LOVE IS THE TEMPLE: On The Ground At The Inaugural Suwannee Amp Jam [B.Getz on L4LM]
Photo: Jay Strausser
originally published on Live For Live Music
The ever-stunning Spirit of the Suwannee Music Park‘s latest soiree Suwannee Amp Jam went down Thursday, March 6th through Saturday, March 8th, providing a terrific throwback experience that left cups overflowing and fans feeling emotionally fulfilled. Already host to numerous festivals that run the gamut across genre and generation, this low-key, slower-paced, single-stage shindig showcased a smattering of Suwannee family.
The debut lineup leaned into nostalgia, boasting returning favorites Gov’t Mule, Lettuce, Dumpstaphunk, and Eddie Roberts & the Lucky Stokes, plus the all-star NOLA Jazz Fest collective Daze Between Band featuring John Scofield celebrating George Porter Jr. In addition to The Headhunters‘ first-ever appearance at the renowned venue, Amp Jam also inducted hot young talent into the SOSMP tribe, like Northeast phenom Eggy and Humboldt County, CA’s Diggin’ Dirt.
The inaugural gathering set an intention to turn back the clock to the halcyon days of trailblazing annual events once held on these sacred grounds. Amp Jam specifically recalls the Allman Brothers Band‘s landmark Wanee Festival, held in mid-April from 2005–2018. It also revisits the beloved Bear Creek Music & Arts Festival, a famous, oft-frigid funk Olympics that went down in mid-November from 2008–2014. With this intimate endeavor, Suwannee Amp Jam sought to reconnect with the treasured community, traditions, legacy musicians, and heritage native to these historic hoedowns in the swamp.
For years, fans had been loudly and persistently clamoring for precisely this kind of funky function to return to the Music Park. In the tailwind of an instant classic weekend in the woods, it’s safe to say: Mission Accomplished.
A sprawling 800-acre campground venue, Spirit of the Suwannee Music Park represents a relic of sorts, a mesic forest in native scrublands offering an ethereal festival experience immersed in the natural world. The enduring Suwannee River runs through it, along with a canoe outpost, a bat house, ornate tree houses, horse stables, and an antique chapel on the spring-fed Rees Lake, among other hidden gems and delightful detours.
The celestial crown jewel is the Amphitheater Stage, a majestic, tree-lined natural bowl with amazing acoustics, set amid turkey oaks and dogwoods, framed by towering pines dripping in Spanish moss. The brilliant organic beauty creates crucial shade and an intimate container; familiar faces cultivate a familial atmosphere with filial traditions passed down from onstage to the rage.
Festival co-producer Paul Levine (of Suwannee Amp Jam’s newly-formed parent company Funky Decisions), one of the visionaries behind Bear Creek and someone deeply connected to SOSMP, had this to say in the run-up to the event:
“Amp Jam pares it all down. We wanna give folks a chance to just focus on the music,” Levine said. “That’s what this is, a simple formula; great music, a great venue, all on one amazing stage. We are presenting artists that fans consider Suwannee family bands.”
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Even though prognosticators foretold rainstorms throughout the weekend, Amp Jam was blessed with mild weather and stayed mostly dry until Sunday morning. Festivities kicked off Thursday evening with a truncated schedule that began just before sunset with Orlando-based Shak Nasti, a longtime local Suwannee fave. NorCal sensation Diggin’ Dirt, an eight-piece syndicate who rocked Hulaween a couple years back, was next up and delivered the goods with vitality and verve.
Eddie Roberts & the Lucky Strokes followed, the virtuoso jazz-funk guitarist flanked by a rhythm section of Florida sisters Ashley (bass) and Taylor Galbraith (drums), plus Shelby Kemp (guitarist/vocalist) fronting the four-piece. They aggressively stirred a gumbo of greasy, bluesy boogie, searing tones of home perfectly suited for the boggy surrounds, and a far different flavor of soup than Roberts’ quarter-century of rare-groove stylings with The New Mastersounds (an annual mainstay at Bear Creek.) A Lucky Strokes highlight for this writer was their chuggin’ rendition of George Jones’ countrified classic “The Race Is On”.
Eggy might be new to this decidedly old-school Amp Jam scene but not necessarily to SOSMP, having lit up Hulaween twice—most recently a late-night slot at Spirit Lake in October 2024. These confident Connecticut lads rode a tidal wave of momentum into a pair of Amp Jam sets that featured strong original compositions and ambitious four-way jamming. Eggy’s Thursday headline included its lovely cover of “Searchlight”—a deep pull from seminal NE reggae heroes of John Brown’s Body, and a trek through Little Feat’s canonical “Time Loves A Hero” (which stealthily-segued into Eggy’s own “Wayless”). Later, the band welcomed guitarist Eddie Roberts for a little “Eggy Roberts,” dealing a rip-roaring romp through Paul McCartney’s 1980 solo bop “Coming Up”.
