In my three years at Tufts, talented jam bands like Deep Banana Blackout, Medeski, Martin, and Wood, and John Scofield have played various shows - mostly to a delighted jam band fan base, but also to other music lovers who found themselves grooving along with the rest of us and sometimes wondering how such proficient acts could exist without widespread recognition. At the very least, most could admit that while they may not be fans of jazz, funk, or whatever style of music it was, they could appreciate the tremendous amount of skill required to not only master an instrument, but to spontaneously create music that fully incorporates every band member.
However, while previous years' Spring Flings have included some instrumentally solid bands like the Roots or Original P, the jam band genre had been curiously overlooked by the Concert Board in its Spring Fling scheduling, the most broadly accepted and attended Tufts musical event.
For this reason, Monday marked a milestone. The Concert Board has finally recognized that the amount of jam band fans at our school is increasing quicker than you can say Boston Funk Band. One band out of nine in the span of three years is not too much to ask. However, for me this joy was short-lived. Opening the Daily on Tuesday, I found a Daily editorial condemning the actions of the Concert Board and dismissing moe. as "a talented jam band that will undoubtedly plunge a restive crowd into a deep, spring sleep." The overly basic musical analysis provided in the editorial proves just how unfamiliar people are with the band, such as noting Rob Derhak's bass solos as the leading display of talent, something that has not been true for moe. in several years.
Clearly, what little knowledge went into this analysis of the band is based mainly on listening to studio albums. I am not sure whether or not moe. makes good studio albums (outside of their live recording L, an album widely acknowledged as one of the best live recordings in existence), but I am positive that these albums have little to do with what moe. is about. The only true way to know anything about a jam band is to see a concert.
Saying how the Tufts community will react to a band that one knows little to nothing about is unfair to the band - spreading this pessimism to the entire campus is downright ludicrous and serves no purpose but to create a self-fulfilling prophecy. It should be acknowledged that the Concert Board had the good sense to select a jam band that is far more likely to be enjoyed by the entire Tufts community than most others. While a majority of jam bands either do not include singing in their songs or lack the singing talent seen in more popular genres, moe. features a band full of talented singers and a repertoire of catchy songs. Furthermore, they are able to avoid the overblown sap seen in previous selections such as Better than Ezra or Guster.
It is quite an accomplishment that the Concert Board could fit a band that provides the jam band scene with one of its most popular attractions into its budget. In past years, I have always approved of the inclusion of bands like Reel Big Fish and Jurassic 5, even though they're not my preferred taste of music. I appreciated their fans at Tufts being rewarded and their styles being represented, and by being open-minded about them, I found that I actually enjoyed some of the things they were doing.
Similarly, this year, it would only be fair to accept moe. as a treat for a moderately large group of Tufts fans who are more passionate about their music than most others. In fact, a quick glance at the crowd who was clearly there to enjoy the non-Guster music of last year's Spring Fling showed a large number of jam band fans, even a majority by the end of the event, despite neither of the bands being jam bands. While this will clearly be the same situation this year, I would encourage anyone there who is up and around by the time moe. takes the stage to be open-minded.
Understand that if you have not seen the band live than you know nothing about it. Give moe. a listen. You will be able to make an informed opinion, and you will have an knowledgeable basis for bashing the Concert Board's decision, instead of just listing inaccurate descriptions of old features and broad generalizations about jam bands.
Jeff Diamond is a junior majoring in mathematics.
