Members rumblebelly Posted December 31, 2003 Members Share Posted December 31, 2003 I just got to thinking about these two different styles of music and I've come to the conclusion that there is little, if anything they have in common. Even the lifestyles. Maybe this belongs on the OJ board but I never go there and I'm afraid I might get run over by the high traffic over there. Anyway, they seem so different in so many ways. Punk rock consists of short, pissed off songs while jam songs are very long and happy. Punk rock doesn't usually require a whole lot of musical ability (not to say there aren't some fine punk musicians out there) while jam rock requires one to master several styles of music including but not limited to jazz, funk, rock, blues, bluegrass, country. The fans themselves differ as well. Go to a jam band show and there's a lot of hairy people (we'll call these hippies to simplify things). At a punk show it's best to be as hairless as possible, an added bonus if you have tats and piercings (we'll call these punks). Hippies look rather earthy while with punks, the uglier the better. Even punk chicks are ugly with those short cropped bangs and horn-rimmed glasses while hippy chicks are pretty in the traditional sense, like the women in the LOTR trilogy. The hippies are happy and peaceful, punks pissed and violent. Hippies like lot's of color (LSD), punks like dark and dull colors (hangover). Hippies like to camp, punks prefer to sleep in a gutter. There's not a whole lot they have in common I guess. Wait, I guess on both extremes each prefer cheap beer, don't bathe very often, and usually have a tough time walking in a straight line without falling down. Oh, and both think Johnny Cash was a great man. But musically, I really can't see too many similarities. I guess I'd be considered a punk rock kind of person. I'm in a punk band and I like my songs short, sweet, and dark. I'm not a big fan of the fact that jam bands sound like a melting pot of 4 or more styles of music. I much prefer a combo of no more than 2 styles with my favorite being country and punk. Sometimes punk and country is a really cool combination too. I get confused what jam bands are trying to say with all those styles they play and I often wonder if they themselves are confused. I even prefer the appearance of those ugly punk rock chicks, something about them reminds me of my mother I guess. Too bad my lovely girlfriend is gorgeous with long flowing hair and bohemian style clothes, I'll have to work on her I suppose. Sneak up on her when she's asleep and cut her hair or something. I once dated a punk rock chick. When Jerry Garcia died, she told me she hung up a sign outside of her house. I can't remember what it said but it said something along the lines that she was pleased Mr. Garcia was dead. Hippies protested (as usual) her sign but she never took it down. Obviously she wasn't a loving, nice person to say the least and we broke up long ago. It leave a bit of an impression on me though. Uh crap, I do like to camp and I am a bit hairy (I've been told I look like Tom Cruise in The Last Samurai, but much more handsome). Hell, I don't know what I am. I'm confused already by my ramblings. Gotta respect both lifestyles and music styles I guess. Hope I didn't offend anyone. If I did, that's just too damn bad for you I guess. Whoever you are, punk, hippie, redneck, whatever, I hope you have a wonderful New Year! (gulp, gulp, gulp...ahhhhh) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members MightyBricklayer Posted December 31, 2003 Members Share Posted December 31, 2003 punk and jam are just about as far apeart as you can go, really. don't sell punk musicians short, though. granted, the stringed instruments are almost always incredibly simple, but travis barker, and even tre cool from green day are both drummers i envy. i guess the fundamental difference is that jam bands tend to showcase musical ability, and punk is more about lyrics and fun. i played for a (strange as hell experimental) punk band in high school... needless to say, i freakin' hate 4/4. i guess since this is the drummer's forum i should probably make some comments about the different styles of drumming. punk drumming is almost always in simple timing, but accuracy at high speeds isn't as easy as it sounds. jam bands tend to keep the tempos down a bit, but with more complicated timing and more hat work. granted, nobody in the non-jazz catergory can play a fill as fast as a good punk drummer. i've gravitated away from punk a lot recently- i still listen to the old favorites (ramones, clash, pistols occasionally), and seeing as how i live in richmond i'm required by city mandate to listen to avail regularly (ha, ha). mike lowerly, from the jam band Lake Trout, played some of the most fenominal break / d 'n' b / jungle drumming i've heard since zach danziger with the lake trout sideproject "Big in Japan". if anyone's intrested, i've got a copy of a show they played in richmond for a music contest. the fact that it's in richmond is pure coincidence, it's the fastest i've heard him play. ooooooh man freakin' incredible drumming... