re: Jam Bands - I just don’t f*cking get it

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It's more about the feeling of lack of direction or building.

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Gotcha. Yeah, there's a lot of that in the jamband world. Even Phish is guilty of it sometimes. Diehard Phish fans can see where the jam is going and where it has been, but to a more casual fan it comes across as pointless noodling. As much as I love Phish, they lose me sometimes with their extended jams.

Improvisational music isnt for everyone.

I love jazz and some jambands.

Going to a show and hearing musicians improvise and stretch songs out and create new music on the spot is exciting to me.

Whats the point of going to a show and watching the performers play the song exactly as it is on the album?

I have the exact opposite outlook- today's bands play most of their songs live exactly like the album...nothing else, no improvisation. I attended live shows starting in the early 70's where we expected long jams or improvisations! To me, shows are boring today, no musicianship, I want to see a band extend a song and give the audience something else to sink their teeth into!

I’d rather watch grass grow than listen to a 3 hour concert of the Dead or Phish that sounds like 1 song

Add me to the “I don’t get it” crowd

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It's more about the feeling of lack of direction or building. A 4-5 min solo that feels like a repetition of a riff that isn't building on itself or developing can feel like an eternity.

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This is my issue with many jam bands. When my band just starts riffing on a song, we make sure those solos are going somewhere. If we spend 9 minutes on the same song, it’s probably going to change styles and genres at least 3 or 4 times along the way to keep it interesting.

My issue with so many jam bands is they just stay in the same gear on the same song too long. They don’t bring enough variety to hold my attention.

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I dont get people that make ignorant statements like this.

Enjoy alan jackson.

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You do realize there are options other than jambland and Alan Jackson, right?

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Is Govt Mule a jam band?

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I've seen them classified as one, but I think it's a bit of a stretch.

As a fan of jam, I'd be willing to admit that typically after several minutes into a 19 minute Jerry Jam, I'm ready to push the next button. However, it can be used as a vehicle for transportation into a different state of mind.

Length can probably be attributed to musicians getting into a rhythm or jam or getting on a roll and they cant find a way out, so they just keep playing until they find a stop.

IMO the appeal of a good jam or jam band is when several instruments can come together to form one sound. Kind of a 'whole greater than sum of its parts' type scenario. A good jam band plays off each other, in a way that they speak to each other through their instruments. It's like watching a well oiled sports team run plays and know exactly where their teammate is going to be at that given moment. Then the team/band starts playing the listener by throwing in twists and turns and peaks and valleys. It's a ride. The best jam bands seem to turn the crowd into an instrument itself in a way. Some people are willing to relinquish control and allow the hook to be set, others stand back and let bias and egos get in the way and it's just not for them.

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Yet Tool puts out a record with not one song under 10 minutes and by the time the song is over it feels like the length of a normal song. Black magic frickery there.

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In all honesty, outside of Jerry Garcia, they all kinda suck. Phish, Bisco, & moe. is a blast when you’re off your rocker, but everyone else is pretty terrible most of the time. I’ve had fun at Cheese & WSP shows, but not much these days is worth a relisten.

If you don’t like Jerry, you can gfy

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Classical music is often long compositions. Is that because of drugs too?

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Are we comparing jam bands to Mozart now?

Songs can be long but still be focused. Aja by Steely Dan for instance is 8 minutes, but flows naturally and is really beautifully composed. I'm a big fan of bands that play long, extended breakdowns and such of all genres like death cab, steely dan, mmj, tool, intronaut, Mae, deerhunter, etc, but just never got into jam bands.