Hi, a warm greeting to all of you folks at Jambands.

I just wanted to say that it is great to be able to tune in on what´s happening, thanks for sending me the newsletter. I´m really exited about this whole movement since I´m also a musician and grew up listening to underground radio living in Tijuana, being broadcast from San Diego (where Frank Zappa grew up). . I lived in Eugene Oregon during the early 70´s and witnessed and participated in the birth and growth of the Prog Rock and Jazz Fusion movements.

The scene here in Mexico city is a little discouraging (some really good FM Jazz programs have disappeared) There is a lot of techno, pop, commercial rock en español, "alternative commercial", heavy metal, trash, dark, Dj disco stuff, but not much Progressive, experimental, explorative, free, jam, Jazz, Rock, Music that transcends genres or commercial stereotypes, the university radio station is unlike university radio stations elsewhere, it seems to be run by an old fashioned and very conservative bureaucracy, it provides good news and general information but in terms of music its mostly classical, not very explorative or adventurous at all.

Nevertheless there are things happening (well obviously in a 22 million people urban conglomeration there must be some things happening) There are lots of unknown bands in many genres, Blues bands like Follaje and Años Blues (which can be considered jam bands because they do jam) prog or experimental like Iconoclasta or La Banda Elastica, fusion like Xaman or Linea 3, or the Francisco Mondragon combo which can be considered at the level of McLaughlin´s Mahavishnu years or the weirdest Zappa and can be found playing in some obscure bar in la colonia Condesa,. There used to be a Razteca Festival (Aztec Reggae Fest) every year for several years in a row, with the attendance of local, national (mexican) and international acts (Puerto Rico, Cuba, Argentina, Venezuela, Jamaica, The U.S., etc.) with national reggae bands like Los Yerberos, Anti Doping, La Yaga, La Maldita Vecindad, Terremoto, Raztrillos (among the pioneers of Mexican reggae) There are many other sort of underground bands like: Planeta Kong or Craneo de Jade, who play jazz and grooves. Mezcalito, Los Niños Ebrioes, latin ska. Oxomoxoma, fusion a la Beefheart or Zappa. Lost Acapulco, Los Exquisitos and Los Lunáticos, surf, hard-core, grunge. And many more. The jam Bands movement has yet to catch on here in Mexico City, there are some good signs but there is work to be done. Last summer Blue Floyd started their tour here in Mexico City at the Hard Rock Café, which here, is a very exclusive and expensive place located in one of the most exclusive parts of the city, la colonia Polanco, so I think the attendance and diffusion was limited. There are yearly Jazz Festivals, one in the Escuela Superior de Musica, which features mainly students with some local and national guests of some prominence but known only in Mexico (like Francisco Mondragon, Linea3, or Xaman) and another one in the Centro Nacional de las Artes which is an EuroJazz festival with European guests only. There is a jazz season at a local Theater and another one at a museum. All these are good but they are highly institutional and somewhat rigid venues. Fortunately just recently the miracle has started happening, I’ve found CD´s by Phish, Jazz is Dead, Martin Medeski & Wood, John Scofield, and Eureka! the new Schleigho -Continent- which blew my mind… sometimes dispersed in different sections like alternative or fusion or acid jazz or in the general jazz section. There are two good record chain stores here, MixUp (which has a very good and extensive Prog Rock section) and Tower (which has a very good Jazz section, among others) and also the world famous (I hear) Tianguis Cultural del Chopo, which is a Rock Culture Saturday market that has 20 years of history, quite a scene. where you can find all kinds of genres, exchange, buy and sell, trade, CD´s, vinyl, cassettes and all kinds of rock paraphernalia, and live rock concerts during the day. There is also the "Alicia" which is a local independent Rock forum, and sad to say, I hear the "Rockotitlan" has ceased to exist.

I’ve been able to find CDs by the Ozric Tentacles for some time now in the Prog. sec. beside the classic ones like ELP or Eno or some by the Italian Prog. Artists like Premiata Forneria Marconi or Banco del Mutuo Socorso.

