JAMerica: The History of the Jam Band and Festival Scene

by Peter Conners

The term "jam band" is used to categorize a type of music that favors improvisation and musicianship over concise riffs, hooks, and traditional songwriting structure. The term also helps define the fiercely dedicated fans of the music as accurately as it does the bands. Much as with the Grateful Dead -- the progenitors of the jam band scene -- the survival of the scene depends upon a symbiotic relationship with fans. Jam bands nurture a close relationship with their fans, fostered through constant touring and the mutual belief that each performance is a unique, shared event.

JAMerica tells the story of the roots, evolution, values, and passion of the jam band scene in the words of those who know it best. Modeling itself on such books as Edie: American Girl by George Plimpton and Jean Stein (an oral history of the life of Edie Sedgewick ) and Please Kill Me: The Uncensored Oral History of Punk by Legs McNeil and Gillian McCain, the book is an oral history of the jam band scene, integrating stories from such bands as the Grateful Dead, Phish, Widespread Panic, Dave Matthews Band, moe., Leftover Salmon, String Cheese Incident, Umphrey's McGee, and dozens more. Interviews focus on the history of individual bands and how they communally shaped the larger jam band community, along with songwriting, relationships with fans, business models, and the importance (including the joys and war stories) of touring, including early gigs and venues (e.g. the Wetlands in New York City and the landmark H.O.R.D.E. Festival) that supported the emergence of the jam band scene.

Genres: Music

288 pages, Hardcover

First published August 13, 2013

About the author

In the mid-80s, Peter Conners submerged into a life of writing, music, and exploration, and he hasn’t looked back since. He has published nine books of nonfiction, fiction, and poetry, and edited dozens of volumes of poetry and prose. His nonfiction books – Cornell ‘77, Growing Up Dead, JAMerica, and White Hand Society — have garnered him a reputation as a leading chronicler of the Grateful Dead, jam band, and countercultural community.

Conners regularly gives readings and lectures at universities, conferences, bookstores, art galleries, and on panels related to music, counterculture, poetry, fiction, and editing. His books have received reviews in such places as Rolling Stone, Vice, Library Journal, Penthouse, Publishers Weekly, Kirkus, The Onion, and the New York Post. The San Francisco Chronicle noted that “Conners writes like a poet and researches like a scholar,” and NPR Books likened his writing to “…the way music sounds when your surrender has no limit.”

Reviews

[Erin Cataldi · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a newbie on the scene, this book was completely eye opening. It talked about how the jam band scene grew out of the Grateful Dead and found it's footing in some bars in New York and how it spread by word of mouth. I had no idea that the Spin Doctors were a jam band, no idea! I grew up loving them, but my idea of "jam band" was a little warped. The author/editor of this compilation of interviews does a great job discussing the "definition" of jam band and the controversy surrounding it. Not all musicians want to be known as jam bands, because the term can be limiting. Overall this was a wonderful book that helped me appreciate and understand the scene even more.

[Tres Crow · Rating 3 out of 5]

TL;DR: This book is geared toward fans of jam bands and should probably be skipped by casual fans or those who have no vested interest in the jam band scene.

POCKET REVIEW
This book was far more entertaining than it had any right to be. It’s essentially two hundred pages of quotes about jam bands loosely organized around themes. As someone who has listened to about four notes of music from any of the bands quoted in the book, I virtually had no idea who anyone was the entire time or why their opinion about the subject mattered. Yet, despite not knowing, I still could follow the general history presented, which was impressive. Still, I thought the narrative technique of a “people’s history” didn’t work as well in this case because so very few of those quoted had all that much interesting or earth-shattering to say about the art of making music. It’s a little like reading a whole book of post-game quotes from athletes.

[Brian · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is for a very specific audience, and will likely be a hard read if you aren’t within that group. The book is made mainly from the quotes of others, without much narrative from the author to bind things together. Some of the quotes are repetitive (and from the same person). Some of the quotes just seem to float on their own, lacking some real connection between them.

[Lexy · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5/5

basically this entire book is marked with sticky notes of interesting facts and incredible quotes about some of my favorite bands and festivals and the experience of jambands.

[Carl · Rating 4 out of 5]

This would be a great resource for a music (specifically rock n' roll) history paper. There's little interpretation offered by the author aside from an intro explaining and defending his method - collecting and then organizing oral history interviews with relevant musicians - nevertheless, JAMerica is an interesting look into the 'who, what, where, when, why, and how' of improvisational music in the 1990's.

[Greg · Rating 2 out of 5]

This didn't really come together for me. The author attempts to paint a narrative exclusively through interview segments, which would have been fine if I was interested in the comments of even half of the people being interviewed. I had to constantly refer to the guide to figure out who people were. It was tedious and the content wasn't really worth the effort.

[Jennifer Lewandowski · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another great book by Peter. I am a huge fan of music. I have never really gotten into the "jam" scene, yet after reading this it's not out if the realm. Made me think about all the people I know who love this scene. Thanks Peter for the education, again :)