I Heart Jam Cruise

Could there possibly be a better vacation than being on a boat full of fun-loving hippies and rock stars visiting tropical locations? This was my third Jam Cruise and it has gotten so much better every year! This time around we stopped by the Turks & Caicos Islands and Cayo Levantado with the Derek Trucks Band, Umphrey's McGee, Galactic, the Greyboy Allstars, Garage a Benevento, Burning Spear, the Dirty Dozen Brass Band, Railroad Earth, Deep Banana Blackout, Perpetual Groove, Los Amigos Invisibles, Ivan Neville's Dumpstafunk, ALO, Hot Buttered Rum, New Mastersounds, the Stanton Moore Trio, Luther Dickinson, JJ Grey, Eric Krasno, George Porter Jr., Oteil Burbridge, Tea Leaf Green, and Jeff Austin.

Here's my Jam Cruise 5 Top Ten:

10. Spending days on the Pool Deck. The last two Jam Cruises had two or three stages going all day long, so we were always bouncing around. This year the only music during the day was on the pool deck, so our two days at sea were spent lounging and sun bathing, being shmoozed by presidential candidates, listening to great music, and people watching. I loved every second of it.

9. This conversation~
me: I never thought I'd be in Turks & Caicos, on a horse on a beach next to Eric Krasno.
Eric Krasno: What's your name?
me: Jessica.
Eric Krasno: I never thought I'd be on a horse on a beach next to Jessica.

8. Cayo Levantado, a private island off the Dominican Republic, was the gorgeous, lush, warm, sunny tropical paradise I've always wanted to visit. We Jam Cruisers had it all to ourselves, complete with a set by Hot Buttered Rum. Heaven.

7. JJ Grey, Luther Dickinson, and Stanton Moore playing a great set of southern rock together. Not to mention the eye candy.

6. New Mastersounds are my favorite find from the line-up. So funky!

5. The sit-ins! Its so amazing to have so many musicians in such a confined space. I couldn't begin to list them all, but here are a few of my faves. Karl D. with New Mastersounds. Susan Tedeschi and Oteil Burbridge with the Derek Trucks Band. Eric Krasno with Dumpstafunk rocking James Brown's Super Bad. Jeff Austin playing Waiting for Jaden with ALO. George Porter Jr. with the Stanton Moore Trio.

4. Galactic's set on the last night put me into a rock coma! Wow!

3. 1:00 a.m. on the Pool Deck. Diet Coke in my hand. Refreshing ocean breeze on my face. Perpetual Groove on stage. Life does not get better than this.

2. Galactic on the Pool Deck on night 2 with Mike D. on percussion, JJ Grey on vocals, Karl Denson and Robert Walter, Skerik, an amazing Kashmir cover right as it started to rain, Ivan Neville, George Porter Jr., and members of the Dirty Dozen Brass Band. Seriously, I love Jam Cruise.

1. Garage a Benevento on the Pool Deck. This set was like the epitome of why I love live music so much. The music itself is kind of crazy, I don't really know how to describe it. But watching it happen - the chemistry among Mike D., Stanton, Skerik, and Marco Benevento - is so amazing! You know they're making it up as they go from the way they're communicating with their facial expressions, but you can't really believe it. I can't even explain it. All I can say is, if you ever have a chance to see these four play together, DO NOT MISS IT!

Check out my pictures!