Schecky's Jam Bands | Podcast on RSS.com

Schecky's Jam Bands

Schecky's Jam Bands

by Robert Scheckman

Season 2

The Absence Of Nothing - The Big Wu

What do you call a band whose debut album didn't show up to its own release party, whose record label went bankrupt and took their records with them, and whose guitarist eventually left to form a band called God Johnson — and who somehow kept playing through all of it with humor, grace, and one of the best dual-guitar grooves in Midwest jam history? You call them The Big Wu, Minnesota's most lovably disaster-prone and genuinely excellent jam band, and this episode is their long-overdue moment in the spotlight. In this episode, Schecky traces how a group of St. Olaf College students named their band after a Tom Hanks volcano on the spot at their very first gig, built the Wu Family — 2,500 devoted fans gathering every Memorial Day weekend in a Minnesota field — and made Spring Reverb, their best album, as an act of spite against a bankrupt record label. We break down why Red Sky is the one song every new listener needs, relive the legendary Big Wu Family Reunion shows at Harmony Park where the music ran as long as the night allowed, and share bassist Andy Miller's all-time great quote about being the slowest band in the world even at McDonald's. Subscribe, drop a comment telling us your favorite Wu Family Reunion memory or your best theory for why they spelled Woo with a U, and share this episode with any jam fan who thinks great bands can't also be accidentally hilarious.

Just Getting Warmed Up - Jacoozy

What do you do when your band goes on hiatus, three members graduate college and scatter — and then your EP starts racking up streaming plays all on its own, with nobody pushing it, because the music is just that good? You come back. And that's exactly what Jacoozy did, returning from the mountains of Boone and Asheville with a stronger lineup, a debut album called Still Afloat, and a Halloween night show in Knoxville where five musicians in WWE costumes turned a room full of first-time jam listeners into devoted fans. In this episode, Schecky traces how five musicians from five different North Carolina hometowns built a groove collective at Appalachian State University, survived a hiatus that almost ended everything, and came back with more intention than ever — releasing Still Afloat in September 2025 and hitting the road hard. We break down why Hurry is the one song every new listener needs, relive the legendary Bijou Theater Halloween show where the balcony crowd was dancing so hard the floor crowd feared for their safety, and dig into what makes this Asheville five-piece one of the most exciting rising acts in the Southeast right now. Subscribe, drop a comment telling us where you first found Jacoozy or which show you're planning to catch on the Still Afloat tour, and share this episode with any jam fan who wants to get ahead of the next big thing before everyone else does.

Joyfunk Is Definitely Not Dead - cbdb

What does cbdb stand for? Nobody knows — and after thirteen-plus years, the self-proclaimed purveyors of Joyfunk from Tuscaloosa, Alabama still aren't telling. But what they will tell you is that Joyfunk is the state of being when everybody's dancing, everybody's in the moment, and the back-and-forth between the band and the room becomes something you can't quite put into words — and this episode is your guide to finding it. In this episode, Schecky traces how Cy Simonton, Kris Gottlieb, Glenn Dillard, and company built one of the Southeast's most devoted jam followings through relentless touring, a flex saxophonist who gives them a dimension no other Alabama band has, and a legendary 13.5-hour session at FAME Studios in Muscle Shoals — the same room where Aretha Franklin found her voice — that produced some of the best music they've ever made. We break down why Slow Foxes is the one song that hooks every new listener in the first eight bars, dig into the story behind their hilariously titled album Joyfunk Is Dead, and reveal why a fan once drove four hours on a Tuesday night just to stand in the room. Subscribe, drop a comment telling us your best cbdb show memory or your best theory for what the name actually stands for, and share this episode with any jam fan who needs a new Alabama band in their life immediately. Sonnet 4.6