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Saturday provided beautiful, balmy North Florida early-spring weather, an opportunity to freely frolic around the soothing space and marvel at the organic wonder abound. With just one stage and a healthy intermission between performances, the pace was super-chill. This facilitated friends finding each other’s campsites and hangouts rather easily, allowing people to congregate, share stories, food, and “remember whens?” without having to hastily hustle from stage to stage. Saturday’s music began with another local SOSMP fave in The Legendary JC’s, a soulful Orlando crew that’s been doin’ its thing for 25 years.
Down a member from the night before, Diggin’ Dirt took another pass mid-afternoon and welcomed Lucky Stroke Shelby Kemp in the Suwannee sit-in tradition. Eggy’s second set was punctuated by an appearance from the venerable George Porter Jr., who strapped on the bass and unleashed his grisly vocal on “Sugaree”, the first time Eggy played the Jerry Garcia chestnut in almost five years.
Just before Lettuce was slated to blast off, a select group of dear friends hailing from all over the country gathered in front of the Amphitheater Stage to lovingly celebrate the dearly-departed Christopher Zegers, a dedicated funkster and Suwannee lifer who tragically passed away a couple of years ago. After his older brothers Harry and John scattered some of his ashes in Christopher’s favorite dance space, we all took a moment to fondly remember him, as well as a few other heavenly homies who are no longer here.
As the sun started to set amid the stately live oaks, Paul Levine dedicated the forthcoming frame to the late Carol Bloom, mother to Lettuce trumpet phenom Eric “Benny” Bloom, who sadly transitioned last month. With those heavy emotions hanging in the air, LETT took its collective Amp Stage throne and promptly uncorked a thoroughly cathartic 90-minute workout. Early on, the sextet expertly mashed up Cold Blood’s trusty “Ready to Live” with Nigel Hall singin’ the lyrics atop Fred Wesley’s “Drivin’ That Funky Soul”, the choice arrangement setting the tone for some serious business.
The band later enjoyed the first in a pair of Suwannee weekend reunions when jazz guitar icon John Scofield—the Miles Davis alum who drafted drummer Adam Deitch for his famed Uberjam project and also appears on Lettuce’s 2002 debut LP Outta Here—joined mid-set for an ever-rare LETT-SCO session. The marvelous reconnection began with a furious gallop through Sco and Deitch’s avant-garde, stutter-step drum-n-bass banger “Jungle Fiction” (2002).
Lettuce, John Scofield — “Jungle Fiction” — 3/7/25
[Video: FunkItBlog]
So many Suwannee fans had been waiting with bated breath for the return of Warren Haynes, who has performed at numerous Wanee Festivals with the Allmans, as well as Gov’t Mule—dating as far back as April 2003 precursor Suwannee Bound. Two decades-plus on down the number line, the inaugural Amp Jam provided Haynes an opportunity to deliver four phenomenal Gov’t Mule sets across two nights, with a star-studded assembly of guests throughout the weekend.
Gov’t Mule — Suwannee Amp Jam — Live Oak, FL — 3/7/25 — Set One
[Video: FunkCity.net]
Drummer Matt Abts took ill at the last minute, prompting the troubadour to tap Warren Haynes Band beatkeeper Terrence “Grease” Higgins to man the Mule kit, along with veteran keyboardist Danny Louis and new bassist Kevin Scott. First night Haynes highlights were vibrant and voluminous, like when Dumpstaphunk’s Ivan Neville stepped in for “Hattiesburg Hustle”, chased by a monster reading of Little Feat’s omnipresent “Spanish Moon” that welcomed a murderer’s row of Neville, George Porter Jr., Eggy guitarist Jake Brownstein, trombonists Jonathan Lloyd and Dumpstaphunk’s Alex Wasily, and the divine Jennifer Hartswick on trumpet. Old sparring partner John Scofield re-teamed with Warren for a delectable duel on “Dreams” (Allman Brothers Band), and naturally, a scintillating “Sco-Mule”.
Gov’t Mule, Ivan Neville, George Porter Jr., Jake Brownstein, Jennifer Hartswick, Alex Wasily, Jonathon Lloyd — “Spanish Moon” (Little Feat) — 3/7/25
[Video: MrGratefulme]
Dumpstaphunk was another of the badass Bear Creek host bands on-site for the Amp Jam kickoff, as it should be. The NOLA funk institution has had a rough year or so, with the passing of co-founder/bassist-vocalist Nick Daniels III last spring, then longtime stage manager/driver/homeboy Patrick Bell, aka Big Pat, died suddenly in September. Earlier this year, auxiliary vocalist/longtime collaborator Viv Hawkins was sidelined by a serious stroke. So it’s been heavy times for Ivan and Ian Neville, Tony Hall, and the rest of the Dumpsta band and fam. No better spot for these cats to grieve, grind it out, and throw it down proper than at their home away from home, the Spirit of Suwannee, where Dumpstaphunk is universally adored.
