Melissa Van Grinsven/Winonan

The secret is out: the University Planning Activities Committee (UPAC) announced on Jan. 18 that Timeflies will be performing at this year’s Spring 2014 concert.

According to UPAC Concerts Director Emily Meskan, Timeflies was the perfect choice for this year’s featured artist.

“Timeflies was a very good option for our campus based on their appeal to college students,” Meskan said. “A lot of suggestions came in for Timeflies, and it was a reasonable option for us at UPAC as well.”

While the tune of Timeflies’ music may have some Winona State students singing along, others are left wondering who the band even is.

Winona State students Katlyn Plourde and Elizabeth Ortiz work in the same office on campus and both plan on attending the concert this year. Their reactions to the concert news varied, representing both sides of the spectrum.

Plourde said she was excited to hear that Timeflies had been chosen as this year’s entertainment, especially since it is her senior year.

“I’ve been wishing they would have them for the past three years,” Plourde said.

On the other hand, Ortiz said she had no idea who the group originally was, but is willing to give them a chance.

“After I saw that a lot of my friends were excited, I thought ‘Hey, these guys might be good!’ I’m excited to give their music a listen.”

Meskan said the process to choose the spring entertainment required many steps.  UPAC worked with an agency called Event Resources Presents to gather ideas in late September for potential talent. A survey was sent out to students asking which genre of music they would prefer and the results were narrowed.

Next, Meskan researched online for different artists based on history, albums and their popularity. The concerts committee then took a vote to narrow down their choices on which entertainment would best reflect Winona State.

Once the committee voted on the best options for the entertainment, the list was sent to the event agency to submit offers to the artists in order of preference. Once the offer was accepted, all of the contracts were signed and UPAC received a catalog for approved opening acts. Meskan said they are currently in the process of finding the opening act for Timeflies.

Meskan said it’s challenging to find an artist that everyone would like to see perform at the concert.

“It is very difficult to find an artist that will appeal to the majority of the campus,” Meskan said. “Our first priority is to sell all of our tickets to WSU students, but we also want to appeal to the people of Winona and the surrounding areas.”

Tickets for the concert go on sale Feb. 17 for students at $20, and public tickets will be sold Mar. 1 for $30. UPAC suggests getting tickets early, since the price will be $30 on the day of the concert.