SPEC announces funk, jazz Spring Fling lineup

Saxophonist Maceo Parker will headline the concert, which includes three other groups. Ending months of rumors and speculation, the Social Planning and Events Committee announced Friday a jazz and funk-filled concert line-up for this year's Spring Fling, headlined by acid-jazz saxophonist Maceo Parker. The show -- billed by SPEC as a "Funk Music Festival" -- brings Parker together with the Jon Spencer Blues Explosion, ska-funk-rock mainstay Fishbone and the Five Fingers of Funk, a large ensemble combining aspects of hip hop and funk. Last month, SPEC and Fling organizers confirmed that they tried to secure the Mighty Mighty Bosstones to headline the annual concert, which will be held April 17 on Hill Field. The Bosstones, however, rejected Penn's offer, and instead chose to play at Princeton University and Skidmore College that weekend. Over the last several months, the campus had been abuzz with rumors about who would headline Fling, with students guessing top-40 acts such as the Barenaked Ladies, Third Eye Blind and the Wallflowers, who played at Drexel University last semester. While bigger names -- including Cypress Hill, A Tribe Called Quest and the Violent Femmes -- have headlined Fling in the past several years, SPEC officials defended their choices of smaller, lesser-known acts. "It gives people who haven't heard of them a chance to experience something really great," said Spring Fling Committee Tri-Chairperson Bruce Frey, a College junior. Parker is not as well known as many of the acts that have headlined Fling in the past. But he has had a long career of playing with the likes of James Brown and 1995 Fling headliner George Clinton and the P-Funk All-Stars. The North Carolina native fronted several groups before releasing his first solo record, Roots Revisited, in 1990. The New York-based Jon Spencer Blues Explosion, which combines blues with elements of rock, punk and soul, was formed in 1990 by Spencer, the founding guitarist and vocalist for the influential 1980s band Pussy Galore. Spencer, joined by guitarist Judah Bauer and drummer Russell Simins -- but no bass player -- found commercial and critical success with the band's 1996 release Now I Got Worry. Fishbone has been a popular funk-punk group since its inception in 1984. Known for its high-energy live performances, the six-person band adds lively stage antics -- including back flips and stage leaps -- to its rock and ska-influenced rhythms. The Five Fingers of Funk, the concert's opening act, was founded in 1992 by drummer Talbott Guthrie. A product of the burgeoning Portland, Ore., hip hop scene, the band is the newest of this year's Fling acts. Its 10-person ensemble includes a rap vocalist, turntables and brass and percussion instruments. Tickets for the event will be $12 for Penn students and faculty and $15 for students from other schools. Although Hill Field has a capacity of about 8,000 people, Fling organizers said the concert regularly draws only 4,000 ticket holders. The Palestra will host the concert if bad weather ensues. The number of ticket buyers may be further reduced this year. In an unusual move, Parker and Fishbone will appear at Penn just a week after playing at the Electric Factory, a major Philadelphia concert venue. Normally, in order to protect revenues, concert contracts include a blackout clause that prohibit acts from appearing at another open venue in the same market for several weeks. To get around the problem, Concerts Committee co-chairperson Allison Rosen said SPEC decided to only sell tickets to people with valid student identification. The move may eliminate a pool of potential concertgoers. Trying to get bigger-name acts for Fling is not as easy as it may appear, said Rosen, citing difficulties such as Penn's need to compete with other area venues. "Certain acts like to tour at schools and some don't," the Wharton senior said. "The next time you see Pearl Jam or Dave Matthews it won't be at a college." Frey explained that most bands prefer to play colleges located outside of major urban markets -- such as Princeton, for example -- so as not to jeopardize dates at other area venues. "It's not like they say that one school is cooler than the other," he said. Rosen added that she thought that Fling's funk motif would prove to be very popular with students. "A lot of people said that P-Funk was their favorite show from the last few years," she said. "All of these artists really bring high energy to the show." In general, Rosen said she was pleased with how the students she has spoken to reacted to SPEC's announcement of the show's bill. "The only negative comments I've heard are from people who are really clueless," she said. Many students, however, have expressed disappointment in the lineup, stressing that they had never heard of the bands and citing the need for a more diverse bill.