European jam fan Joshua Bogen runs the Jam Bands Europe website and will be covering Jam in the Dam this March for Hidden Track. The 2012 installment of Jam in the Dam features moe., Mike Gordon, Dark Star Orchestra, Keller Williams and Lotus. Joshua spoke with the event’s creator, Armand Sadlier, about the past, present and future of Jam in the Dam.
As 2011 comes to a close, the thoughts of jam band fans in Europe, and those set to travel to Amsterdam in March, are turning already to Jam In The Dam VI. After a 2011 hiatus, it is without a doubt the most anticipated jam band music event in Europe, and has turned into an almost annual pilgrimage for American jam band fans as well.
We know a lot of people have already made their plans to be in Amsterdam in March, and there are probably still a few of you sitting on the fence, so we wanted to get the inside scoop on the 2012 edition of Jam In The Dam, and there’s no better person for that than Armand Sadlier, the man whose vision has has made JitD possible.
Joshua Bogen: In 2011 there was no JitD. Mainly, I understand, because of your health problems. So, first things first, how are you doing now? Will we see you dancing on the floor at the Milkyway in March?
Armand Sadlier: I am doing great! October 27th was my 3rd ‘re-birthday,’ the anniversary of my double-lung transplant. It was not my health that stopped 2011 from happening, but not being able to confirm the right headliner. It’s not a big enough festival to ‘make someone an offer they can’t refuse.’ They have to want to be there. Funny thing is, every band that has played wants to come back.
I’m not much of a dancer, but I’m a serious head-nodder.
JB: So, if there were these other issues involved in the postponement, does that mean that JitD will no longer be an annual event going forward? Are you now looking to hold it every two years?
AS: I would say we would do it every year, if we were able to get the right headliners. We found that asking someone’s fans to come back too often, just doesn’t work in these economic times. I sure wish that was not an issue, because I would have Umphrey’s McGee back every year. [Umphrey’s is] My personal favorite, and the reason I started this whole crazy, wonderful thing to begin with. Not to mention, really quality people.
JB: There has been a lot of news recently about changes in Holland’s permissive marijuana policy, and I think that has caused some concern for people who had plans to join the festivities. Now, American festivalgoers will be happy to know that the Melkeg is a “smoke free” venue, but i assume that the no smoking rule only applies to tobacco.
AS: They throw out the rules when we roll in to town. Tobacco is still not allowed, but you can go in the café after 10, and of course outside other times. You are certainly allowed to leave the venue and come back at will. Anything else inside is fair game.
Actually, we have been trying to put the word out that NOTHING has changed in Amsterdam, in regards to the coffee shop scene, and won’t. Oh sure, they’ll close a few of the small shops. All the media seems to report on is what the conservative government WANTS to do, because it’s an interesting story. The fact of the matter is, coffee shop tourism throws off an estimated 10 BILLION euro a year (I couldn’t believe it either). The estimated 25% of tourists who go there for only that reason, also stay in hotels, eat at restaurants (probably more than usual!), go to museums, and of course, concerts. The Dutch are far too pragmatic to simply throw that money away, especially when the shops cause almost zero problems. The Mayor and city council are on record as stating this will never come to pass in Amsterdam. Alcohol is a much bigger issue. They may take measures in some border towns, where people drive in from other countries on Saturdays to make purchases and clog up the small downtown areas of these little burgs. There is much more info about this at the JitD message board.
JB: Ok, i’m not sure if this is a fair question, but does Amsterdam’s marijuana tolerant policy make JitD what it is? Would the festival be the same without the chemical enhancement?
AS: It absolutely doesn’t hurt. But when I hear people say, “Why do you have to go all the way to Amsterdam to smoke weed?” I say “Why do people fly to the Napa Valley to drink red wine?”. It’s all about the experience.
Amsterdam is one of the most culturally rich cities in the world, not to mention beautifully unique and home to one of the best populations on earth, the majority of whom speak English, which while not a pre-requisite, makes enjoying it that much easier for Americans and British. There’s a good reason Dutch children are rated the most well adjusted in the world. The Dutch tolerance extends far beyond a few coffee shops and brothels, and makes Holland what it is. Very simply put, they know what a victimless crime is, and don’t waste time and money on something that can’t be stopped.
JB: This spring not only marks the sixth edition of JitD, but it is also the 40th anniversary of the Grateful Dead’s Europe 72 tour. Do you know if there will be anything special to honor that landmark anniversary, in particular from DSO?
AS: Knowing DSO’s deep respect for the history of the Grateful Dead, I wouldn’t be surprised to see them honor that in some fashion. Tim Walther and Junipa Contento of All Good Presents are the brains behind the All Good Festival, and Tim also manages DSO. Tim & Junipa are good friends for many years, have been my partners in JitD since the beginning, and now have taken a bigger role. I have many other projects I’m pursuing, and they are really good at this festival thing. This is like a walk in the park to them after hosting 25,000 people for four days in the mountains of West Virginia.
JB: This edition of JitD, as I see it, has DSO representing the “old school” for deadheads, Mike Gordon from Phish representing the jam band explosion of the ’90s, and moe. representing the newer crop of jam bands. Keller Williams, he’s sort of a musical chameleon, so he fits in anywhere, but Lotus seems to me to be the “odd man out” with their music closer to techno or post-rock. Can you give us an idea of the thought process that goes into putting together the lineup and how the bands combine with each other?
AS: We never just want to lock ourselves in to a certain mind-set. Lotus is a band that has grown exponentially since the last time they were there, and are not as ‘electronic’ as one might think. We think they will be a nice surprise for the old school types, while giving some younger folks a good reason to join us.
