I’m curious about other jam bands that are popular around these parts (wherever these parts may be). So, introduce to me those bands I need to know.
We all know Phish and String Cheese Incident is getting to be popular, what else is out there.
Here are my “rules”:
[li]Band must be “nationally” recognized. No Neighborhood bands. All of our towns have festivals with jam bands that never cross 5th Avenue. Locally, we have Jello and Juggling Suns. These don’t count. I don’t want this to become a “who can name the most obscure band” thread.[/li]
[li]Band should have at least one CD released. I’d consider buying a CD if the band gets a good review (by you).[/li]
[li]Prefferable if band is still together (but not necessary).[/li]
I’ll start you off with a few:
Wide Spread Panic - Excellent guitar and percussion. Sort of catchy tunes. Awesome in concert - way trippy.
New Potato Caboose - Started out as a Dead cover band but moved into originals. When Rich Della Fera left as guitarist and they picked up Sam Pointer, the sound started to shift to more rock. I think they have since broken up, but play as “Wood and Steel” (DC area). Their CD “Promising Traveler” is quite good.
Big Wu - Not quite a jam band, but they have a good sound. I don’t own their CD “Tracking the Buffalo…” but from what I’ve heard, it’s one I will own soon.
They have to have a CD released? Considering they’re jam bands, you should probably make it a live CD, which may not have been released. For jam bands, studio cuts vs. live performance are like night and day.
That’s why I like downloading mp3s. Every jam band I know of has stuff freely available at a number of sites.
Nationally recognized is a tough one. That sort of depends on who you’re talking to, doesn’t it? Considering these bands are never on the charts, the only shot at national recognition is usually if something controversial happens.
So, who would I recommend?
Zen Tricksters - they’re mainly an East Coast band, but have played everywhere, and do have a few CDs out. They started out as a Dead cover band, and still mix in some GD along with their own material.
moe. - Very jammy, but with more of a…funky? type of sound. Their live CD “L” is pretty cool.
Steve Kimock - plays mainly on the West Coast, no CDs but mp3s are outstanding. You can get CDs by Zero, the SF band he was in a few years ago.
Well, the purpose of this was so I can get some of the tunes. Buying CDs is easiest. Of course, I could download mp3. I don’t care if it’s live or not, but you are correct that jam bands produce best when live.
Again, I just didn’t want people telling me that I must check out their brother-in-law’s band- they don’t have a CD out, but they play every Thursday night in East Armpit, Arizona. By nationally recogized, I guess I was going for ease in getting thier music.
Thanks for the suggestions. We have a radio station in Annapolis that plays a jam band show Friday nights. Perhaps I can get them to play some of this stuff. If not, I’ll definately check out the stuff myself.
A special thanks for this! I forgot to add Zero to my list. I once suggested them to a DH friend of mine and, after hearing their tune with lyric “nine million nine hundred thousand goodbyes don’t make one hello” (can’t recall the title) described the sound as “quite Dead, but with Bob Seger replacing Bobby Wier.” Thanks for reminding me. Allman Brothers - yeah, they jam. **
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Oh yeah. Old school jams, too. I was browsing at Tower records one day last year and I came across Live at Ludlow Garage.
I had never heard of it, but as soon as I saw that CD2 was a 40-minute version of “Mountain Jam” I knew I had to have it. I headed straight to checkout.
And I can second the Kimock recommendation. I heard him on an MP3 Radio station and would love to see him live.
Yonder Mountain String Band. These cats rock, and one of 'em can play the banjo almost as well as the kid in Deliverance.
The Slip. A story: last September, the Slip played a show at the fine liberal-arts college at which I am currently enrolled. Not only was it free, some kind sort showed up with a sizable quantity of a certain three-letter liquid hallucenogen. Apparently it was the second-coolest day of the year. And, of course, I was in Lost Angeles, suffering through the wedding of my uncle. My friends got completely toasted, I got a Ronald Reagan paperweight. (I kid you not.) I could just die.
Slejho. Damn, I wish I could remember how they spelled their name. That’s its phonetic spelling, at least. They’re in the ‘up-and-coming’ category, meaning nobody’s ever heard of them. I think it’s a matter of time, though- they sound awesome. (Ooh, and they’ll be at skool next fall. I can’t wait.)
Vinyl. Admittedly, I’ve heard next to nothing by 'em, but they come highly reccomended by my friends, who described them as “a more laid-back version of Ozomatli”. I’ll leave it to the reader to decide if this is a good thing.
Coincidentally, three-fourths of these bands will be at the Dexter Lake Music Festival, which is June 30-July 1 in Dexter Lake, Oregon. Maybe I’ll actually get it together and go.
By “jam bands,” do you mean musicians who actually improvise onstage, as opposed to reeling off carbon copies of their recorded material amidst smoke machines and gyrating go-go girls?
In other words, “musicians” versus “lip-synching ninnies with hairstyles” ?
Last weekend, I went to Outrageous Universe Revival Festival 2001 (O.U.R. Fest) in Sherman, NY. It was hosted by Hypnotic Clambake, and they rocked. They’ve played with Phish and Dave Mathews before, too. Their sound is a little more folk-ish than your national acts, however.
Phish, despite appearances, is highly orchestrated. They do jam, but not in the way that old school jazz players would just play. Trey figures everything out. If you pay attention to the music, you’d know there’s no way it could be all improv. Only lately have they started to really ‘jam’. Either way, they kick ass.
Other bands that jam–
Galactic, Ben Harper (his live stuff is awesome), and Bela Fleck and the Flecktones.
Good add, BigDaddyD. Saw Bela Fleck (w/CSI and David Grisman)… awesome! Ben Harper’s new live CD “From Mars” is incredibly great. I’ll check out Galactic. Thanks again!