I think the jam bands Phenomenon is ready to transcend its borders and start overflowing to the rest of the world. Being from Tijuana (where Carlos Santana grew as a Rock Musician to become one of the foremost jam artists at the Fillmore in San Francisco) I´m aware of the growing music effervescence within the younger generation, with bands like Tijuana No, Mexican Jumping Frijoles, having myself participated in jamming bands like Fuzzak-fusioneros asociados-, Lio, Altos Moevas, and Ohtli which I’m sure will soon get the recognition they deserve, because they really jam, not like many other bands looking to become commercially successful by selling their asses to the few national-transnational monopolies letting themselves be fabricated into preestablished stereotyped formats, and the three minute pop format gimmick. And there are many others, it makes me think of the late 60´s and early 70´s (also in the early 80´s there was an interesting reemergence of Intense Fusion before it turned into "soft jazz") and it provokes a blissful smile…in me and I think in many others… and in Many around the whole globe I think…

Happy Trails, Buena Onda, Perseverance Furthers…

Your friend from TJ. MX.
Flecha FM.

The Music Y'all Should Hear

By Evan Newman

In 1968, The Byrds featuring Gram Parsons released "Sweetheart of the Rodeo", often cited as the first "country rock" album. The album spawned a whole new musical style that has been called everything from alt.country to No Depression and Americana to my personal favorite y'alternative. So what exactly is this music? Well, it's pretty much everything: pop, folk, country, bluegrass, rock, punk you name it. Everyone from the Beatles and The Grateful Dead to Bill Monroe and Hank Williams are considered major influences to this largely unrecognized and under appreciated music genre. Parsons is often considered the godfather of the country rock movement having been able to blend the sorrow and simplicity of a country ballad with the upbeat tempo of a rock song accompanied by the attitude of a punk anthem. His solo work (GP, Grievous Angel) to his work in The Byrds and The Flying Burrito Brothers has been regarded as "genius" and one of the true inspirations in music. Tragically on September 19, 1973, Parsons died at 26 of a morphine overdose leaving a huge gap in what was then, a burgeoning music scene. The country rock movement had basically ceased to exist after Parsons death. It wouldn't be until about ten years later that a resurgence of sorts would in occur, in the most unlikely of places.

Aside from being the birthplace of Bob Dylan, Minnesota has never really been considered a hot spot for music. Better known for its harsh winters and hockey fanaticism, this blue-collar state would be the place where country rock was reborn. It was the early eighties and the punk movement was losing some of the steam it had seen a few years earlier, music was headed in the new wave direction but a couple of young Minnesota bands were taking punk in a new direction. Husker Du and The Replacements were making punk music that was heavily laced with pop melodies and country style. After all, Paul Westerberg and Bob Mould of The Replacements and Husker Du respectively, were raised on Beatles pop but were heavily influenced by punk artists such as Sex Pistols and power pop acts like Big Star. Husker Du's "Zen Arcade" and The Replacements "Tim" are landmark albums; both were extremely innovative works as no one had ever melded power pop with punk in such a potent manner. Both Westerberg and Mould were big fans of Parsons and heavily influenced by him in terms of song writing and incorporated elements of country rock into their songs (see "Waitress in the Sky" from "Tim", possibly the best punk country song ever). The impact of these two bands is greatly undervalued in modern music as were a huge influential force behind noted acts like Nirvana, The Pixies, Superchunk and plenty more. Like the rap and metal hybrids we see today, many young artists during the mid to late eighties were taking the punk pop sound coming out of Minnesota and melding with the country rock that had Parsons had introduced ten years earlier. The result is what we can now call country rock, no depression etc. The first real sign that the movement had in fact returned in full force was the release of No Depression by the Illinois threesome Uncle Tupelo. Uncle Tupelo was led by Jay Farrar and Jeff Tweedy, both products of punk but deeply rooted in country music. The title of the album became the name as to which the music was identified. Uncle Tupelo put out four stellar albums then, citing creative differences, broke up in 1994. While all of this was happening in Chicago, a Minnesota band more influenced by pop than punk but equally rooted in country was establishing itself as a musical force in country rock. The Jayhawks were formed in 1985 by Mark Olsen and Gary Louris and were more directly influenced by Parsons and the Nashville sound than their counterparts in Illinois. Olsen and Louris crafted harmonies reminiscent of The Byrds but arranged songs in the power pop vein of Big Star thus creating a very unique and refreshing style of music. The band's first three releases: Blue Earth, Hollywood Town Hall and Tomorrow the Green Grass were masterpieces filled with country sorrow, beautiful harmonies and soaring pop melodies. In 1996, after over a decade together, Olsen decided to leave the band to pursue solos interests and spend time with his wife, singer songwriter Victoria Williams who is ailing with multiple sclerosis. Like Uncle Tupelo and Gram Parsons previously, The Jayhawks were just hitting their peak when major changes set in (or death). Fortunately, Louris decided to keep The Jayhawks going and the band has since released two albums that are much more pop than country than previous efforts but still solid albums nonetheless as Louris has a voice that could make reading the yellow pages sound good.

