Back on Tour: A Trip with Uncle Sammy

[Note: After last month's guest author, I'm back this month with a story about a roadtrip following Uncle Sammy on their first major tour. This was an interesting experience, especially compared to the extensive Phish tour I was on during the month before this trip. Next month, we'll have another guest writer with a story about a Widespread Panic Roadtrip. If you are interested in contributing a roadtrip story, please let me know before you take your trip, to give me time to get you on the schedule. Even if you just have questions about what is involved, feel free to email me at ira@jambands.com. And, I'd love any feedback on this or past Roadtrips! Thanks, Ira]

Over a period of five weeks, from mid-June through mid-July, I was on the road. First I spent a week in California, for a friend's wedding and meeting with some clients; then, I was lucky enough to see most of this summer's Phish tour. During that time, I spent about 4 or 5 random days at home. After Phish tour, I spent 5 straight days at home, and I was feeling a bit antsy. Luckily I had the perfect solution: another roadtrip. Uncle Sammy was passing through Providence, and then moving on to play a few shows in and around New York City. So, back on the road I went.

For those of you who have never heard Uncle Sammy, you are missing out. This four-piece band consists of Tom Arey on drums, Max Delaney on guitar, Brian O'Connell on bass, and Beau Sasser on keyboards. They are influenced by artists ranging from Steely Dan to Pat Metheny to Bob Marley, and they are well on their way to developing a fantastic and unique sound mixing complex composed pieces with a healthy dose of improvisation. They are often jazzy, occasionally funky, with frequent Latin rhythms and a solid grounding in classic rock.

Beginning with a hometown show on Friday night, I was ready for four shows in five days of Uncle Sammy. In addition, I was excited to have the chance to get to know another band, the Addison Groove Project. The two bands were alternating as the headliner on this tour, during which the they mixed things up each night as at least a few members of one band would sit in with the other. I have seen Uncle Sammy many times over the past few years, and gotten to know the guys in the band, but this was the first time I would have the chance to see them this many times in a row. As for Addison Groove Project, I'd only seen them a few times, and never a whole show, so I was looking forward to the chance to change that.

On Friday night, I made the short trip to the Met in Providence, and arrived just before the show was about to start. Uncle Sammy was opening on this night, so after bumping into my friend Cheryl outside, we made our way in where I said hi to a few of the guys in the band before they took the stage. From the opening tune, William Walker's Dream, through the entire set, I could tell that the tour to this point had been good for the band After playing in front of a crowd almost every night for two weeks, they sounded tight, yet relaxed.

As the set progressed, I was treated to the first of many guest appearances of my mini-tour, when Ben Groppe from AGP sat in on congas for the song "Big World". Then, at the end of the set, I got my first taste of the "double band", with all ten members of the two bands taking the stage at once. They played a fun rendition of Maceo Parker's "Shake Everything You Got", which segued into a Jam, during with the members of Uncle Sammy left the stage and AGP began their set.

Addison Groove has a sound that must primarily be described as funky. They are a six-piece band, made up of Rob Marscher on keyboards, Brendan McGinn on guitar and trumpet, Dave Adams on alto sax, Ben Groppe on tenor sax, John Hall on bass, and Andrew Keith on drums. They are a fun, very danceable band. They play a mix of originals and mostly funk covers, and while I probably would not go out of my way to see them several nights in a row, I definitely look forward to seeing them as they continue to grow in the future.

I did not keep a full setlist of their shows, but one highlight from the Met was towards the end of their set, when Uncle Sammy joined them for a rendition of James Brown's "Soul Power" that opened up into a beautifully spacey jam. This seems to be a case of the sum being greater than the parts, as the style of this jam was a bit different from anything I've heard either band do on its own.

After the show, I got a bite to eat with my friends Kristin, Cheryl, and Jeff (Manager and Lighting Director of Uncle Sammy, and Jambands.com News Editor). Then, we returned to my place to hang out for a bit, before Kristin went home and the rest of us got some sleep in preparation for our trip to New York the next day. (I was giving Cheryl and Jeff a ride to NYC, so they stayed with me.)

Saturday morning, we slept in before hitting the road to NYC in the early afternoon. After dropping off Jeff at Wetlands, Cheryl and I met our friend Colleen, and we drove over to the East Village. We wandered around, then met some other friends of mine who live in the area, and enjoyed a dinner of Indian food. Then, we returned to the Wetlands where we met up with a dozen or so of our other friends. I love being able to go to a club in a city where I don't even live but I can still meet up with so many great people. I guess that won't surprise any of you readers who have been following the column this year, since the Wetlands seems to be a stop on most of my roadtrips.

After catching up with friends, I wandered between the upstairs where Addison Grove Project was playing, and the downstairs in the lounge where the Ally was playing. Around midnight, Uncle Sammy took the stage for two long sets. Starting with the short, but hard-hitting "Recycle Now" this was an energy-packed show. Members of AGP made several appearances, the first of which was during the song Zapatos which included some fantastic back-and-forth soloing between Ben from AGP and Max from Uncle Sammy.

I must admit, I hadn't felt so tired at a show in a long time, and sometime during the second set I found a seat. (I may have even dozed off for a few minutes at one point.) But I did get a second wind for the end of the set, which was good since after the show I had to hang for a while. I was staying with Jeff and Cheryl and some other friends of the band, and it took us a while to get out of there - at least our destination was only a few blocks away. We finally left, dropped our stuff at our friend Jim's place, and made it to my favorite pizza place in the world just in time to get the last of the pizza before they closed. I've been going to Joe's Pizza for about 10 years, and have been there as late as 5, but have never seen them closed. Now I know that the time to beat is somewhere near 5:30, at least on a weekend.

