Music Blogs

I've got two problems here. First, how to define "jam" and second how to define "new." "New" bands form all the time. Big deal. Phish are obviously veterans at this point, but they aren't first generation. And "jam" bands shouldn't be beholden to one genre of jam. Yet let's not get ridiculous here. Technically a DJ can jam all night with experimental sounds but it suggests an entirely different genre of music. And we are mostly a rock-based blog here. This isn't negating any other type of music. It isn't suggesting that jazz is any less relevant or that hip-hop technicians don't perform overwhelming services. I'm sure somewhere there's a Charlie Daniels fan who's seen his band whip out one firestorm of a jam. No argument from me.

But I gotta draw the line somewhere. (And right there is a sly tribute to my faithful blog readers who consistently ask me "Dude, Where's Aerosmith?" but who knows they don't belong here...Rush, on the other hand...)

10) Akron / Family: I picture these guys sitting in a circle and getting completely wasted on computer cleaner. They write pop songs and then completely dismember them with chants and freakouts and the kind of cool improvisatory junk that few bands can muster without sounding stupid. And sometimes they even sound stupid. But even that has its charm.

9) Umphrey's McGee: Probably the worst named group I can think of. Sounds like a bar you don't go into because the food sucks. But order up the shrimp scampi and sit back and let these fellas rock your gypsy soul. And then skip out on the bill. For fun.

8) moe: Usually when you refer to someone as a moe, it isn't meant as a compliment. But people put this band's bumper sticker on their cars, so you know it's all right. Because no one would openly promote their own negative attitude towards themselves. People use bumper stickers to build up their self-esteem, not to tear it down.

7) String Cheese Incident: SCI for those in the know (sounds like a Crime Drama) are from Colorado where they could just as easily taken up skiing and spent their lives sipping hot chocolate by the whirlpool and fireplace. But they had other ideas that included playing bluegrass, country, reggae and anything else they could jam together. More like String Cheese Stew from a crock pot.

6) The Robert Randolph Band: I love these guys for the way they combine the gothic cathedral power of the church with the furious noise of a well-distorted guitar. They believe in rallying the troops for a secular mass that takes on all denominations and smashes them into one solid fanbase. These are sermons worth staying awake for.

5) Medeski, Martin and Wood: Avant-Groove anyone? JAZZ? Uh oh. Organ? Sometimes it feels as if bands form with the sole intention of seeing how many different "non-commercial" elements they can throw together just to prove the music industry wrong. And when they succeed, we should all stand up and applaud. Because in one small sense, bands like MMW are speaking for all of us, even when they aren't necessarily speaking our language.

4) My Morning Jacket: Not everyone is going to see these guys as a "jam" band, but they've got beards and they play some pretty far out stuff from time to time, but they're more Pink Floyd than Grateful Dead, meaning that even though they stretch out from time to time, it's usually still within the confines of the song. But, again, they have beards!

3) Widespread Panic: I know several people who follow these guys around and if they think that's a constructive use of their time then I figure it must be because I put my faith in certain people. Besides, they've jammed with Vic Chesnutt and faithful readers of this blog know he's another one of those guys who practically "owns" this blog.

2) Phish: When the Grateful Dead decided to call it quits, it was as if the day had finally come. The understudies from New England could finally take centerstage and take it to the next generation and then they call it quits just when the snowball is building to mindboggling width. That's the thing with kids today. They just think it's all going to be handed to them. As my friend Jerry--often quoted in this blog--points out, it doesn't just happen for you. It takes a lifetime of bad decisions to get where you're at!

1) Gov't Mule: Probably the loudest band on this list and the one that I enjoy the most. There just aren't enough bands today who explore their "inner Mountain." I had a high school teacher who once told us "louder is always better." He thought he was being sarcastic when he was being right!

Get Gov't Mule, Phish and Widespread Panic tickets here.