Indie Artist Will Open Yardfest

Guitarist and singer-songwriter Patrick Park will be opening for hip-hop artist Kid Cudi at Yardfest, the College Events Board and Harvard Concert Commission announced yesterday.

Park, 33, will bring his indie-folk stylings to Cambridge on April 18 at Tercentenary Theatre, rounding out the rap of Kid Cudi, whose act was reported by The Crimson on Monday.

“We’ve always tried to get diverse artists so that we can meet all of the musical tastes of Harvard students,” said HCC Director Synne D. Chapman ’11, who is also a Crimson magazine editor.

To date, Park has released two full-length albums. “Life Is a Song,” the first track of his 2007 album “Everyone’s in Everyone,” was featured as the final song during the series finale of “The O.C.”

He is set to release a third album, “Come What Will,” on April 6.

“In general, we like his feel,” CEB Vice-Chair Stephen G. Anastos Jr. ’11 said. “We think he would complement Cudi pretty decently.”

Anastos said that contract negotiations between Harvard and Park were “recently finalized.”

He added that he was unsure as to what songs Park would perform and whether Park was included on the fall CEB poll soliciting student input on potential Yardfest artists.

Park was chosen both for budgetary reasons and for his appeal to students who prefer the indie genre to hip-hop, Chapman said.

Park’s performance will precede the act of three-time Grammy nominee Kid Cudi, who is best known for his song “Day ‘n’ Nite,” which appeared first as a digital download and then on his 2009 debut album “Man on the Moon: The End of Day.”

At last year’s Yardfest, electronic group Ratatat followed singer-songwriter Sara Bareilles, who provided more of a “daytime feel,” Anastos said, adding that Park was paired with Cudi to produce a similar effect.

“We’re really excited about Kid Cudi and Patrick Park at Yardfest,” Anastos said. “We think it’s going to be a great show.”

—Staff writer Danielle J. Kolin can be reached at dkolin@fas.harvard.edu.

—Staff writer Naveen N. Srivatsa can be reached at srivatsa@fas.harvard.edu.