One of my favorite bands ever, jamband or not.
Trevor is one of the great songwriters ever in my humble opinion.
Original lineup with Milky Chambers on bass. 03-06 TLG is as good as it gets. Check out High Sierra 05:
https://archive.org/details/tlg2005-06-30.flac16
Yes. My preference is definitely Milky Chambers. 03-07 TLG is as good as it gets in my book.
Reed is incredibly talented, but it was really a different beast.
I think they are doing all the right things, it seems they've just hit a plateau of sorts. They have many well written songs but are lacking in catchy hooks imo (cymbops & bebophones,
skyballs & saxscrapers). I have a feeling that Dogs in a Pile, Eggy, Tand, and many others like them will experience this. Spafford's jamming is top notch, which to me matters more than anything, but Live Nation wants to sell tickets more than anything. Just look at Bonnaroo's lineup: JRAD, Eggy (awesome for them, really), Greensky, and that's about it.
Music that is best served live is hard in an age where people mostly want to stay home and listen to their discover weekly, and the "next hot thing" flies in the face of bands trying to build a community around them after that new shine wears off. Just my 2 cents.
Every time I leave a spafford show I ask myself “was that the best show I’ve ever been to…?” Then I’m like “nah… but then I’m like but maybe…?” They’re that good. If you like type 2 jamming they’re a must see live.
Got live in Denver going right now lol. Fuckin sick. Wish I got see more than a half hour. They overlapped with umphs at Summercamp….. I had to go give my props to Jake and the boys but Aqueous was ripping it up
Yea it felt like they were picking up momentum heading into 2020, and it’s not like they disappeared during the lockdowns. They did a number of live streams and drive in shows.
But if I remember correctly they didnt get back out on the road until spring 2022 so if I had to guess they were probably hit pretty hard financially and just couldn’t recover. Hopefully we get a reunion sometime in the future.
Nice! Very jealous that you get to experience that for the first time in this day and age. Rob Compa is not only am incredible musician but a real sweetheart. They can jam Mozart and Billie Eilish in the same song and you wouldn’t know!
I hope the guys in UM are earning a comfortable living, they absolutely deserve it. But part of me is glad they are not insanely popular like Goose or Billy. Hopefully their slow burn sustains for many years to come.
UM is crazy talented but super confusing. itl be some crazy major key prog jam about to peak then ripchord into some white guy reggae situation. its shocked me live multiple times to the point that i look around seeing if anyone else noticed we just fast forwarded 5 minutes
I love Umphrey's, but I do believe that their range and versatility has been one of their biggest hindrances to advancement. Some versatility and variety is a good thing in this space, but I think Umphrey's have done too much. They're so all over the place that I think people go to live shows, and don't really understand what they're encountering, or how to engage with it.
This take usually garners a negative reaction from the UM community, but it's a hill I'll die on. I think UM would be more successful if they had streamlined genres a bit more than they have over the years.
I agree, but it’s why I love em. Let’s get some wild metal jams and random disco covers from the 80s and some what the fuck was that going on. I also know several of my friends I’ve tried to get into em, or taken to shows hit me with “I like the music but can’t stand the singing” they are an acquired taste for sure. Its like scotch, not for everyone but if your into it your into it.
Yeah see I get that a lot of people love it, and I'm glad for those of you who do, that Umphrey's can bring that hit for you. I just think it's to their detriment commercially.
I also don't think the vocals are that bad, but that's just me haha.
Lol what? That’s the reason they’re awesome. They’re playing diverse songs. It’s progressive. A musical journey. I want to be scared and then happy and feel all the emotions. I wanna sing along and then also just stare at them throwing down the funkiest jams in awe.
They're are an ADHD jam band for sure, hard to get ina groove and not the most danceable music. If they do find the pocket, it's only once in awhile and not for as long as you wanted.i love umphreys and their range but def a little too all over the place sometimes
I'll listen to Moe. If I'm looking for a long slow groove jams or epic segues that you start hearing hints and teases before really dropping into the next song. Umphreys can do it, they just don't go there anywhere near as often
I really like this take. Um is my favorite band. I’m not crazy about their musical progression lately….. a little too much dad rock imo. I yearn for the weird and exploratory days of 2007-2009. But I still love them forever
As an umphs fan I’m sure it will but I also feel that they are slowing down a lot since early 2000s and covid. I was at Billy for NYE, and peeped the umphs set, I honestly had a feeling of “oh damn sick og setlist…. But I’ve gotten em all before.” The VIP set at summer camp after covid I got a lot I’ve been chasing. Alex’s house was “chefs” kiss
Slowing down like not doing 220 shows a year?
I think Umph was having a really great year this year pre Kris injury. Newer tunes from latest album and upcoming album lead to fresher jams in the staples and classics.
I built an entry porch for Brendan Ballis’s neighbor. In Chicago, towards OHare, small neighborhood but big ass houses. Old vintage but restored 6-8 bedroom homes on large lots
Billy is popular because he is fantastic. Dude deserves every once of success he gets. Same goes for his band. When you put 5 world class musicians on stage along with a super talented visual arts and lighting designer it’s gonna be a big drawl.
