they’ve been Baltimore favorites for five years, the band’s popularity recently took off when the album’s first single, “Right Now,” was played regularly on popular radio stations. Their performance is sure to get the crowd energized and ready for the silliness of TMBG.

Bringing such big names to campus is not an easy event to organize, as last year’s Spring Fling proves; instead of a concert, the Student Union sponsored a drug-free “rave” that interested more out-of-town patrons than College students. This spring’s concert is already attracting more student interest by providing entertainment for those car-less students who are growing weary of the cornfields. Though this semester has not seen near the number of touring bands that the College brought last semester, They Might Be Giants is a step in the right direction; too bad the semester’s almost over.