The nationally-acclaimed band, The Nadas, will be returning to Simpson this week as the Campus Activities Board presents its biggest show of the school year.

On first hearing, The Nadas are hard to classify. Although, they are said to be a blend of folk, rock, blues and country, concertgoers may find it hard to categorize this Iowa based band.

“They’re not rock or pop but a mix of the two,” sophomore CAB President, Kim Lamon said. “The Nadas are a band that appeals to a broad fan base. Some of their songs are fun, serious and others are just mellow tunes you can get into. Its definitely a mainstream feel.”

The Nadas made their debut appearance on the Simpson College campus in 2000 and were well-received.

“Last time, there was a substantial amount of students who liked the band,” Rich Ramos, assistant dean of students said. “This year, we’ve had a lot of off-campus calls wanting to know about The Nadas.”

With the expectation of a large crowd and favorable weather, an outdoor site was chosen for the concert venue. The Kresge courtyard will provide a springtime atmosphere and a central location for students on campus.

“The courtyard is an ideal spot for a performance,”Ramos said.

“We hope the courtyard will be a different environment,” Lamon added. “We would really like to utilize he nice weather.”

The Nadas is set to play their gig here on Friday, April 5, 2002, in the courtyard of Kresge Residence Hall (weather permitting) at 8 p.m. The alternate location for the concert will be the gallery of Brenton Student Center.

The Nadas appearance this year marks the largest band booked by Simpson in the 2001-2002 school year. Lamon says that The Nadas are being used as a lead-in into bigger acts to follow next year.

“The Nadas are the closest group to being big. They have enough hype behind them to get the crowds. People are getting excited about them,” Lamon said.

On Wednesday, April 10, CAB will be holding elections for which band they should book for next year’s large act. Elections will be held in the BSC gallery with bands on the slate as Hoobastank, Jimmy Eat World, New Found Glory and Good Charlotte.

“Our goal is to book bands with notoriety, bands people want,” Lamon said. “That’s what [CAB] is here for.”

With a student population of over 1,500 it can be a difficult task to book entertainment to please a majority of the students.

“We have a large amount of diverse students here so we need to find the market that appeals to most students,” Lamon said. “And if we don’t get to a lot of student’s niche than we book other bands that hit the niche we didn’t get before.”