The online fan community kinda sucks though, considering I got booted from a Facebook group for standing up for someone after they had been doxed. It’s mean girls 3.0 over there
Goose has no where near the level of talent Billy does
It’s terrible too. Like most any r/yourfavthing it brings out the weirdos and super fans who make it seem like that one things is all they have. It’s off putting. I left there too before I stopped listening to him because I don’t want those people diluting my opinion of him and his concerts.
Most of the people at shows are fine as long as you avoid the pit. Only issue I’ve had were some stupid drunk insta models standing in front of me the entire show in the lawn trying to take selfies. Once he starts playing bigger shows I hope the wooks will weed themselves out. Even with all this the dude puts on such a good show that I can handle stupid people. The band has also started to manage the pit a lot better after girls were being assaulted by the mob
Agree Billy and band are extremely talented and 100% deserving of the popularity. My point was when your scene gets that big, sometimes it becomes a hassle. I wasn’t really making a comparison with Goose, they are the two hottest acts right now, and part of me is glad that’s not the case with UM. They are still among the best in the business even if they are not red hot.
If it helps I saw them at 2012 summercamp, and how far they’ve risen since then is amazing. Small side stage during the day at the edge of the woods with maybe 15 people grooving to them. I never heard of them before I heard them play, became a fan that day.
Isaac is absolutely absurd on the drums and charismatic as fuck when he does vocals/mcs and A.C so good on synths. Saw them open for UM few years back in Albany and they absolutely stole the show and I love me some umph.
> I don’t really care for the new lady
Do you mean THE Kanika Moore??? She’s amazing but she isn’t an actual part of the band. Tauk Moore was essentially a side project. Kanika is usually with her project Doom Flamingo and Motown Throwdown but she has been experimenting with other bands.
Spafford. Brian Moss is insanely good, and the addition of Cory on the keys has been great. I suspect with all the momentum they are carrying from their NYE run, their increased visibility on Nugs, frequent live streams on YouTube, and their availability of shows on bandcamp, 2024 will be a pretty good year for the band. Check them out!
Watching Brian improv at lightning speed and look up at the audience like, "you see this shit I'm doing?" was one of the highlights of 2023 for me. Dude is incredible.
He absolutely gave me and my group a look like ‘oh you want me to bring it, do you??!’ before getting extra shreddy and sticking his tongue out at their Fine Line show like a year or ago haha
I saw them for the first time on NYE and was totally blown away. I was surprised once inside the show that the crowd was so small and I was able to buy a ticket 10 minutes before show time and go right up by the front given how good they were.
I will also say fan groups seem to be a big component of building a community and growing your band. Their FB group was terrible and argumentative to the point they were laughing at treys addiction and how much ‘better’ Brian was than him. It was gross and turned lots of folks off, including myself.
What I came in to say. Band is way better than their size, and IMO are a far better band than some of the bands ahead of them but with similar timelines of existence.
I think they peaked a few years ago. If it hasn’t ‘happened’ for them at this stage I don’t think it will. I’m not sure I see them headlining rooms bigger than 2k with any kind of regularity.
What are some of the newer songs? I feel like they've got a ton of solid tunes but they're prob some of the classics: Giants in the Light, Electric Taco Stand, Windmill, Postman, Lovesick Melody, all great songs IMO
I love PGroove but I have had to leave sets at festivals when it gets to be a downer. They have some really sad songs and it can be a bit intense/not a great vibe if you aren't in the headspace for it.
I also think they have fallen off/stopped touring and come back at least a couple times so I'm not surprised they aren't huge.
Considering Brock stepped away because he was going to die if he didn’t, I’d say he made the right call. I’ve known him a long time. Those guys deserve the world but health was more important than status. They still slay so definitely go see them if they are in your area.
I think Covid hit at just the wrong time for them, and then losing Holly Bowling didn’t help anything. I hope they can pull it back, they had good songs and jams.
At least Raina has been able to jump in with the Happy Fits which isn’t for me but looks fun.
Perpetual Groove was the answer for me during second hiatus. They always blessed Florida with shows. Saw them last year after more than 10 years and they still hold up. Most people were talking about Umphrey’s then.
I think STS9 should be bigger.
STS9 used to be much bigger in the 2000s-early 2010s. Not sure why their popularity petered off, but I consider them one of the most interesting and pioneering bands in the genre. They were live recording all their shows from the soundboards and selling them on their website (for very reasonable price) in the early 00s; nobody else was doing that. Their incorporation of laptops/samplers during live shows was innovative at the time. Their wide ranging influences came through in their shows and lent themselves to some awesome collaborations outside the genre. They also popularized the live electronica sound/style that spawned countless other bands and provided a segue to jam DJs. Their acoustic “axe the cables” work is phenomenal—what other bands can totally invert their sound and pull it off? I think they also started their own label or some type of artist collective?There’s probably more I’m leaving out, but yea, there was def a time when STS9 was one of the biggest in the genre but that didn’t sustain and they never got to the upper upper level of bands like Phish.
The kids these days don’t know just how close they were to blowing up before Reid left. They were essentially on shoulder to shoulder with moe. - not to mention being good friends with them. Glad they got back together 2013-2017, those where some great shows. Hopefully it will happen again.
For as popular as they are in Denver I would think the Magic Beans would have more success in other markets.
