Dope Polaroid from Alan of Unk-AL and The Amazingly Mediocre; Disco Sunrise jams
Sneaking in a blog at the end of Black History Month, I got to say—this is going to be a fantastic one. I’m gonna get right to it— Jam Cruise 19 was one of the greatest experiences I’ve ever had in my life. Getting my first engineering job, traveling to Munich with the homies, Santo Domingo speaking Spanish with locals, first skydive, Jam Cruise 19. Go get your tickets for the next one (Jam Cruise 20 pre-book link).
But First, Groundup Music Fest 2023!
GROUNDUP 2023
I nearly did not go to GroundUp Music Fest despite having an absolute blast last year. GroundUp Music fest was Feb 3-5; Jam Cruise was Feb 6-12. I decided to ensure that I was at church this weekend; but a friend wanted a ride to to a passport appointment to prep Jam Cruise. A good excuse to simply go to the fest. So glad I did. New friends and new music. Of course, Snarky Puppy always brings it, but:
Silvana Estrada - This woman has a voice of an angel. She definitely put on for Veracruz, Mexico. A truly gifted voice she has
Attacca Quartet - bruh, they are splendid. Beautiful to see how well they play together
Can’t Wait For Perfect - Bob Reynolds Guitar Band
Deep, deep groove. Effortless, groove, smooth and adventurous
I’m not missing any GroundUp music fests ever. Late night sets at the Faena were amazing. Such a beautiful place. A wonderful warmup for Jam Cruise!
JAM CRUISE 2023
Never been on a cruise before. Ever in life. First one! I can’t imagine a better cruise. Though the food on this cruise was pretty average. It was ‘almost’ delicious. If I had any complaints, there’s one small on there. But the rest of it was the greatest experience possible! So great, I’ve pre-booked for next year. ;)
There was so much music! I didn’t see one bad set of music. Everyone was phenomal. My most phonemonenalist though: Karl Denson’s Tiny Universe, The Fearless Flyers, and my favorite of the favorites, Butcher Brown.
Fearless Flyers with Lettuce Horns
Karl’s Denson’s Tiny Universe - Savage x Caravan, love it when the old and new comes together
Butcher Brown - Triple Trey
JAMS
There was a lot of great music that weekend, and Displace was a part of it!
Chris slayin with The Sweet Lillies
Displace and Brian from DIAP blowing Oteil Burbridge’s mind with Daft Punk elevator funk
It was such an amazing time. I got to meet a handful of pro musicians, make a ton of new friends all over the world, and was dipped into a well of inspiration. It’s hard to put all of the awesomeness into words, so take these pics! Shout out to Emily for capturing a lot of wonderful moments!
Sunrise Salutation - Day 1
Sunrise Salutation - Day 2 feat. Tommy Shugart and Josh of SunSquabi. Yeah, I’m a fan of double bass jams after this Jam Cruise!
Jam Weebs
Mardi Gras awesomeness
Displace rocking the Jam Room!
Beavers preparing to damn the elevators full of funk
Blisters from playing double bass really, really, really hard. Don’t worry, I’m okay now.
Our Jam Cruise sets even generated a bit of press! Check out this write up on Displace at musicfestnews.com!
Amazing. Jammed with George Porter, Jr., rapped to random people all over the boat, and even gambled a bit of money with the homies. I couldn’t really ask for a better time. If you’re thinking about going, think no more. Simply do it. I’ll see you next year. Shout out to all of the Jam Cruise family, Dogs In A Pile, Sweet Lillies, Zach from the Partygrass Boys (fam funks that double bass), Emily for taking amazing pics, the Displace crew, and all the other wonderful people I had a chance to create some fire memories with! Happy Jam Cruise!
Next UP
Friday March 3rd, Displace - Celtic Ray, Punta Gorda
Saturday March 4th, Supporting Colleen Orender - Catherine Hickamn Theater, Gulfport
Hope to see y’all. Much love.
- D Truth