Just stumbled into this thread - surprised it took me this long to find it. Saw my first Dead show at Englishtown, NJ, 1977, and been on the bus ever since I first heard Europe ‘72 sometime in ‘73 or ‘74 (I know, I’m old, but I got to be in the same room as Jerry dozens of times. Also seen ABB (with Dickey Betts - not old enough to have caught Duane), Govt Mule, and too many others to think of, countless times. Played in a Dead cover band (The Grateful Dads) from mid-90’s - 2011 (there may evrn still be a few videos, including our ‘Rockymentary”, still floating around the interwebs if anyone cares enough to look for them). Been listening to Phish since 1992, saw them most recently August 25 in Saratoga and have my Tix for 12/29 (traditional NYE run at YEMSG) all lined up, and definitely on a reignited Phish kick once again as they seem to be making an effort to bring elements of 1.0 back for 4.0 (IMO - my 35 year old son disagrees with me, but that’s a separate argument - we do agree that 1.0 is the prime Phish period for us).
Of the ‘current’ scene, love Biscuits, DMB, SCI, WP, Jimmy Herring, Umphrey’s, Snarky Puppy, et Al., but have no use for John Mayer (PRS notwithstanding) and can’t quite wrap my head around Goose or Billy Strings yet (Dead, Phish, ABB were all love at first listen).
Getting ready to stream the Phish fall mini tour starting tonight (10/6).
For me there is no one all-encompassing definition of a jam band, Wikipedia’s attempt to verbalize the ‘category’ notwithstanding. Any band that comes on stage with a flexible set list and plays every song differently every time and focuses on improvisation over canned riffs fits the bill for me - so my taste runs toward the jazz bands as well (from Trane/Monk to bitches brew/live evil to Shakti). The best ones, when they are on their game, evoke a hive mind which (and this is important) INCLUDES the audience, which is why live performance is always the focus over studio work. Streaming the music is great, but you really have to go to get the full experience.
And if they’re selling grilled cheese, mushrooms and Jerry Rolls next to the t-shirts and macrame plant hangers in the parking lot (commonly known as Shakedown Street, for the uninitiated), there’s a pretty good chance you’ve found a jam band.
EDIT: I know I’m going to regret this, but I found the above-mentioned Rockumentary. Posted here for entertainment purposes only, ZERO pretensions of talent. There are, however, some glimpses of me on stage with my HBII (20 years ago, give or take). Sound quality is sh️ite.
The live footage is mostly from early on, when we were a Dead-centric ‘classic rock’ band. Shortly after this was filmed we were joined by the bassist from the Electrix for a few years, at which point we morphed into a full on Dead cover band.
Music is the Best!
✌
Of the ‘current’ scene, love Biscuits, DMB, SCI, WP, Jimmy Herring, Umphrey’s, Snarky Puppy, et Al., but have no use for John Mayer (PRS notwithstanding) and can’t quite wrap my head around Goose or Billy Strings yet (Dead, Phish, ABB were all love at first listen).
Getting ready to stream the Phish fall mini tour starting tonight (10/6).
For me there is no one all-encompassing definition of a jam band, Wikipedia’s attempt to verbalize the ‘category’ notwithstanding. Any band that comes on stage with a flexible set list and plays every song differently every time and focuses on improvisation over canned riffs fits the bill for me - so my taste runs toward the jazz bands as well (from Trane/Monk to bitches brew/live evil to Shakti). The best ones, when they are on their game, evoke a hive mind which (and this is important) INCLUDES the audience, which is why live performance is always the focus over studio work. Streaming the music is great, but you really have to go to get the full experience.
And if they’re selling grilled cheese, mushrooms and Jerry Rolls next to the t-shirts and macrame plant hangers in the parking lot (commonly known as Shakedown Street, for the uninitiated), there’s a pretty good chance you’ve found a jam band.
EDIT: I know I’m going to regret this, but I found the above-mentioned Rockumentary. Posted here for entertainment purposes only, ZERO pretensions of talent. There are, however, some glimpses of me on stage with my HBII (20 years ago, give or take). Sound quality is sh️ite.
The live footage is mostly from early on, when we were a Dead-centric ‘classic rock’ band. Shortly after this was filmed we were joined by the bassist from the Electrix for a few years, at which point we morphed into a full on Dead cover band.
Music is the Best!
✌
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