(Video link here.) When we’re introduced to a venture, our first impulse is always to ask: what’s the story behind it? What were the seeds of the idea that grew into a fully realized project? It’s the stories that win us over, which is why we’re are so taken with Jam in the Van.

Based in Venice, CA, Jam in the Van is the project of music fans looking for an uncommercialized, authentic music experience. Armed with an old Winnebago that they’ve turned into a state-of-the-art recording studio, these guys invite musicians to perform, film the unique performances, and put much of it online for free (scroll down for the current list of musicians). Music fans get to discover new artists or check out fantastic live-versions of their favorite tracks, and small independent artists get amazing free publicity. It’s such a rare and beautiful thing to see a project come together sheerly out of passion and drive. 

photo: abran rubiner/rubinerphoto.com

The Jam in the Van crew have decided to take their project on the road to “find the great music that we know is hiding out across the American landscape,” filming all the way. We like the sound of it:

We will capture those musical interludes in life that don’t yet pop up on our televisions and computers everyday.  We will seek out those hard to reach places that great people are sitting in, but whom we may never see unless we go out and chronicle them within our Jam Van Journey. This project will show and promote the talents and lives of the artists that we meet, while simultaneously creating a story about life on the open road in America.

When we asked Jake Cotler, one of Jam in the Van’s founders, where they wanted to take the idea, he told us: “From the beginning, it’s evolved organically. Maybe we’ll become a record label, maybe a TV show, or maybe just a bunch of stories. The idea is to keep having fun.”

If you’re equally as intrigued, you can donate to their kickstarter project to help them make it happen. Check out the quality of Jam in the Band performances with this one from Family of the Year.

Related posts: erato’s a capella song with plastic container percussion
‘sugar plum fairy’ on a glass harp (water music)
how leonard cohen found his song
found instruments and seaweed scarves, via fast forward
insta-meditation: a history of the sky + moby

If you’ve found illumination, joy, or inspiration in this post, please consider supporting Improvised Life. It only takes a minute to make a secure donation that helps pay our many costs. A little goes a long way towards helping Improvised Life continue to live ad-free in the world.

Support Improvised Life ♥

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *