Spring Fever headliners Lucky Boys Confusion are most often
recognized for their single “Fred Astaire,” from their 2001 release
Throwing the Game. This song often begs the question: What does
this toe-tapping entertainer have to do with anything?

Lead singer and songwriter Kaustubh “Stubhy” Pandav is a first
generation U.S. citizen of East Indian descent. Growing up in the
suburbs Chicago, his parents were stricter than most: Pandav
couldn’t listen to Western music, nor could he speak English in his
home.

For the purposes of the song, Fred Astaire is just like Mother
Teresa or Mahatma Gandhi: There are ideals that parents push their
children toward, and sometimes these children cannot bear the
weight any longer.

LBC differentiate themselves with an eclectic sound, blending
punk rock, reggae and hip-hop. Ironically, Fred Astaire plays a
symbolic role in this, too. When Pandav rebelled against his
parents at the ripe young age of 14, he was inundated with every
genre of music, and his deprived ears loved all of it.

Along with guitarist and co-songwriter Adam Krier, guitarist Joe
Sell, bassist Jason Schultejann and drummer Ryan Fergus, Pandav is
able to immerse himself in all of these musical styles and sing all
of the English wants.

LBC’s work on Throwing the Game attracted the attention of
Sublime’s Michael Miguel Happoldt, who agreed to produce their
second major album, Commitment, released 2003. This earnest
sophomore effort includes the energetic anthem “Hey Driver,” along
with slower songs such as “Sunday Afternoon,” which features
underground reggae icon Half Pint.

LBC will be joined by the Orange County punk rockers of
Zebrahead, a band that takes its name from a 1992 film about a
white teenager attending a mostly black, inner-city school.

Like LBC, their sound draws from a variety of influences,
resulting in something that could be described as rap-punk–not
surprisingly, the band cites 311 as one of their major
influences.

MFZB, the 2003 follow-up to Waste of Mind, is slightly more
serious than its predecessor, but the band is still having fun,
“Playmate of the Year”-style.

The Redwalls will also take to the stage for Spring Fever,
hailing from the same city as LBC. The Redwalls, formerly known as
The Pages, were forced to change their name when they signed to
Capitol Records in 2003–a ’70s West Coast band called Pages
already existed, although they have since changed their name to Mr.
Mister.

Fresh out of high school, these fledglings delved into the past
to find their sound, which is reminiscent of the Beatles amidst The
White Album, “Let it Be” era.

Each of these bands is purported to put on an impressive live
show. The members of LBC and Zebrahead are close friends (both
bands worked with the same producer to release their first album)
and had trouble who will perform first, so make sure to arrive on
time if there is one in particular that you don’t want to miss.

The mainstage concert begins at 5 p.m. on the Astroturf between
Grand Boulevard and Compton Avenue, with the winner of last week’s
Battle of the Bands beginning the show.

The Redwalls are scheduled to go on stage at 6:30 p.m., with
Zebrahead at 8 p.m. and Lucky Boys Confusion at 9:30 p.m.