| This is about bands that groove: some that JAM and some that don't. For less whitebread, Avoid The Funk. We take this opportunity to warn you that while the pirAnts approve of the "create onstage" ethic, some of the following outfits are bland, formulaic, poseuresque, stale, unoriginal, and really want to be pop stars.
Nevertheless, this crop has established their fan base by live shows (as opposed to radio play and album sales.) Most of them allow audience members to record the shows and distribute them freely over a trading network. In many cases the live tapes are the preferred product (as opposed to official studio album releases.) |
| Blues Traveler - Hard blues rock, Chicago style. Relentless riffing and blowing. They are not from Chicago. |
| Ben Harper - Gentle rage from a "guitar" hero, also one of the best songwriters out there. Excellent live, and then the albums are even better. We dig Ben. |
| Leftover Salmon - Bluegrass-exploiting rock band from Colorado. Even with Apt. Q258 (leftover from the Aquarium Rescue Unit) this band is unlistenable and gives mutAnts of bluegrass a bad name. Not to be confused with Bad Livers. |
| Los Lobos - Jerry Garcia's favorite band, hugely misunderstood by the masses, draws the most diverse crowds in Rock and Roll - from mexicali punks to high-tech yuppy winos and hippy grannies. The music ranges from rootsy guitar rock (that rocks) to sincere traditional latino and experimental pop. Start with Kiko, then move on to Colossal Head. |
| Dave Mathews Band - Crafty musicianship cheesed by lame pop songs. We only recommend them to people who like the Wallflowers, or still get off on the Spindoctors. |
| Medeski Martin and Wood - Instrumental trio of keyboards, drums and bass. Truly, truly funky - maddening at times. We put them on the Mother Page (avoid the funk...) Our favorite release was Shack Man, but the new Combustication dusts that. Better still is Farmer's Preserve - sort of a landscaping project only attainable from their web site. |
| Moe - Four-piece jam band counts to four. Indistinguishable songs, dull presence, slop, you've heard it all before. Crusties like to dance and pirAnts steer clear. Nap time. |
| Mother Hips - Unpredictable quartet with talented songwriting that jams. Sometimes Johnny Cash, sometimes along Led Zeppelin. The Hips arrived from the Mother Page since they lost drummer Mike Wolfchuck, Who was their edge. Gone country ever since. Preferred release still "Back to the Grotto". |
| The Other Ones - Surviving Dead guys make tribute band to themselves. Phil, Bob, and Mickey have joined up with Bruce Hornsby and his drummer, 2 guitar players, and Ratdog's sax player to play the Dead catalog and then some. They have their moments, and a new double live cd that actually DEBUTS (some) NEW MATERIAL. Outrageous. |
| Phish - Musical acrobatic team. Quartet can play ANYTHING forwards and backwards at the same time. On Halloween they recreate classics like "The White Album" and "Quadrophenia" live in their entirety. Sometimes they are suspect of doing nothing but spewing back all rock of the past 30 years. Best albums to have are "Junta" and "Picture of Nectar." |
| Rusted Root - Often described as "spiritual acoustic phenomenon", "tribal percussion jams", "powerful soul music." The pirAnts often refer to them as vile, rotten material stinking up our hole. We don't mean to insult their fans, but "WHAT ARE YOU THINKING????!!!" If you turn into a hungry puppy everytime you hear a latin groove with tye-dyed mentality, listen to Santana instead. |
| Santana - Legendary guitarist maintains world class latin-influenced groove outfit featuring singers you'll never hear from again. Carlos is still an inventive player but guilty of encouraging the horrid Rusted Root. Best album to have is "Moonflower." |
| Widespread Panic - 6-piece southern growl rock. According to Spreadheads we know (we will never understand) their albums keep getting better but they prefer the band live. Sometimes referred to as "Whitebread Picnic". We recommend that you listen to the Allman Brothers or break out the Lynyrd Skynyrd, who are much more exciting. |
