By: David Schultz

The jamband scene has delightfully become quite varied and splintered since the whole genre could be encapsulated by the Grateful Dead or Phish. Where the jamband term once brought to mind a neo-hippie style derived from jazz improvisations that featured lengthy solos, it now can't be so narrowly defined.

In recent years, jambands have simply become a difficult animal to categorize: Railroad Earth and the Yonder Mountain String Band have a bluegrass tinge; Particle and the Disco Biscuits opt for a rave-like electronic vibe, Tea Leaf Green derive their sound from their California roots and Umphrey's McGee brings the lofty goals of the progressive rock era into the 21st Century - and that's just the tip of the iceberg. In this wide ranging "post-jam" universe, improvisation still rules but the term now best signifies a band that thrives in a live environment and has found a way to build a meaningful relationship with their audience.

As it's usually impossible to get a sense of a jamband from just one song, the "genre" doesn't lend itself to compilation form in the same manner as pop music is wedded to the Now That's What I Call Music series. With their Stages compilations, Apogee Records has found a clever way to introduce new jambands to their prospective new fans. Rather than selecting just one song to represent the band, they treat each artist like fine wine, giving them room to breathe by allotting them significant time to get their sound across. On Stages, Apogee featured emerging bands like Umphrey's McGee, Particle and the Jacob Fred Jazz Odyssey; on Stages 2, Apogee once again picks up their crystal ball compiling more than 2 hours of music from 7 up-and-coming post-jam bands.

The Brakes and Licorice, co-headliners of the Stages 2 release party, get the most time and offer a nice contrast in styles. The Brakes' selections focus on their songs as opposed to their jamming. They they end "After The Storm" at a point where some other bands would springboard into a long instrumental. In contrast, Licorice, features their skillful musicianship, showing their impressive range, going from neo-avant-garde in "What's Your Status In London" to jazz on "Swisher." When combined with U-Melt's relatively short (for them) version of their eminently danceable "Schizophrenia," the first disc offers a treasure trove of good tunes.

The second disc is a bit spottier, containing some well-played but clichéd jams. Signal Path's selections spotlight their electronic-style songs and contain the disc's brightest moments. Green Lemon's reggae-infused "Desire Is A Gun" plods but their lengthier "Flight Of Manwe" does soar. On "Oblique," Bump gives a glimpse of what would have happened if an eighties Breakfast Club-era band decided to jam. Focusing on their horn section, (and adding the Addison Groove Project's horn section on "Free Time"), Akashic Record offers a good smattering of seventies-style funk. It's well done but too similar to what many other funk-based bands are doing.

If you're not already predisposed to the whole "jamband scene," Stages 2 won't make you a convert. However, if hearing musicians doing their thing in a live setting already appeals to you, Stages 2 provides a nice introduction to some new grooves for the New Year.

Labels: Akashic Record, Apogee Records, Bump, Green Lemon, Licorice, Signal Path, The Brakes, U-Melt