MarcO

Well, I would say we can all fill in the variables "good" and "bad" with our own subjective opinions, so speculating on who the writer was referring to may prove fruitless.

Personally, my definiton of what makes a truly "good" band, either on a huge or small level, are those bands that aim to do something truly original and not fall back on "jamband" cliches (we all know what they are). There are some bands out there packing them in that don't meet that definition for me, and no amount of on-line enthusiasm is gonna convince me otherwise, once I've had a chance to hear them and made up my mind.

But, having said that, I don't think it's inconsistent to wake up one day and say "Wow, I hated that band for years, but now I hear what's happening", just the same as "maybe I'm not as into these guys as I thought I was". Opinions change. Bands change. The scene shifts.

I'm thinking the writer is just acknowledging what a lot of us feel, that true aesthetic judgments are often put aside in an effort to maintain inclusiveness and harmony within the "scene". Ours is a world, after all, where people are generally discouraged from openly criticizing any band and that often feeds the "scene" more than the ART itself.

Just my $0.02.

from:Village Voice

The Improvisational Rock Scene Isn't Just for Hippies Anymore

Jammed for All Time

by Robin A. Rothman

September 25 - October 1, 2002

Radio and television insist the songs don't fit their formats. Record companies cringe at the sales figures. Music magazines dis- miss the bands as go-nowhere noodlers and the fans as drugged-up dreadies. But as it turns out, so-called jambands, a gaggle of related giggers not typically labeled as such, and the loyal audience that lumps them together collectively form the most pervasive underground movement in music today. On October 2, approximately 3000 jam fans and 50 musicians (most of whom wear on their figurative chests that scarlet J) will gather at Roseland Ballroom for the third annual Jammys—an awards show that, according to the event's executive producer Peter Shapiro, celebrates "excellence in improvisational music." Or, as he proffers even more vaguely with a knowing chuckle, "It's an awards show for a genre you can't define."

Says bassist Marc Brownstein of self-described trance-fusion quartet the Disco Biscuits. "I don't mind that people call [us] a jamband so much anymore. We are a band, and boy do we jam. But the term doesn't tell even half of the story."

The folks behind Bonnaroo say ditto. This three-day music and camping event held last June in Tennessee was not only the most high-profile multi-band concert the jamband scene has ever staged, it was the largest American music festival of the summer. It was the best coordinated as well, suffering no major incidents while packing more than 70,000 attendees, more than 50 bands, four stages, a movie tent, an arcade, and other diversions onto about 600 acres of farmland. Three months earlier, 60,000 tickets (available via Internet only, without Ticketmaster's involvement) had sold out in only 19 days. Both stunned and thrilled by the response, promoters Superfly Presents and A.C. Entertainment scrambled to acquire additional land. On May 18 they released 10,000 more tickets, sold out within 24 hours, then capped it. It's impossible to guess how big Bonnaroo could have been.

Organizers soon found that they had less control over the event's image. Carefully positioning the festival as "American grassroots rock," they emphasized the diversity of the lineup, which also included moe., Gov't Mule, String Cheese Incident, the Blind Boys of Alabama, Ween, Norah Jones, Ben Harper, Jack Johnson, Jurassic 5, and a bevy of DJs. Reporters took one look at the crowd, noted Widespread Panic and Phish guitarist Trey Anastasio's solo band as the headliners, and all event coverage defaulted to "jamband."

"The word actually has so many different meanings when you really dig into it," explains Bonnaroo publicist Ken Weinstein, "but most people don't dig into it. It just has a very flat, one-dimensional connotation."

"Jam band" began as a simple jazz phrase describing musicians who got together to improvise, free from the rules of everyday gigs. Today it refers to about 200 artists. Many are acutely aware of a bizarre backlash against the term and—like every emo and hair metal and teenpop act that ever resented its "File Under" destiny—some have been reluctant to cop to it. "Please write about us in Relix and on Jambands.com, and please have us on your radio show Jam Nation," mocks Jambands.com writer Jeff Waful. "But don't call us a jamband.'"

Ranging from consistently high-grossing, arena-sized tour stars to up-and-coming local unknowns, jambands share something, but it's not a sound. They're a stylistically disparate bunch, rooted in bluegrass, blues, rock, jazz, techno, country, and funk, but all connected by an invisible, indefinite thread. Online community, open taping policies, intricate light shows, long songs, varied set lists, constant tour schedules? Some of the above, usually.

