i guess it was 2016 or 2017 that i noticed a spate of jam bands start playing around town, but it kind of dried up as soon as it started, and otherwise morphed into something a little less interesting - funk, country rock and other styles that appeal very specifically to a specific type of dude that i tend to avoid like the plague.

there's a bunch of this stuff happening here this weekend, all at once, meaning that a fan of the genre is likely to be both overwhelmed and perhaps somewhat disappointed by the scheduling conflicts. personally, i can't claim to be particularly interested in much of it, as most of it falls too far into that bro-rock category for me.

i mean, it's a fine line, i acknowledge that, and one that a lot of people might have a hard time discerning around. but, a general rule is that i'm going to want to avoid anything with vocals. even if the musicians in these bands all have similar viewpoints, it's actually only the ones that feel the need to share their opinions that are going to end up rubbing me the wrong way. if you don't tell me your outlook on life, i'm not going to get revolted by it.

i'm also going to want to lean more towards the psychedelic and try to distance myself from anything that's rootsy or folksy or country, as even the aesthetic can be grating. but, you have to remember: i'm fundamentally a composer. so, i'm going to find interest in a large variety of styles that are more abstract, and instrumental guitar rock can certainly be abstract and written enough to be interesting, but i kind of also demand that it actually is - i don't want to listen to repetitive or boring riffs, either..

there is one show happening on tuesday that has a couple of acts that strike me as more interesting.

this act here is very guitar-centric, and you could criticize them for really being little more than a vehicle for the guitar player. but, to me, that's the point of interest - and it's a feature, because it means i'm not forced to deal with pompous singers or other musicians competing for space in the track. it's one dimensional, but it avoids the pitfalls i mentioned, and i could very well find myself at the show.

https://consciouspilotofficial.bandcamp.com/album/autopilot