After pizza, we finally got some sleep. But not too much, since tour continued the next day with an afternoon show a bit over an hour from the city, at the Stanhope House in Stanhope, NJ. Although most of the people I was staying with wanted to go to the show, everyone had other obligations. So, I left at around 2:00 PM, heading to the show solo.

After some minor traffic, I found Stanhope. I knew from the map that it was a small town, and I hoped I'd be able to find the bar since I didn't have directions. Luckily, the place was one of less than a dozen businesses in "downtown" Stanhope. I entered towards the end of a set by the band Mori Stylez, who I had never heard, but was impressed by. When the set ended, it was time for more Uncle Sammy. I knew they had gotten less sleep than I had, and I was pretty beat, so I wasn't sure what to expect.

While they were slightly less energetic than the night before, they sounded great from the opener of "Ladybug". A bit later in the set, Dennis from Mori Stylez sat in on M.A.G, and traded off solos with Max in what was one of the most impressive parts of the entire run of shows I saw. The set ended with a fun version of "I Shot the Sheriff", during which they were joined by all of AGP.

The Addison Groove set was pretty much a free for all. All throughout, there was a rotating door as members of both Uncle Sammy and Mori Stylez sat in. Eventually, the show ended with another version of "Shake Everything You've Got", which once again included the full AGP/Uncle Sammy combo.

After the show, I headed back to New York City. The next day was a day off on the Tour, and I spent the time working and visiting with a few friends (I love life as a freelancer, just give me my laptop and a phone line and I can stay on the road a LOT!). Tuesday I met with a few clients in the NYC area, before heading to the Jersey Shore.

This final show on my Uncle Sammy Tour was in Red Banks, NJ at the "Downtown Cafe, Bar & Lounge". This bar/venue also included a martini bar, which was upstairs where the bands played, and a sushi bar at the back of the downstairs bar. I arrived in town at around 6, and decided to keep heading East for another 10 minutes or so until I got the shore. It was a cool day, in the low 70s and overcast. Not quite swimming weather, but I took a nice walk along the beach at the Seven President's Oceanfront Park.

I then returned to Red Bank, where I went in to check out the venue. It was still early, the bands had just gotten there and they were sitting down to eat. I said hello, then decided to go for a walk. I found a great health food store where I grabbed a snack and some munchies for my drive later that night. I then walked around the nice little town for a while, and had the amusing sighting of three Dead stickers on the town fire chief's car. I figured this was a good sign, as I returned to the bar and sat down for a sushi dinner.

After dinner, I went upstairs a bit before AGP was starting. At this show, I realized that I did not know a single person, except for the band members and crew. This was an odd feeling, especially as compared to my Phish touring of the prior month, when I seemed to know a minimum of a dozen people at every show I saw. I also thought about how different it was to see a band that has thousands of people following it around, as opposed to being the only fan who had made it to the four straight shows I saw on this tour. For those of you who have never taken the chance to follow a smaller band for a few shows, I highly recommend doing so with your favorite up and coming group. You will gain insight not only into their music, but also into what it takes for a band to make it.

During the AGP set, I took a walk out back with the guys from Uncle Sammy. We could hear the music well out there, but we also could have a conversation. It was nice to get to hang out with them at a show where they didn't have too many of their regular fans, and I didn't have the distractions of a lot of other friends to see. I was happy to hear about how much fun they were having, and it was interesting talking to them about how they were learning to evolve the way they put shows together as they toured.

Soon, it was time for the Uncle Sammy set, my last for a few weeks. I was feeling like I knew their music much better than ever, and I might even be able to keep a fairly complete setlist on my own. But the band had a bit of a surprise in store for me (and the few other people in attendance who knew their music fairly well). Whereas normally they will jam out a certain percentage of tunes in a show, and sometimes throw in a segue or two, this night they took those elements to a level I'd never heard.

A large chunk of the set was taken up by one big segue, starting with "Jorge Benson's New Funk Explosion", going right into the song "Now", and then back into Jorge Benson's. From there, they jumped right into a great version of one of my favorite Uncle Sammy tunes, "Ricky Rabbit", before finishing off Jorge Benson's. Finally, to end the night, they brought up all of Addison Groove Project, somehow squeezing all 10 players onto the smallest stage I'd seen them on in this run, for "Soul Power".

And, so ended the last show of my mini-tour. I said a quick goodbye to the band, and hit the road. I had timed my sleep schedule so I would be able to make the late night drive back to Providence. I had to make a quick stop back in New York City, before making my way up Route 95. As I drove home, I reflected on the great potential that Uncle Sammy has. They have grown by leaps and bounds since the first time I saw them a few years ago, and with this tour I feel they are really coming into their own.

Finally, a bit before sunrise, I made it home. And for once, I was glad to be here. After six weeks of almost constant roadtrips, I was excited for a few weeks of sleeping in my own bed every night. And as of now, I made it through those few weeks, and am feeling great. So great, in fact, that as I finish this article, I am getting ready to head up to see The New Deal in Boston tonight, and then off to Berkfest (to see the finale of the Uncle Sammy tour, among other great bands) for the weekend.