Hello music lovers! Longtime banjo player and jammer here, working on a book about jam circles: how people cross from listening to playing, who reaches back to bring newcomers in, and what these circles come to mean over a lifetime. The slow jam I stumbled into years ago changed my life, and I've spent this summer interviewing pickers at festivals about their jam journeys.
Now I'm passing the break this way, and would love to hear from this community. I've put together a brief set of questions.
Two ways to share:
Every level welcome, from first-year fiddlers to the jam veterans who've been holding down the same weekly circle for decades. Stories that make the book get credited however you choose, including not at all.
Happy to answer questions in the thread. And if you're mid-crossing right now, still working up the nerve to take your first break, I especially want to hear from you.
Thank you all in advance!
Jam story: About 40 years ago I was at a jam in house that was really humming and at about 2 o’clock in the morning a police man ran in and yelled out that the people next door were complaining about the noise so we had to stop, then ran out the door. We turned to each other and laughed. To one side was the library and the double bass player in the jam lived the other side. So we just kept playing and didn’t get any more bother.
I have the great pleasure of attending up to five jams per week within 15 miles of home on Sunday (Sail,Power and Steam Museum in Rockland),Monday (Wiley's Corner Grange Hall),Thursday (Gilford Butler School) and two American Legions in Rockland and Camden.
There has long been a musical following around here on the coast of Maine.
There are many more jams in Maine,but I like not having to travel more than 15 miles for the ones I have mentioned so far.
Wonderful time last night at the Grange which is four miles from my house.
Edited by - steve davis on 07/21/2026 07:13:50
When Covid hit we couldn’t gather folks to jam inside so we found a park in town and jammed with a hockey stick as a measuring tool to distance each other as per the protocol. No cops showed up ….
Music sounds great in old buildings like our Grange.Masonic and Odd Fellows Halls.
If neighbors hear the music they often drop by to see what's going on.
I can't imagine a cop showing up to stop anything.
there use to be a older fella and his wife had a farm up in the country and had a 4 acre pond and beside it a 2 room hut with full kitchen and 2 long porches on each side.
he built for the scouts to use for their outings and such.
but on friday nites he would have a jam and feed everyone that showed up. he made the best perloo i ever ate.
this jam got so famous there was no telling who might see there.. people from north and south carolina and virginia would show up. even had a couple of senators show up.
i remember jamming with terry baucom.. junior sisk,, A L wood,, james king.. several big name bluegrass pickers would show up out of the blue.... no curfue because he owned the place.. i have sat on the porch till 4 in the morning jamming and renee would have gave up and went to the truck to sleep..... those were good days .
Edited by - 1935tb-11 on 07/22/2026 08:39:02
A guy was standing with one foot on a cane seat chair playing Hobo’s Lullaby by Woodrow.
Just then a youth ran in the front door and out the back door (“I thought that guy would never leave”).
The player then accidentally stomped his foot through the cane and was singing the line “I know the police cause you trouble” while standing with both feet on the floor just as the police came in looking for Speedy
We all laughed so hard I thought they were going to arrest the room!, they just backed out wondering why someone would have an old chair around his leg. Those Hippies!! We never saw Speedy again. ????
One of our regular jammers is the Chief of Police in Waldoboro.
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