Watching/Listening Now: Smells Like Teen Spirite

Several versions of the song which comes in at number 7 on the Rolling Stone best ever list:

First, a Ukelele Orchestra

Next, Bad Plus

Finally, the original (in a somewhat overdone video).  But the sound is good.

Listen to Now: Bo Diddley

Yes, another distraction.

But what radical music for 1955.

Evidently this was from the Ed Sullivan show.  This is from wikipedia:

On November 20, 1955, he appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show, a popular television variety show, where he infuriated the host. "I did two songs and he got mad," Bo Diddley later recalled. "Ed Sullivan said that I was one of the first colored boys to ever double-cross him. Said that I wouldn't last six months". The show had requested that he sing the Merle Travis-penned Tennessee Ernie Ford hit "Sixteen Tons", but when he appeared on stage, he sang "Bo Diddley" instead. This substitution resulted in his being banned from further appearances.

Watching Now: Perpetual Groove

Still undecided about these guys, but definitely a Jam Band, and decent sound and picture and jam in this clip:

Vies with 'Slightly Stoopid' as worse name for a jam band however.  Not that Umphrey's McGee or Disco Biscuits are much better.

Jam Bands. What strikes you?

These are the Jam Bands I am enjoying most:

Umphrey's McGee
   - formed at the University of Notre Dame in 1997
Phish
   - formed at the University of Vermont in 1982
Disco Biscuits
   - formed at the University of Philadelphia in 1995
moe.
    - formed at the University of Buffalo in 1989
New Monsoon
    - formed at Penn State in 1998
String Cheese Incident
    - formed by ski bums in Colorado in 1993

And as proof of sorts...UM from 1998

Watching Now: Lotus

Music for a Saturday morning...

Lotus is on the margins of my jam band interests and also kind of a guilty pleasure.

But at least it's still a guitar band.

Watching Now: Disco Biscuits

If you're keeping track...I'm trying to provide samples from the best jam bands:

Umphrey McGee: (11/15) In the Kitchen
moe. (11/12): Crabeyes
New Monsoon: (11/14) Greenhouse
Phish (11/15): Stash and Bathtub Gin

Now it's Disco Biscuit's turn.  Odd rhythms for about 2 and a half minutes, then a smooth transition to something funkier.

Coming soon:
String Cheese Incident
Lotus

Watching Now: phish

Can you do you a bunch of jam bands without some phish.

Two vids, both of pretty good songs.

The first is shot close enough that you can see what they look like.  Be sure to catch the familiar snippet in the piano break (around the 2:30 mark).

This gives a better sense of what a show might be like.

Watching Now: Steve Albini?

Not a jam band.  Just something I found while browsing

And this clearly isn't Steve Albini.  But Albini did a cover, which I consider the definitive version.

Here's the original.

And here's the Albini cover (unfortunately couldn't find a live version).

(Billy Gibbons -- the ZZ Top guitar player -- is highly respected by Eric Clapton and ZZ Top has been included in the Crossroads guitar festival for several years.)

Watching Now: New Monsoon

Happy jam band music, nicely recorded.

Watching Now: moe.

Playing iPads.

Really.  Watch:

And here's a version in none-virtual instruments:

Jam Bands

I've been listening to Jam bands recently.

Here's the line-up, more or less in order of preference

Umphrey's McGee
Disco Biscusts
New Monsoon
Lotus
moe.
Phish
String Cheese Incident
O.A.R.
Perpetual Groove
Tea Leaf Green
STS9
Widespread Panic
Gov't Mule

Which has a led to some old fusion:
Weather Report
Return to Forever

And some rediscoveries or overlooked cross-overs:
Garaj Mahal
Medeski, Martin, and Woods
Vandermark 5
Chad Wackerman
Allan Holdsmith
Bill Bruford
Mahavishu Orchestra

The  common denominator:
live performance with extended jams/improvisations, locomotive rhythms.

I'm listening to a live version of this as I write:

(I've stayed away from  obvious: Grateful Dead,  and the Allman Bros.  Just not that interested in that right now.)

Watching Now: Medeski, Martin and Wood

This is too long to watch casually, but I didn't want to lose track of it.

Watchng Now. Rusted Root

A bit outside my normal play list, but especially interesting to see how the delivery of the lyrics are 'distorted' to support the melody.

I don't think I ever saw the movie that used this.  Iceage -- a Disney animated movie I think.

Watching Now: Umphrey's McGee

One of my favorite Umphrey tune's, in a high quality video (sound and pic), as a full 16 minute jam

Other things worth checking out on this site as well:

http://www.myspace.com/video/jamcamdvd