Jam Bands: North America's Hottest Live Groups

by Dean Budnick

Book Overview

Jam Bands is the first comprehensive guide to the emerging wave of improvisational music now thriving in North America. The book spans the continent, identifying more than 175 of the most noteworthy jam bands. Each entry includes photos, biographies, discographies, personal insights from band members, web site listings, and descriptions and analyses of each group's distinctive musical styles and talents. Additionally, since all the profiled...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1550223534
• ISBN13: 9781550223538
• Release Date: September 1998
• Publisher: ECW Press
• Length: 301 Pages
• Weight: 1.55 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 7.8" x 10.0"

Customer Reviews

A quantum leap beyond Dean's earlier book

If you're familiar with the first incarnation of a book called *Jambands* by Dean Budnick, this is the very same guy but a completely different book. I was troubled by the first version's compilation of press photos with prose that read like official bios, with few details about actual album releases, and with an unswerving politeness throughout about all of the acts included.Here, instead, are a nice seletion of live photos, with studied attention to select releases, and even a ratings system which comparatively evaluates those releases, combined with fair and balanced reflections in Dean's inimitable writing style.You still won't find the level of forthrightness you might want from a music critic. (No one included "sucks" if you accept Dean's spin. Perhaps this is because he's weeded out the carp, but even many of those included wallow in mediocrity.) But the break from a glossy fluff package towards an in-depth and reflective study is a quantum leap above and beyond the earlier book. And the presentation, layout, and overall delivery is a far more engaging and enticing package.Besides, Dean's not a music critic. He's an historian and a scholar of American culture, and that's what you'll get here: a thorough slice of jambands currency, an historic epoch in American culture.

Summarizing the history and style of each jamband

A highly recommended addition to personal, academic, and community library American Music History reference collections, Jambands: The Complete Guide To The Players, Music & Scene by Dean Budnick (founder of Jambands.com and creator of the Jammy Awards) is an impressive catalogue of more than 170 musical groups, ranging from Phish and the Allman Brothers, to Ten Ton Chicken and Moon Boot Lover. Summarizing the history and style of each jamband in a single column, along with relevant websites and a one to five star rating, Jambands distills and reviews music groups with the cutting edge keenness and wry insight. An accompanying music CD offers a variety of sample songs, including some rare tracks.

Jam Bands a wonderful resource

This book took me by surprise. The depth of research and analysis is quite impressive- 170 Jam bands from around the country with all sorts of info about them: photos, interviews, disc reviews. The sections in the back on taping was quite helpful in clearing up some questions I had. My favorite part of the book might just be "Wetlands: Ten Years of Grooves." This book is overwhelming in the best way possible. I've already discovered some new bands and traded for a handful of tapes. If you like groove music I am quite confident you will be happily overwhelmed by Jam Bands.

A jam-packed overview of the scene

First off, let me say that I think I have a pretty good handle on the jam/groove scene today. I live in NYC and tons of bands come through. HOWEVER, I had no idea of how much stuff is out there. After reading JAM BANDS, I do now. Dean Budnick's book does an excellenet job of explaining what's happening in the current jam rock movement. There are 170 individual essays on bands, with photos, CD reviews, interviews and more. It's a massive undertaking (and a chunky book). But that's not it because in the back of the book JAM BANDS has four more sections. The first one is all about taping and trading (as a trader but not a taper I actually learned a bit). The second section (and my favorite) is a history of the Wetlands which has interviews with the owners, the various band members who have played there (including members of Strangefolk, God Street Wine and quite a few more). The third section on magazines and stuff is cool and the game at the end is sort of weird (in a dooofy, fun way). All in all though Budnick does an amazing job of bringing all this info together, with a smooth writing style that's keeps the reader involved without being repetitive, obnoxious or otherwise lame. A fine book.