At this year's Jammys, Miles Davis and Jimi Hendrix are up against Phish and the Grateful Dead for Archival Album of the Year. Pedal steel guitarist Robert Randolph and electro-funk quartet Particle are vying for the New Groove award. Widespread Panic is nominated in five of eight categories—competing with turntablist DJ Logic for Live Performance, New Orleans funk outfit Galactic and the Triple Threat DJs for Tour of the Year, jazz-fusion trio Medeski Martin & Wood for Studio Album of the Year, bluegrassy Leftover Salmon for Live Album, and pre-scene veteran Phil Lesh for Fan Web Site.

On the one hand, the Jammys originated to acknowledge music that mainstream award-granting bodies tend to neglect. While Phish did have the privilege of losing two Grammys in 2001—Best Boxed Recording Package prize (an honor if ever there was one) and Best Rock Instrumental—they won big in Jamland that year. Nominated in six areas, they earned bowl-shaped Jammy trophies for Live Performance of the Year and Studio Album of the Year.

On the other hand, Shapiro confesses that he and co-founder Dean Budnick really hatched the Jammys idea as "an excuse to throw a party." Other awards shows always include a few musical highlights between red-carpet commentary, backstage visits, audience pans, and acceptance speeches. The Jammys throw in a few awards between performances.

Although the lineup for the 2002 concert reads almost as predictably as the award nominees—moe., Gov't Mule, Robert Randolph—pairings like Rusted Root with DJ Logic and Scratch from the Roots, Particle with the B-52's, and house band Dirty Dozen Brass Band with the Tom Tom Club promise something different. Whether the result is lame or legendary will be determined onstage. "The best way to illustrate the power of live music is to do something that's of the moment, that forces musicians to play raw and not something rehearsed," Shapiro says. "And the best way to do that is to put them on stage with another musician that they've never met before."

Guitarist Al Schnier of moe. points to a live experience shared with fans as key: "It never happened before and it'll never happen again and everybody is there experiencing that one thing."

Sometimes it works; sometimes it doesn't. "Some people are more comfortable going out on a limb in front of people," John Medeski admits. "It's scary. If you're really improvising, it's like dancing around naked and doing intimate things in front of somebody." It's the bands "just doing the same old jingle-jangle comfortable thing" that invite criticism. "That's the shit that's giving the more quality side of it a bad name," Medeski says.

The jamband audience is, in Medeski's words, "genuinely enthusiastic and warm and basically accepting, maybe to a fault." As a result, the scene has spawned a generation of wannabes whose priority is length over depth, and ignorant youths who look to Phish (as opposed to, say, Parliament-Funkadelic) as the impetus of psychedelic funk.

At its worst, the jamband world is too self-contained. First-time showgoers may have a hard time "getting" a group without background knowledge or a veteran guide, and not everyone wants to work that hard to enjoy a concert. Listeners can be lemming-like and undiscerning, and bad bands sometimes garner huge followings. At its best, though, the milieu is a wide-open haven for collaboration and a community for social appreciation.

The jam philosophy is frequently and rightly attributed to the Dead's model of genre-crossing, improvisation, and hard touring. However, it was the H.O.R.D.E. tour, created by Blues Traveler frontman John Popper and then manager Dave Frey in 1992, that first introduced a cohesive scene to the public.

The seven-year summer tour began as a practical means for a few too-tiny-for-amphitheater acts to escape stuffy clubs during the hot summer months. Gathering Blues Traveler, Spin Doctors, Widespread Panic, Aquarium Rescue Unit, Phish, and Béla Fleck and the Flecktones—like-minded folk with similar improv-friendly fan bases—H.O.R.D.E. unknowingly provided a new subcultural blueprint.

As it expanded in its final years to include simply "good bands that play well live," it increasingly attracted less scene-identified performers: Sheryl Crow, Primus, Wilco, Beck, Smashing Pumpkins. "Would hanger-on hippies get bummed out by all the negative energy?" Entertainment Weekly asked. "Would purple-haired skate kids pelt peaceniks with Hacky Sacks?" Some believe the festival was ruined by its newfound inclusiveness. But if nothing else, that eclecticism established a wide and sturdy foundation for the blurred lines of today's scene.

