Skatalites, moe. added to Spring Fling concert bill

Fourth band may be signed later this week Influential ska music pioneers the Skatalites and live jam specialists moe. will be sharing the bill with the Violent Femmes at this year's Spring Fling concert, according to College senior Mike Parker. The show will take place April 19 on Hill Field. Parker, director of concerts for the Social Planning and Events Committee, said the Skatalites are considered the originators of modern ska music. Ska was the new dance music of early 1960s Jamaica and the country's first indigenous popular music genre. After gaining popularity first in Great Britain and then throughout the world, ska briefly lost ground to its progeny -- reggae -- before enjoying revivals in the mid-1970s (the Specials, the English Beat), and the late 80s and early 90s (the Toasters, Bim Skala Bim). Instrumentally, ska bands are usually composed of a strong bass and drum rhythm section, guitars, keyboards and brass. The Skatalites were founded in 1964 and are led by Tommy McCook -- who recently celebrated his 69th birthday. Spring Fling co-Director Melissa Schaefer, a College junior, said the band should appeal to students familiar with ska music and to those who are not. "Before the concert, people who know and appreciate ska will be very excited the Skatalites are coming," Schaefer predicted. "And during the show, even people who don't know them will definitely love them -- they'll be a great part of the show." While up-and-comers moe. do not have the legacy the Skatalites do, they are nonetheless becoming popular nationwide by adhering to a rigorous touring schedule that features four to five shows a week. The band has developed a loyal fan base in cities like New York, Albany and Toronto, and has gone from opening shows to selling out small clubs as headliners, according to the group's World Wide Web home page. Moe. has been together for three years, and has opened for bands like the Spin Doctors, the Samples, God Street Wine and the Mighty Mighty Bosstones. Schaefer said the band's music is similar to Phish's. "We're trying to reach a varied audience," she said. "We're trying to get something for everyone at Penn." She added that negotiations are ongoing for a fourth Fling band, and tickets for the show will go on sale "as soon as the bill is finalized." While the bands currently on the ticket appeal to a variety of musical tastes, Spring Fling co-Director Gil Beverly, a Wharton senior, said the combination "represent a really strong ticket." "We picked bands that could get the most bang for our buck," he added. "We try to appeal to as many different tastes while still maintaining continuity."

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