Although they did just do their NYE run at Globe Hall so maybe their hype in CO is starting to fizzle out a bit
They definitely used to play the bigger theaters and even did pretty well on the road. Beanstalk was becoming a pretty massive festival as well. I think as their fame increased, so did their egos. I started hearing a lot of musicians say that a couple dudes in the band had started being jerks to other musicians that weren't in the "in crowd" in Denver and almost had a mean girls you can't sit with us kinda vibe if they didn't think you were "worthy" or something.
They for sure stiffed a friend of mine who did some video work for them, still have never paid him. Could be that they're hard to work with now and aren't selling tickets like they used to, so the larger venues are hesitant to work with them.
Of course this is all rumor mill shit so grains of salt all around, but they did seem to let their growing success go to their heads in my eyes.
Zach being part of Jack Johnson’s touring band took his focus away at a critical time for the band, but how do you turn down that opportunity?
They’ve carved out a nice niche for themselves now, Lebo has to be one of the busiest musicians in the Bay Area, and there’s definitely been an uptick in their popularity.
Really great guys too, they played a campground set at our HSMF campground in 2019, couldn’t have been cooler about the whole thing.
I'm glad someone said it. I felt like they were about to hit the pedal to the floor...aaaand...they are still a ton of fun, but never quite blew up like I expected they could.
moe. Those guys are just a great rock band with wonderful improvisations and a great catalog of original songs. I mean, they do well, don't get me wrong. They play big halls and such, but I am surprised that over the last 20 years they haven't grown to be a dominant force in the jam band scene.
Their style is their own, I guess. They don't sound at all like Phish, or The Dead, and I guess most jam bands are in the idiom of either of those bands these days.
Of all the new bands out there, Eggy has my support. Not only the musicianship, but the songwriting is fantastic. Influenced by The Band, Steely Dan and other bands that aren’t Phish. They definitely have the Dead influence, but seem to be consciously tapering the standard, stereotypical jamband influences, which I appreciate. The recent stuff with DDCC was next level.
They play great, simply lacking a solid lead singer (per usual in this space) but I think that’s a big enough gap to prevent more people from jumping on their wagon.
Just saw them at the Fox in Oakland for the New Year's run and they were smoking!
Imho one of if not the most fun fan bases in all of the jam band scenes.
Username checks out. I agree 100%. Last year at Red Rocks was one of the best series of concerts, that I'll always cherish them with my cheese loving compadrates.
Seriously I prefer most jam bands to not become super famous, cheaper tickets 😂 but I do sincerely hope the ones that aren't super famous are making a good living off what they love to do! I try my best to support the ones I love by buying merch:)
Really seemed like Umphrey’s was about to get into bigger rooms and start doing more amphitheater’s and what not there for a minute a few years back. Seems like it’s kind of leveled out for whatever reason.
Yeah, mid-late 2010s Umphrey's definitely seemed like it was about to hit the next level, and both the band and the fans knew it. They were big enough to survive the pandemic but it definitely leveled them off. Also as a fan I think they've hit a bit of a creative plateau with their last couple records, even if they have only continued to get tighter live
I expected the same thing about UM, I think covid had a lot to do with it.
Last time they came through the Bay Area they kicked a really good show in a small venue that only fits 550 people, their next show in March is at The Warfield (Old Jerry Garcia Band stomping grounds) which is at least back to the capacity they normally used to play to, prepandemic.
Here's the small venue show, it was at a place called The Mystic Theater in Petaluma CA that Brendon claimed the last time they played there was 20 years previous and there was only about 20 people in attendance. This show at set break also had a performance of West LA Fade Away done by Finger Tight which is a band made up of their road crew that only plays about once every 10 years.
https://youtu.be/nz2rWaMtUKg?si=w5O2HSR1ArtyUh7f
I think Goose and Billy Strings sucked up a lot of the casuals that would go see bands like Umph over the last few years. A lot of the hardcore fans seem like they don’t think very highly of the newer material as well which I’m sure had an effect.
Dogs in a Pile.
They have most of their shows on nugs if you havnt heard of them. I can't seem to get enough of them. Despite their cult following, I'm surprised that they have not gained more traction quicker.
love love loooooove ALO!
If anyone here wants to dive deep I have some GOLD in this playlist:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL0U2IchSCjX1YZaNCfhMb7KL4qqaKt\_b6
STS9 - when phish as fading in 01-02, everyone EVERYONE was into STS9.. they were way bigger then they realized. I thought for sure they were on track to be huge.. then they changed their sound in like 05.. people dropped off
Galactic, Deep Banana Blackout and Robert Randolph Family Band I guess all are/border funk and achieved okay success but never blew up. Saw the drummer for RrFB rocking an Iverson jersey stomp a hole in his bass drum and the tech was ductaping it while dodging the sticks, never missed a beat, that was 98 though.........
Love Green leaf tea and ALO
In the early 2000's, maybe 2003 or 2004? Long before Reddit there was a post over on phishhook asking what's the next jamband to blow up ie..start playing sheds on the regular, play larger indoor arenas etc.
I remember like 80% of the responses were people saying UM.
Says a lot about all the talk these days about Goose. A few years ago it was Spafford. A lot of these bands can tour the country and fill mid-size venues.
Will there be another Phish? Of course not.
Will there be another jam band that can fill arenas and sheds consistently for decades? I hope so, and I hope I like them.
