Featured

  • Leftover Salmon © Spady Photography

    Leftover Salmon @ Great American Music Hall

    (San Francisco, California) Photographer Brian Spady sent in this gallery from the 2/20 show at the Great American Music Hall. Check out more of his work on Facebook.

  • stephanewrembel-btj-28

    Stephane Wrembel @ Merrimans’ Playhouse

    (South Bend, Indiana) When a grammy-award winning musician is playing within 45 minutes of you, it’s imperative to get out and see some live music.  I purposely kept myself off Spotify and had no idea what to expect from the guitar of Stephane Wrembel, just an idea that it may be spectacular. Merrimans’ playhouse is situated near the railroad tracks close to the southernmost bend of the St. Joseph River in South Bend, Indiana, home of Notre Dame University. It’s an eclectic college town about two hours from Chicago, and like many things in the Midwest, full of surprises. I almost drove by the venue it until I saw a small chalkboard marquee out front….

  • thesweatymouse-17

    Greensky Bluegrass + Umphrey’s McGee in Detroit

    Michigan favorites Greensky Blugrass opened for Umphrey’s McGee two for the second night in a row. Photos by Erin Slayter.    

  • MMJ23

    Photo-recap:My Morning Jacket, 12.28.12

    Port Chester NY- – Better late than never, some problems on our side prevented these from going live at the time… My Morning Jacket did a 3 night run at The Capitol Theater before closing out 2012 at the Agganis Arena Boston. Joe Madonna was in the photo pit on night 2 to capture the action, take a look at his gallery below. My Morning Jacket at The Capitol Theatre – 12/28/12 Setlist: Wonderful (The Way I Feel) Golden Tonite I Want To Celebrate With You The Dark It Beats 4 U First Light The Bear Rocket Man (I Think It’s Going to Be a Long, Long Time) (Elton John cover) Lowdown I’m Amazed Old…

  • IMG_2202

    Giant Panda Guerilla Dub Squad | Brooklyn Bowl | 12.7.2012

    Peter L Spadaro III BROOKLYN, NY – Friday Night at the Brooklyn Bowl is where most bands on the touring circuit wish they could be, and is always a platform for the best live music in New York City. This is especially true when a seasoned, but fresh band like Giant Panda Guerilla Dub Squad hits the stage with fistfuls of fury. Walking into The Bowl there was a certain buzz in the air, which immediately opened my eyes and got me excited for what was to come. The fellas from Rochester, NY hit the stage giving everything they could. Seeing these guys for the first time- my expectations were none, and boy did that…

FESTIVAL NEWS

Envision Festival Gallery

We’re helping seed a gallery on instagram with #envisionfest photos. Here are the most recent 80:

Screen Shot 2013-02-21 at 8.29.15 AM

Summer Camp Music Festival’s Camp Counselor Program

(Chillicothe, IL) This video by my friend Nick Stock was a trip down memory lane. It was the year I sunk my brother-in-law’s RV up to its axles in mud. I also ripped off the entire awning in a 100 MPH windstorm but met one of the most authentic people in the music scene who continues to climb and soar. It was the year I dressed up in an Umphaloo costume for kickball with Ryan Stasik, shot one of my favorite videos of Umphrey’s McGee of all time (Plunger – > Glory – Haji) and fell in love with this place called Summer Camp Music Festival in Chillicothe, Illinois. I witnessed and recorded almost an…

Rad Photo

Review: North Coast Music Festival 2012

Three weeks after the Windy City’s final festival hoorah and we’ve still got North Coast Music Festival on our minds. Check out Erica Treais’s review of the festival and Rad Photos awesome photo gallery below. Hundreds of young raving teens showed up at Union Park to test out their dance moves at the three-day, Labor Day weekend party. The festivals primary musical focus was electronic dance music, though there were quiet a few brass, jam and rock bands in the line-up. We all seemed to luck out with three days of sunshine and nothing more then a bit of drizzle, unlike last years weekend of downpour. Papadosio, a group that spent a hefty amount of…

