The 7th Annual Jammy Awards

Robert Mercurio, Galactic

Were you ever into Phish?
No, never. I don’t know a single song. I was never into the Grateful Dead. We’re from New Orleans. The music that got me going when I was younger was punk rock and early funk and R&B.

That stuff can be awfully jammy too.
Every band from New Orleans could be considered a jam band, but they’re not all influenced by the Grateful Dead. It’s this really broad category that has nothing to do with the type of music being played. It has more to do with a certain looseness.