The Last Ambassadors at the 111 Minna Club in San Francisco

The Last Ambassadors would have never been if it weren’t for dueling guitar players Jake Brill and Steven Flusberg friending each other as 14 year olds in suburban Boston.

And when I say friending each other, I mean it like actually meeting each other in a class or something, and not digitally friending on Facebook, which is more meaningful I think.

In 2006, they started putting together some songs on acoustic and electric guitars, slowly incorporating additional acoustic effects as that year passed.

In concert, listen for Flusberg’s space-defying guitar licks, and Brill’s Roots-inspired word play, often followed by the other band members suggesting ‘Jakie Don’t Stop.’

Jakie doesn’t stop, he keeps the jams coming.

The Last Ambassadors are on a West Coast tour right now.

Photos Courtesy of WWW

Blue King Brown is a Melbourne based jam rock band, that bring in all kinds of percussion sounds, and have a definite latin vibe. Reminds me a lot of a cross between John Butler Trio and Ozomatli. Unlike Ozo though, I doubt Blue King Brown has a trombone player that dances his face off at every show.

Blue King Brown released their first full length album in 2006. I’d recommend it to pretty much anyone.

String Cheese Incident, also known by the acronym SCI, is a bluegrass jam band from Boulder, Colorado. They were formed in 1993, and have some of the most die-hard fans in contemporary music. SCI has recognized this by filing a lawsuit against Ticketmaster in 2003 for allegedly dropping blocks of tickets for their most die hard of fans.

I’m still skeptical that there are more cheese heads than panic heads, but I could be wrong.

John Butler trio, headed by a guy named, you guess it, John Butler, is a jam rock band from Australia. Butler started his career playing guitar on the streets of Fremantle in Western Australia, selling homemade cassette tapes. This period inspired him to write songs such as Ocean, an instrumental piece played on an open-tuned 12 string guitar.

Here’s a live performance of Ocean.

For more about John Butler Trio, check out this interview at VH1.com

Described by their website as an electronic sensory overload, Future Rock is an American jam rock band that uses a full range of synthesizers and electronic effects peddles, a la similar sounding bands, such as the Disco Biscuits, The New Deal, or Lotus.

This is a three piece band from Chicago, made up of members Mickey Kellerman, Felix Moreno, and Darren Heitz.

Though they use pre-recorded loops in most of their songs, the band says that 99% of their show is live – not just a guy opening his MacBook and pressing play, while another guy plays the snare drum on a drum machine, while another guy listens in with his headphones, moving his head to the beat. Nope, that describes the stage performance of another electronic post punk band I had the joy of watching the other day. I just wish I could remember their name…

Tea Leaf Green, a jam rock band from San Francisco, CA, started in 1999, and gained early notice by touring with Trey Anastasio of Phish and Government Mule. During one of their 2005 sets, Trey came out and played with the band. No word yet on how yipped up Trey looked at the time.

Former Bassist Ben Chambers left the band in November of 2007. He also contributed some syncopated lyrics, rapping during such songs as “Planet of Green Love.” Thus, he also acquired such nicknames as Milky, The Weed, Dechron-C, and Franz Hanzerbeak. I kid you not. I quote Wikipedia people.

Similar Jams:

Listen to Widespread Panic – Up All Night
Listen to Strangefolk – Alaska

Formerly going by just MOFRO, JJ Grey and MOFRO is a five piece jam rock band from Jacksonville Florida. For the last two years, and for their upcoming album, the band has incorporated two horns players, known indepedently as the “Hercules Horns”

JJ Grey is the frontman for the band. He sings, and he plays electric piano, electric guitar, acoustic guitar, and harmonica. He is also the primary creative force behind the majority of their songs. Apparently, he recently decided that this position required his name to be incorporate in the band’s name too.

Fine by me, especially if it helps keep the band together.

More Funk:

Listen to Topaz – Fat City Strut

More Jam Rock:

Listen to Widespread Panic – Up All Night
Listen to Strangefolk – Alaska

Panic Heads, often confused with Dead Heads or Phish Heads, are a different breed all together. They don’t travel in Volkswagen buses. They don’t wear the same tie dye T shirt for three days straight. And they usually don’t attend Liberal Arts colleges sprinkled throughout New England.

No, Panic Heads often look just like you and me. They play sports. They have jobs. They sometimes listen to other styles of music. They have girlfriends.

Panic Heads can be found in large numbers especially around the Mountain West, at Red Rocks Amphitheater near Denver in particular.

But don’t underestimate their unflinching devotion to their favorite band, Widespread Panic. If Panic tickets go on sale, expect tickets to sell out in a matter of hours.

For some reason, Strangefolk never got this kind of following. If they did, what would we call their followers, Strange Heads? Folk Heads? Things I think about on a Thursday afternoon…

Topaz, the band fronted by the bearded, scarf-wearing, saxophone officianado Topaz McGariggle, hail from Austin, Texas, and can bring down any small club with their funky, jazz, jam rock. Any of the members of Topaz will jam out, but for many show goers, its Topaz himself who brings the place down with his tenor sax solos that hit all possible registers and pitches.

Topaz played saxophone on the streets of Austin for a number of years, and has also lived and recorded in London, New York, and Washington DC. While living in Washington DC, Topaz through down some tracks with Eric Hilton of Theivery Corporation. I’d love to listen to those tracks.

For more information on Topaz, check out the Topaz interview

Vermont, home of maple syrup, ice cream, and jam bands, is fittingly home to Strangefolk, who formed in 1991 in Burlington. (Not the capital, though that’s where UVM is. The capital of Vermont is Montpelier)

Strangefolk has had multiple members since then, but at their core is Jon Trafton who plays guitar and sings. Reid Genauer, the other founding member, left the band in 2000 to go back to school. BORING. Well, not so much, as he then started another band called Assembly of Dust.

In 2004, the band took a brief hiatus, but multiple members then started a side project called The Windfalls. One might call that band name….strange?