So now its falls to me, the glorious task of regaling all who read these words with the story of the most fun I’ve ever had, sailing the wide blue seas aboard the only festival that doesn’t just move you, it actually moves, Jamcruise!  In it’s eighth year of operation, Jamcruise has become renowned as the highest order of music festival, the apex of what the scene is about.   Cloud 9 promotions have hit on a winning formula, inviting acts of a type, choosing not just the biggest acts available, but artists and performers who are of a like mind and skill level.  Such Funk, suck down dirty funk of a kind that can only be brought by the likes of George Porter and Maceo Parker, with an all-star selection of New Orleans stalwarts, such as Galactic, Ivan Neville’s Dumpstaphunk and Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue to get you dancing with not just the motion of the ocean, but the groove in your soul.  With support running from the electric bluegrass mayhem of Railroad Earth, the impossible to classify music lovingly presented by Zappa plays Zappa and the pure soul satisfaction of Karl Denson and the Tiny Universe(karldenson.us/ )among so many others the musical aptitude of the boat was through the roof.  It was a music lover’s paradise, and I was in a very personal slice of heaven.

    My path to this auditory nirvana was a twisted one to be certain.  And the strange road I walked to get there made me appreciate what I found all the more.  Rather than tell you boring stories about my drive down (Next year I fly!) please bear with me as I tell a more personal tale.  Those who know me know I embrace life as much as anyone can, and try my damndest to find the light in any situation, no matter how dark it seems.  This attitude is earned by my strange relationship with Death.  A part of everyone’s life, death seems to have kinda a thing for me.  It’s honestly kind of embarrassing in a “Hey I’m flattered but I don’t like you in that way” fashion.  There are seven distinct times where I was quite positive I was about to die.  The first couple of times your life flashes before your eyes, and everything gets all syrupy and disjointed, but after the fourth time you develop a “Well, okay this time for sure” kinda attitude.  This may seem a dark way to start a music festival review, but as I have learned, it helps to almost lose your life to truly value it, and I have had this reminder so many times now that it has become ingrained on my psyche, a permanent light that fills my eyes with love for all the world.  So never do I let the opportunity pass to embrace the things I love, and chief among my passions is live music.  

     Seeing the blending of not just the musicians and the sounds they make, but the organic, dancing and trancing mass of humanity reacting and appreciating the product of the efforts of those said studied players is a marvel.  As devout lover of both, music and people, the chance to watch and revel in the center of a teeming crowd of some of the finest music fans in the world, as we all boogie down to some of the finest jams allowed in international waters is a dream come true.  Long ago did I realize that that was where my home was, front and center amid the people who didn’t just want to be there, they had to be there.  I was going for the tunes, first and foremost, but a close second was the opportunity to feel the joy of my fellow music fans, and to fit seamlessly into a spiritual whole.  Most festivals attendees break down into types, and to my eyes the two biggest factions are what I have dubbed the Tourists and the Purists.  Neither term is derogatory in my mind, just a way to distinguish people and their goals at these things.  Tourists are there to experience the onslaught of experiences, the sensory overload of sights and sounds available.  Purists on the other hand are there because they know, beyond a shadow of a doubt,that Steve Kimock is going to come out with Skerik and Mike Dillon, and that there’s a good chance that Tim Carbone and Jeff Coffin will be on hand as well.  They, like me, know that there will only be this one chance to hear this combination of styles and they HAVE to be there.  That’s what Jamcruise is to me, a once in a lifetime, perfect storm of talent and collaboration.  And now having experienced it once, I’ll not be missing it again. 

     Checking in and boarding were a breeze, and neither myself or my friend Amber, a fellow Photographer a person who can drop her regular life and take off for a cruise at the last minute, had any luggage we checked, so  aboard we went.   Milling about on the deck, I made the first of many pleasant discoveries:  I knew, like, a couple of hundred people!  I have been living on the festival circuit for a couple of years now, and it was as if I had returned home.  All the faces and even the one or two names I remembered, smiling at me from every direction!  I wanted to hug the entire boat, and did give it the ‘ole college try!  Feeling as at peace and centered as I have in ages, the ship’s massive horn began to sound, and the reason for the occasion came into play, as Trombone Shorty and Orleans Avenue kick off Jamcruise 8 in fine style.  In fact, through a medley of greatest hits on up to a rousing “Saints go marching in” I was impressed at how at masterful Shorty has become, so at ease leading his band!  Not one to need the spotlight alone, he continually turned to his band mates and seemed to be the one enjoying the show most, from his vantage point of inches away!   A perfect launch!

     The chance to sit back and listen to the Dark Star Orchestra recreate the songs that formed the genesis of the festival scene as it is today while soaking in a hot tub surrounded by dancing folks in fanciful superhero costumes, sexy clown outfits and pirates galore is a Jamcruise exclusive!  And no worries about missing Maceo Parker play in one of the 2 lush concert halls below deck.  Another of the many things that sets this spectacle apart is the way it’s been laid out.  By inviting a select group of acts, Jamcruise helps fight my least favorite part of most festivals, conflicts.  I often am forced to full run from stage to stage to not just get the shots I need, but to hear as much of the music as possible!  But on this voyage, the sets are long and most acts are given two chances on completely separate days to shine!  Sure, there were a few bands and shows that only happened once, but there was no agonizing decision to make, no sorrow at a set missed that I usually associate with festivals.  Another way this party is a cut above the rest.  Robert Randolph and John Medeski brought us The Word, a near Biblical melding of righteous pedal steel and cathedralesque organ, and the light in me grew and grew.  You could see it in all the faces around me, we all knew we were right where we need to be.  After touring around and checking out the disco stage to see some Pretty Lights (And hear some Pretty Lights! (Neat trick that, hearing color!) After getting the lay of the land, I decided I should probably sleep at least once.

Click on the images below to enjoy a photo slide show from Jamcruise 2010 Day 1.

Check Out The Magic of Day 2

Words & Photos by Rex Thomson