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: Roots Rock JamsIt’s “Roots” as in the roots of rock ‘n’ roll. That means blues, country, rockabilly, folk, and 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, Jimi Hendrix, the Allman Brothers, or Cream. Or any of many other things like that. It can mean that things are loose, or that things are 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.
Sometimes people say I need a genre. But I play across genres, so what to do? Make up my own genre, that’s what. My style, sound, and approach tie the various styles/genres together, I think, and unify it into a consistent sound that ties together. Roots Rock Jams. Now I have a genre.
Not only am I president, but I’m a member too.