The Maintenance Shop begins hosting concerts this weekend and will continue to provide students with entertaining, diverse musical acts.

“We definitely think about making our lineup as broadly appealing as possible and always try to reach out to new potential crowds,” said Connor Nolan, M-Shop director of the Student Union Board, regarding the M-Shop’s booking strategy. “A lot of students have probably never been to the M-Shop, but we think if we can get them in for just one show, they’ll keep coming back for more.”

First to perform at the M-Shop this semester will be pop singer-songwriter Gabe Dixon, co-headlining with Lelia Broussard. Dixon’s pop sound impressed SUB, and Nolan believes it is a good way to kick off the semester lineup.

Bryan Scheckel, member of SUB and the M-Shop coordinator, explained the purpose of the M-Shop’s opening weekend. “It’s kind of like a welcome back thing,” Scheckel said. “People have less stuff to do and are looking for something to do because classes aren’t in full swing yet. So we give the students the opportunity to see some shows.”

This coming Saturday, indie band The Envy Corp returns due to high popularity with the student body.

“They last played the M-Shop in fall [of] 2010 … and they’re always popular, being that they got their start in Ames and have blossomed in Iowa and beyond,” Nolan said.

Skypiper, another indie band, will be returning to the M-Shop stage along with The Envy Corp. To round off the opening weekend at the M-Shop, SUB has brought in Dia Frampton, runner-up in NBC’s hit TV show “The Voice.”

Nolan said this show is a “big deal” for the M-Shop, because they rarely get names as recognizable as Frampton’s. Scheckel believes this is one of the main reasons behind why students are drawn to the big name shows.

“It’s name recognition and credentials,” Scheckel said. “I mean, if you can sing in front of Cee Lo Green and Christina Aguilera, you’re more than qualified.”

For a full calendar of the M-shop’s upcoming events, visit www.sub.iastate.edu, under the “events” tab.