“The Jam” podcast connects the Dead with a new audience

Em Welsh

Few Millennials can boast of having seen the late Jerry García Live in concert, and yet no generation of jam band fans has benefited from the success and community of bands like the Grateful Dead than those born after Garcia’s death in 1995.

“Today we live in a golden age of jamming,” said a veteran music industry executive, producer and artist manager Jonathan ShankHost of The Jam, a new podcast from Osiris Media exploring the bands, the fans and the jams that represent one of live music’s most enduring musical legacies.

From Phish and Dead and Company’s successful shows at The Sphere in Las Vegas to the rise of superstar jam artists like Billy Strings, Goose and even EDM pioneers Odesza as mainstream festival headliners, the music comes from artists like Grateful Dead and Allman Brothers Band, The Meters and Dr. John is more accessible than ever.

billboard recently caught up with Shank to talk about his long history in the jam scene and learn more about his new Osiris Media podcast, which launched in March with interviews with the legendary bassist and producer Randy Jackson as well as editor of Relix magazine and jam scene researcher Dean Budnick.

Why did you decide to get into podcasting?

I was inspired by Dan Steinberg And Luke Pierces Promoter 101 podcast and the idea of ​​promoting people’s stories in the industry. I wanted to find some untold stories with artists I love and create a platform to tell those stories in a very organic, free way and maybe find a few nuggets that people haven’t heard before.

Aside from naming your company after a Grateful Dead album, what are your real beliefs in the jam scene?

I’ve led a few jam bands; first Particle in 2001 and then for quite a while the Disco Biscuits, who are our guests on the podcast. And then around 2004 I started as a manager (Grateful Dead percussionist) Mickey Hartwho I met Irving Azoff and subsequently directed Mickey and Bill Kreutzman for several years with the Rhythm Devils and later with the Global Drum Project and the Mickey Hart Band. I love Billy Strings and Goose and have seen The Grateful Dead with Jerry Garcia over 50 times. For me, the Grateful Dead are still the benchmark for all live music I’ve ever experienced.

Where do you see traces of what the Grateful Dead built in today’s music industry?

The Grateful Dead’s approach to direct fan marketing through fan club ticketing and community around their live experience is a blueprint for what artists like Beyoncé and Taylor Swift are doing today and how they engage with their fans through social media Get in touch. The Dead were the first to address their fans with a newsletter. They were the first to establish a cassette store, which has since evolved into Setlist.net, where people can find sets from various shows. Much of what we think about the connection between artists and fans has its origins in the dead.

What does the rise of artists like Billy Strings and Goose say about the longevity of today’s jam band scene?

I think we’re in a new golden era of jams and a lot of that really has to do with the emergence of these two artists – Billy Strings and Goose. They’re real headliners who are finding their way into the mainstream, headlining big festivals like Lollapalooza that aren’t just jam-focused. They are the ones who will continue the jam scene in the coming decades.

Let’s talk about some of the guests you’ve had so far, starting with George Porter from the Meters. What does it say about the jam scene that a New Orleans funk band is part of The Jam podcast?

It’s actually a great example of how the jam scene combines bluegrass, funk, R&B and jazz in this wide range of influences and different musical styles. George Porter Jr. is someone who works with Dr. John, Robert Palmer and some of the greatest New Orleans musicians of all time. But he has also worked with Widespread Panic and The Grateful Dead. George has truly embodied that spirit and now does his own Grateful Dead covers on his set with a cover of “Eyes of the World.”

How do you find guests for your podcast?

I have known Robby Krieger since the nineties. I have known Randy Jackson for over 10 years. He was a great mentor to me. You know, Billy Cobham I worked with Jazz is Dead. Bill Payne and I have mutual friends. I would like to provide a forum for the people I have met over the years to thank them for the role they have played in my career path and for inspiring so many others in the music industry.

Who is helping you produce The Jam?

I have great partners in this project. We record the podcast at Sony studios and Osiris then takes care of all the marketing, editing and distribution. It’s an incredible team. Osiris has a great collection of artists and podcasts that do a great job of serving the jam audience. My goal is to showcase great artists and some people in the industry who have stories to tell, but also some tastemakers and people you don’t often hear about who are helping. I feel very blessed to be able to highlight these stories and have conversations with some of the greats in this industry.