Slow Cooked Southern Jams - The Stews

What do you get when four college kids in Alabama spend a pandemic winter stewing in a basement — and the name their band after the exact feeling of going nowhere fast? You get The Stews, the Auburn-born Southern rock force who went from SEC frat parties to Bonnaroo, the Bowery Ballroom, and a 2024 album called Chicken Fight that proves they're just getting started. In this episode, Schecky traces how Preston Hall, Blake Dobbs, Bennett Baugus, and Wyatt Griffith built one of the fastest-rising live bands in the American South — recording their very first EP at FAME Studios in Muscle Shoals where Aretha Franklin found her voice, dropping out of college because the shows wouldn't let them stay in school, and delivering the kind of live set where Black Sabbath's "War Pigs" bleeds seamlessly into an original in front of a thousand people who can't believe what they're hearing. We dig deep into why Chicken Fight is the album that changed everything and why Make It Out is the song that turns a stranger into a fan in about thirty seconds. Subscribe, drop a comment telling us where you first caught The Stews live or which show you're headed to next, and share this episode with any Southern rock or jam fan who still hasn't found the band that's about to be everywhere. Sonnet 4.6

Jams Are Far From Extinct - Chalk Dinosaur

What if one of Pittsburgh's most prolific and genre-defying musical projects was born the night a college freshman pitched a band name to his ninth-grade brother — who had just come home from teenage shenanigans on a neighborhood golf course? That's the Chalk Dinosaur origin story, and it's every bit as wonderfully strange as the 28 albums, two completely different live formats, and one famously autographed pair of tighty-whities that followed. In this episode, Schecky breaks down how brothers John and Nick O'Hallaron built a shape-shifting musical entity that can appear as a live electronic duo one night and a full psychedelic jam ensemble the next — spanning indie rock, surf rock, funk, electronic dance music, and cinematic ambient music across nearly two decades of nonstop recording. We dig into why Pillars of Creation from the 2025 album Electric Biscuit is the perfect entry point, relive the Electric Forest 2018 performance where the Chalk Dinosaur Ensemble's Type 2 improvisation stopped a crowd cold, and reveal how a band that opened for George Clinton and played Peach Music Festival traces its entire origin to one late night, one notebook, and one dining room table in Pittsburgh. Subscribe, drop a comment telling us which version of Chalk Dinosaur you discovered first — the duo or the Ensemble — and share this episode with any music fan who thinks they've already heard every genre a band can play.

Beach Vibe Jams - Dangermuffin

What if the band that the Allman Brothers' own manager compared to the Grateful Dead got their start playing Sunday night residencies at a beach bar on the same island where George Gershwin wrote "Summertime, and the livin' is easy"? That's the Dangermuffin origin story — and it's as warm, deep, and surprising as every song they've ever written. In this episode, Schecky traces how Dan Lotti, Mike Sivilli, and Steven Sandifer built a national touring career one Folly Beach Sunday night at a time — from winning Relix Magazine's Jam Off competition and earning SiriusXM airplay on two stations simultaneously, to recording an entire album in healing frequencies chosen by Vivaldi and Stradivarius, performing live ceremonies at Gathering of the Vibes that audiences struggled to describe as ordinary concerts. We break down why Coffin Island — the ukulele lullaby that turns into an eight-minute guitar assault — is the one song every new listener needs, and reveal how a beach band from South Carolina ended up writing film scores and backing Carrie Fisher's daughter in Hollywood. Subscribe, drop a comment telling us the first time Dangermuffin made you feel like you were exactly where you were supposed to be, and share this episode with anyone who still thinks folk-jam music can't also heal a room.