"We got the H.O.R.D.E. gig and it was like, 'That's kinda like this hippie thing, isn't it?' " Primus bassist Les Claypool recalls. "In the back of our minds [we] were thinking, 'Wow, we might freak these people out.' And then we got there and they had the third stage going. I got to jam with all these people . . . Medeski [Martin & Wood] and the Morphine guys and Leftover Salmon. It was incredible."

Meanwhile, Phish held the first of four festivals in 1996 on air force tarmac in upstate New York, and by 1999 were single-handedly attracting over 80,000 fans to an Indian reservation in Florida for New Year's Eve. Smaller bands like the Big Wu, Strangefolk, moe., and the Disco Biscuits now coordinate their own successful self-indulgent shindigs, playing multiple sets on multiple days, and inviting people they want to meet, hear, and jam with, and sometimes luring over 5000 fans to sundry remote locations.

Forced to fend for themselves over the last decade, the bands behind these festivals are now the best example of DIY spirit since every '80s punk band started an independent label. Properly nurtured, they offer a world plagued with file-sharing witch hunts, outrageous ticket prices, and mergers the prototype for realistic alternatives to a Clear Channel-owned concert regime.

"Based on e-mail response . . . there's a lot of interest in jambands," says Jay Smith of the concert trade magazine Pollstar. Exhaustive touring, an increasing number of bands, and the impending end of Phish's two-year hiatus recently prompted the publication's online administrators to add a jam-specific link.

"The economics in the music industry aren't great to begin with," Relix magazine publisher and Wall Street executive Steve Bernstein reminds us. "The one thing that is doing well is these tours. Bands in the jamband scene make money on their touring. The fact that they're doing well proves something." Perhaps it proves that being considered commercially unsavory is the luckiest break a subculture can get.

"To an extent, the jamband scene is becoming sort of the anti-pop-culture scene for now," explains categorically elusive Claypool. With Primus he was labeled everything from thrash-funk to grunge, but having now formed the power trio Oysterhead with Trey Anastasio and the Police's Stewart Copeland, toured the jamband summer festival circuit, performed at both previous Jammys ceremonies, and beaten the Allman Brothers Band and Widespread Panic for Live Album of the Year in 2001, he just calls himself "the new guy on the scene."

"If you'd have asked me a couple years ago what did I think of the jamband scene, I would have just said, 'What is it, Phish and the Grateful Dead?' That's all I really knew. It seems like it's evolved quite a bit even since I've become involved. It seems like more of a hub than a scene at this point. It's more about your approach to your music than the style of music you play."

He means the approach to making music, but he could easily include production and distribution. One of the most vital aspects of jamband success has been the encouraged taping and trading of live concerts. Among the diversions at Bonnaroo was a Music Sharing Village, where almost 6000 attendees created and burned free, personalized live-music compilations culled from tracks, sets, and entire concerts supplied by the bands.

"The Disco Biscuits made a whole CD book, they were so excited," says Annabel Lukins, project manager for the attraction. "It was interesting dealing with the labels because they didn't want to give away anything for free, but it was easy to convince them that this was a good thing. Gateway helped to promote the bands' Web sites too, which in turn promoted album sales. It was a win-win situation for everyone."

So while the mainstream scrambles to capitalize on the next big thing, the jamband scene, driven forward by events like Bonnaroo and the Jammys, quietly enters a new era. An insufficient African American presence is slowly correcting itself, and two of the scene's most sought-after guest musicians, DJ Logic and Robert Randolph, are paving the way for jam-based hip-hop and gospel. Gov't Mule keep about 20 of the world's greatest bass players on speed dial, and Kid Rock might just drop in unannounced.

"As much as we can get away from choreographed, overproduced music the better," Shapiro declares. "The more the jamband term can be associated with good live music rather than just being considered a niche, the easier it will be for the scene to grow."

because I'm in shitty workplace right now, I'd have to say I'd rather be sitting under a tree in the Dundas Valley Recreation Area, breathing in the cool crisp air, sipping a piping hot coffee and reading a good book.

that'll have to wait for Friday, I guess (got the day off).....

I like this photo.

Makes me happy !!

