MarcO Posted November 14, 2003 Report Share Posted November 14, 2003 "People have asked me so many times: How do you feel about being labeled a jamband? I never knew how to answer that, because its irrelevant, right? It's just music. "But then this morning," he goes on, "as I was thinking about this interview, I thought, 'It's unhealthy.' People who are in this scene should think about something: Music can't have a scene. It's completely wrong. I believe that music is a language that gives you a glimpse of the divine. It's much, much bigger than me or anybody. It's everything. But you can't get to the truth any way other than by being yourself. And as soon as you have a scene, you put boundaries on what your path is going to be. Any musician who ever did anything that touched people did it because it was original. With the healthiest respect for all the people in it, if you're following music, you're going to have a problem with my kind of scene. It's a balancing act." ~ Trey to Anthony DeCurtis, current issue of Relix magazine Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
briguy Posted November 14, 2003 Report Share Posted November 14, 2003 very wise words Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phishin4groove Posted November 14, 2003 Report Share Posted November 14, 2003 regardless,,, Its easier to describe your music to someone when you place it in a "style" category. Its awesome to know that we have our own "scene". The music is nothing but pure experimentaion, on stage. You definately cannot put borders on that. But nevertheless, we like the fact that we are part of a certain underground "scene". We play and like Jamband music. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MoMack Posted November 14, 2003 Report Share Posted November 14, 2003 quote:Originally posted by MarcO: "People have asked me so many times: How do you feel about being labeled a jamband? I never knew how to answer that, because its irrelevant, right? It's just music. "But then this morning," he goes on, "as I was thinking about this interview, I thought, 'It's unhealthy.' People who are in this scene should think about something: Music can't have a scene. It's completely wrong. I believe that music is a language that gives you a glimpse of the divine. It's much, much bigger than me or anybody. It's everything. But you can't get to the truth any way other than by being yourself. And as soon as you have a scene, you put boundaries on what your path is going to be. Any musician who ever did anything that touched people did it because it was original. With the healthiest respect for all the people in it, if you're following music, you're going to have a problem with my kind of scene. It's a balancing act." ~ Trey to Anthony DeCurtis, current issue of Relix magazine I don't get it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Northern Wish Posted November 14, 2003 Report Share Posted November 14, 2003 Once again the ugly jamband label and argument can rear its head at any time. Be careful not to confuse the "scene" with a genre. After seeing the Chili Peppers this summer, I would say they are a band that jams, although they are certainly not by most terms a jamband. I think I still refer back to my comments in an article I wrote for Scene and Heard a couple of years back: "The term jamband is more restrictive than a nasty pair of cycling shorts." If you are a jamband fan, and like a certain type of music- it doesn't make it a jamband- and vice versa doesn't eliminate you from being a jamband fan. Just my .02 Sean Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paisley Posted November 14, 2003 Report Share Posted November 14, 2003 boycott PHISH!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
briguy Posted November 14, 2003 Report Share Posted November 14, 2003 i think labelling our scene hurts the bands. It might be okay for us but anyone on the outside looking in thinks we're a bunch a Dead influenced guitar wankers. This is simply not true. I think without the "jamband" label musicians and bands would be far more successful at reaching new listeners and spreading their music, which is the goal of most musicians. Keeping it an underground scene and labelled "jamband" doesn't do anything to help. When someone says to me "they're a jamband" I usually roll my eyes and proceed to ask them what they're talking about. Are they jazz, funk, roots, what the fuck! I think it's a friggin stupid label that's keeping the "scene" from really taking off. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hamilton Posted November 14, 2003 Report Share Posted November 14, 2003 Originally posted by MarcO: ~ Trey to Anthony DeCurtis, current issue of Relix magazine On a totally different note: when did Anthony DeCurtis start working for Relix? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
briguy Posted November 14, 2003 Report Share Posted November 14, 2003 Who's Anthony DeCurtis? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phishin4groove Posted November 14, 2003 Report Share Posted November 14, 2003 Who the fuk is Trey... And why does he keep following me.?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarcO Posted November 14, 2003 Author Report Share Posted November 14, 2003 Anthony DeCurtis is probably a free agent these days, one whose history of writing on Phish allowed him the access for the article. And Mo Mack - yeah, Trey rambles a bit. I think the key thesis for his argument is: "Music can't have a scene." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hamilton Posted November 14, 2003 Report Share Posted November 14, 2003 Originally posted by briguy: Who's Anthony DeCurtis? I believe he used to be the guy in charge of Rolling Stone... or, at least, very high up in the ranks of the magazine, anyway. He's a high-profile music journalist. I had no idea he was currently connected with Relix. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hamilton Posted November 14, 2003 Report Share Posted November 14, 2003 Hey asshole... Quit beating me to replies by mere seconds... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarcO Posted November 14, 2003 Author Report Share Posted November 14, 2003 Great here I am at work waiting for lunch to come while Brian's on the other side of the planet getting loaded on a Friday night..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hamilton Posted November 14, 2003 Report Share Posted November 14, 2003 You have no idea. PS - not to hijack the thread with my drunken ramblings or anything, but go check out Dave Holland's "Prime Directive" album. I think you'll like it. Back to you regularly scheduled Trey comments/ who's Anthony deCurtis discussion... