This Feeling's Called Goodbye

From JanglesWe're going out on a limb this week. I think it's a fair assumption to say that this is an album that no one in this club has heard of. (If you have...YO! Can't wait to catch up!) It's an album that represents a big part of my musical identity, though, so we're going to see how it goes. From '95ish to the mid-00s there was a pretty healthy scene that blossomed around Jam Bands. Obviously there was the 60s, the summer of love, The Grateful Dead and so many others that defined the ethos and started to apply the loose principles of group improvisation in a rock context. But it was during this period of time that jam music started to move from traditional rock into new genres. For anyone interested in musical exploration, it was a hell of a time. Phish was leading the way with their nerdy cross-genre explorations. We had String Cheese Incident doing their bluegrass jam music. We had Soul Live and Karl Denson's Tiny Universe doing their funk jam music. We had Umphrey's McGee leaning more towards hard rock and, at times, heavy metal. Medeski, Martin & Wood were unwillingly swept up as the jazz band representing the scene. Too many to name were out there making every show a unique experience. And kids were driving all over the country cooking grilled cheese in parking lots, selling "heady" glassware, and doing anything they could just to get in on a nightly basis. It all felt so fresh and exciting. Growing up in Eastern PA, we had our own little catalyst to the scene that revolved around "jamtronica" -- a musical experiment in making electronic-inspired music through organic instruments. It was led by bands like The Disco Biscuits, Lotus...and Brothers Past. What has always stuck out to me about Brothers Past is, unlike most jam bands, they have a great pop sensibility to their songwriting. They sound easy rather than purposefully complex. The lyrics feel deeply personal. The melodies are super catchy. The harmonies between the Toms (Guitar and Keys) are uniquely moody. And the jamtronica part of it absolutely rips. The synthetic bass tone along combined with the machine of a drummer makes for a hell of a rhythm section. (And Tom is an unbelievable guitar player, particularly if you check out their live shows where he really has the space to create.) I will always cite This Feeling's Called Goodbye as the greatest modern jam band album. Coming off the album's 20th anniversary (and a ripping anniversary show in Philly) it felt like a good time to revisit and share with the group. With much ado, This Feeling's Called Goodbye by Brothers Past