Photo courtesy Lava Records After a plague of disappointing cancellations, this year's CatFest promises to draw a large crowd and go off without a hitch

The grass will still be green at this year's CatFest, and you won't have to worry about the weather.

In the past, CatFest has been plagued by poor weather and cancellations. But this year University Activities Board is prepared for all the elements.

"We moved the concert into Centennial Hall this year," said Sarah Calvert, events coordinator for the Associated Students of the University of Arizona. "We made sure we had all weather conditions covered."

The event will begin Friday afternoon on the UA Mall. There will be booths from all of the UA clubs set up to promote themselves. And for people looking to get wet and have some fun, there will be an inflatable Slip 'N Slide as well as a few other inflatable toys to bounce around on. KAMP Student Radio will be on hand spinning much needed music to help keep the festivities rolling.

After things have died down on the Mall, the real party will begin over at Centennial Hall at 5:30 p.m. where Goldfinger, Authority Zero and Eleventh Hour will be getting set to play.

Fresh off of the Punk-O-Rama tour, Authority Zero is a pop-punk band making the short trek from their hometown in Mesa, Arizona. The group said it is excited to play and can't wait to get people in to their music in Tucson.

"We haven't played in Tucson in awhile so it should be really cool when we go back down there," said Bill Marcks, guitarist for the band. "We used to play on-and- off down there with the Elemenopees. Tucson is always cool to go and hang out in."

The group formed back in 1994 when all of the members were still in high school. After a few lineup changes the final group was established and continued to play throughout their college careers.

"We used to play on-and-off down there with the Elemenopees. Tucson is always cool to go and hang out in." -Bill Marcks Authority Zero

"I would go to college during the daytime and deliver pizzas at night," Marcks said. "They (the band) would work day jobs and we would all play at night."

The group has seen increased popularity over the past year with the release of a new E.P. that sold over 2,000 units at local record stores, and recently the band was signed to Lava records, a subsidiary of Atlantic Records.

"We waited for the best offer, not so much monetary, but creative ability," Marcks said. "Lava only puts out two albums per quarter which is what drew us to the label."

The bands success really started to take off after playing shows constantly in Phoenix and getting continuous radio play.

"We played two years ago in Tempe for the new years block party and we played for about 200 people," Marcks said. "We kept building from there, getting a bigger and bigger following."

"I think it is because it (the music) is so eclectic, we have a variety of styles. It is kind of fresh, positive music, something different."

The groups version of pop-punk has gained the them enough attention that they were invited on last summer's Warped Tour. Marcks said the reason that people are getting into the band's music is because of the diversity in sound and the groups performance on stage.

"We use a variety of textures in our music, we have some real sticky hooks that we use when we play," Marcks said. "We put 110 percent in, when we are onstage we are bouncing off the walls."

When it all comes down to it, what the band really wants to be remembered for is what Marcks says are the bands new ideas in their music.

"Bringing the new sound to the table," Marcks said. "Setting the standard for some new bands, being revolutionary."

Authority Zero has played with Goldfinger twice before, so the show should be a real treat for UA students. If you have nothing to do after the show is over, stick around because Goldfinger will be there to sign autographs and talk with fans. Only 2,400 tickets will be available for the show on Friday night, and as of last evening only 198 tickets were left. Tickets are free, but you need to present your CatCard at the Centennial Hall box office to get them, and you have to have a ticket to get into the show.