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members rumblebelly Posted December 31, 2003 Author Members Share Posted December 31, 2003 Oh, I'm not selling punk musicians short. Many are quite good, better even than I could hope to ever be. Lot's of people say punk music sucks and the musicians suck but I'm not trying to create that impression at all. I don't listen to a whole lot of punk either these days, sometimes when I'm in the mood though I'll pop a cd in. Now I'm more into Tom Waits, Nick Cave, Johnny Cash, Ween. Anything weird and/or dark is my kind of thing. Also, I find myself gravitatiing more to stuff my parents listened to when I grew up in rural Nebraska, good ol' country music. Chirst, I'm turning into my father...beer belly and all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members arguablybetter Posted January 2, 2004 Members Share Posted January 2, 2004 I think its a shame that jam-music is labeled "happy" as if its a rule. True, I can't name any heavy and dark jam bands...the closest thing is king crimson, who is really more progressive, but with large amounts of improv included in the shows. Also, why can't bands jam a little bit without being labeled "jamband" and taking all the stereotypical styles and sounds with it? My current band has songs we'll jam, progressive stuff, verse chorus funk tunes, hard rock....But we are heavy and dark. We are not hippy by any means, and its been an interesting thing to see us attacking the local jam scene with this type of mish-mash. Of course we have some extended jams, but they are in between heavy, progressive type rock....so what do you call that? progressive heavy rock jam band? As far as punk.....its always seemed to me that punk is 100% pure energy. Its not as much about making deep art and being musical. Its more about energy and the idea of revolution. Punk is what happens in the cracks of the musical evolution...Power-pop-punk isn't punk so i'm not even going to touch on that. But as with all forms of expression, there's no right and wrong, there's only genuine expression of ideas and emotions...I envy the speed of good punk drummers, but would never really be in a punk band... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Old Steve Posted January 2, 2004 Members Share Posted January 2, 2004 Yeah, punk and jam are worlds apart. Rather than labeling jam bands as 'happy', I'd say that they're just more touchy feely. Punk is just angry. I cut my teeth in punk bands, and never understood the jam scene, so what the hell do I know?!? I was watching VH-1's "I love the '80's" last night and they started talking about the emergence of gangster rap. Toward the end of my punk phase, I took a liking to some of the angrier rap acts of the time (Public Enemy, NWA, etc.). In spite of the drummer being replaced by a beat box, the early gangsta bands were very similar to punks in thier attitude...hell, there's not much difference between Ice T and Henry Rollins when you boil it down. Both are anti-status quo, anti-authority...Both offer a great outlet to work off your frustration. Somehow, it's not as cathartic dancing around on LSD waving my fingers in my face in a pair of burkenstocks. The emotional outlet of 12 hours of that nonsense can be accomplished in about 5 minutes in a pair of Doc Martens, a pit, and a 40 ounce bottle of malt liquor. I went to a Phish show once...I won't be making that mistake again (no offense to any Phish fans...just not my scene). Aaaah, those were the days...... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members DarthWader Posted January 2, 2004 Members Share Posted January 2, 2004 Originally posted by Old Steve Somehow, it's not as cathartic dancing around on LSD waving my fingers in my face in a pair of burkenstocks. Thank you Steve, that gave me a great laugh right when I needed it! Wade Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members chizle97 Posted January 2, 2004 Members Share Posted January 2, 2004 good times. well jam bands have always intrieged me as have punk bands but feusing the 2, sounds like alot of repetition but ive always wanted to try it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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