People say, “Joe Pete, what is this Roots Rock Jams that you speak of?”
To which I say, it’s a description of the music that I play. It’s my genre. To my knowledge I’m the sole purveyor of Roots Rock Jams.
Read more: What is Roots Rock JamsIt’s “Roots” as in the roots of rock ‘n’ roll. That means blues, country, rockabilly, folk, the early rock ‘n’ roll. It also means Louisiana music as in Cajun, zydeco, and New Orleans rhythm ‘n’ blues.
“Rock” as in it’s all rock ‘n’ roll to me. In addition to 1950s rock ‘n’ roll it also means 1960s and ’70s rock ‘n’ roll. It can be more current than that too, but ’50s–’70s are the main eras that I cover.
“Jams” means jamming, as in the Grateful Dead, or Jimi Hendrix, or the Allman Brothers, or Cream. Or other things like that. It can mean that things or loose, or things can be very tight and arranged but really hitting it right. I don’t sound like the MC5—that’d be cool—but we do kick out the jams.
Some people tell me I need a genre. But I play across genres. I feel that it’s done in a way that my style, sound, and approach tie it together and unify it. So that’s why I came up with the term Roots Rock Jams. Now I have a genre.
Not only am I president, but I’m a member too.