Funked-Up with Fink Fank Funk

The Middle East

Saturday, October 6

Emerging from the depths of Harvard University’s myriad of musical clubs, Fink Fank Funk (FFF) will perform an hour-long set at The Middle East (472 Massachusetts Avenue) in Cambridge. The band, which has been in existence for three years, boasts a repetoire of both covers and original songs and a ten-member entourage decked out in plaid on top of stripes on top of floral prints, hot pink tie-dye polyster shirts and zebra-print pants. The high energy and loudness of their mode of dress is only slightly indicative of the quality and finesse of their performances.

Slated to begin at 9 p.m., the show will also feature Boston-based funk band Deci Funk and blues guitarist Ricky Valenti. Fink Fank Funk’s set will feature some of their old favorites and will possibly include covers of songs by Stevie Wonder, Kool & The Gang and James Brown as well as new original music. But as is common with and intrinsic in all soulful musicians and entertainers, Fink Fank Funk will allow the music and the vibe of the crowd to carry and guide them.

Band members Alex Scammon ’01 and Jake Fleming ’01 promise that FFF’s charismatic lead singer, Benjamin D. Scheuer ’04, coupled with the band’s lively and energetic stage presence will result in a show abounding in audience participation. “It’s all about getting people up and dancing,” said Scammon.

They also assure that the crowd will be fully engaged, citing that moving the crowd is the purpose of their music.

Do not go to the Middle East expecting to hear a mere rehashing and regurgitation of old funk classics. Although FFF performs covers of songs by several bands, their performances ensure a unique experience. The show begins at 9 p.m. Tickets $8 in advance, $10 at the door.

—Cassandra Cummings

UC Bi-Semesterly Love (Fallfest)

The Quad

Saturday, October 6

It is Saturday, Oct. 6. And somehow, in some way, you are not content. Perhaps you’ve slogged your way through an exhausting week of work and even the alphabet seems beyond your realm of intellectual comprehension. Or perhaps it’s that vague, disquieting sense that nature, despite its splendor, no longer resonates with you; that the brisk, crackling intimations of autumn have failed to permeate your senses. At any rate, you’re listless, apathetic. You feel, in a word, gross.

“This isn’t right,” you think. “This can’t be all there is. I want something more. I want to feel connected.

Immersed in my surroundings, involved in my school, in touch with my fellow students. I want music. Crowds. A fest, that’s what I crave. Ahh, if only it were spring! Surely Springfest, that joyous Undergraduate Council-organized campus celebration, would wrest me from my seasonal blues!”