Rockn' to LOCKN' Festival Champs - Kendall Street Company

What do you get when five University of Virginia students turn late-night dorm room jams into a festival main stage set — while drawing comparisons to Umphrey's McGee, Pink Floyd, Frank Zappa, Ween, and John Prine all at once? You get Kendall Street Company, Virginia's most gloriously unpredictable jam band, and the only act whose official bio warns you to stay hydrated before you even walk through the door. In this episode, Schecky traces how Louis Smith and Ben Laderberg brought Kendall Street Beach in Virginia Beach all the way to the LOCKN' Festival main stage — where KSC won the Rockn' to LOCKN' competition and opened the entire festival the week their hometown of Charlottesville needed its musicians most. We break down why Say Hey! is the one song every new listener needs, unpack the full story of the LOCKN' 2017 performance where Smith lost his hat, then his glasses, and kept playing without missing a beat, and reveal why a band with nearly 200 original songs, a drunk dolphin anthem, and a guest appearance from a member of GWAR might just be the most entertaining live show you'll see all year. Subscribe, drop a comment telling us your favorite KSC show or the moment you realized this band was unlike anything else, and share this episode with anyone who thinks jam bands can't also make you laugh until your stomach hurts. Feel free to email me at scheckysjambands@gmail.com with any suggestions of Jam Bands you would like me to review.

Wake N Bake Island Rock Duo - Simplified

What happens when a bartender in Charlotte stops mid-pour to listen to a solo musician playing a Tuesday night gig — and realizes they need to start a band together? You get Simplified, the island rock duo turned full band that built one of the most quietly remarkable careers in American independent music, one beach-soaked groove at a time. In this episode, Schecky traces how Chris Sheridan and Clee Laster went from an acoustic duo in Charlotte bars to over 3,000 live shows, millions of Pandora streams, Carolina Panthers tailgate anthems, ESPN College GameDay, and two separate NASCAR video games — all without a major label deal. We break down why Wake N Bake is the one song every new listener needs, tell the full story of how a Guitar Center Drum-Off national champion who beat 6,000 competitors landed in Simplified's drum chair, and dig into the night at the Hideaway Cafe in St. Pete where it all came together with OAR's Jerry DePizzo behind the boards. Subscribe, drop a comment telling us where you first heard Simplified or which show brought you to the beach and back, and share this episode with any reggae-rock fan who still hasn't found their new favorite band.

Boston's Rising Prog Jam Band - Round Trip

What does it mean when a band names themselves after the full journey — not just getting there, but coming back changed? Round Trip, Boston's rising progressive jam band, has built their entire identity around that promise, and in this episode Schecky makes the case for why this four-piece is one of the most exciting young acts in the modern jam scene right now. In this episode, Schecky breaks down how Jake Stevenson, Chris Cooper, Drake Millhausen, and Walker Macmillan built their reputation the right way — earning opening slots alongside Dogs in a Pile, High Fade, and Neighbor, landing on Spotify's official Modern Jambands playlist, and turning a Northlands Music Festival set into a room-stopping moment for people who had never heard a single song. We dig into why Brake Failure is the perfect entry point, unpack the philosophy behind the band's name, and make the case for why catching a young band in the middle of becoming something great is one of the best things you can do as a live music fan. Subscribe, drop a comment telling us where you first heard Round Trip or where you plan to catch them next, and share this episode with any New England jam fan who hasn't gotten on board yet — because the round trip is just getting started.

Original Doc Brown - Great Blue

What if the secret origin story of one of the hottest jam bands in America starts with four high school kids in a Connecticut basement — and a golden retriever who never missed a practice? That's the Great Blue story, and it's every bit as warm, wild, and musically jaw-dropping as it sounds. In this episode, Schecky traces how Great Blue formed in Wilton, Connecticut long before Peter Anspach became a cornerstone of Goose — and how songs written in that basement eventually became Goose setlist staples played in front of thousands. We break down why Doc Brown is the one song every new listener needs, relive the legendary 2022 Saratoga Springs show where Anspach thrashed around the stage in punk-rock fury, Ethan Michael ended up playing guitar flat on the floor, and the band stopped everything to honor Leo — their late golden retriever bandmate — with a song played in his memory. Subscribe, drop a comment telling us how you first discovered Great Blue — through Goose or on your own — and share this episode with any jam fan who thinks they've already found all the hidden gems.

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