Let the Weeping and Gnashing of Teeth Begin! (Jam Cruise Schedule Edition)

Let the Weeping and Gnashing of Teeth Begin! (Jam Cruise Schedule Edition)

The schedule for Jam Cruise 21 has been out for a while. No doubt you’ve perused it a time or three. As usual, it is absolutely slammed with music: 52 bands and performers plus eight special guests and 13 Masters Camp At Sea mentors. Most of the bands perform twice, and there are seven stages (eight if you count The Spot, and you’d better!) plus the Galaxy Disco. 

There is a lot of overlap, sometimes with four stages active simultaneously. You’re checking for all of your favorites, of course, but PLEASE make time and space for bands you don’t know about or ones you’ve only heard about, especially if somebody drops a big hint (last year’s hint for me was Diggin Dirt!).

So what do you do if two or, heaven forfend, three bands you want to see are playing at the same time? I’ve tried cloning myself, but I have been assured that one of me is more than enough. You can just pick one set, or you can decide to split your time between venues. There is no perfect system. You just have to decide what works best for you.

If you do decide to get in your 10,000 steps every day, just make sure you take care of your feet. By the time Monday and Tuesday roll around, your feet will sing your praises.

For Jam Cruise virgins: the stages.

The main stages are the Pool Deck, The Pantheon Theater, The Black & White Lounge (which doubles late-night as the Jam Room), and The Atrium. There are also three sets on the Brews at Sea stage at the opposite end of the Pool Deck stage. There are several daytime sets at the Garden Deck Pool and a few in the Golden Jazz Bar, plus nightly 2 a.m. sets at Galaxy Disco. AND **THE SPOT**!

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 14 *** Valentine’s Day

The Sweetheart Sail-Away Toast leads to the opening set on the Pool Deck with Karl Denson’s Tiny Universe. Denson is the only performer other than Galactic who has been on EVERY jam Cruise! What a great way to sail away with 3000 of your besties!

Right away, Pigeons Playing Ping Pong and The Psychodelics have major overlap. Later, toward the end of the set by STS9, Lettuce, Ernie Johnson From Detroit (winners of Vote to the Boat), and Club d’Elf all collide. And Pink Talking Fish have a slight head start before three sets kick in at 2 a.m.: Tank and the Bangas, Alex Wasily in the Jam Room, and DJ Brownie in Galaxy Disco.

Jeremy Kaplan and Erik Yates are all in the mix as well.

Choose wisely, Grasshopper!

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 15

Saturday’s Day at Sea is filled to overflowing with music, including Hot Buttered Rum, Polyrhythmics, ALO, and The Nth Power all on the Pool Deck before the sun goes down. Same goes for Cris Jacobs and Brock Butler at the Garden Pool.

Queen Kanika Moore’s Atrium set with friends and Eric Benny Bloom’s Golden Jazz Lounge set (and standup comedy show) promise pure magic. 

Things get truly tangled after lespecial perform. You may not know yet about Mildlife, the Australian quartet who crushed their Suwannee Hulaween set, but we guarantee you will! They’re up against the Snarky Puppy juggernaut. STS9 are in the middle, and suddenly, creating wrenching decision, you have Andy Frasco & The U.N. versus BERTHA (Grateful Drag)! 

March Fourth get a brief period alone before Dogs in a Pile, George Porter Jr. in the Jam Room, and Mark Farina pile on. (And The Spot, of course!)

SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 16

After a day in Cozumel, we file back on board (or wake up from a loooong nap) to be greeted by the amazing Dragon Smoke and Zach Gill. Karl D is back for more, and we are wondering about Summer Zen [Thanks to Denise DeRossett for her help here: Steve Kimock, George Porter Jr., Robert Walter, Lebo, and John Morgan Kimock].  Southern Avenue and The Sweet Lillies overlap, too.

Then, BOOM! Reigning champs Galactic with Jelly Joseph up against the Prince/Bowie set. Definitely working on that cloning routine. Club d’Elf is in that battle as well. Then Sneezy square off with The Psychodelics.

And, for the evening’s final Battle Royale, Lettuce, Thievery Corporation, Shawn Eckels in the Jam Room (fasten them seatbelts), and DJ Brownie back for more.

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 17

Have a Belize day, then get ready for another amazing night. Tank and the Bangas and March Fourth are up early, plus Ricky James and more Hot Buttered Rum. The overlaps this day are less severe (at least until 11 p.m.). BERTHA are back for another set, then ALO and Polyrhythmics. 

Scott’s rules: NEVER miss Skerik. He has a Golden Jazz Lounge set. And my usual lack of interest in EDM does not apply to LP Giobbi, who will be spinning Dead House on the Pool Deck.

Toward the end of her set, the overlapping gets tough, with Snarky Puppy again, Pink Talking Fish, and lespecial. Tikyra Jackson of Southern Avenue has the Jam Room and Mark Farina spins in the disco, but DAMN! Mildlife AND Andy Frasco & The U.N. head to head? Ouch!

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 18

One more day at sea. We will explore the Masters Camp at Sea program in depth soon — such an amazing opportunity for the participants and the mentors!

The Pool Deck fills up with Sneezy, Neville Jacobs, and Southern Avenue, while the Garden Pool splashes with Nick Cassarino of The Nth Power and Lebo. The much-anticipated Everyone Orchestra will once again fill the Pantheon Theater with hope and joy — thanks, Matt Butler! Summer Zen, Ernie Johnson From Detroit, and River Eckert fill the next time slot. Speaking of much-anticipated, the coveted Super Jam set belongs to Ms. Kanika Moore. Enough said. 

It gets stacked up again with Thievery Corporation and Dogs in a Pile up against The Nth Power’s Earth Wind & Power set (IYKYK). Finally, Allie Kral gets a few minutes on her own in the Pickin’ Lounge before Pigeons Playing Ping Pong splatter the Pool Deck, Sammi Garett of Cool Cool Cool hosts the Jam Room, and Galactic, as always, have the last word in the theater, this time with the one and only Chali 2na!

Not enough? LP Giobbi has one more Dead House set at Galaxy Disco.

AND DON’T FORGET THE SPOT!

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 19

Whaddyamean we gotta get off the boat?

Y.M.M.V.* Read the schedule carefully, and have an amazing time with great music and great friends making great memories.

Whaddyamean you’re not packed yet?

*Your Mileage May Vary