untitled-6056

Review: Catskill Chill 2012

Words:Tom Clancey Photos: Sincere Shane Weber & Nick Irving (Hancock) Camp Minglewood, N.Y. – It’s Half-way through Catskill Chill, on a cool, overcast Saturday afternoon at psychedelic summer camp – and the voice of reason is telling you to stay calm. “We’re going to have to shut this thing down,” said a peaceful man, who is “strongly urging” you NOT to go back to your tent. “We’re expecting 60 mile-per-hour winds…” And while that wild weather wreaked havoc throughout the region, it never really materialized here at this sweeping performing arts camp wrapped around a beautiful lake. Instead the sold-out crowd endured a brief one-hour rain storm, and delighted in a weekend’s worth of stellar live…

catskill

Instagram Gallery: Catskill Chill Festival

Enjoy this gallery of Instagram photos from the fans at the 2012 Catskills Chill Festival in Hancock, NY. Want your Catskill Chill Instagram photos to show up here? Tag them with #CatSkillChill.  

NCMF1

North Coast Music Festival 2012 Preview

Labor Day Weekend marks a last hurrah for music lovers in the Windy City and the crew running North Coast Music Festival has made sure there is a “little something for everybody” in this years line up. This is the third year of NCMF hosted at Union Park in Chicago, IL and the first act takes to the stage at 2:00 p.m. sharp. If you haven’t already bought your tickets, good luck! All but 3-Day VIP tickets have been sold out; if you’re lucky you can catch some of the after party’s going on throughout the city. Headliners include Pretty Lights, Girl Talk, STS9, and hometown heroes, Umphrey’s McGee. And when I mentioned there is…

Interviews

femikuti

Interview: Femi Kuti.

Femi Kuti is a creative force unlike anyone else in music today. The eldest son of Fela Kuti pays homage to his father’s legacy while innovating new sounds within Afrobeat. Femi recently called in to discuss his lyrical inspiration, how he approaches collaboration and taking his music from the Shrine to the world. He is currently touring the US. For more info on Femi Kuti, check out http://www.femikuti.tv/ What was your first musical memory? My first musical memory was when I was 5 or 6, watching my father play. You’ve really been able to carry on your father’s legacy, while also pushing into new ideas and territories. How do you balance those styles? I think…

butchtrucks

Interview: Butch Trucks.

Butch Trucks is a legend. He is a founding member of the Allman Brothers Band. He will be teaching and performing at the Roots Rock Revival in upstate New York, along with Luther and Cody Dickinson. Butch’s passion for music and life is inspiring. For more information on the Roots Rock Revival, check out http://musicmasterscamp.com/roots_rock_revival.html How are you? I’m feeling great today. I went to FSU Florida State. A buddy of mine and I went down to the Orange Bowl last night and watched Florida State just absolutely slaughter Northern Illinois. Are you a football fan? Yeah. Who’s your team? I’m more of a pro guy. I grew up that way, but since free agency,…

Royal Teeth. Photo Credit Zack Breaux.

Interview: Royal Teeth

Royal Teeth is a Lafayette, Louisiana-based rock band. They are playing Austin City Limits 2012 and the Voodoo Music Experience Royal Teeth tour constantly and are known for their joyous, energetic live shows. Guitarist/Vocalist Gary Larsen recently wrote in to discuss how the band came together, their songwriting process and the collaborative nature of Royal Teeth. For more info on Royal Teeth, check out http://www.royalteethmusic.com/ What is your earliest musical memory? I remember deciding pretty early on that I wanted to be a big rock star one day. My parents bought me a bass for my 10th birthday and about a week later I played at my school fair. It wasn’t pretty. Did you come from a…

tauk promo fb

Interview: TAUK – Coming to a Festival Near You

  Bands That Jam recently caught up with the Long Island/NYC  band TAUK, before they ventured out to start their summer shows. A very large portion of our readers will be able to see them perform in the  coming months,as they are playing several big festivals: Hangout Beach, Summercamp, Bonnaroo, and The Allman Brother’s Peach festival. BTJ asked a few questions, here’s what they had to say- Download their album Pull Factors for free from their website,and listen while you read. The uplifting instrumental is sure to become a permament fixture on your playlists. Bands That Jam : First things first- your name TAUK, we understand it’s a nod to your hometown and roots….  -Yes! Kinda….the name…

