JPG: Obviously, being in the Bridge is a much better place for you but with a background in the business world and music world, how do you compare them as far as what is more cutthroat?

CJ: (slight laugh) Good question. Business is cutthroat, man, and the music business is no exception. You’re dealing with different products and you’re dealing with different quantities of money and stuff like that. At the heart of it everybody’s trying to make a buck and few people are trying to do favors for anybody. With the music business you hope that there’s a little more integrity involved and it’s not as dog-eat-dog. (sighs) I’m afraid to say that’s not always the case. (slight laugh) It’s ‘What’s selling now, baby,’ know what I mean? As much as you need to know about that stuff sometimes it’s so depressing to think about it that I try to shut it out and try to keep playing some decent guitar, writing a few songs and hoping that it all works out. If I start thinking about marketing trends and who my target audience is it’ll make my fuckin’ head spin.

JPG: In the beginning or even now, do you for your own peace of mind stay completely away from contracts or with your background crunch some numbers and notice if something isn’t right?

CJ: As far as the mundane details, that’s why we hire managers and agents and people that we trust to do that. But, I’m definitely hands on. I wouldn’t say that I’m hands off at all. Kenny and I really take a lot interest in what’s going on and what the plans are and the strategies. As far as looking over every contract to make sure that all the ‘i’s are dotted and ‘t’s are crossed, I don’t do that. But, I do care about the Big Picture decisions that we’re making.

JPG: You mentioned earlier about target audiences, and as far as looking at the Big Picture, I think I can be sarcastic at this point with you and you’ll get it. When I read the West Virginia Gazette article where it talked about how the band’s grown and it’s time to lose the jamband label…

CJ: I was kind of annoyed by that. Sometimes you never know what these people are going to write. (slight laugh) You say one thing and, all of a sudden, it’s gets totally taken out of context. But anyway…

JPG: That’s where I was going to go, kind of why do you hate the jamband scene, Cris? (laughs)

CJ: (laughs) I certainly do not, John. Not at all. It’s been my music scene for a long time and I hope it continues to be. It’s unfortunate that people don’t quite understand what it is, and people outside of it don’t even realize. They hear that word and it’s like a stigma. It’s like this word that immediately shuts people down. There are so many of these indie rags and these weekly newspapers that think we’re a jamband, and they’re run by a bunch of people who like indie rock and a bunch of hipsters who say, ‘Oh yeah, this noodly jamband,’ when, obviously, they haven’t listened. They think that everything ‘jamband’ sounds like Phish or just a bunch of wankering jamming. And that’s obviously not the case. To me the jamband scene is people that appreciate music that is not commercial cookie cutter stuff, that spans the gamut from bluegrass to jazz to rock to funk. And it’s improvisational, and evolving and always changing and exciting. It’s certainly something that I’m not giving up.

What I would like to see happen is for all these labels to disappear because they prevent people from appreciating music for what it is. Someone hands you a CD, ‘It’s this up-and-coming jamband.’ Instantly, your brain goes to these inhibitions and preconceptions, where it’s like, ‘I don’t want to listen to this damn thing.’ Losing the jamband label…I’d like to lose all labels to be honest with you. I’d like it to be that people could listen to music for what it is at face value and make their own decisions without having to group it into some sort of category that they think it’s supposed to be in. When they hear that this band is a jamband they immediately get turned off without giving it a chance. In that regard I wouldn’t mind losing that, but that’s nobody in the jamband scene’s fault. It’s one of the most appreciative audiences out there. They’re always looking for something new and exciting and always ready to have their faces melted. (laughs)

JPG: Being in the middle of it all, and seeing the festival lineups at Bonnaroo, Wakarusa, All Good, Hangout…maybe years ago, there was more of a distinct definition of jambands, bands that jam. But now, when you look at who’s playing these festivals and then who went there as well as to one of your shows or a Phish show or a Beck show or a Bassnectar show. To me it’s an open mind as the musical definition and it’s just amazing that there’s still that perception of it all.

CJ: Absolutely. Stereotypes…it needs changed because there’s a lot of music out there that people aren’t appreciating. The same goes with, I could probably say that there are jamband kids out there that hear a band and go, ‘Oh, they’re emo,’ or ‘Oh, they’re indie rock,’ and that immediately closes your mind off to certain possibilities. It’s the same.

JPG: Speaking of All Good, I was there when you did the jam with Mike Gordon. Then, you toured with him shortly afterwards. Is there anything you can relate that you learned by touring with him?

CJ: One thing I definitely appreciate about Mike after getting to know him pretty well personally and as a band was watching him, at his stage in his career you’d think that he might not feel like he had anything to prove anymore, that he’s, basically, conquered a lot of things. He still seemed to have such a childlike curiosity and willingness to go outside the box and improvise and make things different every night. We did, maybe, seven shows with him and they were all completely different. And every soundcheck he would have some new idea that he just thought of and lay it on the band. It was really inspiring to see that a guy at that level was still into the art.

JPG: Right now, when I look at your tour schedule I don’t see a lot of festival dates on there. I imagine that will chance in the next several months.

CJ: They’re coming in. Certain things are still in the works. We’re certainly trying to go for the festivals. We’re not distancing ourselves. West Virginia Gazette quotes aside, we’re not alienating ourselves from the jamband scene. That would be foolish.

JPG: By the way how many times have you been to All Good?

CJ: About seven, I think. We’ve been very lucky. Tim Walther has been a great friend and supporter of the band since our up-and-coming days back when we were getting 50 bucks to open up for people. We have a great relationship with Tim.

JPG: You’ve played festivals, headlined your own shows, did Jam Cruise, what has been the best thing that’s boosted your profile?

CJ: It all helps. This latest record with Steve Berlin it’s certainly a nice addition to the story. The All Good Festival I would point to as a huge boost to our notoriety. People are always coming up to us throughout the year at all the club shows we play, ‘I was at All Good…,’ and the festivals, in general. We’re still trying to play as many of those festivals as we can. It’s such a great place to play in front of huge crowds. We enjoy it all. The club shows help the festivals which help the club shows. It’s a cycle. It all counts.

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