Hosted Jam Night - What To Expect?

Well my band blew apart on Sunday. The bass player just couldn't hang with the unprofessionalism of a couple of the other players. It was always two steps forward and one step back. He's right and it’s too bad because this was by far the best band that I've had the opportunity to play with. We had a really cool vibe and people liked to dance to our music. We are going to look for another bass player but mentally I’ve already checked half way out. The, “unprofessionals,” are not interested in doing the work necessary to take the band to a better point. In my opinion why bother if that’s their opinion.

Along the lines of, “checking half way out,” I’ve identified a hosted jam night that I’d like to attend. My question is what should I expect? The night is advertised as friendly and for all skill levels. It’s also advertised as typically having a full roster. It takes place in a Tavern and is hosted by a 3 piece band. From what I can gather I bring my own guitar and sign in. I don’t plan on singing but I would like to play a song I’m familiar with. I’m assuming that I do not need to bring an amp. Is this a good assumption?

Any tips? I've never been to one of these.

Thanks, Tom

Tom, my original band (four members) from 1964 reunited in 2000 and we ran into the same issue. Two of us wanted to grow and the other two were not into practice and development. Today, we have two originals and four more members, mostly made up retired pros, who still want to continue developing. I believe that is a lot of luck and it is extremely rewarding every time we play. I have been to hosted jams and especially in todays economy you might run into some good musicians. Through them you may be able to network and pick up a good player or two. The band is always as good as its weakest member. I know a good musician who spends the winter in Arizona. They have people down there that jam all the time. He is not fond of jams and usually avoids them. Like anything else some jams can be fun and others may not impress you. It depends on what you like and are looking for. It is difficult to put a good band together and I think sometimes good musicians tend to migrate toward one another because they see something that they relate to. Bands can be difficult to deal with because there are different egos and different ambitions to deal with. Good luck with getting some new members. I hope you can all end up with the same goals. Our band probably enjoys playing for people as much as the listeners enjoy listening to us. Our big advantage is that we are not trying to make a bunch of money, we just love to play. We are mostly retired folk. Using a quote from Ken Baker the other day, we are OTD. As for bringing your equipment, I would, just to be safe. -- Darwin

What to expect? That’s difficult to say.
From your post I assume you have not yet even attended one of these jams even as an observer.

One of the most common criticisms of jams in general is that some can become rather cliquey …. If you’re not part of the club (friends of the host band) you don’t get much play time.

When I first moved to this community 4 years ago I did not know any musicians and had been a bedroom player for several years…I hadn’t been in a band since the early ‘90s.

I started attending several local jams and now attend one primary jam weekly which attracts a wealth of great talent…many pro and semi pro musicians….generally ego-free.

Is the jam you are interested in advertised as a “blues jam”? If so, that makes it easier to play with strangers as all you usually need to know is what key and tempo to play. The jam I go to regularly is not “strictly” a blues jam but it turns out to be primarily so. I play mostly blues and blues oriented style of music but the nature of a jam is that you may be thrown into a mix of players who will play songs you are completely unfamiliar with…this may be a good thing sometimes as it forces you to stretch a bit. A few times I have been put up with a second guitarist who does his own originals, not necessarily I-IV-V progressions…..he just gives me a chord chart and says something like “think Neil Young” and we have pulled it off. Sometimes I am thrown a bit when a song is called out that I have played for years in a certain key and is done in a completely different key than I am used to. I am not a vocalist, and you mentioned you will not be singing, so this puts us both at a disadvantage as you will probably have no control over what material you will be playing. Non musicians in the audience are easily impressed and even sets that I have done that I thought were train wrecks get compliments…I am always surprised. You will undoubtedly hear someone do Mustang Sally and Stormy Monday.

Generally the format is that the host band will play a set and then rotate players on stage to do 3 song sets. Get there early and introduce yourself to the hosts and take in their set….let them know you are there to support them.

Generally all you need to bring is your instrument….if you are dependant on pedals, maybe bring a pedal or two. Some people always bring their own amp and some a complete pedal board….it can become annoying as they can take up time setting up. Your first time out I would just bring your guitar and see what is provided.

Every Jam has a different personality…depending on the venue, the host band, and what type of musicians it tends to attract.

I have made many great friends over the last couple of years attending open jams and right now it is my only chance of playing live with others.

Good luck and have fun!

I play with a hobby band and we have played for an audience a handful of times, but we have only played an open jam once, so my experience with open jams is limited to this one experience.

I was told that I didn't need to bring an amp so I didn't, but looking back I wish I had. As with most open jams you only have a couple of minutes to set up. My problem was that I was completely unfamiliar with the amp available. Most amps are pretty intuitive, but this was one of those with multiple channels and I had no idea where to begin to even adjust it so I just had to use it as is. Other factors are if you are bringing pedals or a pedal board, and if you rely on effects loop on the amp. You can also show up one time prior to actually scheduling to play so you can scoop out the amp they provide, then you can decide whether to bring your own.

For our open jam there was not problem with song choice because we were playing as a band so there was no issue with other players involved and what key we play in or anything of that sort.

Kit

I know a good musician who spends the winter in Arizona. They have people down there that jam all the time.

Oh no! Is this where it's all headed? I gave up on the rock star thing a long time ago but I never imagined that I be jamming in a retirement community in Arizona. But chances are ...I will.

Thanks for the encouraging words Darwin. It's nice to hear from some one who's been in the same situation. Our keyboard player could not remeber our breaks and endings or even beginings. We would spend 30 minutes at practice on a song covering all these issue and the next week he'd have no idea of what we decided the previous week so we'd have to cover it again and again and again. On top of that there was the occasional, "one drink too many," when he'd turn up loud and walk all over everyone. The bass player had enough and left. When I talked to the keyboard player about this he told me that he did not really want to play the songs the same way twice anyway. With that attitude the best we can accomplish is house party gigs. Like I said, I'm already heading for the exit.


Eddie: Thanks. Great advice. I think I might check it out first without my guitar. I'll watch what they do, what type of music they generally play and whether it appears cliquish. I'll talk to the host band and if it seems cool, I'll bring my ASAT the next week. Meeting musicians is one of my primary goals. I want to start a honky tonk band but in Seattle this might not be easy. There are modern country bands and there are alternative country bands and there is the occasional bluegrass band but there aren't too many folks into the, "Bakersfield sound," in these parts. I'm sure they are out there but they don't appear to post on Craigslist. However, the challenge is half the fun!

Kit: You forgot to mention how your band went over at the jam. Were you well received? I spend at least a good 10 weekends a year at my sister in law's house in Beaverton. We should get together sometime. I'd love to check out your guitars. Are you near Beaverton?

Thanks guys!

Tom

Kit: You forgot to mention how your band went over at the jam. Were you well received? I spend at least a good 10 weekends a year at my sister in law's house in Beaverton. We should get together sometime. I'd love to check out your guitars. Are you near Beaverton?

Tom

We had a 20-minute time slot including setup and tear down. We played 5 songs and got nice applause from the audience after each song. When our time slot was over no one else was ready to come up and play so we asked if we can play another song and was told by the sound guy to go ahead.

Tom, I'd love to meet you sometime when you are down here in Oregon. I live in NW Portland just north of Beaverton; I am about 4 miles from the center of Beaverton. We practice at our singer's house because his setup of multiple keyboards and computers (with sound fonts and recording software) is not easily transportable, and he lives near Murray Hill, if you know where that is. If you are planning to come down to Oregon and have some time available, let me know and we'll plan to get together.

Kit