JB: But the JitD lineups seem to feature a lot of repeat offenders. What’s the motivation behind this given that there are so many other jam bands which haven’t played JitD or even been over to Europe.
AS: It is very difficult for any band to draw a significant amount of their fans to Amsterdam. You’d be shocked. If not, we would sell out every year. The festival is very lineup dependant, and while there are tons of great younger jam bands here in the States, how many fans would get on a plane is an open question. There are a certain amount of people that will come every year, regardless of the lineup, but that is not a huge number. It’s a battle we fight every year.
JB: I am sure that you do get a lot of groups lobbying to come over for JitD or do you have to really go looking?
AS: Any small jam band would come and play for a plane ticket and a hotel room. Certain bands have wanted to come for years, but we just aren’t sure how many of their fans will travel. People cram Jam Cruise full every year, but it’s the Caribbean in January. Making that trip across the pond is intimidating for some, I think, even though the cost is similar.
JB: One of the signature traits of JitD is the large number of sit-ins. Who in particular are you looking forward to do a sit-in with who this year?
AS: You just never know. Well, I take that back, Keller will be onstage with just about everyone.
JB: Anything different we can expect at JitD VI?
AS: I’m not sure there will be much different. We are confined in what we can do, somewhat, by the nature of the indoor space. Movies each night in the cinema inside the venue will return this year, possibly a showing of Mike Gordon’s film. Folks that haven’t been to JitD in a couple of years will be amazed by the new structure containing the Rabozaal that is now attached to the left side of the venue. Of course, one other aspect that is different is that this is the first year we aren’t on a Sunday-Monday-Tuesday. We hope this allows more Europeans to attend, because now one could get on a train or plane from much of Europe in the late afternoon Thursday, and attend two nights while still only missing one day of work. Before we always got our biggest euro-crowd on Sunday. Also, Thursday and Friday are just more fun, let’s face it.
JB: I want to backtrack a bit for a minute. How did JitD get started and why Amsterdam? Do you have a personal connection with Amsterdam?
AS: I have been going to Amsterdam since the late ’80s with a good friend of mine from Oregon. Just always loved everything about it, have stayed on numerous houseboats, and been to every museum in the city a few times. I am a person that constantly has synchronicity in his life. Here’s what happened:
On a trip there in 2003, when I got to Dulles airport, I realized I had forgotten my passport. First time for everything. Alan was on a plane from Oregon and was meeting me there to connect to Amsterdam. I located a woman who was on the same flight, and got her cell number, as we didn’t bring our phones because they didn’t work there. In the gate area, she found Alan, I called her and told him to go on, I would meet him there tomorrow. My neighbor brought my passport to the airport, and I got on a later flight through London.
In the London airport, I noticed a group of guys and said to myself, ‘band.’ As I get on the plane, I hear one of them reference Mr. Sanborn. Then I recognize David Sanborn, my favorite sax player from the late ’70s. Turns out, his Scottish road manager sits right across the aisle from me. We talk for the whole hour of the flight, and he says, “We’re playing the Melkweg tonight, you should come.” So I collect Alan later, and we head to the Melkweg. The road manager brings us up on side stage to watch the show, just amazing, much more fusion jazz than I remembered. We agree the venue is great.
Fast forward three months. I was Umphrey’s McGee’s agent at the time, and I had been thinking about a festival they could headline that wasn’t just another concert in a field. I was sitting in New York at a taping of Last Comic Standing, going to see Umphrey’s later that night at the Bowery, with special guest, sax player Joshua Redman. The idea for Jam in the Dam and the Melkweg pops in to my head. Why not? Fourteen months later, we were sold out at the very first Jam in the Dam. All because I forgot my passport. Since that time, when something bad happens, I always believe something good will come from it.
JB: How has the festival evolved? Have there been changes through these six different editions?
AS: Well, not sure many remember this, but the festival originally was called Amsterjam. In December 2004, after the show for March 2005 is sold out already, I get a cease and desist letter from Heineken! Turns out they had planned for about a year to do a promotion with the same name! Total coincidence. They had posters and custom guitars and logos emblazoned with name, but hadn’t thought to get either amsterjam.com, or .net. Who knew?
Seeing as how my show was sold out anyway, they may have had prior use, and they had many more lawyers than me, I agreed to change the name. Sad because their concert bombed twice in New York, and they never used it again.
As far as the show evolving, really other than trying different amounts of artists, adding pre-parties, adding the canal cruises, not much has changed. But that’s OK. Amsterdam itself is the real star of this show, and we do our best to give people a reason to experience it.
JB: If we’re getting close to reaching a saturation point of these jam band themed holiday trips and festivals, then how does JitD stand out from the crowd?
AS: Our famous shirt from one year was ‘No Cops, No Dogs, No Mud’, common problems facing many US festivals. We are also the only festival to offer a cultural adventure. As I said, we want people to explore Amsterdam by day, and come party with us all night. We’ve had people from Australia and Croatia attend, so there is still room to grow. If we could ever get a Gov’t Mule or Jack Johnson to play, it could be a game changer. There is also talk of doing an all-electronic show with the likes of Bassnectar and STS9. People fall in love with Amsterdam once they’ve been, and we’re looking for new ways to get them there.
JB: If you had to choose one, which of the past editions was the most memorable?
AS: I would have to say the very first, no doubt. It was packed, the weather was unreal for March and no one could believe that it had never been done before. The ultimate private party. And there we all were, like Dutch sailors of old, exploring a new world and partaking of exotic herbs and spices. Mostly herbs.
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