WEBVTT

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What's up Jam Family and welcome to Season 2

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of Shecky's Jam Bands. Yes, we're back. Yes,

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the ears are refreshed and yes, the holiday break

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was used exactly as intended. Standing in theaters,

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nodding aggressively to jams and pretending we're

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just going to listen to one song at 1 30 a .m.

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Over the break, I caught a few really cool bands

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that absolutely crushed it. First up, Pigeons

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Playing Ping Pong, and actually I saw them twice,

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at the legendary Capitol Theater in Port Chester,

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New York. Night one was Pigeons with Spafford

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opening up. Night two was Pigeons with Great

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Blue opening. All three bands absolutely crushed

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it. No survivors. If you've listened to season

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one, You know I already reviewed Pigeons and

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Spafford. And don't worry, Great Blue is getting

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their own episode later this season. I promise.

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I would never tease a Jam Band review and not

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deliver. And quick shout out to Round Trip who

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were playing in the bar area at the cap before

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Spafford even hit the stage. You know a venue

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is special. when you walk to grab a beer and

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accidentally stumble into a full -blown jam set.

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We'll hit Road Trip later this season too. And

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actually at a couple of holiday parties and New

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Year's Eve, and actually I attended a wedding

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as well, the conversation seems to be all about

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jam bands. In fact, when I saw Pigeons one of

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the nights, a friend of mine and his daughter

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was there as well. We didn't we didn't get to

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see each other, but just a coincidence that we

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were there at the same time All right Season

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two is officially rolling. Let's talk about today's

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band Today we're digging into neighbor a band

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that somehow manages to be deep thoughtful face

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-melting and still Feels like they help you move

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a couch neighbor formed in Boston Which tracks?

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Because Boston is basically a lab for musicians

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who can really play but refuse to brag about

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it. The band formed around guitarist and singer

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Richard James, goes by R .J., whose songwriting

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leans emotional and reflective. And don't worry,

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this is not a stare at your shoes for 90 minutes

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situation. These songs go places. didn't sit

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down and say, let's start a jam band. They said,

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let's write songs that we actually care about

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and then see what happens if we stretch them

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until time stops. And honestly, that was a solid

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plan. Alright, let's start with the name Neighbor.

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The name Neighbor says a lot without trying too

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hard. It's about community, it's about connection,

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it's about music that feels welcoming until suddenly

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You're 10 minutes into a jam wondering why your

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face feels slightly rearranged. Neighbor feels

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like the band next door. If the band next door

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had incredible dynamic control and the drummer

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who can read minds. Some key songs you should

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start with if you're not familiar with Neighbor.

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Lonely Rider. This one feels like driving at

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night with the windows down. even if you're actually

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still standing in your kitchen, pretending not

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to look at your phone. Strong melody, emotional

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pull, and a jam that sneaks up on you instead

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of kicking the door down. Classic neighbor move.

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Second one is I Saw You, a fan favorite with

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real heart. This song lives in that sweet spot

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between thoughtful songwriting and jam band liftoff.

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Live, it stretches beautifully. one of those

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tracks where the crowd leans in first, then loses

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its mind later. Lastly, you should check out

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Mighty Apple Tree, Ah Yes, The Slow Grower. This

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song builds patiently, like it knows exactly

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where it's going, and doesn't care if you're

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ready yet. When it finally blooms, it's deeply

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satisfying, a perfect example of Neighbors' trust

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and process philosophy. Okay, where does neighbors

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separate themselves. Here's the thing. Neighbor

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jams are conversations, not competitions. Nobody's

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trying to win most notes played per minute. Nobody's

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stepping on each other. Everyone's listening.

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What matters is that their jams stand out. Slow

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intentional builds, emotional peaks instead of

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constant fireworks, master level restraint, which

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is rare and beautiful. You'll hear jams where

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the groove settles in for minutes before anyone

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solos. The band drops down to almost nothing,

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then rebuilds together. RJ's guitar lines feel

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conversational, like he's telling a story, not

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flexing. These are the jams where halfway through

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you look around and realize, oh wow, everyone

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is locked in right now. Phones down, heads nodding,

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and that one guy whispering, This is sick, to

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no one in particular. Alright, some fun neighbor

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facts that you can casually drop at shows. strong

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arcs, and yes, deep second sets. Neighbor is

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a band for people who like jams with intention,

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appreciate musicians who know when not to play,

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want songs and exploration, not one without the

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other. They won't blow your mind in the first

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30 seconds. They'll do it over the course of

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a set, and you'll thank them for it. If you've

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seen Neighbor Live, you already know. If you

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haven't, Go fix that. This is Shecky's Jam Bands

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Season 2. Like, subscribe, tell a friend, and

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support live music. We'll catch you next time,

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somewhere deep in a patient, beautifully unfolding

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jam.