A Mid-Winter Night's Jam: A Guide to This Season's Best Getaways
Tuesday, 16 November 2004
From the days of the Grateful Dead’s Golden Gate Park gatherings, through Festival Express, Lollapalooza, H.O.R. D.E, Berkfest and Bonnaroo, grassroots music has traditionally blossomed under the hot, summer sun. But last winter JamCruise made some unusual waves...
From the days of the Grateful
Dead’s Golden Gate Park gatherings, through Festival
Express, Lollapalooza, H.O.R. D.E, Berkfest and Bonnaroo, grassroots
music has traditionally blossomed under the hot, summer sun. But last winter
JamCruise made some unusual waves, chartering a pair of resort-style
cruise ships that took the festival experience into the open seas. While not
an entirely novel idea—music-themed boat trips have long been Mardi Gras staples—JamCruise capitalized
on an untapped market of twenty-something’s looking for a post-holiday party.
Setting sail just days after Phish’s mini-vacation
in Miami, JamCruise quickly packed its cabins, earning
a New York Times nod along the way. At the same time, Colorado’s SkiJam hit the slopes for its inaugural run, recruiting a
pair of Rocky Mountain favorites, Gov’t Mule and
Keller Williams, and extreme sports enthusiasts from around the country. A
much-needed break from jam rock’s traditional hibernation in sweaty clubs,
JamCruise and SkiJam helped
spark even more expansive getaways, such as this winter’s AmsterJam
adventure, and clued a new generation of music aficionados into long-lauded
ships like The Legendary Rhythm and Blues Cruise.
While Phish’s
multi-night stands in destination cities such as Las Vegas have served as
a springboard for fraternity-style vacations, and String Cheese’s international
incidents have taken Cheese-heads to scenic locales like Costa
Rica, this year’s custom-designed jam vacations offer
something unique. Mixing the overstuffed excitement of Bonnaroo
with the surreal interaction of rock and roll fantasy camp, each of the vacation
packages below is a much-needed spring break from rock music’s traditional
boundaries. So, if your dream is to chill in Amsterdam’s coffee shops with
Umphrey’s, ride a chairlift with Keller, kick a
soccer ball with Spearhead, or toke on a cigar with Taj,
this winter is just beginning to heat up.
JamCruise
Dates:
January 6-10
Location: Jacksonville,
FL
The Skinny: Setting
sail on Celebration, this year’s JamCruise will make stops throughout Florida and the Bahamas.
In addition to choice excursions, such as a fishing trip baited by MOFRO’s JJ Grey, JamCruise will
feature multiple sets by artists like Galactic, Les Claypool, Col. Bruce Hampton’s Aquarium Rescue Unit, and a Jon Fishman-bolstered
Jazz Mandolin Project. Marc Brownstein and Aron Mager
will also DJ portions of their forthcoming electronic album with DJ Omen.
Though they hail from Chicago, Umphrey’s McGee will also host a game of old-fashioned Texas
Hold ‘Em. For cruisers hoping to catch a few extra
rays before their ship departs, the North Mississippi Allstars
and Col Bruce Hampton & TheCodetalkers
will host a pre-cruise party near the dock on January 5. Sold-out at press
time, JamCruise is currently accepting names for
a wait list. Madison House Travel is optimistic: “The list is short... cabins
may open up and holds may be released, so it is worthwhile to get on the waitlist.”
To get on it, please email
.
Particle’s Charlie
Hitchcock on JamCruise: “Last year, we played an
all-night set on the back of the boat until about 7:30 or 8 in the morning.
All sorts of funny confrontations happened on that boat, in the dining room
and what-not. It’s really about artists’ connection with their fans.”
SkiJam
Dates: January
9-14
Location: Steamboat
Springs, CO
The Skinny: Now
in its second year, SkiJam fuses snow culture with jam-rock energy. SkiJam will host performances in many local lodges and cabins,
as well as a 50,000-square-foot tent located at the base of Steamboat itself.
With après-ski sets scheduled for 5PM, event promoters are hoping to seamlessly
segue from the slopes to the afternoon’s first set. Like last year, concertgoers
can also check out their favorite players while they zip down Steamboat’s
slope. This year’s initial lineup includes Keller Williams, Michael Franti
& Spearhead, Hot Buttered Rum String Band, Larry and the South Austin
Jug Band. Extreme snowboarders will be especially psyched this year: The Maverick’s
Super Half Pipe is the longest in North America—650 feet.