They're still based out of Toronto and have played probably 40+ Canadian shows this year so far, everywhere from Halifax to Victoria. Hell, they've played Hamilton 3 times so far this year. Anti-Canadian??

I gotta say, with all respect bro, that I would have thought a guy with such ambition to bring Canadian jam music to the US could be more supportive of the one band of ours they've heard of down there (generally speaking).

I guess this begs the question: how much would you pay for a ND show?

well, maybe *you* were quaint and cozy...

no, I can see how those words could fit. it's all subjective anyhoo....

tix were $15 in advance, $20 at the door, and it was close to a sell-out, if not a sell-out. It was packed. they played two sets. apparently Bullfrog was not well attended at all.

I thought it was quite a good show, the most notable thing of which was the amount of new material they have recently brought forward. some real nice stuff. I imagine by the time they get to the Mtl/Ottawa/Kingston run, they should be blazing, so get out there!!! My only complaint with Saturday night was the venue itself, which I thought just sucked. I also saw The New Deal in Waterloo on Friday, which I thought was the better show, and much better venue. The Turret in Waterloo is a nice place to see a show, maybe some other bands can start to come there. It was real nice with a nice big dancefloor, reminded me of Forwell Hall at Fanshawe.

I'm glad to hear you're ok, Steve, and sorry it didn't work out for you. I am glad you gave tND another chance, and I promise not to badger you to come oot to their shows anymore, it's clear that you appreciate what they're doing but it's not your thing at all. I actually had as good a time hanging out before the show as I did when I was at it. Funny that, no??

for those who care, here's some New Deal news you won't find at their website (it sorely needs some updating):

- new double-live "sound+light" CD comes out in a few weeks and it is a selection of jamz from their two nighter at the Bowery in NYC late last Spring.

- apparently Gordie Johnson of Big Sugar sat in with them in Halifax a week or so ago. I'd love to hear that!!

- Oct. 9th: Louis' Pub, Saskatoon

- Oct 11: The Rev, Edmonton

- Oct 12: The Warehouse, Calgary

- Oct 13: Kool Haus, Toronto (w/ DJ Junior Sanchez)

- Oct. 17: Richard's on Richards, Vancouver

- lots of US shows coming up.

and there you go!!

dude, I could barely recognize myself by the end of the night and I have substantially reduced my facial hair since last Tuesday, so no worries.... see you around. May not be out this week for the Fatties so have an extra good time for me, ok?

No man, there's no way Phish is playing. It's a release party, probably w/ giveaways and what-not, and I suppose it's possible a Phish member may be cajoled into attending this event, but a concert it is not.

That album is FUCKED!!

I'd be sitting in Magoo's Pizza Parlour near San Francisco circa 1965 recording a hot new act called The Warlocks.

tell us more, please...... recipe??

Although it isn't on their website, tND are at The Turret at Wilfred Laurier University in Waterloo TONIGHT! I got an e-mail from the club manager saying it is an open show for 19+, tix are $12. I'm goin', it's gonna be a blast!

Also, they are at Louis' Pub at USask in Saskatoon on Oct 9th, in Calgary at The Warehouse on the 12th and at Richard's on Richards in Van on the 17th.

Just so ya know!!

check those dates again shain.....

(bump)

What adds to this disturbing scenario is the fact that his crimes took place between 1942 and 1946, but he went on to serve as chief of Paris police, a legislator and budget minister from 1978 to 1981!!

He wasn't charged with crimes against humanity until 1983 and avoided trial for 15 years. In the end he was only charged with illegal arrests and detention, not crimes against humanity.

What a sad tale of the failure of justice.

(on a lighter note, this is my 420th post!!)

That's what I've heard also.

Phish @ Beacon Theatre, New York, NY

December 30, 2002

tix on sale THAT DAY only, cash only.

This is - obviously - only a rumour. Even if this doesn't pan out, I'd be surprised if they DIDN'T do some sort of stealth gig before NYE.

Hey shainhouse - it would be great if you could put your previous experiences in booking to use at the new club at Mac to see if we can actually start getting some good bands coming through that campus. whaddya think?

shainhouse for MSU president!!

Two words: cocaine and booty!

sucks the big wazooo. probably would have been better if you hadn't been told of the seats. sorry, M.

