KRB and TRCE

On a mid-July evening during the latest in a seemingly endless string of 90+ degree days, a pair of rising Philly-based jambands shared the bill at the iconic John & Peter’s for an evening of improvisational goodness. First up was The Reality Check Experiment, a formidable four-piece you’ve probably seen on social media, where they’re extremely active. The band is known for hosting weekly Zapp Tests: fully-produced live music performances and multitrack recording sessions, and they were excited to bring that energy to the legendary stage where countless members of the extended Ween family cut their teeth decades prior. (After hearing them soundcheck “A Tear for Eddie,” it was clear they meant business.)

Earlier that day, the band released their self-titled debut studio LP and went on to play a set that didn’t contain a single tune from it. The band kicked in with a tune ostensibly entitled “Breaking,” though it was immediately unclear what was written and what was improvised. (This was true for much of their set.) Guitarist Josh Victor immediately put his Strat to work, running a series of analog effects through his Mesa/Boogie to coax saturated leads perfectly in step with Quinn Shamberger’s keyboard work. (He put his new Moog to work throughout the entire set, and it sounded sublime.) Put plainly, these guys really listened to each other: drummer Martin Blazik (shirtless, natch) and bassist Matt Pantos – his other bass is a guitar – completely locked in, but any member of the quarter was as likely as any other to drive the jam on a moment’s notice. Shamberger led a downshift in the jam, which Victor complemented with Boomerang work. (They both also had BOSS loopers and put them to good use.) Blazik picked the jam back up and brought it to the peak, and that was consistent with how the rest of the set played out: at times playing solid, Gizz-like riff rock, at times driving into no man’s land as they composed on the spot and never seemed to get lost as they did so. Towards the end of the set, they delivered a spot-on rendition of Ween’s “Spinal Mengingitis (Got Me Down),” which bled into a cover of “Billie Jean,” including a JEMP-esque vocal jam, before closing with “Sambaba,” another original. The Reality Check Experiment is the rising jam band to watch in 2027.

After a setbreak interlude of Ernest Ranglin – the calling card of soundman extraordinaire, Fred Moore – Kevin Rovner Band took the stage. Kevin leads the Invitational, a weekly J&Ps jam whose storied history includes Dean Ween and Kidd Funkadelic, and the hometown favorite treated the crowd to a set of original music, or original interpretations of existing music, that seem to evolve by leaps and bounds with each show. They opened the set with a Booker T. and the MG’s cover, “Melting Pot,” which they’ve made their own after years of playing it. Drummer Tyler Chiara’s drums felt and sounded fantastic, and guitarist Donald McGrath’s entire ethos – from ensemble to playing – channeled a cool ‘70s rock vibe: half the time, it doesn’t even sound like he’s playing a guitar. When he wasn’t singing, Kevin Rovner sure made his Suhr soar (sorry/not sorry), as Steve Amato held down the low end, as he’s been doing in bands with Rovner since they were kids. They played through a series of originals penned by both Rovner and Chiara, as Rovner’s wife, Calla Bere, brought powerful vocals – and remarkable good tambourine skills (seriously!) – to much of the set, periodically bringing adorable husband-and-wife vibes to the show. Chiara’s originals lean more…well, original…including songs about pigs (“Sweet Meat” and “Wake Up Piglet”) and even Star Wars lore. (You haven’t lived until you’ve heard KRB tear up “Jammin’ With the Rebo Band.”) While John & Peter’s isn’t necessarily the phriendliest venue in town, they brought the house down with an uptempo “Tweezer” – completely transformed by way of Bere’s tambo – into 2001. They closed the set with “Sputter,” the best-penned original of the set, before returning for an emphatic encore of Rage’s “Killing in the Name,” into Tweeprise, into a mashup of the two. (“Fuck you, I won’t do what you tell me…won’t do what you tell me…won’t do what you tell me…”) You had to be there, but it was epic. KRB is recording their debut LP, which is sure to be phenomenal.

It’s shows like this that give me faith in the current state of the Philly jamband scene, and I’m excited to see what’s in store, both for KRB and TRCE.