SPEC announces funk, jazz Spring Fling lineup

Many students said they were disappointed with Fling's low-profile bands. and Seth Grossman Maceo who? The list of bands for this year's Spring Fling "Funk Music Festival" has some Penn students in, well, a funk. In random conversations with about three dozen students in the 3401 Walnut Street food court and Houston Hall yesterday, The Daily Pennsylvanian found many complaining about a list of bands they hadn't heard of and a concert theme some described as far from the mainstream. "I absolutely expected a better band," College freshman Jamie Pinto said. "The school seems to pull its weight for everything except for what students really want." Concert headliner Maceo Parker, an acid jazz artist, had little name recognition among students, who overwhelmingly indicated they would have preferred a big-name act for the April 17 show at Hill Field. Within jazz and funk circles, Parker is well respected, even legendary by some accounts. The tenor saxophonist has played with James Brown as well as George Clinton and the P-Funk All Stars. "I'm definitely going to see Maceo Parker," Wharton and Engineering sophomore Michael Rosenthal said. Fellow performers Jon Spencer Blues Explosion and Five Fingers of Funk, a band with roots in hip-hop and funk, also attracted scant praise, with many students describing them as relative unknowns. Of the four bands, only ska-funk rockers Fishbone seemed to have any real fan base on campus. Allison Rosen, a Wharton senior and co-chairperson of the Social Planning and Events Committee's Concerts Committee -- which selects the bands -- defended the selections. "We thought that they all give great live performances," she said. "It'll be pretty rowdy, pretty excited." Many students agreed that it's the size of the party that matters -- not the bands that play. "College students can have fun doing just about anything -- you just need to have the right attitude," College freshman Alex Flemming said. And Lucia Zapatero, a College junior, said anything would sound good "with three shots of vodka." Still, the concert lineup struck others as decidedly underwhelming. "I probably won't go because I don't know who they are," said Dave Muir, a College freshman. Recent Flings have featured bigger names, including A Tribe Called Quest last year, Violent Femmes in 1996 and Sonic Youth and George Clinton in 1995. Last year's top choice, Bob Dylan, was unavailable, choosing to play at Brown. Indeed, many students said they felt entitled to well-known acts for the Fling festivities. "There is one-of-a-kind recognition" that Penn's Fling is bigger and better than similar spring party weekends at other East Coast schools, College sophomore Abby Penniman said. But actually getting the big names to campus is no easy task. "Traditionally, it was never that kind of huge show where Dave Matthews or Pearl Jam would come," Rosen said. "[Students'] expectations were too high." But not all students felt shooting for the stars was unrealistic. "You definitely have to gun for the bigger names for your Spring Fling," said one Medical student who refused to give his name. Since Friday's announcement of the groups, a stream of negative posts on the Internet newsgroup upenn.talk have criticized SPEC's choices. In a series of bitter responses posted to the campus-wide newsgroup, Rosen and other Fling organizers blasted students who had posted critiques of the concert lineup as "ignorant" and unaware of the difficulties involved in signing bands to play. "You obviously have no clue as to what goes into booking a band," Rosen told a student in one post. "But I guess making you comprehend anything is a lost cause." One of those Rosen and others criticized responded to the attacks with disbelief. "I don't mean to insult what they did," College freshman Ellen King told the DP. "But we have a right to not like the result." Daily Pennsylvanian staff writer Edward Sherwin contributed to this article.