The jamband and improvisational music thread

[nicodemus]

Yeah, I hate the title and the generic image that jamband conjures up, however, there is some truly amazing improv and music being made under the wide umbrella of "jamband." Everything from rock to bluegrass to jazz to funk to electronic stuff.

I know a lot of the people on these boards hate this music, but PLEASE do us the favor of restraining yourselves from snotty little comments about this genre and how much you hate it and just let us have our little corner of the Movies, TV and Music board in peace.

Thanks.

[nicodemus]

Who are you guys listening to these days?

I'm listening to a lot of the following bands that are still in existence:


Sound Tribe Sector 9
Particle
Robert Randolph and the Family Band
Soulive
Medeski Martin & Wood
North Mississippi All Stars
Galactic
Robert Walter's 20th Congress
Widespread Panic


A friend of mine has been getting me into the Disco Biscuits as well as Brothers Past.

I've been meaning to check out Umphrey's McGee.

I'm going to to see a double bill of Galactic and the North Mississippi All Stars next week. I also need to get my Medeski Martin & Wood tickets. I may try to catch Soulive and Particle in Ft. Lauderdale in March if possible.

[shwantzme]

Who are you guys listening to these days?

I'm listening to a lot of the following bands that are still in existence:


Sound Tribe Sector 9
Particle
Robert Randolph and the Family Band
Soulive
Medeski Martin & Wood
North Mississippi All Stars
Galactic
Robert Walter's 20th Congress
Widespread Panic


A friend of mine has been getting me into the Disco Biscuits as well as Brothers Past.

I've been meaning to check out Umphrey's McGee.

I'm going to to see a double bill of Galactic and the North Mississippi All Stars next week. I also need to get my Medeski Martin & Wood tickets. I may try to catch Soulive and Particle in Ft. Lauderdale in March if possible.

Umphrey's McGee is quite good.

The Galactic show should be fun. I love that band. A buddy of mine booked the New Orleans Klezmer Allstars at a club here in Richmond a while ago and they crashed at his house so he is pals with Ben and Stanton. Every time they roll into town, I call him and we go together which is a blast. Takes a few days to recover though :D. They have gotten rid of the Houseman. I always rememeber when he would walk up on stage I would say to myself "time to take a piss".

I have been listening to Ween radio on line and really dig that band. I don't know if they fit into the category or not. I have Sirius sattelite radio and they have a stream called "Jam Central" and they play Ween often.

[Real Ray]

Jaga Jazzist (http://www.jagajazzist.com/v2/news.php)

I'm pretty high on these guy. Medeski Martin & Wood I like as well.

[BlueMeanie]

Well, I've seen shitloads of Dead and Phish shows, but haven't been too "into" jam music lately, other than MM&W and Widespread Panic. I also really like some of the heavier "jam bands", like Gov't Mule and Clutch. (Also, FWiW, while I loved the Dead, I was bored to tears by Jerry Garcia Band...anyone else?)

After Jerry died, I also got way, way into Zero. Boy, did that band have tons of potential, plus Robert Hunter wrote a bunch of their songs. But Steve Kimock wanted to be more "jazzy," and I guess he and Bobby Vega didn't get on that well.

One more jam band I used to like back in the day was God Street Wine, but they lost me when they tried for mainstream appeal with the "Red" CD (and they obviously failed miserably).

[shwantzme]

I'll be checking these guys out on the 25th (http://www.organanddrums.com/)

[nicodemus]

One more jam band I used to like back in the day was God Street Wine, but they lost me when they tried for mainstream appeal with the "Red" CD (and they obviously failed miserably). Yep, that album did suck miserably. I used to like them way back when too. I also used to dig on Agents of Good Roots before they made their "mainstream" album.

Also, nobody, and I mean NOBODY would believe this unless they saw him a loooooooooooooooong time ago, but Edwin McCain Band actually used to really rip it up. They'd go off on big 20 minute jams and and he had a really tight band. Then he got signed and I think either he or his label dumped his entire band and then it turned into "sensitive" singer/songwriter type of stuff. Eventhough I never heard Journey before Steve Perry joined the band, I heard they used to be a pretty amazing prog-rock outfit. That's kind of what happened here. A really good band just turned into radio fluff almost overnight.

[nicodemus]

Speaking of bands that used to be great but now suck: String Cheese Incident. From '96 to about '99, they were one of the most interesting bands out there. Then, something happened and they started doing this jazz fusiony crap that was a chore to listen to. I saw them probably 15 times in that three or four year window and was just blown away. Then, who knows what happened, but they just became boring.

[shwantzme]

I also used to dig on Agents of Good Roots before they made their "mainstream" album.

Nice! The Agents. I studied theater at VCU and we shared a performing arts center with the music school so all the musicinas and actors would mix together between classes. Andrew Winn studied music there so I would run into him all the time.

