Tag: Jam

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BLUES TRAVELER – 30TH ANNIVERSARY TOUR

Blues Traveler started their career in the late ‘80s, and went on to become one of the most widely known artists in the jam-band scene. In celebration of their monumental 30 year career, Blues Traveler has announced that they will embark on a 30 Year Anniversary tour this October. Kicking off on October 11th at the Ridgefield Playhouse in Ridgefield, CT, the 25 date run will take the band across the US, wrapping up at the House of Blues in San Diego, CA on November 19th.

Pre-sale tickets will be available for purchase starting on Tuesday, April 25th and tickets for the general public will go onsale on Friday, April 28th starting at 10:00 a.m. local time. To purchase tickets and find more information on pre-sale options, please visit www.bluestraveler.com. A full list of confirmed dates can be seen below.

Frontman John Popper states, “Three decades… three decades and I am still surprised when we play and find some rich new musical vein to tap. Three decades and I cannot believe my luck with this band of brothers and this string we have run! Thirty years since a bunch of loud boys embarked on an adventure that took them around the world and made them a family that has not ceased growing to this day. Thirty years later and I am still so very grateful.”

Guitarist Chan Kinchla adds, “The longer I do it the more I like it! I remember laying on my bed at 13 years old in Princeton, New Jersey. Spinning my precious LPs, dropping the needle back across a part over and over trying vainly to scry some part of a Bowie record or a Clash record or a Pretenders record, maybe gazing at the back of the album jacket as side A played again and again. All I dreamed of was playing in a cool band with great musicians, in front of a bad ass crowd, creating a floating, bubbling, hissing group. Think rock show in the shiny lights. The fact that I’ve been able to be a part of exactly that for 30 years leaves me humbled and thankful and wanting more….much more!”

Blues Traveler — John Popper (lead vocals, harmonica), Chan Kinchla (guitar), Tad Kinchla (bass), Brendan Hill (drums), and Ben Wilson (keyboard) — have a proven reputation for their improvisational live shows and tireless touring. With a total of twelve studio albums — four gold, three platinum and one six-times platinum — they have sold more than 10 million combined units worldwide, and played over 2,000 live shows in front of more than 30 million people. Their hit “Run-Around” is the longest-charting radio single in Billboard history, and earned them a Grammy® for Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals in 1996. The group also founded H.O.R.D.E. Festival, a touring progressive rock music festival and creative nest, hosting everyone from Beck and Neil Young to Ben Harper and Squirrel Nut Zippers.

Continuing the tradition of sitting in with other bands, Blues Traveler’s John Popper has sat in with countless artists all over the world, including Foo Fighters, Grateful Dead, Allman Brothers, Pearl Jam, Dave Matthews Band, Keith Urban, and even alternative acts like Passion Pit. With an open mind, it’s no surprise that on the group’s latest release, Blow Up The Moon, they took this a step further to enlist a range of artists across the musical spectrum, representing country, pop, reggae and hip-hop, on their first-ever collaborative album.

As they enter the fourth decade of their career, Blues Traveler will begin recording their a brand new album this May, expected for release in early 2018.

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Soca Paradise Presents: KES

Inspired by their native melting pot nation of Trinidad and Tobago, Kes fuses together a unique blend calypso, rock and reggae to bring the sounds of the Caribbean to the world stage. Kes the band’s unique blend of soulful vocals and calypso-inspired melodies, over a fusion of rock riffs and island beats, hints of soca and reggae, but can best be described as Caribbean Pop. This style has elevated Kes to stardom, allowing the band to become a household name in Trinidad & Tobago and throughout the Caribbean circuit, where they consistently win over audiences with their electric and high-energy performances.

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JJ Grey & Mofro

From the days of playing greasy local juke joints to headlining major festivals, JJ Grey remains an unfettered, blissful performer, singing with a blue-collared spirit over the bone-deep grooves of his compositions. His presence before an audience is something startling and immediate, at times a funk rave-up, other times a sort of mass-absolution for the mortal weaknesses that make him and his audience human. When you see JJ Grey and his band Mofro live—and you truly, absolutely must—the man is fearless. Onstage, Grey delivers his songs with compassion and a relentless honesty that captures the fierceness and intimacy that defines a Grey performance. Grey and his current Mofro lineup offer grace and groove in equal measure, with an easygoing quality that makes those beautiful muscular drum-breaks sound as though the band has set up in your living room.

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Jam Cruise Post-Party Karl Denson’s Tiny Universe & The Motet Presented by JamBase

It’s a Post Jam Cruise Jammin’ Concert

Karl Denson’s Tiny Universe are back in action. The show will give fans the chance to experience what is highly regarded as one of the best live bands on the planet. Karl, who now serves as the saxophonist in The Rolling Stones, is fresh off a tour with the legendary rock band that included the highest grossing concert festival of all time, Desert Trip. With KDTU, he’ll be showcasing material from his forthcoming studio album, due in early 2017, as well as previous acclaimed KDTU recordings like New Ammo and Brother’s Keeper. Audiences can also expect a handful of KDTU’s super-charged covers by the likes of Prince, The White Stripes and Beastie Boys.