Alrighty then dude, we must know each other a little bit then. I grew up in Dundas and I'll never forget waking up on a Saturday afternoon and hearing the most blissful music coming from out of the Driving park. I stumbled down the hill and encountered the Fatties playing a free concert for a handful of heads, back in the day when you could do that there. Wicked! I remember seeing Hightimes as well! I believe I did a NYE show with them at The Coach and Lantern in Ancaster. I remember that as being one of my most stoned evenings, ever! Can't beat those flaky memories, eh??

Hamilton... well, on the surface it sucks. Dig a little deeper though and you'll find a closely-knit and active arts scene. Several artist acquaintances of mine PREFER working out of Hamilton than Toronto because it is less cut-throat, accesible to the big-city and has access to a fair amount of green space outside the city.

But I'm old enough now to have seen a few "waves" of talent move through this city, as well as several great (and not so great) bars. I mean, the Fatties used to play at the freakin' Corktown Tavern (shit-hole!). There used to be live music and poetry in Hess Village, for Jebas'-sake!

Anyone from here remember the great band Uncle Violet? The best band you never heard, and I'm afraid to say, superior at the time to the Fatties gig down at la Luna that also occured every Sunday night. A++ songwriting and talent. The kind of gig where Daniel Lanois would show up to jam on an extended version of Peter Gabriel's "Biko". A great crowd. A great band. They broke up unfortunately.

I have a friendly ongoing argument going on with secondtube regarding Doug Feaver. Talented? Sure. Nice guy? No doubt about that. Been performing the same material for ten straight years now? Yup. And that's why - and this is only my take on it, not a flame or a diss - I won't miss Doug on Thursdays. Hopefully a venue change will kicks Doug's ass and spice up his show a little bit. Because I've been seeing him since I was 18 (I'm 28 now) and he really hasn't changed that much.

Finally, one last thing: at last count there are several dozen bars and clubs in Hamilton that book live music. There are new clubs opening all the time (Home, The Underground, Quarters at Mac, Rebel's Rock) that feature live original acts. But if ALL you're interested in is checking out "Jambands" than you may be deluded into thinking there's nothing happening out there, save for Pepper Jack's upcoming Wednesday night features. But outside of the little, tiny "jamband" world, there seems to be lots happening.

Don't forget, Burt Neilson Band's first few visits to Hamilton saw them at Monaco's, a now defunct Hess Village bar.

(I had to sigh recently when a friend of mine told me about a show he had recently seen - the Warsaw Pack at The Underground. He said they were ok but would have been better if they jammed a bit more. He was reluctant to admit he enjoyed it because they didn't have some sort of "jam-friendly" seal of approval or something. Shame...)

Gotta get away from The Casbah a bit more, maybe??

I miss that d.

Now all I have is memories....

The dates are as follows:

11/4 Club Helsinki Great Barrington, MA

11/5 Ira Allen Chapel (UVM) Burlington, VT

11/6 Sanders Theatre Cambridge, MA

11/8 Bowery Ballroom New York, NY

11/9 Theatre of Living Arts Philadelphia, PA

11/10 9:30 Club Washington, DC

11/12 Variety Playhouse Atlanta, GA

11/13 Park West Chicago, IL

11/15 Mississippi Nights St. Louis, MO

11/16 The Roxy Los Angeles, CA

11/17 The Fillmore San Francisco, CA

11/19 Boulder Theater Boulder, CO

A limited quantity of tickets for all shows (EXCEPT Club Helsinki) are

available beginning Monday, September 16 at 5 PM EST via our secure

online ticketing system located at http://kottkegordontickets.rlc.net.

Tickets are available in real-time -- this is not a ticket lottery.

For MOST shows we are able to offer you the option of picking up your

tickets at the venue box office the night of the show. This allows you

to save the UPS fee charged for shipment of hard tickets. Tickets will

be available on this site until up to a week before each individual

show, at which point they're only available through traditional

outlets. Keep in mind that tickets may sell out via our system, but

may still be available through traditional outlets. Tickets for all

shows go on sale to the public over the next couple of weeks. Please

note that some dates are 21+. Full show information can be found at

http://phish.com/print/tour_print.html.

I love hearing stories about people meeting a member of Phish (especially when it involves drunkenness, drugs and come-ons) or other major "rock stars" for that matter.

Bring on your stories, please!!

it makes me nervous.....