Assisted by a stalwart horn section of trombonist Wasily and Ashlin Parker (trumpet), as well as lead guitarist Ari Teitel (The Rumble), and Asheville-based brand-new backing vocalist Rebekah Todd, Dumpstaphunk dug deep and poured up a colossal closing set of Crescent City crunk serum. Opener “I Wish You Would” kicked down the door wavin’ heavy artillery; an early-frame “Deeper” took me back to the glory days of Bear Creek; Sly & the Family Stone’s “STAND” arrived right on time; Eric Krasno slid through for “Fire” (Jimi Hendrix); “No More Okey Doke” drove the funk freight train all the way to uptown New Orleans.
Dumpstaphunk — “Put It In The Dumpsta” — 3/7/25
[Video: FunkItBlog]
The South Florida future-prog wunderkinds of Electric Kif were first up on the final afternoon of Amp Jam, setting an intentionl tone and continuing their legacy of reliably anchoring solid programming at Suwannee. Backstage, we enjoyed a full-on crawfish boil, cuisine courtesy of the NOLA Crawfish King himself Chris “Shaggy” Davis, who blessed the bands, event staff, and some lucky VIP fans with authentic New Orleans grub.
After another set of Eddie Roberts & The Lucky Strokes, we were treated to the Suwannee debut of an iconic syndicate: The Headhunters. The current version of this pioneering project is led by two OGs: illustrious metronome Mike Clark on drums, and New Orleans-based percussionist Bill Summers, both of whom recorded/toured with founder Herbie Hancock & The Headhunters in the mid-’70s heyday.
Talented NOLA keyboardist on the come-up, Shea Pierre tickled the Fender Rhodes, manned the synths, and handled the Herbie role with respect and panache; the primordial Paul Jackson (RIP) basslines were no sweat for the great Chris Severin. A carousel of classics ensued, and soon The Headhunters were joined by guitarist Eric Krasno and trumpeter Eric “Benny” Bloom for an extended segment, dropping inescapable cuts “Chameleon”, “Watermelon Man”, and tapping into the dreamy serenity of “Butterfly”.
The Headhunters — Suwannee Amp Jam — Live Oak, FL — 3/8/25 — Partial Video
[Video: Chan Lipscomb]
In a move only he could pull off, Bear Creek mastermind Paul Levine dialed up NOLA Jazz Fest supergroup Daze Between Band for a very special occasion, a showcase celebrating the monumental career of The Meters bassist/co-founder George Porter Jr. The scene’s godfather and beloved living legend was feted like a veritable king, literally—crowned and comfortably seated on a plush throne in the center of the stage, rocking a purple ceremonial mantle (royal cloak), and wearing an expression equal parts shock and sh*t-eating grin.
A gang of friends and musical family would serenade George with a soundtrack sourced from songs in the key of his very own life. John Scofield, Ivan and Ian Neville, Eric Krasno, Tony Hall, Ryan Zoidis, Jennifer Hartswick, Ari Teitel, Rebekah Todd, Alex Wasily, Ashlin Parker, Eric “Benny” Bloom, Devin Trusclair, and Warren Haynes all came together to send up the great GPJ in a reverential concert brimming with admiration, respect, and unabashed love.
What began as a tribute to the funk-bass icon soon turned into his backing ensemble, as the man of the hour couldn’t resist the urge to join the fray and funk-ify more lives. The Daze Between Band setlist was meticulously curated, touching a wide swath of projects that George himself tracked bass parts on, including—but not limited to—“Street Parade” (Earl King), “Right Place, Wrong Time” (Dr. John), “Lady Marmalade” (Patti Labelle) with Hartswick and Todd soaring on vocals, “Yes We Can” (Allen Toussaint), “Sailin’ Shoes” (Little Feat), “Sneakin’ Sally Through the Alley” (Robert Palmer) with Warren Haynes, “Get Out of My Life, Woman” (Lee Dorsey) with John Scofield, and thundering stomps through George’s anthemic “Message From the Meters” and “You’ve Got to Change (You’ve Got to Reform)”.
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Somehow, Gov’t Mule had to follow that epic coronation, yet Warren corraled a mighty cavalcade to assure everybody that “the Spirit of Suwanee was upon us,” as he stated during the show. First set, Sco returned for a scorching “Hottentot” from A Go Go, his lauded 1997 collaboration with Medeski Martin & Wood. The back end of Mule’s fourth and final frame was an instant classic, beginning with a star-studded serving of Tower of Power’s “What Is Hip?” featuring Adam Deitch, Ashlin Parker, Ari Teitel, Jen Hartswick, and Jonathan Lloyd.
