Stampen Blues Jam


EVERY SATURDAY AFTERNOON 14-19, FREE ENTRY!

Come join us at the Saturday Blues Jam at Stampen on Saturday afternoons, where for the past 20 years, our growing and faithful audiences have been treated to some outstanding weekly performances by a host of musicians – ranging from young amateurs to seasoned professionals, local and foreign – who turn up to create live, spontaneous, instant onstage compositions. Almost anything can happen, as musicians of backgrounds interpret the Blues through the lenses their own genres: funk, jazzy soul, down home Chicago, delta, country or heavy metal. Sometimes, it feels like a miracle that the organized chaos holds together at all, and other times, the music simply takes control and flows so freely that it’s hard to believe it was all improvised!

Our Saturday blues jam is hosted by Derek January, Tommy “BigT” Moberg, Urban “Ubbe” Hed, Per Olof “PEO” Sjöström, Edvin Öström and Hannes Mellberg – all of them familiar faces in the Swedish blues scene!

How it works


Want to join us? Vocalist or instrumentalist, you’re more than welcome! Let’s make some music together! Bring your own instrument and talk to one of the hosts, Bill or Derek – in between songs and not while they are performing! See below “HOW IT WORKS” on how to get the most out of the jam session as a guest artist.

  • At 14:00, the jam session begins with performances by the house band.
  • Guest performers should wait within the “bull pit” area by the side of the stage – preferably from early on.
  • When convenient, the jam-session hosts, Bill or Derek, will approach guest performers in the pit about potential songs to play and possible time slots for their performance.
  • Guest performers must clearly communicate their name, instrument and intentions to join the jam session to Bill, Derek or the other house band members.
  • Instruments should be in tune, with straps and cables attached, ready for a quick plug-and-play once onstage. (Don’t forget your guitar picks!)
  • No excessive pedals or devices that require power supplies may be used.
  • No guest performers may enter the stage unless invited.
  • Bill or Derek will personally announce the next guest performer – who should be on standby in the “bull pit,” ready to climb on stage.
  • First-time guests will be invited to perform a minimum of one song, or more, depending on their level of musicianship and compatibility.
  • Guest performers may not be called up on a first-come first-served basis – the hosts will organize performance slots in accordance with who else is available, who can lead a song, the level of expertise and compatibility, and the presence of any prioritized special guest artists.
  • Sometime after 17:00, a selection of the best players and special guests will be assembled for a grand finale.

The Saturday Blues Jam has been featuring some 20 to 30 guests per week for nearly two decades. Due to its spontaneous nature, participants may find some weeks more satisfying than others. We endeavor to accommodate as many guest musicians as possible, but on busy weeks, performers may be asked to make an occasional sacrifice, by playing a little less so as to make room for others. There is always a next time! It’s not how much time you get on stage, but what you do with it that counts.

The Saturday Blues Jam prioritizes quality over quantity. This is not only best for our audiences, but has proven to be most conducive to the growth of our guest musicians, many of whom started out with us as beginners and, with regular informal onstage mentoring at the Saturday Blues Jam, have turned into some fine full-fledged professionals.

WELCOME! LET’S HAVE SOME FUN!

 

Disclaimer:
The hosts of the Saturday Blues Jam reserve the right to turn away musicians who:

  • do not bring their own instruments
  • are deemed to be too intoxicated to offer a quality performance
  • are unavailable or unresponsive when their name is announced