If you came out to the Armory on Saturday to see Jerry Greenfield speak—or to eat a free serving of Ben and Jerry’s ice cream—and left without seeing the Boston Horns play, you missed a very memorable live show. Because I am mostly just a fan of rock music styles, it usually takes a great performance by an artist playing another genre of music for me to get hooked into the group’s music; the Boston Horns did an awesome job of skillfully creating that performance at their show.
The Boston Horns brilliantly combined the lively, groovin’ nature of funk music with the smooth, passionate nature of jazz to create a roaring, moving sound. The unique style of music gives them the “freedom of jazz and the power of funk,” said the band. Their CDs simply do not do their music credit since their live performance is played with a louder, upbeat sound, faster pace, and stirring, dynamic energy. “[We do] not have to follow too many rules [on stage],” said guitarist Jeff Buckridge.
Although the vocals and instrumentals were well controlled by the sound crew during the show, one problem I noticed was the Armory itself. Not only is the gym among the worst lit on the Rensselaer campus, it also ranks among the worst acoustic environments. It probably would have been better to have had the show in West Hall Auditorium (since The McNeil Room was in use at the time by the China Night festivities.)
Aside from the slightly weak acoustics, the show was definitely worth seeing, especially since attendance was free to all RPI students. The music can serve as a great stress reliever at this time of the year with finals approaching. Because your activity fee already pays for it, I hope that students will do a better job in turning out to this year’s remaining campus music concerts, including the upcoming Battle of the Bands on Saturday and the spring fling shows.
If you ever have a chance to see the Boston Horns play, definitely go see them.
