Author: Dean Budnick
Title: Jambands: The Complete Guide to the Players, Music, and Scene
Publisher: Backbeat Books
Dean Budnick, through the success of his Web site www.jambands.com, succeeded in popularizing the term “jamband” and this encyclopedic resource goes far to mark out and delineate exactly what that term covers. This detailed tome touches on nearly 200 groups. This includes a biography of the band as well as recommended recordings reviewed and rated. In this way, it combines elements of the All-Music Guide and The Rolling Stone Encyclopedia of Rock & Roll. Web sites may make this resource dated on that level relatively soon, for there is frequent mention of URLs for band sites, discussion lists, fan sites, and the like. Just as the text highlights the important and worthwhile, it does not shirk from pointing out albums or groups not worth serious examination. This adds credibility and makes the book valuable for forays into the genre by the inexperienced music enthusiast that wants to explore uncharted territory. Extra sections cover Budnick’s Jammies awards series and the festival scene.