Photo Source: tommystinson.com

Interview: Tommy Stinson

Tommy Stinson is a rock legend. He was a member of famed Minnesota-based rock group the Replacements. Since 1998, he has been the bassist for Guns N’ Roses and Soul Asylum. His latest release is the solo album “One Man Mutiny.” For more info on Tommy Stinson, check out http://tommystinson.com/ or follow him on twitter: @tommy_stinson. McClain Johnson: As a solo artist, how does your songwriting process work? Tommy Stinson: You know, I don’t really have one particularly. When I’ve got free time and my head is freed up from touring and all that stuff, it just sort of comes to me. It can come to me in any way, whether it is guitar, bass, drums,…

Keller Williams at the 2011 Electric Forest Festival - photo by Benjamin Slayter

Interview: Keller Williams

Keller’s musical career is on fire. His recent Kdubalicious album titled simply, “Bass” kicked off last December, and as we write this he’s doing his best to keep the Travelin’ McCourys from fishing off the boat during Jam Cruise.  I’ve seen Keller play with everyone from The String Cheese Incident to the Rhythm Devils, and caught up with him recently at his show in Ann Arbor, Michigan at the Blind Pig.  Based on the track he shared with us (scroll all the way down), I can’t wait to see him with the Travelin’ McCourys next summer. Bands That Jam:  Welcome to Michigan Keller.  Thanks for sitting down to talk with Bands That Jam.  What were…

Mason2

Interview: Mason Jennings

  BTJ Photographer Chris Monaghan sat down recently with singer/songwriter Mason Jennings to talk about his current cross country tour, his beginnings as a musician and his songwriting style. You can stream Jennings’ latest Minnesota and see his remaining dates on his website. BandsThatJam:     How old were you when you started playing guitar, and when did you know you wanted to be a musician? Mason Jennings: I would always write these songs when I was pretty little, even when I was 8 or 9 I would write these full songs and sing them in to a tape recorder, so I was always really writing.  But I really wanted to play drums. I started on drums…

Bob Weir

Interview: Bob Weir & Searching for Freedom

Searching For Freedom With Bob Weir Bob Weir is the co-founder of the Grateful Dead. His other bands include Furthur and RatDog. His latest project is TRI Studios (http://www.tristudios.com/), which broadcasts high quality concerts live online. He recently called in to discuss the impact of technology on his songwriting, the creation of TRI Studios and the free-flowing nature of the Dead’s setlist creation. McClain Johnson: How did the concept for TRI studios come together? How did it get started? Bob Weir: It was a long, involved process. I picked up a recording console, an API recording console. In my opinion, it was the best console I could get. We started building a studio around it. Along the way, an old…

MD-2 432

Interview: Mike Doughty

Mike Doughty is one of the best, most creative singer-songwriters out today. He has a skill for writing memorable hooks, and writes intriguing, oddball, poetic lyrics. His latest album, Yes and Also Yes, will be released August 30th on his own label, Snack Bar. Mike recently wrote in to discuss his love of pop songs, how he creates beats and the challenges of being an independent artist. For more info on Mike Doughty, check out http://www.mikedoughty.com McClain Johnson: What inspired “Into the Un?” Mike Doughty: Actually, weirdly, I was asked to write something for the next Twilight soundtrack–though they rejected the song. It’s a kind of psychedelic goth fantasia–I hung out with a lot of…

Photo Credit: Michael Weintrob

Interview: Bruce Hornsby

Bruce Hornsby is a piano player/singer-songwriter who works in many different styles and with a wide range of other artists. His latest release is the live album, Bride of the Noisemakers. He recently discussed playing with the Grateful Dead, how he is always looking to expand his sound and his passion for modern classical music. McClain Johnson: How old were you when you first started playing piano? Bruce Hornsby: I started really late. I started at age 17, junior year in high school, for a couple of inspirational reasons. My older brother, Bobby Hornsby, was the original musician in our band. He was the guy who had bands in junior high school and late elementary…

Victor Wooten, Press Photo

Interview: Victor Wooten, Bassist

Victor Wooten (twitter: @victorwooten) is one of the world’s most talented bass players. He is well known as a member of Bela Fleck and the Flecktones as well as a solo artist. He discussed the biggest obstacles he’s had in his career, how he met Bela and how his family got him into music.