With Jam Cruise 14 just around the corner (cabins are still available here), we couldn’t contain our excitement. Naturally, we asked all of our musician friends “what is your favorite thing about Jam Cruise?” While many spoke about the festive nature and one-of-a-kind collaborations, there were lots of fun and silly answers as well. Take a look at some of the best things about JC from folks like Marc Brownstein, George Porter Jr., Keller Williams and more!
Top 10 Reasons To Attend Jam Cruise 2016
1. George Porter Jr. (The Meters)
“It started out as a way for my wife Ara and I to celebrate our wedding anniversary which is December 28th. I had gotten a call from Annabel about playing Jam Cruise. The money wasn’t great so I asked her if it included a room for two and it did so we said yes let’s do it. That first year I ran around that boat like a crazy man playing with everyone I could play with, I barely saw Ara, lol so much for romance. Years later I slowed down and am starting to spend more time with my wife, that is when she is not taking the Casino for a lot of money, the cruise is a unique chance to see friends play with some great musicians and meet some fans. It is definitely a special experience.”
2. Anders Beck (Greensky Bluegrass)
“JC is the ultimate musical experience for fans and musicians alike… I know it seems like a cliche thing to say, but I am both of those things and it’s really true. I’ve said before that I have been training for something my whole life, but didn’t really know what that thing was until I got to Jam Cruise.”
3. Adam Deitch (Lettuce, Break Science, Dr. Klaw)
“Extra freaky, trippy funk party featuring all the homies! Breathing ocean air and seeing the people dance their night away while rockin the pool stage. Musicians giving the show of their lives to the most raging crowd imaginable on a cruise ship in the middle of the ocean!”
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4. Reed Mathis (Tea Leaf Green/Billy & The Kids)
“Jam Cruise means adventure! Dancing! Costumes! Music round the clock! Staying up all night! New friends! Old friends! Mind-blowing virtuosos! Swimming! Contests! Weird food! Musicians collaborating! Sunrise! Sunscreen! And hearing the phrase around every corner, “Best Jam Cruise yet!”
5. Karl Denson (Karl Denson’s Tiny Universe, Rolling Stones)
“I think…I think just watching all my friends grow. I know pretty much every musician on the boat, and I have for many, many years so it’s just interesting watching everybody grow. On about Jam Cruise 7 or 8 I was thinking to myself ‘Well…is this year gonna be better than last year?’ And every year it just gets better because the music, the people playing it get better.”
6. Nick Daniels III (Dumpstaphunk, Dr.Klaw)
“Jam Cruise is the closest a musician comes to having a vacation and playing at the same time.”
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7. Marc Brownstein (The Disco Biscuits)
“Jam Cruise is one of the only parties of the year that I INSIST upon being at. It’s like Jazzfest at sea… It’s a concert experience unlike any other. Something about watching music at sea, surrounded by nothing but water for as far as the eye can see, in every direction, is just plain magical. It really can’t even be put into words. In a world where escape is necessary to keep your sanity, there is no better way to drift away into the fantasy, leaving all of your worries and cares behind.”
8. Joel Cummins (Umphrey’s McGee)
“I love absolutely everything about Jam Cruise. From the familial spirit between the musicians & fans to the open-minded encouragement that makes risk taking on stage feel so natural, Jam Cruise is everything that’s right about music & an incredible way to start your year as you float around the Caribbean. It’s simply the best, and anyone who’s been on board once will undoubtedly return to experience the unadultered joy that only Jam Cruise can bring.”
9. Todd Stoops (RAQ, Oktopus)
“Jam Cruise is, hands down, the most immersive live music experience a true music lover could ask for. Fans and artists alike live on a boat for a week and share the creative space. One of a kind collaborations that will never happen again. It’s electric!”
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10. DJ Logic
“What I love about Jam Cruise is they keep raising the bar every year with good music and entertainment for everyone to enjoy …#LOGIC”
11. Mike Greenfield (Lotus, Stratosphere All-Stars)
“Jam Cruise is the best. Where else can you see all your favorite bands, frolic in exotic locations, and dress like a zebra in a zebra themed nightclub?”
12. Dino Dimitouleas (The Werks)
“It’s musical heaven. The best musicians on the planet with music lovers from all over on a boat going to some of the most beautiful places in the world. What more could you ask for?”
13. Roosevelt Collier
“Jam Cruise is your activation for the year… Get on the boat feeling one way, come off the boat feeling rejuvenated.”
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14. Zach Gill (ALO)
“To me Jam Cruise is a reunion, an inspired gathering of like minded souls and a musical adventure. It’s one of the only times of the year where I get to see and hang with some of my favorite musicians in the world in a relaxed and celebratory setting. It’s a moment when all the various tribes of what has become the Jam band nation come together to share their music and collaborate with each other. This can happen at festivals, but not to the depth that it happens on jam cruise. On the boat, the lines between fans, bands and individual musicians truly blur, in a wild and beautiful 5 day dance party/tropical adventure, aptly named The Jam Cruise.”
15. Nathan Scott Moore
“I don’t get out much anymore, but when I go I like to go big. You can’t get much bigger than Jam Cruise. It’s like a porch. I’ve learned a lot growin’ up here in the Shenandoah Valley about what it’s like to sit in one spot and sing songs all night, drinkin’ whiskey, tellin’ jokes and smokin’ cigarettes. Yeah, I got a lot of trainin’ there.”
16. Matt Butler (Everyone Orchestra)
“As a conductor it’s nice to have so many options in one place. Almost a problem. Definitely a first world problem.”
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17. Ben Ellman (Galactic)
“Pizza and espresso.”
18. Weedie Braimah (The Nth Power)
“Once you are on the sea, it’s going down!!! Ain’t no coming back!! Music at its best!! I can’t wait!! Me and my wife!!”
19. Keller Williams
“Jam Cruise is a floating music festival where the walls have been dropped between fan and band….to me it means a complete party with like minded people.”
20. Chris Houser (The Werks)
“Well for me I would say Jam Cruise means accomplishment, it’s taken a lot of hard work to get here and I see it as a reward.”
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21. Robert Mercurio (Galactic)
“Jam Cruise is like an annual meeting of friends and musicians – where we aren’t all in a rush, so we actually have time to sit down and catch up on what has been going on. These days, this is a treasure.”
22. Jans Ingber (The Motet)
“Well, Jam Cruise is, simply put, my favorite festival on earth. Sure the boat and the tropics are nice but what real makes Jam Cruise great is the hang. Usually at these large music festivals, once a band has played their slot, they are off to the next show or back to the hotel to get some rest. On jam cruise,the artists are on the boat, mingling, having meals and playing together. The Jam Room is a stroke of genius and makes Jam Cruise a destination for bands who love to expand their musical connections and delve into the world of improvisation and musical brotherhood/sisterhood. The relationships formed on that boat have been the seeds for many projects on the larger music scene.”
Jam Cruise runs from January 6-11, 2016. For tickets and more information, head to the official Jam Cruise website.