Most great bands got their start playing in bars and clubs around the country. Many of them played in college bars and frat houses. This blog is dedicated to the great College Jam Bands of the last 20 years. Enjoy!
Sister Hazel started out, and in my opinion, are still, a college jam band. They crossed over into pop music with the major hit, All For You, but they'll always be a college band from Gainesville, FL to me. Here's a live performance from Indianapolis in 2006. Enjoy!
Des Moines, Iowa based The Nadas were heralded by Playboy magazine in 2001 as "The Best College Rock Band You've Never Heard Of." I was not familiar with them, but after watching this video, and visiting their myspace page, I've already downloaded some of their tunes, and I'll definitely try and catch them live sometime in the near future. Enjoy!
The Freddy Jones band was formed in 1992 by Wayne Healy and Marty Lloyd, two Loyola University dropouts. Their first album was self-released, and it featured this song, In A Daydream, which has become their signature song and in my opinion their best song. This is an acoustic version from a radio gig in Des Moines, IA. Enjoy!
Here's another band from Athens, GA. It's the Drive-By Truckers performing Gravity's Gone at Grimey's Preloved Music in Nashville, TN back in 2006. Enjoy!
I was first introduced to the Violent Femmes way back in 1984 when I started high school. They were one of those bands that didn't get much mainstream attention, but they had a huge cult following, and they got their start playing clubs and parties in the Milwaukee area back in 1981. Here's the band performing Blister in the Sun live. Enjoy!
But Anyway was the first track off Blues Traveler's debut album. I saw them play many times back in the early 90's, and they were always awesome especially when they played on the original H.O.R.D.E. concert lineups. This video footage is from the Lollapalooza Festival at Grant Park in Chicago on Sunday, August 6, 2006. I still can't get used to a skinny John Popper though. Enjoy!
Panic's concerts' were the most fun I've ever had at any concerts. I've seen them play live more than I've seen any other band, and they never disappoint. This is a great video. It's footage of Michael Houser and John Bell from the band just jamming out on the front porch of a house. The song they are playing is Driving Song. Enjoy!
Hootie and the Blowfish was formed in 1989 at the University of South Carolina. The band features Darius Rucker, Dean Felber, Jim "Soni" Sonefeld and Mark Bryan. They got their start playing clubs and frat houses around the Southeast, and got their big break when they released Hold My Hand as a single off their 1994 album, Cracked Rear View, which became the biggest selling album of 1995. Enjoy!
R.E.M. is arguably the most famous college jam band in the world. They may be world famous now, but back in the early 80's, they were playing in college bars and frat houses in Athens, GA, Tuscaloosa, AL and other college towns around the south. Here's a great video of them from back in 1983 on the David Letterman Show. It was their national television debut. Enjoy!
The Freddy Jones Band is one of those bands that I love to listen to when you want to mellow out and just chill. This is a live performance from Chicago of the band performing their song, One World. I saw them perform back in the mid-90's at the City Stages Music Festival in Birmingham, AL, and they were awesome. This video is just a taste of a Freddy Jones concert. Enjoy!
Back when I was in college at the University of Alabama, Solar Circus played many times at our fraternity house and in the bars in Tuscaloosa. They were one of my favorite bands to listen to live. Here's a great video featuring the band playing at a small bar called The Metro in Long Branch, NJ the day after Jerry Garcia's passing... Bruce had no idea a band was playing and wound up doing a set of music with Solar Circus - only 2 songs made it on tape - Brighter Things and Mustang Sally. Enjoy the video!
When I think of great college bands, one band comes to mind immediately for me...The Samples. I first heard The Samples when I moved to Dillon, CO to work at Keystone Resort during my junior year in college back in 1991. A couple of college friends of mine, who were already out there working, were playing The Samples' first CD the night we arrived in Colorado. I remember listening to the CD over and over again and couldn't believe how great they sounded. I was hooked. Over the next few years, I saw them live as many times as I could. They were awesome to watch live. Jeep (their original drummer) was incredible to watch during their live shows.
This video for Weight of the World is from their AutoPilot CD and is one of the few professional music videos the band ever made. With this song from The Samples, I welcome you to College Jam Bands. I'm glad you're here. Enjoy the video!
