Jam bands are known for their legions of fans and their ardent followers. From the Grateful Dead and Phish to Dave Matthews, the String Cheese Incident, and beyond, the genre grew to great heights in the latter half of the 20th century. If the music is not enough for you, don’t fret. There are a plethora of movies for you to enjoy, too.
Videos by American Songwriter
To wit, here below are three movies that every jam band fan should see. These three movies showcase the music, the lifestyle, the psychedelia, the elongated songs, the passion, and much more.
[RELATED: 3 Movies Every Dave Matthews Band Fan Should See]
1. Electric Apricot (2007)
This 2007 film is what’s known as a mockumentary, or a fake documentary with a lot of laughs. Others in the genre have included the likes of This Is Spinal Tap. This movie is brought to fans by Primus frontman Les Claypool, who plays drummer-singer Lapland “Lapdog” Miclovik of the up-and-coming jam band Electric Apricot. It’s about the band trying to get to a jam band music festival.
2. Bittersweet Motel (2000)
This documentary is about the iconic jam band Phish, which is fronted by guitar player Trey Anastasio. It highlights the band’s 1997 summer and fall tours and includes thousands of screaming fans for the skilled musicians, including at the giant, sweeping music festival The Great Went, which takes place in Maine and features some 70,000 attendees. Check out the trailer for the doc below and bask in the glory that is Phish.
3. Waiting For the Snow to Fall (2003)
Waiting For the Snow to Fall is about the Colorado-born jam band the String Cheese Incident. It is directed by Gary Hines and Warren Miller and shows footage of the group performing, practicing, rehearsing, and more. It also shows why the band’s chemistry works so well amidst their long, stretched-out songs onstage.
Photo by Alison Buck/WireImage
