It was on a cruise ship in the Atlantic Ocean in the middle of the night, and The Bridge’s Cris Jacobs was jamming with some of his musical heroes.
It was a no rules, no direction, no-holds-barred jam session – and “it was awesome,” Jacobs said.
The Bridge was the final band to board the boat on Jam Cruise 6; they earned a spot on the festival on sails by fan vote. The jam session in question featured George Porter and Ian Neville of The Funky Meters and guitarist Steve Kimock. Jam Cruise sets up jam rooms which run until the wee hours of the night (or morning) on the ship, so the musicians aboard can play whenever they like and with whomever they like to a crowd of attendees. Jacobs also jammed with former Phish drummer Jon Fishman in the same room.
“The fact that we got voted on was amazing,” Jacobs said. “To feel like there’s that many people that are that into us that are ready to pick up the phone and vote for us. … The whole experience of Jam Cruise was absolutely insane.”
As for playing with his idols, Jacobs said it was an exercise in staying grounded.
“You try to just be humble and keep your focus when you get a situation like that,” he said.
Being the “Vote to the Boat” winners is a testament to the rising success of the Baltimore-based jam band. Jacobs’ soulful Southern vocals blend with Kenny Liner’s electric mandolin and Patrick Rainey’s saxophone to create a sound with elements of rock, bluegrass, jazz, funk and folk styles. And there’s also The Bridge’s secret weapon: Liner’s beat boxing.
Students have no excuse not to catch the band now before they get any bigger, as The Bridge will play in the local area four times this week. First up is a stop tonight at Santa Fe Café, an adopted second home for the band.
“Sometimes, I think, with the College Park crowd, it feels like a Bridge crowd – it doesn’t feel like a ‘happen to be in the bar’ crowd,” Jacobs said. “People seem to know us in College Park. They’re happy to see The Bridge. College Park is just as much a home feeling as anything else.”
On Wednesday, The Bridge returns to Baltimore for three nights in the building it might as well serve as co-signer for, The 8×10. The band has made the venue a literal second home, with residencies every summer and countless multi-night runs at the venue.
Jacobs said the band was able to foster such a close relationship with the club because the band was just starting as the club was being rebuilt. As the club opened, The Bridge proposed doing a residency at The 8×10 – playing every Wednesday night for a few months. The clubs owners liked the idea, and The Bridge has done about eight residencies, with another planned for this summer, Jacobs said.
“For us, it was great to have the club as our platform, and for them, it was great to have a band bringing some people into the door as they were just starting to bring some people into the door,” he said. “Plus … as a club, it’s one of the best clubs in the country. It’s an incredible place to see music. It brings out the best in us, without a doubt.”
As for this summer’s residency, Jacobs said he is unsure if the band will do the full two-and-a-half months it did last summer. However, he did say for fans to expect at least a month of solid performances. And perhaps Jacobs can’t promise any longer period of time because The Bridge is in the midst of its biggest growth yet – part of which comes from the band’s decision to sign with Hyena Records last year.
“We need all the help we can get,” Jacobs said. “For bands like us, it’s definitely valuable to have someone willing to put in the time and effort to promote [us].”
And Jacobs said he’s noticed Hyena’s efforts in the crowds at shows – he’s now seeing people who aren’t the “typical Bridge fan, whatever that is” – on the radio, as the band is now getting airplay on XM Radio’s country and roots stations and in booking gigs – The Bridge will play its first shows abroad this summer in the Netherlands, Germany and Switzerland.
“I don’t really know, I think they’ll love it,” Jacobs said of his expectations for audience reaction at those foreign shows. “I’ve heard – it’s definitely a generalization – but Europeans tend to be receptive of American music. It should be wild.”
But that doesn’t mean The Bridge is forgetting its roots. At its core, The Bridge will always be a Baltimore band.
“We definitely consider ourselves a Baltimore band, and we’re very proud of our Baltimore roots,” Jacobs said. “Baltimore is definitely home. We love the city; we love everything it’s done for us.
“I’ve said before that Baltimore is definitely one of the single biggest factors in the success of The Bridge,” he continued. “[The city] has been the fuel for our fire, starting out as a young band, and all the reception we’ve gotten from the people has kept us going.”
The Bridge performs at Santa Fe Café tonight at 10. The band also performs at The 8×10 in Baltimore Thursday through Saturday. Tickets are $7 online for Santa Fe, and $10 at the door and for The 8×10 shows.
rudi.greenberg@gmail.com