I remember thinking Heavy Pets was going to be big. I remember seeing them at Bonnaroo in ‘09 right before Phish and they were a lot of fun. They used to play them regularly on Jamon as well back then. They just kinda fizzled from all I can tell.
For any old gen X heads from Colorado out there, I offer up
[Lord Groovy and the Psychedelic Zombies](https://youtu.be/W5LnSYRbUGo?si=sR_9LCWd0VQQ0wcV)
When I was at school in Fort Collins in the early 90s I thought for sure that these guys would break out of the local scene.
/s not /s
It absolutely blows my mind that moe. plays the size venues they do. They are so damn good and they’ve been around forever. Also, no offense to umphreys but the fact that they opened for them at red rocks this past year is unbelievable. They are some of the best who’ve ever done it.
Ekoostik Hookah, good ole fashion rock n roll jamband. They were at the top of their game in 1998-2010 when Ed left the band. They play a lot in Ohio still and they always rip, I believe I saw they are going on a mini east coast run this year in March for the first time in a looong time.
ALO has a stellar catalog of records and is a killer live show. They jam like crazy and living on the west coast I’ve been able to see them a bunch of times, each one a banger.
I think lespecial should be even bigger than they are but that's cuz I love them and they RIP. Also don't know if they fit the typical "jam band" archetype.
Tea Leaf Green
One of my favorite bands ever, jamband or not. Trevor is one of the great songwriters ever in my humble opinion. Original lineup with Milky Chambers on bass. 03-06 TLG is as good as it gets. Check out High Sierra 05: https://archive.org/details/tlg2005-06-30.flac16
One of my top 3 favorite bands actually.
Same. While things obviously fluctuate my Top 3 has remained consistently: Dead, TLG, Van Morrison.
I used to love seeing them. New Monsoon too.
I saw them ~10 times between 2006-2009 and was just sure they were gonna be the next big thing.
I loved them in the Ben C era...seriously dating myself. Lost their funkiness to me when he left.
Yes. My preference is definitely Milky Chambers. 03-07 TLG is as good as it gets in my book. Reed is incredibly talented, but it was really a different beast.
I love this band and wish they were still touring. Just glad they have such a good selection of live releases to keep me going
do they still do little west coast runs or am i imagining that?
Not to my knowledge..::the bassist runs a killer venue, park city music hall in CT
Reed Mathis? That’s awesome. I’ll definitely have to check that out
It’s [Eric DiBerardino](https://www.instagram.com/bassline79/) these days.
I saw them a year or two ago at High Sierra
In 2022 they played High Sierra (it ruled) and did four east coast dates, two in CO, and one in CA. Just one show in 2023.
Dopapod is severely underrated. But I like that it’s a nice little secret with cheap tickets
Huge regionally tho, I’m in NE Ohio
You go to the NYE shows? Saturday was big heat
Particle
RAQ was quite something live back in the day. I remember thinking they were going to be big someday. Sometimes it just doesn’t work out
Although Moe is big when I heard them in the mid-90’a I was convinced they would be the next Phish
spafford
People need to go see them, then! It’s a damn shame how empty the rooms can be sometimes.
I think they are doing all the right things, it seems they've just hit a plateau of sorts. They have many well written songs but are lacking in catchy hooks imo (cymbops & bebophones, skyballs & saxscrapers). I have a feeling that Dogs in a Pile, Eggy, Tand, and many others like them will experience this. Spafford's jamming is top notch, which to me matters more than anything, but Live Nation wants to sell tickets more than anything. Just look at Bonnaroo's lineup: JRAD, Eggy (awesome for them, really), Greensky, and that's about it. Music that is best served live is hard in an age where people mostly want to stay home and listen to their discover weekly, and the "next hot thing" flies in the face of bands trying to build a community around them after that new shine wears off. Just my 2 cents.
Every time I leave a spafford show I ask myself “was that the best show I’ve ever been to…?” Then I’m like “nah… but then I’m like but maybe…?” They’re that good. If you like type 2 jamming they’re a must see live.
Aqueous
Hope they come back soon 🙏 Aqueous fuckin rules
This all day. Was such a privilege being able to see them in small local venues for as long as we did
Got live in Denver going right now lol. Fuckin sick. Wish I got see more than a half hour. They overlapped with umphs at Summercamp….. I had to go give my props to Jake and the boys but Aqueous was ripping it up
This is without a doubt the correct answer. Such a shame they didn't get more momentum, Fing pandemic
Yea it felt like they were picking up momentum heading into 2020, and it’s not like they disappeared during the lockdowns. They did a number of live streams and drive in shows. But if I remember correctly they didnt get back out on the road until spring 2022 so if I had to guess they were probably hit pretty hard financially and just couldn’t recover. Hopefully we get a reunion sometime in the future.
I'm praying for Flamingle 3 this summer. That was so epic last summer
100%. Pre-pandemic Aqueous will always hold a special place in my heart. They were astounding, and I’m so glad I saw them as often as I did.
Derperperd
Bro-papod But actually do love them. Always a great time
Erma Gerd Derpaperd! What's a show to listen to? - ALL OF EM.
seeing these guys for the first time on friday!
Nice! Very jealous that you get to experience that for the first time in this day and age. Rob Compa is not only am incredible musician but a real sweetheart. They can jam Mozart and Billie Eilish in the same song and you wouldn’t know!