When he started the band, they would play this tiny little bar called Walnut Alley Tap which was also my watering hole. I always loved it when they played.

Now he is married to some chick in my wife's book club.

[nicodemus]

I interviewed the drummer of the Agents once from my college paper. That was one of the toughest articles I ever wrote. The guy was dropping ******** or ******** every other word and it made it hard to find a publishable quote.

[nicodemus]

http://www.azkenwebdesign.com/shakedown/photos/3-28g.jpg

Listening to the Disco Biscuits' New Year's Eve 2004 show. Good grief. This thing is awesome.

[nicodemus]

Also, I forgot to mention My Morning Jacket, who is one of my favorite active bands (sucks that I'm getting to an age where a lot of my favorites are hanging it up.) They seem to appeal to everyone, the indie kids as well as the tourheads. I'm really into them. Just downloaded a show from the 9:30 Club in DC from Jan. '04.

http://www.gaesteliste.de/g/pix/mymorningjacket2.jpg

[NORML]

I more or less stay within the state border(MN) when it comes to jambands; Big Wu, Pleasure Pause, The Dukes of Hubbard, Quadrophonic. But I do enjoy Particle, MMW, Phish, SCI, and of course the Dead. I haven't really expanded beyond that but I think I'll use this thread as an excuse to seek out some more stuff.

I'm looking forward to checking out Umphrey's McGee for the first time this Feburary when they come to the Twin Cities. The name Keller Williams occassionally pops up and I've listened to some of his stuff, anyone got an opinion on him? What I've heard I like. Also, how would you clasify YMSB? Some of their stuff can be a bit jambandish, would ya maybe call them a jamgrass band? :D

[shwantzme]

I more or less stay within the state border(MN) when it comes to jambands; Big Wu, Pleasure Pause, The Dukes of Hubbard, Quadrophonic. But I do enjoy Particle, MMW, Phish, SCI, and of course the Dead. I haven't really expanded beyond that but I think I'll use this thread as an excuse to seek out some more stuff.

I'm looking forward to checking out Umphrey's McGee for the first time this Feburary when they come to the Twin Cities. The name Keller Williams occassionally pops up and I've listened to some of his stuff, anyone got an opinion on him? What I've heard I like. Also, how would you clasify YMSB? Some of their stuff can be a bit jambandish, would ya maybe call them a jamgrass band? :D

I saw a band at a place called the Cabooze in Minneapolis once. They are a Phish cover band. They were damn good.

Keller is a local to my area. He grew up in Fredericksburg. I have seen him before and thought he was OK. nothing spectacular though. He is a one man bad laying down rhythms, looping them and then playing an instrument. SO, only one aspect of the music is truly improvisational.

[nicodemus]

Also, how would you clasify YMSB? Some of their stuff can be a bit jambandish, would ya maybe call them a jamgrass band? :D They certainly get lumped in the "scene." Jamgrass would probably be somewhat accurate. I almost saw them last year in New Orleans but ended up getting the worst headache imagineable the night they were playing, so I skipped it.

I need to download some Big Wu. They played Birmingham several times, but I never went despite the high accolades of my coworkers. I've never heard a note of their music.

[nicodemus]

Another person I like that isn't "pure" jamband, but many of that crowd like is Jack Johnson. It is just some of the most chill music.

http://images.amazon.com/images/P/B00008NG5V.01._SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg

[shwantzme]

They certainly get lumped in the "scene." Jamgrass would probably be somewhat accurate. I almost saw them last year in New Orleans but ended up getting the worst headache imagineable the night they were playing, so I skipped it.

I need to download some Big Wu. They played Birmingham several times, but I never went despite the high accolades of my coworkers. I've never heard a note of their music.

I saw YMSB recently with Bela Fleck and Keller Williams. They were excellent.

Big Wu is terrific!

[Gunner Phan]

First let me say "Ahhhhhhhh" I have come home!!! Nice to see that there are some phellow phans of "intelligent music" on BS.

Phish is the greatest as far as I am concerned. It doesn't...didn't get much better than seeing them live. I have moved on though...I am a big phan of Keller (V-A bwoy!) and I recently got into Umphrey's. I saw the Umph last month at the Irving Plaza and I must admit they blew me away! Galactic is great also (stanton!!).

As for fringe jammers, let us not forget Ben Harper.

GP

[nicodemus]

Phish is the greatest as far as I am concerned. It doesn't...didn't get much better than seeing them live. Yes sir. I think I saw them about 25 times and those were 25 of the best shows I've ever seen. I only saw them tank one or two shows. Even then, it was still better than most shows.


Galactic is great also (stanton!!).Can't wait to see them on Sunday.

As for fringe jammers, let us not forget Ben Harper.

Good call. I've only seen him once, but it was awesome. I love his albums. Harper is one of my top 10 active performers.

[nicodemus]

Haven't busted this one out in ages. Fantastic CD

http://images.amazon.com/images/P/B00000391J.01._SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg