Welcome back to campus! You look tanner. Have you lost weight? Must have been all that walking around Daytona Beach. I see you picked up some sweet sunglasses. Those will look great on the Terrace. How was the music? Flo Rida is great, but I don’t blame you for sick of hearing him all break. Good thing we’ve got some awesome shows to look forward to for the rest of the semester and spilling into the summer. Let us help you ease back into the business side of things by providing you with some weekend fun, outdoor tunes with a scenic background, and crowds of peers ready to party.

Let’s start with April. We’re leaving it all out there for the last full month of school. This weekend we’ve got the awesome, crowd-interactive shows of Caveman, Screaming Females, and Giant People on Friday at Der Rath, and Big Freedia on Saturday on the same stage. We’ll have previews of both of those shows later in the week, but here’s a very short preview of the previews (I know, we’re going full Inception on you): They will be loud. They will be fun. You will sweat.

RON SWANSON. That’s all the segue I need. Tickets are still miraculously available for the April 18th show at the Union Theatre with Parks & Recreation‘s Nick Offerman. Jump on them so you can see the man behind the notorious mustache give a Q & A, share anecdotes, sing songs, and give tips on living a prosperous life. Considering how wise Ron Swanson (see video), this show may will change your life. Tickets been be purchased online, at the Union Theater on the Park Street-facing side of Memorial Union, or by phone at (608) 265-ARTS (2787).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V6c7Vw6R33E

It’d be easy to devote whole posts to each show beyond that point (and that’s just the treatment they’ll get the week of the shows), but you’ve got homework to catch up on and we’ve got more shows to book, so check out the Facebook events for more info on the following dates. We’ve got the EMMIE Battle of the Bands on April 20th, where you’ll get to see your classmates rock the Terrace. That same night anti-folk legend Kimya Dawson rocks one of our final shows in the Sett for the season. Rap fans will get their fill on April 21st at the Sett when Fake Four, Inc. acts bleubird and Ceschi hit the Sett with local rhymester genius Phonetic ONE. If silky smooth pop is more your thing, you can catch Jason Reeves with Anais Mitchell and Cuddle Magic across town at Der Rath. California electronic act Blackbird Blackbird and Canopies will get the Sett jumping on April 27th while across town Ezra Furman, Chamberlin, and Coo Woo will get Der Rath chilling. The Surgeons in Heat vinyl release party with The Midwest Beat, The Fatty Acids, and Pioneer takes the party outside to the Terrace again on the 28th while prog geniuses The Dear Hunter play the Sett. Yes, that’s all in the next three weeks.

We don’t quit during the summer, though. The Terrace kicks into full swing after school gets out. May 18th sees indie legends Xiu Xiu with buzz-makers Dirty Beaches, and June 8th brings Aussie band Royal Headache on the same day they drop their much-anticipated U.S. release of their debut album. Check out the calendar for the full breakdown of who will be rocking our stages (Remember we have the Behind the Beat series Friday afternoons and Open Mics the second and fourth Thursdays of the month). We’re excited, we hope you’re excited, and we look forward to seeing you out there!