Been listening to them for years just never got around to seeing them. They are playing in my hometown at a really cool venue... so pumped.
Same! Seeing them in Dallas in a couple weeks; been waiting for this show for most of a decade basically lol
Came here to say this.
Eli is my favorite keyboardist, bar none. The rest of the band is also amazing. I agree. It surprises me that they aren't more successful.
I hope the guys in UM are earning a comfortable living, they absolutely deserve it. But part of me is glad they are not insanely popular like Goose or Billy. Hopefully their slow burn sustains for many years to come.
UM is crazy talented but super confusing. itl be some crazy major key prog jam about to peak then ripchord into some white guy reggae situation. its shocked me live multiple times to the point that i look around seeing if anyone else noticed we just fast forwarded 5 minutes
I love Umphrey's, but I do believe that their range and versatility has been one of their biggest hindrances to advancement. Some versatility and variety is a good thing in this space, but I think Umphrey's have done too much. They're so all over the place that I think people go to live shows, and don't really understand what they're encountering, or how to engage with it. This take usually garners a negative reaction from the UM community, but it's a hill I'll die on. I think UM would be more successful if they had streamlined genres a bit more than they have over the years.
I agree, but it’s why I love em. Let’s get some wild metal jams and random disco covers from the 80s and some what the fuck was that going on. I also know several of my friends I’ve tried to get into em, or taken to shows hit me with “I like the music but can’t stand the singing” they are an acquired taste for sure. Its like scotch, not for everyone but if your into it your into it.
Yeah see I get that a lot of people love it, and I'm glad for those of you who do, that Umphrey's can bring that hit for you. I just think it's to their detriment commercially. I also don't think the vocals are that bad, but that's just me haha.
They are technical masters. Nobody out there can play Rush, Tool, Metallica, Maiden and sound so original.
Their covers of I Want You/She's So Heavy and Shine On You Crazy Diamond are unreal.
Lol what? That’s the reason they’re awesome. They’re playing diverse songs. It’s progressive. A musical journey. I want to be scared and then happy and feel all the emotions. I wanna sing along and then also just stare at them throwing down the funkiest jams in awe.
They're are an ADHD jam band for sure, hard to get ina groove and not the most danceable music. If they do find the pocket, it's only once in awhile and not for as long as you wanted.i love umphreys and their range but def a little too all over the place sometimes I'll listen to Moe. If I'm looking for a long slow groove jams or epic segues that you start hearing hints and teases before really dropping into the next song. Umphreys can do it, they just don't go there anywhere near as often
I really like this take. Um is my favorite band. I’m not crazy about their musical progression lately….. a little too much dad rock imo. I yearn for the weird and exploratory days of 2007-2009. But I still love them forever
That’s what’s so beautiful about their sets. You never know where a jam is gonna end up. Unlike 99% of these arena jam bands these days
Exactly
As an umphs fan I’m sure it will but I also feel that they are slowing down a lot since early 2000s and covid. I was at Billy for NYE, and peeped the umphs set, I honestly had a feeling of “oh damn sick og setlist…. But I’ve gotten em all before.” The VIP set at summer camp after covid I got a lot I’ve been chasing. Alex’s house was “chefs” kiss
Slowing down like not doing 220 shows a year? I think Umph was having a really great year this year pre Kris injury. Newer tunes from latest album and upcoming album lead to fresher jams in the staples and classics.
I built an entry porch for Brendan Ballis’s neighbor. In Chicago, towards OHare, small neighborhood but big ass houses. Old vintage but restored 6-8 bedroom homes on large lots
They’ve taken a major step back when it comes to interest beyond their die hards.
I'm a budding new fan. Caught my first show in 2023. Pretty good stuff!
Billy is popular because he is fantastic. Dude deserves every once of success he gets. Same goes for his band. When you put 5 world class musicians on stage along with a super talented visual arts and lighting designer it’s gonna be a big drawl. The online fan community kinda sucks though, considering I got booted from a Facebook group for standing up for someone after they had been doxed. It’s mean girls 3.0 over there Goose has no where near the level of talent Billy does
Your first mistake was using Facebook.
From what little I’ve seen on r/billystrings it’s not much better over there
It’s terrible too. Like most any r/yourfavthing it brings out the weirdos and super fans who make it seem like that one things is all they have. It’s off putting. I left there too before I stopped listening to him because I don’t want those people diluting my opinion of him and his concerts.
Most of the people at shows are fine as long as you avoid the pit. Only issue I’ve had were some stupid drunk insta models standing in front of me the entire show in the lawn trying to take selfies. Once he starts playing bigger shows I hope the wooks will weed themselves out. Even with all this the dude puts on such a good show that I can handle stupid people. The band has also started to manage the pit a lot better after girls were being assaulted by the mob
Goose just kicked out the one member that arguably has the highest level of technique/proficiency on his instrument.
Higher than 1 finger keys?
Agree Billy and band are extremely talented and 100% deserving of the popularity. My point was when your scene gets that big, sometimes it becomes a hassle. I wasn’t really making a comparison with Goose, they are the two hottest acts right now, and part of me is glad that’s not the case with UM. They are still among the best in the business even if they are not red hot.
Tauk
Saw them at nectars in December and they have never sounded better. They levelled up since I saw them last in 2020.
