<< Front page Arts September 10, 2004

The Slip gives the term “jam band” new meaning

Pensive Performance: The Slip’s diverse mix of influences made for an ear-opening show at the ‘Sco Wednesday night.
 

In my experience, a day with live music is better than a day without.

For every band that has ever been labeled a jam band, a “blank meets blank” or indie rock (in the bad way), another band somewhere else is selling out, making it big or experimenting. However, it is important that we not buy into these labels too much; they can often be entirely misleading. Never has this been more the case than with the preconception that I had of The Slip as just another hippy jam band.

The Slip played at the ’Sco this past Wednesday night. The Boston trio played for a little under two hours, spanning nearly every imaginable sound and style. Drummer Andrew Barr laid down tight grooves with bass player Marc Friedman, allowing guitarist/lead singer Brad Barr to improvise with textures and harmonies. Making use of several guitars and a slew of effect pedals, the older Barr brother (Brad) created a new timbre for practically every phrase in the show. Friedman made use of a stomp operated MIDI controller and ukelele in addition to several basses. Dynamically, the band was solid, contrasting subtly beautiful passages with upbeat motion. Transitions between songs were smooth and always well executed, although the attempted verbal communication to the audience left something to be desired.

The highlight of the show was the band’s arrangement of Eric Satie’s “Gymnopedie.” After all, the audience was mainly comprised of talented musicians and aficionados, making it the perfect setting for The Slip to demonstrate their wide-ranging musical tastes. The musical connection that the band shared with the audience was unique. When performers are able to tune into the listeners as much as the listeners do the performers, the effect that is achieved breaks down walls.

What makes The Slip a great band is their open ears and their ability to play not just what they hear, but also what the listeners want to hear. In an interview before the show, Andrew suggested Wilco and Broken Social Scene as bands that The Slip would like to play with in the future. However, it became immediately clear that The Slip’s musical influences are far more diverse; they listed John Coltrane, Leadbelly, James Brown, the Flaming Lips and guitarist John Williams, among others, as artists to whom they are currently listening.

All three band members studied at the Berklee School of Music before making their start, which gave each of them a solid foundation in musical techniques. After studying with Jamie Haddad (who recently gave a percussion workshop at Oberlin and who has toured with Paul Simon), Andrew traveled to Mali and Brazil to broaden his musical horizons. The band explained that they are trying to blend all of their musical styles in a way that their audiences can appreciate, be it dancing or just feeling the rhythm. The Slip was successful in their goal of getting the audience to dance, but even more successful with getting the audience to listen closely to their ideas. Brad ultimately wanted to cite Miles Davis’ idea of narrative form in performance, but it seems just as appropriate to extend the metaphor to the band’s entire career: The Slip’s story is only just beginning.


 
 
   

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