Mountain Jam, the Upstate New York–based music festival founded in 2005, teased a new (old) direction for its curation next year by posting a picture of a deconstructed peanut butter and jelly sandwich and captioning it, “We like our PB&J with lots of Jam. How ’bout you?” along with the hashtag #backtothejam.

Mountain Jam, which takes place on Hunter Mountain in New York, has strayed somewhat from its jamband and roots-music foundations in the past couple of years. Founded in 2005 by Warren Haynes and Gary Chetkof, the festival originally hosted an array of jamband-leaning acts like Haynes’s Gov’t Mule and the Allman Brothers Band (whose song “Mountain Jam” gives the festival its name), Medeski Martin & Wood, Phil Lesh & Friends, Umphrey’s McGee, Widespread Panic, Benevento/Russo Duo, Mike Gordon, Tedeschi Trucks Band and more.

2017 was the first year that Haynes was not involved with the festival, and this past year Mountain Jam was headlined by Sturgill Simpson, alt-J and Jack Johnson, and featured few bigger name groups that would usually be classified as jamband or roots acts, to the chagrin of many longtime fans.

Without any specifics, Mountain Jam organizers have apparently at least heard their fans’ opposition to the recent shift in lineup curation and will do what they can to get “back to the jam” next time around. The festival’s new lineup announcement is expected in early 2019.

 

(h/t Live For Live Music)