Giving the Slip at the Cat

Sam, a roadie for the Slip, described the band's tunes as a "hodgepodge of sounds, something for everyone." Jam band music like the Slip's may not in truth be for everyone - this critic remains ambivalent - but it was exactly what a mid-sized audience at the Cat in the Cream Wednesday night wanted.

After a late start and poor initial attendance, the Slip warmed up to the coffeehouse and attracted swaying and weaving front-row dancers, as well as the occasional whoops and hollers.

The Slip started off with several purely instrumental numbers. Their style ranged from jazz, funk, folk and "tribal" music to classic rock 'n' roll.

Bobbing and twisting his shaved head and lanky body like a mechanical snake, bassist Marc Freidman held the band together with his limitless musical skill and a strong stage presence. Guitarist Andrew Barr contributed a ringing melody that adapted itself to a wide range of improvisation.

When the band moved on to vocal pieces, Barr revealed a wonderful folk rock drawl. His brother Brad Barr worked the drums with a light touch and several unique textures.

One of the high points of the evening came when the Slip played one of their old favorites, "Yellow Medicine." On this song, the audience was moved to a fever pitch of dancing and few in the crowd were able to stay seated.

The Slip have visited Oberlin once before, last year when they played at Harkness. Should "the boys" (as their roadie lovingly referred to them) return to Oberlin yet again, one hopes they will reach a wider audience and continue to challenge those of who are still beset by an ambivalence toward the jam band tradition and toward its body-swaying and arm-waving partisans.