As a few longtime readers have pointed out, today marks the 10th anniversary of the release party for site founder Dean Budnicks Jam Bands book. The book Jam Bands hit stores in the fall of 1998—-around the same time Budnick and Andy Gadiel launched the earliest incarnation of Jambands.com—-and to celebrate Budnick helped curate a night of music at New Yorks fabled Wetlands. The evening featured performances by a number of musicians would come to be associated with Jambands.com, including the Disco Biscuits, Oteil and the Peacemakers and inaugural Jambands.com New Groove, The Slip, who played all night in the venues downstairs lounge. The Biscuits closed out the festivities with a two-set show that came to a head with a vocal jam based around the word ‘Budnick,’ before seguing into the then new Helicopters.’
As some may recall, the band also handed Budnick a pumpkin at the end of the night. We got these pumpkins at 4 in the morning from [drummer Sam Altmans] parents, Brownstein jokes near the end of the night. Anyone want a pumpkin? How do we determine who gets the pumpkin? What if we hit some in the head and I get sued for the dollar I have in my pocket. Lets just give it to Budnick in celebration.
A version of the Disco Biscuits performance is available on archive.org. Please click here to view an archived version of Jambands.com from that time, which includes Budnick’s interview with Burbridge.

[Our site editor had no hand in the creation of this story, although rumor has it he did check out the ‘Budnick Vocal Jam’ this morning following an email reminder from Andy Gadiel].