I owe a lot to this group of casual jammers I have befriended. From free beer and food, to wisdom and aid, it’s a supportive community that is open to musicians of all kinds. I will refer musicians I meet to the group anytime I see the opportunity.

The group is generally not on an invite-only terms. The majority of jams happen in public spaces, and are promoted so that anyone within reach can be aware ahead of time. It helps to be invited though, and that’s how I learned about it. I was at an open mic, waiting for it to start and another performer asked to do a little jam to pass the time. I was able to keep up with the little song and they invited me to the next jam that this group had organized.

The jams are generally at taphouses in the evenings. Before the pandemic, there was one every week, if I remember correctly. Now, there is a once a month jam at Tower Brewing on second Sundays, and there are tentative plans for a third Thursday jam that is looking for a venue. These schedules are always changing though. They typically last for a few hours.

The group will break into smaller invite only jams for people with similar interests or locations. There is a bluegrass jam at Tower regularly for example. Sometimes special jams are organized for birthdays or whatever celebrations come around. These jammers also typically attend music festivals and will organize to have camp jams together.

The origins of this particular group, if I recall correctly, come from a regular fireside meeting of musicians on a rural property years ago. The small group started inviting more musicians to the jam and the regularity got them organized enough to carry on the tradition after the original fireside site became unavailable.

There are some “rules” for jamming here. It used to be acoustic only, but there are now exceptions, especially for bass. We arrange ourselves into a circle-like shape and choose songs with a round-robin pattern. You don’t have to pick a song, and can “pass”, but picking a song is greatly encouraged. Songs should be relatively easy to play and pick up for people who may not know it. 3 chord songs and very popular songs without many changes or parts are the wheelhouse.

If you know the song you picked, you can lead it, and if you don’t know it well enough there may be someone who can take the lead for you. The leader will introduce the song, and clarify the key and chords for everyone. Then they start the song and direct its progress. The players should keep their attention on the leader for direction on taking leads and ending the song.

I attended many of these jams. I found it to be a great excuse to practice harmonica and banjo. I learned lots of new songs, and got lots of exercise in active listening. I also made a nice group of friends, and that led to playing more serious gigs as my musicianship strengthened. It’s fair to say that I wouldn’t be the same musician today without the jam group.