You can’t fake the funk, and The Motet bring it on hard with a signature style that slaps you in the face with sounds that are fresh and unique. The Motet is an American funk, afrobeat and jazz influenced group based in Denver, Colorado. An exuberant, lithe outfit, the Motet is known for their high-energy live shows and cross-pollinated musical sound. It’s a sound they’ve captured on such albums as Breathe, Play, Music for Life, and Instrumental Dissent. The album Dig Deep found them incorporating electronics into the mix. The band’s seventh studio album, the eponymously titled The Motet, featured a more collaborative approach than previous albums. Their newest album, Totem, was released July 8th, 2016.

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The New Mastersounds & Turkuaz

Simon Allen and Eddie Roberts had played together as The Mastersounds, though with a different bassist and no organ. Through friends and the intimate nature of the Leeds (UK) music scene, Pete Shand and Bob Birch were added on bass and Hammond respectively and The New Mastersounds were born. Though it was raw, and more of a boogaloo sound at first, it was powerful from the start. Their first rehearsal was hot enough for Blow it Hard Records to release on two limited-edition 7” singles. Fast-forward 15 years and the recorded catalogue boasts 24 more 7” singles, 9 studio albums, 2 live albums, 1 remix album and 3 compilation albums, released variously in UK, USA and Japan, where they continue to tour extensively. Joe Tatton, another veteran of the Leeds scene, joined back in 2007, replacing Bob Birch on organ and piano. As an example of the respect this band commands, Peter Wermelinger – DJ, collector, and author of the crate-diggers’ bible The Funky & Groovy Music Lexicon – places the 2001 NMS track “Turn This Thing Around” in his all-time top-ten tunes, along with the likes of Eddie Harris, Funkadelic, and Herbie Hancock. The New Mastersounds are at the very top of an elite selection of acts that bring the true soul out of funk.

 

Turkuaz is a 9-piece “Powerfunk” outfit from Brooklyn, NY, whose modern take on the classic funk sound has established them as leaders in the funk revolution that’s currently taking place in the genre. Blending elements of Pop, R&B, and Soul with their distinct aggressive funk core, Turkuaz sounds like the musical love child of Sly & the Family Stone and Talking Heads. Turkuaz’s sound is more accessible than ever and poised to break out to a more mainstream audience. With a playful feel that evokes the best of 80s dance music, Turkuaz’s tightly arranged songs are built on thick grooves, driven by powerhouse rhythm and horn sections, as well as four distinct vocalists.

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Yonder Mountain String Band

Although the Yonder Mountain String Band was formed in Nederland, CO, its origins go back to Urbana, IL, where college student and banjo player Dave Johnston met mandolin player Jeff Austin. Austin moved west and settled in Nederland. Johnston joined him there, and the two met bass player Ben Kaufmann and guitarist Adam Aijala at a club called the Verve. In December 1998, they formed the Yonder Mountain String Band to open for a band at the Fox Theatre in Boulder. They developed a following among bluegrass fans and also among jam band fans as they played extensively and worked their way up the bar and club circuit in the West. In the fall of 1999, they released their debut album, Elevation, on their own Frog Pad Records label. By the fall of 2000, they were playing in larger venues, such as the Fillmore Auditorium in San Francisco. They released a live recording as their second album, Mountain Tracks, Vol. 1, in the spring of 2001, and followed with another studio set, Town By Town, in the fall of 2001. A second live album, Mountain Tracks, Vol. 2, was released in 2002, again followed by a studio effort, Old Hands, in 2003. Mountain Tracks, Vol. 3, a double disc live set, appeared in 2004. In February 2006, Mountain Tracks, Vol. 4 was released. Three months later, Vanguard Records released a self-titled studio album by the group. The Yonder Mountain String Band returned to its own Frog Pad label for Mountain Tracks, Vol. 5, issued in April 2008. ~ William Ruhlmann, Rovi

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Official Jam Cruise 12 Post Show with Les Claypool’s Duo de Twang

Official Jam Cruise 12 Post Show

www.jamcruise.com

 

The most original rock bassist to come along in the ’90s was unquestionably Les Claypool. With his oddball sense of humor and funky playing, Claypool took his varied musical influences and created an invigorating and completely inventive style.  Well known as the lead vocalist and bassist in the band Primus, Claypool’s funky, creative playing style on the electric bass mixes finger-tapping, flamenco-like strumming, whammy bar bends (unusual on a bass guitar), a Larry Graham-like slap technique, and Geddy Lee influences. He is a multi-instrumentalist, novelist, music producer, film director, wine maker, and avid fisherman.  His stage shows at times border on the genre of performance art.  His newest side project is an acoustic band called Duo De Twang, which he brings to the Revolution Live stage.