Now, it being almost 2001, the y'alternative, no depression, country rock, whatever you care to call it, is experiencing its most fruitful era ever. Jeff Tweedy has gone on to form Wilco who have made three of the most remarkable albums of the 1990's, "A.M". the critically acclaimed double album "Being There" and the Beatles/Beach Boys influenced "Summerteeth". Jay Ferrar went to form Son Volt, a brilliant band featuring past members of Uncle Tupelo who live and breathe country rock. The most exciting band to develop out of this movement has to be Golden Smog, a super group based out of Minnesota that features Louris, Marc Perleman and Kraig Johnston of The Jayhawks, Tweedy, Dan Murphy of Soul Asylum (another Minnesota act) and Jody Stephens of Big Star. The bands two major releases "Down by the Old Mainstream" and "Weird Tales" are fun filled action packed journeys through punk, pop, country, bluegrass, rock and everything in between. The bands presence in studio and on stage bring back memories of the old hootenannies where musicians of all styles would get on stage and let loose musically. The country rock element is so entrenched in music today but yet it is still very much under appreciated. Bands like Counting Crows, Ben Harper and even Phish (whose most recent release "Farmhouse is a great country rock album) are putting out fantastic works that hark back to the days of Gram Parsons and the Flying Burrito Brothers.

Proving that everything in music is cyclical is the presence of Ryan Adams. The former leader of country rock favorites Whiskeytown put out "Heartbreaker" earlier this year which fully embraced and evoked the spirit of Parsons even to the point of having former Parsons back up singer Emmylou Harris guest on the album. This young New York via North Carolina singer songwriter has the attitude and brashness of Parsons with a voice that brings your heart close to your mouth. No artist today is able to put the last thirty years of country rock music into a better perspective the way Adams is able to do on Heartbreaker.

From the first days of Gram Parsons and "Sweetheart of the Rodeo" to Ryan Adams and "Heartbreaker" and everything in between. The country rock movement has made an indelible impact on the music we listen to today. Listen closely next time you put on an album from the last twenty years and your sure to hear a little of that y'alternative that has so greatly influenced our music.

Recommended Albums:

Golden Smog:
- Weird Tales
- Down By the Old Mainstream

Jayhawks
- Tomorrow the Green Grass
- Hollywood Town Hall
- Blue Earth

Whiskeytown
- Faithless Street
- Strangers Almanac

Ryan Adams
- Heartbreaker

Gram Parsons
- GP/Grievous Angel

The Byrds
- Sweetheart of the Rodeo

Wilco
- A.M.
- Being There
- Summerteeth

Son Volt
- Trace

Steve Earle
- El Corizone
- Transcendental Blues

Counting Crows
- This Desert Life

Phish
- Farmhouse

Grateful Dead
- Workingman's Dead
- American Beauty

Return of the Grievous Angel