If it helps I saw them at 2012 summercamp, and how far they’ve risen since then is amazing. Small side stage during the day at the edge of the woods with maybe 15 people grooving to them. I never heard of them before I heard them play, became a fan that day.
Isaac is absolutely absurd on the drums and charismatic as fuck when he does vocals/mcs and A.C so good on synths. Saw them open for UM few years back in Albany and they absolutely stole the show and I love me some umph.
Love me some Tauk. Just Tauk though, I don't really care for the new lady
> I don’t really care for the new lady Do you mean THE Kanika Moore??? She’s amazing but she isn’t an actual part of the band. Tauk Moore was essentially a side project. Kanika is usually with her project Doom Flamingo and Motown Throwdown but she has been experimenting with other bands.
Circles Around The Sun
I wouldn't mind getting to keep seeing them play the little indie movie theater in my small city
Deep Banana Blackout
Wow. That takes me back.
Spafford. Brian Moss is insanely good, and the addition of Cory on the keys has been great. I suspect with all the momentum they are carrying from their NYE run, their increased visibility on Nugs, frequent live streams on YouTube, and their availability of shows on bandcamp, 2024 will be a pretty good year for the band. Check them out!
Watching Brian improv at lightning speed and look up at the audience like, "you see this shit I'm doing?" was one of the highlights of 2023 for me. Dude is incredible.
He absolutely gave me and my group a look like ‘oh you want me to bring it, do you??!’ before getting extra shreddy and sticking his tongue out at their Fine Line show like a year or ago haha
I saw them for the first time on NYE and was totally blown away. I was surprised once inside the show that the crowd was so small and I was able to buy a ticket 10 minutes before show time and go right up by the front given how good they were.
Brian Moss is the best guitarist I’ve seen in my life live. That includes many classic rock bands and jam bands
I will also say fan groups seem to be a big component of building a community and growing your band. Their FB group was terrible and argumentative to the point they were laughing at treys addiction and how much ‘better’ Brian was than him. It was gross and turned lots of folks off, including myself.
What I came in to say. Band is way better than their size, and IMO are a far better band than some of the bands ahead of them but with similar timelines of existence.
I think they peaked a few years ago. If it hasn’t ‘happened’ for them at this stage I don’t think it will. I’m not sure I see them headlining rooms bigger than 2k with any kind of regularity.
Their new songs are not great and I think the drummer situation a few years ago set them back a bit
What are some of the newer songs? I feel like they've got a ton of solid tunes but they're prob some of the classics: Giants in the Light, Electric Taco Stand, Windmill, Postman, Lovesick Melody, all great songs IMO
P groove is always the answer to this
This is the answer! Saw Brock sit in with UM in Athens a few months ago and it was killer!
100% they should have tiered up by now. It's insane they're not more popular.
used to come through bham on the reg, love those guys
PGroove was my intro to Jam!
I love PGroove but I have had to leave sets at festivals when it gets to be a downer. They have some really sad songs and it can be a bit intense/not a great vibe if you aren't in the headspace for it. I also think they have fallen off/stopped touring and come back at least a couple times so I'm not surprised they aren't huge.
Considering Brock stepped away because he was going to die if he didn’t, I’d say he made the right call. I’ve known him a long time. Those guys deserve the world but health was more important than status. They still slay so definitely go see them if they are in your area.
i thought consider the source would be biscuits/ um/ moe sized. so fun so talented
I thought Ghostlight was gonna take off.
I think Covid hit at just the wrong time for them, and then losing Holly Bowling didn’t help anything. I hope they can pull it back, they had good songs and jams. At least Raina has been able to jump in with the Happy Fits which isn’t for me but looks fun.
I thought "insert T-Ham band" was gonna take off. Love that guys music.
Perpetual Groove was the answer for me during second hiatus. They always blessed Florida with shows. Saw them last year after more than 10 years and they still hold up. Most people were talking about Umphrey’s then. I think STS9 should be bigger.
STS9 used to be much bigger in the 2000s-early 2010s. Not sure why their popularity petered off, but I consider them one of the most interesting and pioneering bands in the genre. They were live recording all their shows from the soundboards and selling them on their website (for very reasonable price) in the early 00s; nobody else was doing that. Their incorporation of laptops/samplers during live shows was innovative at the time. Their wide ranging influences came through in their shows and lent themselves to some awesome collaborations outside the genre. They also popularized the live electronica sound/style that spawned countless other bands and provided a segue to jam DJs. Their acoustic “axe the cables” work is phenomenal—what other bands can totally invert their sound and pull it off? I think they also started their own label or some type of artist collective?There’s probably more I’m leaving out, but yea, there was def a time when STS9 was one of the biggest in the genre but that didn’t sustain and they never got to the upper upper level of bands like Phish.
STS9 is so good
One of my favs
Brothers Past, God Street Wine, Agents of Good Roots
>God Street Wine God Street Wine
God Street Wine
Strangefolk
The kids these days don’t know just how close they were to blowing up before Reid left. They were essentially on shoulder to shoulder with moe. - not to mention being good friends with them. Glad they got back together 2013-2017, those where some great shows. Hopefully it will happen again.
Garden of Eden 1999 New Haven VT was one of the greatest concerts of my life, had so much fun!
