Stormy Mondays: Ghosts of Jambands Past – Blue Floyd

Now for the first installment of the irregular Ghosts of Jambands Past series in over a year. Back in 2000, a collective of rootsy jam men decided to give a new treatment to the Pink Floyd catalog by covering the seminal psychedelic group’s material with a gutsy blues inflection. Blue Floyd was born. Featuring Johnny Neel, Berry Oakley, Allen Woody (on guitar, not bass), Marc Ford and Matt Abts, the Mule/Crowes/ABB offshoot quickly became one rowdy, nasty bar band, ripping through Roger Waters era Floyd with layers of organ and loud guitars, often with an accompanying sci-fi classic playing in the background, Blade Runner or 2001. The band didn’t last too long, and was less successful when it branched out to Beatles’ material, but for those first 18 months or so, they created some serious music.

This week’s mix starts with a great Fearless > Money (the band’s signature, super blues infused tune) from the first tour, and then an awesome Cymbaline from the summer (with Duane Betts and Alex Orbison instead of Woody and Abts). Despite being three songs, it clocks in at nearly 40 minutes. It’s a really great band that I return to again and again. As always, enjoy!