In A Jam, Down By the River Day 1

Twinkle lights & swaying pieces of fabric draping over old river trees greeted festival goers for 2024's In A Jam, Down by the River. Night one of the three day event was a jump into the deep end, splashing us with heavy bass notes & floating vocals.

I arrived late to the party; the sun had set & the main stage carried songwriter songs across the night time air. A super full moon illuminated the sky, much appreciated in the absolute darkness of the New Braunfels Mountain Breeze camp.

The first band I caught was Ghost Dance Band. When I think of In A Jam, I think slow songs by the water-- but Ghost Dance was so much more. A mixture of grunge punk meets the Red Dirt energy of Reckless Kelly. It took most of my willpower not to scream "OPEN UP THE PIT!" while fans actually did head bang.

Another standout performance were the Reed Brothers. Something about blood harmonies elevates vocals to another level. Between the brothers, they equally led their full band set as front man. One sang dirty, gritty blues while the other kept the grass dance floor hot for two-steppers. The brothers were a mix of Fleetwood Mac meets Cory Morrow with a touch of Mississippi Fred McDowell. Overheard were the many "wow, they're so good" & "THAT'S FUNKY!" proclamations.

Taking over the intimate river stage was John Cico. This soft, secluded stage was blanketed in fabric streamers, setting the scene for a beautiful & spiritual end of the evening. I've caught Cico before at the Texas Tribute Showcase in Hico, but this was a more impactful show for his songwriting. He sang acoustic ballads of Yuletide (not to be confused with Christmas time) hardships, momma's worried love, & being the man a farmer's wife wishes he was. His sharp picking & old western storytelling kept the listeners at the edge of their picnic table seats, desperately hanging on every word.

Closing out the scheduled performances for the evening were the Sunday School Sinners, a hearty duo out of Lampasas accompanied by cajon & impromptu lead guitar by Landon Hoffman. Singer/Songwriters Joel & Promise swapped singing tunes, happy little ballads reminiscent of Shakey Graves or Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros. Promise has the vocal personification of a dandelion floating on a soft autumn breeze, & I don't know how to better explain than you just have to hear it live. The duo left the crowd aching for more of her light & airy serenading.

After the official festivities closed out, the party shifted to the festival sanctioned campfire circle. Everyone who had just played the main stages & ticketed visitors alike sat around a healthy fire, picking tunes from Roger Miller to Fred Eaglesmith. I personally stayed in that circle until 7:30 in the morning (RIP to me today!)

Day 2 of In A Jam is turning out to be a cozy little afternoon. Hear more about it TOMORROW when I post the next day's review-- But as for me, I'm just excited to sob to John Fullbright tonight. Keep up with us live on our Instagram or Facebook stories.