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paisley Posted November 14, 2003 Report Share Posted November 14, 2003 I like the misleading label, it keeps people who just want to be in a cool 'scene' away thinking we're all listening to worn out 60s music... a certain prominent local musician who has toured world-wide started coming out to some shows after we discussed(argued) about the content of touring 'jambands'... he was against rehashed grateful dead music and I replied so was I ('cept in certain isolated incidents)... so he came out and saw Wassabi, JSB, GTB and replied "wow, I had no idea..." was totally impressed... by the crowd, the originality of the music and by the wrongly associated running stereotype warsawpack shows in hamilton are a good example of what I generally fear... tons of people crowded up to the stage standing staring at the band trying to "get it" giving dirty looks or nasty words to anyone who tries to dance around them... afraid it might compromise their closest to the stageness... popularity sucks unless it grows to that point naturally... underground press, word of mouth, personal trial and error... I prefer our 'scene' of happy dancers who just love great original music and having space to dance to it... we just happen to congregate at the same shows because someone out of our circle of friends thought to mention they thought we would enjoy ourselves there(and then we ended up on this damn board!)... following a band like the dead/phish is a great adventure full of lots of social activities and new experiences... I don't see much wrong with that either but its so much more popular and does get to the point of oversaturation with people who more love a big cool crowd than the unique expression of the music... let people stereotype inacurately, if they don't it sucks away the spontaneity, fun and freedom... keep the 'scene' clean I hope some of that was related to the original topic (where's the coffee?) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
little black dog Posted November 14, 2003 Report Share Posted November 14, 2003 You're doing some good work Brian, keep it up. It makes me smile to think that so much lovely stupidity is distributed throughout the earth. I love you all. Cheers!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
little black dog Posted November 14, 2003 Report Share Posted November 14, 2003 I apologize for any spelling errors... now and in the future. There... that should cover it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paisley Posted November 14, 2003 Report Share Posted November 14, 2003 with the term jamband I think it applies to any member of a band... percussion, turntables, bass, keyboards, as well as our good friend, the guitar... an open door for spontaneity I'd love to see 800 people at a JSB show as well so long as they're open fans... not position grabbers who want to tell their friends how close they were to the stage like they did at the jane's addiction show... that takes time... every band has the option of putting out a video and trying to get on a label to put on big shows... but the trade off is that people in that audience don't want to hear the song they've memorized changed up a whole lot one of my worst shows was a new deal show at the casbah where the first 8 feet in front of the stage was filled with couples hording the area staring at the band leaving no room to dance and totally dropping the energy of the room... a big factor to me regarding jamband shows is the flow of energy between the audience and the band... I'd rather see a show with 40 people just loving it all and the band loving that, than 1000 people standing around staring at each other and the band wondering if anyone is getting it play long and lovingly enough, let the word spread and the crowd will grow... music fans are sold by the music.. and if they are, they all tell two friends Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarcO Posted November 14, 2003 Author Report Share Posted November 14, 2003 I'm not in denial but if you want me to check out a band I've never heard of and I ask you what they are like, please don't answer my question by saying "well, they're a jamband" because that fills my head with notions of noodly over-ambitious navel-gazing jams and bad songwriting. There's a shocking amount of mediocre music being folded into that term and there seems to be an audience for it. How high is the bar raised? You have to divest yourself of terms like "jambands" to really answer that question. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phishin4groove Posted November 14, 2003 Report Share Posted November 14, 2003 quote: Originally posted by Super Freak: I don't get why peeps get offended by the term Jamband. I know it's an overused term but is it really that annoying? I just assume when someone calls a band a Jamband it means they tend improvise solos etc instead of a pre-rehearsed 20 or 30 second guitar solo and that the music is dancable(got groove or funk or whatever). I don't assume the bands musical influences. EXACTLY!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
secondtube Posted November 15, 2003 Report Share Posted November 15, 2003 personally i think trey is on smack. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Esau Posted November 15, 2003 Report Share Posted November 15, 2003 I find that I get asked every time "whats a jamband?" when describing the music I enjoy to folks outside the "scene" and when I try to explain it they are not to interested,but when I explain it in other terms they seem to want to see the band.I am about gettin more folks to see the shows I love, then to make it an elitist group of folks who only know what "jamband" means. I tried to get some brothers from work to show tonight at PJC,they were turned off by the "jamband" label,instead they opted to relax and save the enrgy for the copper lounge because of this great DJ thats playing tomorrow night,even after I mentioned Logic,GTB is a jamband to them,even though GTB IMO isnt a "jamband". Now if I had used improv with a DJ I may have grabbed a couple more folks to attend,maybe not. Although the term jamband holds no weight with me,unfortunatley it doeswith folks outside this scene. My worthless two friggin' measley cents. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
weezy Posted November 15, 2003 Report Share Posted November 15, 2003 hey MarcO - check your private messages Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paisley Posted November 15, 2003 Report Share Posted November 15, 2003 BOYCOTT phish !! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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