Hartswick stayed onboard, teaming with Rebekah Todd for a shimmy through “Shakedown Street”. To close the set, the sextet embarked on an ornate, 15-minute jaw-dropping reimagination of Steely Dan’s 1974 masterpiece “Pretzel Logic”, arranged almost as a suite, leaving your humble narrator flabbergasted in a rare bout of stunned silence.
When Warren, Danny, Kevin, and Grease retook the stage for a well-earned encore, it was so damn quiet at the Amp you could hear a pin drop, as the entire festival stood at rapturous attention. With a humble grace, Warren Haynes reached into the chest of every soul assembled, and dealt a Herculean dose of the most potent drug known to humankind, “the song.” After a brief intro based on “Les Brers In A Minor” in a nod to ABB hardcores, Haynes delivered his Testimony by way of U2’s “One”. The ubiquitous 1991 global smash is indelibly ingrained into the brains of millions, whether you love Bono & Co. or never even owned a dubbed cassette of Achtung Baby.
A massive tune with a simple message, a rallying cry for unity and understanding, an earnest call for empathy and forgiveness. With so few words, the lyrics invoke such a salient sentiment for this fractured, divisive moment in time. It was nothing short of surreal to be openly sobbing among a couple thousand Suwannee faithful, many of us holding firm in our wildly different convictions, singing at the top of our lungs in unison “Love is the Temple. Love is the Higher Law,” defiant declarations inspired by the Dalai Lama himself. The song is the great equalizer. On the sacred Suwannee mantle within my mind’s eye, this magical memory will forever live on the top shelf.
Gov’t Mule, Jennifer Hartswick, Rebekah Todd — “Pretzel Logic” (Steely Dan), “One” (U2) — 3/8/25
[Video: FunkCity.net]
Lettuce has cultivated a long-term relationship with Suwannee’s unicorn audience, specifically at the Amphitheater Stage. The band blessed two sets every year for seven Bear Creeks, later came transformational journeys at Purple Hatters Ball (2018), Suwannee Rising (2019), and Resonate Suwannee (2023), with a handful of Hulaween heaters taboot. I’ve been fortunate to experience the lion’s share of these mystical exchanges from the first few rows. Without question, Saturday’s festival-closing two-hour tour de force with special guest/co-founder Eric Krasno will go down in the annals of LETT’s storied Amp Stage glory.
One-hundred-twenty minutes spent blissfully floating through the Brrr Crick time machine, Lettuce turned back the clock like surgical sorcerers, a setlist sourced solely from the Krasno era (2001–2015), though often remixed or re-arranged in the modern-day modus operandi. From the swaggering “Reunion”, to freewheeling rarity “King of the Burgs”, these fellas were firing on all cylinders from Jumpstreet.
Just like old times, “Breakout” was performed with Kraz and Shmeeans’ dueling axes swimming skyward; a dubbed-out detour swerved to the classic segue into “Relax”. To some longtime devotees, the transition between these tunes was the unofficial theme to Bear Creek. To others, it’s Nigel crooning Curtis Mayfield‘s “We’re A Winner > Move On Up”, which was also wonderfully revisited, before the boys bolted from the leash and swiftly took off into some four-on-the-floor French House groove that somehow landed in CeCe Peniston‘s 90’s hit “Finally”.
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LETT’s groundbreaking, lysergic 2008 homage to J Dilla, “Mr. Yancey” embodies the embryonic dawn of the group’s psychedelic funk revolution, and is the specific slab of sound-art that—while feverishly dancing in this very same spot 16 years ago—made me pledge my unwavering allegiance to this band. With Krasno back on board for one more Saturday night, the pivotal track was taken for a long, strange trip through the Spirit of the Suwannee’s heart of darkness, moonlight mutating through subaqueous soundscapes, oscillating into outer space and tumbling back down to Earth. A fan favorite born across the way on the Porch Stage at Bear Creek 2011, the titanic bombast of “Madison Square” was detonated with catatonic force and reckless abandon; an ecstatic purge, triumphant apex, and brotherhood reaffirmed. Same as it ever was.
A deep bow of gratitude to Paul Levine and the good folks at Funky Decisions, the Spirit of Suwannee Music Park, and the staff and artists who together made the inaugural Suwannee Amp Jam come to phenomenal fruition. A fantastic voyage in the wayback machine, thank you for a real good time.
words: B.Getz
Huge Thanks to videographers Funk It Blog, & FunkCity.net
Photos: Jay Strausser