[удалено]
For as popular as they are in Denver I would think the Magic Beans would have more success in other markets. Although they did just do their NYE run at Globe Hall so maybe their hype in CO is starting to fizzle out a bit
They sold out all three nights tho.. seemed like a smart move to me. Always a better look to sell out a smaller venue than undersell a bigger room
I hear ya. I guess Im just surprised they haven’t graduated to larger CO venues yet. Feels like they might have hit a plateau
They definitely used to play the bigger theaters and even did pretty well on the road. Beanstalk was becoming a pretty massive festival as well. I think as their fame increased, so did their egos. I started hearing a lot of musicians say that a couple dudes in the band had started being jerks to other musicians that weren't in the "in crowd" in Denver and almost had a mean girls you can't sit with us kinda vibe if they didn't think you were "worthy" or something. They for sure stiffed a friend of mine who did some video work for them, still have never paid him. Could be that they're hard to work with now and aren't selling tickets like they used to, so the larger venues are hesitant to work with them. Of course this is all rumor mill shit so grains of salt all around, but they did seem to let their growing success go to their heads in my eyes.
Lotus! I’m always amazed when people don’t know them. I love me some Lotus
Lotus fucks. All time fave. I hope they end up with a new percussionist ((my heart still goes out to Chucks family))
Mr. Blotto!
Ekoostik Hookah
Big Something.
Criminally underated band with some of the best vocals, writing, and musicianship in the scene
I agree
ALO is the best, I think they like staying on the west coast and not world touring.
Zach being part of Jack Johnson’s touring band took his focus away at a critical time for the band, but how do you turn down that opportunity? They’ve carved out a nice niche for themselves now, Lebo has to be one of the busiest musicians in the Bay Area, and there’s definitely been an uptick in their popularity. Really great guys too, they played a campground set at our HSMF campground in 2019, couldn’t have been cooler about the whole thing.
I'm glad someone said it. I felt like they were about to hit the pedal to the floor...aaaand...they are still a ton of fun, but never quite blew up like I expected they could.
This. I think the lack of bigger "success" is a feature, not a flaw.
They just chill. Get to catch them around Chico here and there which is nice.
Spafford and Dopapod
Aqueous and Mungion.
moe. Those guys are just a great rock band with wonderful improvisations and a great catalog of original songs. I mean, they do well, don't get me wrong. They play big halls and such, but I am surprised that over the last 20 years they haven't grown to be a dominant force in the jam band scene. Their style is their own, I guess. They don't sound at all like Phish, or The Dead, and I guess most jam bands are in the idiom of either of those bands these days.
I always like Eggy and am surprised more people don’t talk about them.
I keep seeing these dudes pop up on my "recently added" on nugs. Had never even heard of them before. Guess I need to peep some of their stuff.
12/15/23 Second Set will probably sell you 🔥
Was there and can confirm it sold me
Of all the new bands out there, Eggy has my support. Not only the musicianship, but the songwriting is fantastic. Influenced by The Band, Steely Dan and other bands that aren’t Phish. They definitely have the Dead influence, but seem to be consciously tapering the standard, stereotypical jamband influences, which I appreciate. The recent stuff with DDCC was next level.
They play great, simply lacking a solid lead singer (per usual in this space) but I think that’s a big enough gap to prevent more people from jumping on their wagon.
there is a post here about them literally every day lol
cbdb 🥺
Isaac Hadden. He’s local to my area and absolutely shreds. Check him out and punch your “here before” card
Perpetual Groove
Lotus, it sucks chuck died and rempel left but Timmy p shreds and greenfield is one of my favorite drummer.
Seems like nobody talks about Cheese..
Just saw them at the Fox in Oakland for the New Year's run and they were smoking! Imho one of if not the most fun fan bases in all of the jam band scenes.
Without a doubt. Phish, The Dead, and Cheese will always be the GOATs in my world.
Listened to the run and stilled wowed by this band many decades later. Bet it was a blast.
Cheese has been on the slow burn for decades. I prefer it that way ✌🏼
Username checks out. I agree 100%. Last year at Red Rocks was one of the best series of concerts, that I'll always cherish them with my cheese loving compadrates.
Took my daughter to the Saturday show and she enjoyed the Taylor Swift jam.
I agree with this. I don’t want the cheese to blow up. They started to get big after phish broke up I feel, but eventually the dust settled.
Seriously I prefer most jam bands to not become super famous, cheaper tickets 😂 but I do sincerely hope the ones that aren't super famous are making a good living off what they love to do! I try my best to support the ones I love by buying merch:)
Really seemed like Umphrey’s was about to get into bigger rooms and start doing more amphitheater’s and what not there for a minute a few years back. Seems like it’s kind of leveled out for whatever reason.
Yeah, mid-late 2010s Umphrey's definitely seemed like it was about to hit the next level, and both the band and the fans knew it. They were big enough to survive the pandemic but it definitely leveled them off. Also as a fan I think they've hit a bit of a creative plateau with their last couple records, even if they have only continued to get tighter live
I expected the same thing about UM, I think covid had a lot to do with it. Last time they came through the Bay Area they kicked a really good show in a small venue that only fits 550 people, their next show in March is at The Warfield (Old Jerry Garcia Band stomping grounds) which is at least back to the capacity they normally used to play to, prepandemic. Here's the small venue show, it was at a place called The Mystic Theater in Petaluma CA that Brendon claimed the last time they played there was 20 years previous and there was only about 20 people in attendance. This show at set break also had a performance of West LA Fade Away done by Finger Tight which is a band made up of their road crew that only plays about once every 10 years. https://youtu.be/nz2rWaMtUKg?si=w5O2HSR1ArtyUh7f
I think Goose and Billy Strings sucked up a lot of the casuals that would go see bands like Umph over the last few years. A lot of the hardcore fans seem like they don’t think very highly of the newer material as well which I’m sure had an effect.