South Austin Jug Band’s
James Hyland on SkiJam: “Last year, I literally
skied into a gig. I had to play at 5PM after the slopes closed and I skied
right to the grill at the base of the mountain where we were playing. I took
off my skis and put on my guitar. It doesn’t get much better than that.”
The Legendary Rhythm
and Blues Cruise
Dates:
January 22-29
Location: Fort
Lauderdale, FL
The Skinny: Once
described as “Woodstock on the Love Boat,” The Legendary Rhythm and Blues
Cruise features elder statesmen such as TajMahal
and Dr. John, as well as blues heirs like Derek Trucks and Susan Tedeschi. This seven-day voyage will make stops throughout
the British Virgin Islands, Caicos Island and St. Maarten.
Past cruise highlights have included a guest-laden power jam hosted by Taj
and blues lectures taught by the legends themselves. This year’s lineup will
feature over 60 acts, including TajMahal’s longtime studio support, the Phantom Blues Band.
TajMahal on The Legendary
Rhythm and Blues Cruise: “Well, it’s not Disney World. It’s about adults relaxing,
enjoying themselves, and spending time with other people who enjoy the same
kind of music as they do. It’s amazing how people can really connect through
the blues and R&B. Every year you can set your clock by it.”
AmsterJam
Dates:
March 20-22
Local: Amsterdam,
Holland
The Skinny: A new
addition to the 2005 concert calendar, AmsterJam will ship Keller Williams,
Umphrey’s McGee, Particle and The Disco Biscuits, as well as 1,500 fans, halfway
around the world. A pilgrimage for some, a hazy adventure for others, this
three-day indoor festival will no doubt feature a healthy dose of cross-pollination,
as each band was handpicked by Umphrey’s McGee. While AmsterJam’s setting,
the Melkweg, may be unknown to most, the two-in-one venue has hosted at least
one famous axe-man: Jerry Garcia. In early November, AmsterJam took on extra-special
significance when Sam Altman announced his departure from The Disco Biscuits
to pursue a career in medicine. The founding Disco Biscuits drummer will play
his final three shows as a Biscuit at AmterJam.
Umphrey’s
McGee’s Joel Cummins on AmsterJam: “After we were approached about putting on a festival,
we started to come up with some ideas for our ideal location.
We wanted to play
somewhere new and exciting and Amsterdam seemed like the perfect spot. We
helped picked each of the bands on the bill as well.”
Somewhere
in the not-so-distant-future…
No Ka Oi, December 2005
While originally scheduled
for this December, Hawaii’s No Ka Oi has been postponed
to December 2005. Soulive, Derek Trucks, and Deep Banana Blackout were among
the acts slated to perform.
Already Departed: Cruise
News From…
moe.cruise,
March 7-14, 2004
Setting
sail from Miami, FL aboard the Norwegian Sun Cruise Liner, moe. treated fans to ten sets of
original material and choice covers, ranging from “Sweet Emotion” to “Fire
on the Mountain” (sorry, no “Ship of Fools”). Though confined
to ship settings, moe.offered
a number of intriguing concert locales, including two acoustic sets on the
Norwegian Sun’s observation deck.
The Rock Boat,
October 7-11, 2004
Setting sail at the tail
end of hurricane season, this four-year-old cruise literally started off rocking:
A few weeks before hitting the sea, this fall’s severe weather caused a sudden
itinerary shift from Grand Cayman to Cozumel, Mexico.
Yet, this season’s most eclectic offering still kept its sunny outlook, featuring
performances by Sister Hazel, New Monsoon, Gavin DeGraw,
Pat McGee Band and Marc Broussard, among others.
In addition to several
performance stages and a variety of excursions, The Rock Boat also included
the “Battle for the Boat,” a regional band competition for southeast acts.
Rob Wasserman received
JamCruise 1’s MVP award for most sit-in
surprise set cameos…
Honeymoon-suite couple
Derek Trucks and Susan Tedeschi jammed together aboard last year’s Legendary
Blues Cruise…
All four of AmsterJam’sperformers have played together in the past four years…
Marc Brownstein
played Bisco Bingo aboard JamCruise…
SkiJam
has set up a 50,000-square-foot tent at the base of Steamboast
for an après ski-set…
TajMahal led a lecture on the history of the blues
onboard Legendary Blues Cruise…
A busy Keller Williams
will play both SkiJam and JamCruise…
SkiJam
Dates:
January 22-29
