Jamcruise 8 Review Day 2
The new morning started with great promise as I saw
my friend Mikey right outside the door to my cabin. Setting up a small
video trained on the stage where the Ryan Montbleau Band
was preparing to play, I asked him if he was taping the band, as per
usual, video of any real length was discouraged. He smiled that
gigantic Mikey smile and assured me that it was for something else and
said he’d see me up front. This was my third time catching Ryan’s
show, and he brings an Americana vibe that comes from his heart. And
everything sounds better played on a stage set up on the deck of a
cruise ship! With a Technicolor explosion provided by the led screen,
a stunning back drop of Mother Ocean and her majesty Pool deck was
easily my favorite place to be. After another fiery set, Ryan took a
moment to give the mike to…Mikey! Mikey then called his long time
paramour Jacquelyn Reno to the stage and, dropping to his knees, asked
for her hand in marriage! She said “Yes” and there was much rejoicing.
And I mean literally, there was actual rejoicing! Lots! I corralled
the two and speedily made my case with love and a demonstration of my
shots of their engagement seconds prior in volunteering for the job of
wedding photographer to the lovebirds! Which they graciously accepted!
Ray!
Later in the weekend I sat down with them and
asked them a few questions about how they met, and how and when he
decided to propose. He told me of working as a bartender five years
back, and over the hustle and bustle of a noisy night hearing a
laugh,”A fearless laugh above it all” he said. “I had to find the
woman behind that laugh”, he continued” so I searched her out, and
asked her out right then and there!” That was five years ago, and
earlier in the year Mikey had decided it was time to pop the question.
“I went home to Chicago, and talked with my mother and my sister, and
told them I was 
thinking about asking Jacquelyn to marry me. Everyone
got emotional, and my sister ran out of the room, and returned with my
grandmother’s ring. She said it was my time to use it.” We were all
misty, and I can’t wait! And, best of all, I’ll get to wear my cape!
Drunk on love is the best way to see Zach Deputy.
A man mountain of guitar prowess and mad beat box skillz, Zach
Deputy’s brand of one man band gets my heartiest endorsement. One of
my tests as to how an act is going over is the amount of dancing is
breaking out, and Zach always gets people on their feet and having a
good time. Of particular notice is the reactions the ladies have to
his music. At Bear Creek they filled the stage, whooping and twirling.
Ladies love the Deputy! Then it came time for a percussion filled,
jamtastical set by Toubab Krewe! 
A five
headed monster that has blown me away with each successive show, the
Krewe blends a variety of percussive and stringed instruments from
around the world, and blends them with the straight up Rock and roll
attitude. While they can take you on breathtaking, aurally exotic runs
of melodic insight, they can turn around and crunch and lurch their way
around the stage like a crazed rock monster! Joined for a Jamcruise
sit in by Ivan Neville, the band showed a soulful groove that I had yet
to hear from them. They have so many facets to their sound, as diverse
as any band in the land. Toubab shows feature a lot of sensational
drumming, and at least once per show they unleash the most primal of
all instruments, the drum, in all it’s glory. I have seen them sit in
with the Dead, I have seen them drive entire crowds of thousands into a
frenzy, and I have even myself been hypnotized by their wizardry as a
unit. After the last drumbeat echoed away, I heard the sounds of the
Josh Phillips “Trio” (There were five of them there, just one short!)
The buzz building around the Josh Phillips Folk Festival is both powerful and well earned. Having caught them at the Chicago Blues and Bluegrass Festival
a month or so ago, I was stoked to hear that they were on the bill, and
that I would get a second chance to sample their wares, musically
speaking! I love Josh’s spirit; it’s like when he sings his inner
child is running the show. The band twists and turns behind him, and
he has Debrissa McKinney singing like an angel by his side. They’re
the kind of band that makes me want to put down my camera and dance!
And since I was speaking of dancing, I guess it’s a good thing I was
getting ready to see Railroad Earth!
A sum far greater than its part, Railroad Earth is a sterling example
of the jam heavy direction bluegrass can take with the addition of
drums and amplification. All the wind you up passion of Bluegrass
married to the beat of a rocking drum. With special guest Keith
Moseley on bass providing a little more of the mountain flavor that
Railroad Earth is known for, they took the stage and gave us all
something to cheer for. I had a hankering for hearing my fave song, as
I am sure we all do at some point, and they obliged me with a monster
hard living. Todd Sheaffer sings the words to that song, a paean to
forgiveness with such conviction that I am pretty sure he and I have
walked some of the same ground in our separate lives. It is, as I
said, a good thing. While Tim Carbone fiddles and dances in the
breeze, we all got down and took our shoes off and felt the deck sway
under our feet. A sudden rain shower caused me to pull back from
shooting the next act, Brock Butler, But after finding shelter I kicked
back and loved what he does. Using a variety of gadgets and wizardry,
Butler fills the air with song, and the Perpetual Groove
frontman has so much talent inside him, he can easily move a crowd all
on his lonesome. And, as a special “Brush with 
Greatness” moment, at
one point Amber and I were chilling in the room, preparing for another
round of madness and discussing how much fun it was to hang out with
all these talented individuals when there came a knock at the door. I
opened it to find Brock Butler standing there with what looked like a
bottle of wine! It was like I was the star of one of those bad Holiday
specials where terribly mismatched a stars have stilted conversations
with each other before crooning White Christmas. He realized he had
the wrong room, and laughed at my “Hey, Amber, look, It’s Brock Butler
from Perpetual Groove” in my best Monty Hall voice and left. I was
crushed right afterwards when I realized we didn’t even get a song. Oh
well.
Now it was time for one of those magic moments, as the Motet,
an amorphorous super group, the comes together in a variety of
configurations. This set was dedicated to celebrating the works of one
of my favorite bands, hands down, the Talking Heads. With a palpably
exuberant Kyle Hollingsworth on keys, and Fuzz from Deep Banana Blackout.
Not just a by the numbers replaying of hits, you could tell by the
looks on their faces and the clarity and resonance of their playing
that everyone on that stage was righteous in their love of the music,
and their reverence was expressed by adding their own touches, adding
too but not overshadowing the brilliant songwriting the ‘Heads were
known for. This moment of Fuzz on fire as he ripped his way through
an appropriately chosen “Burning down the House” is one of my
favorites. Not the picture, though I do love it, but actual moments of
the week!
I was hearing the call of the hot tubs, and though I love photography, I did need to remember to lay back and relax every once in a while. So after a quick pass through JJ Grey and Hot Butter Rum’s sets (More on them in Part 3) I did the extremely rare (For me) thing, and put up my camera and had a lovely soak. My insomnia prevented me from catching any sleep, but I got so lost in meditation that I hardly noticed a bit. There was a pure vibe, a united purpose that was so invigorating, I felt like I would never stop dancing. Hell, I still haven’t as of this writing! Next stop…Jamaica!
Click on the images below to enjoy a photo slide show from Jamcruise 2010 Day 2.