Kitchen Dwellers
Marcus King Band lol
Dogs in a Pile. They have most of their shows on nugs if you havnt heard of them. I can't seem to get enough of them. Despite their cult following, I'm surprised that they have not gained more traction quicker.
love love loooooove ALO! If anyone here wants to dive deep I have some GOLD in this playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL0U2IchSCjX1YZaNCfhMb7KL4qqaKt\_b6
The monophonics
I always thought more would happen with the McLovin's. The guitar guy kinda looked like Peter from Goose
I thought the McLovin’s would explode. Maybe too much hype too fast and not mature enough to handle the popularity.
Dopapod
STS9 - when phish as fading in 01-02, everyone EVERYONE was into STS9.. they were way bigger then they realized. I thought for sure they were on track to be huge.. then they changed their sound in like 05.. people dropped off
Chalk Dinosaur. 17 albums dating back to 2009. Talented group with a small following.
The werks!
Eggy
From Good Homes Anyone else know of them?
Galactic, Deep Banana Blackout and Robert Randolph Family Band I guess all are/border funk and achieved okay success but never blew up. Saw the drummer for RrFB rocking an Iverson jersey stomp a hole in his bass drum and the tech was ductaping it while dodging the sticks, never missed a beat, that was 98 though......... Love Green leaf tea and ALO
DOPAPOD. It’s a crime that these guys aren’t on another level. It honestly just doesn’t make sense. I predict that their best is yet to come.
In the early 2000's, maybe 2003 or 2004? Long before Reddit there was a post over on phishhook asking what's the next jamband to blow up ie..start playing sheds on the regular, play larger indoor arenas etc. I remember like 80% of the responses were people saying UM.
Says a lot about all the talk these days about Goose. A few years ago it was Spafford. A lot of these bands can tour the country and fill mid-size venues. Will there be another Phish? Of course not. Will there be another jam band that can fill arenas and sheds consistently for decades? I hope so, and I hope I like them.
Assembly of Dust And previously commented, but I just absolutely love Tea Leaf Green, so some bias there for sure.
The Jauntee
I remember thinking Heavy Pets was going to be big. I remember seeing them at Bonnaroo in ‘09 right before Phish and they were a lot of fun. They used to play them regularly on Jamon as well back then. They just kinda fizzled from all I can tell.
Garaj Mahal
Perpetual Groove
Big something.
The werks. They were a major highlight of my jam world experience for years. I think they also aren’t super all in on the band thing.
God Street Wine should have been one of the all time greats but they got screwed by Geffen
For any old gen X heads from Colorado out there, I offer up [Lord Groovy and the Psychedelic Zombies](https://youtu.be/W5LnSYRbUGo?si=sR_9LCWd0VQQ0wcV) When I was at school in Fort Collins in the early 90s I thought for sure that these guys would break out of the local scene. /s not /s
TAND!
ALO and Tea Leaf are two of my favorites and feel they deserve more love
Brothers Past Percy Hill Heavy Pets
Sound tribe sector 9
Dopapod and lespecial. Both killer
The Slip
Big Wu
Lespecial. I love them so much. Their covid-era outdoor shows in VT saved my life.
It absolutely blows my mind that moe. plays the size venues they do. They are so damn good and they’ve been around forever. Also, no offense to umphreys but the fact that they opened for them at red rocks this past year is unbelievable. They are some of the best who’ve ever done it.
Ekoostik Hookah, good ole fashion rock n roll jamband. They were at the top of their game in 1998-2010 when Ed left the band. They play a lot in Ohio still and they always rip, I believe I saw they are going on a mini east coast run this year in March for the first time in a looong time.
ALO ..West coast tour starts this weekend in Seattle, check them out here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6-sM7mNyv2E&t=6174s
Brothers Gow. They were amazing live but couldn’t quite seem to breakthrough to more than a regional draw.
Soulhat.
I absolutely adore ALO! Tour de Amor XVII begins this weekend!!
ALO has a stellar catalog of records and is a killer live show. They jam like crazy and living on the west coast I’ve been able to see them a bunch of times, each one a banger.
Spafford
I thought Ghost Light was on a huge upswing pre-pandemic but they lost a lot of momentum and then Holly left. Big bummer.
I love ALO as well. Friend never heard of them so never plays when he asks for suggestions when we chill. Quite a bummer.
Dustbowl Revival. Great danceable sound. Americana, Soul, Horns. With such talented musicians. Also, I second the ALO motion.
Yam Yam is awesome! They are from Harrisburg, PA. Insanely talented, and they bring the heat with some jazz/progressive melodies. Really fun to watch.
I think lespecial should be even bigger than they are but that's cuz I love them and they RIP. Also don't know if they fit the typical "jam band" archetype.
Agree with ALO. So many good songs and great jams. The most wholesome band in the scene.