Review by: Tom Bogus
New England Concert Reviews just got back from NAMM we were honored to be invited and to be able to cover NAMM Jam 2014.
For the past five years, NAMM Jam has been one of the top shows to see of the NAMM Show in Anaheim, Calif. NAMM Jam is not your normal concert. It is a concert played by musicians, for musicians and people within the realm of the music industry. NAMM Jam 2014 is an invitation-only event held at the Grove of Anaheim. The lineup this year was Jake Allen, Guthrie Govan & the Aristocrats, Periphery and Jake E. Lee’s Red Dragon Cartel.
Things started off with a very impressive acoustic set by Jake Allen who was a late add to the bill. Jake Allen is a 24 year old ethereal rock/fingerstyle guitar musician, originally from Northern Michigan. I was completely blown away by his rendition of the Beatles song Eleanor Rigby. The fact that he alone started off the event with just an acoustic guitar and his voice says a lot about his talents.
Following Jake Allen’s performance was Guthrie Govan & the Aristocrats. The Aristocrats have been named a “Supergroup”. Guitarist Guthrie Govan, bassist Bryan Beller, and drummer Marco Minnemann all have impressive resume’s. The trio’s set was extremely tight. Their music represents their respective influences ranging from 70s fusion, to progressive, to groove metal and instrumental rock.
Next up was Periphery. Periphery is a progressive metal band from Maryland that is known for there heavy progressive sound mixed with great melodies. They performed an all instrumental set which was not only impressive, but incredibly heavy.
After a Motorhead themed fashion show created by Johnny Coffin, it was time for Red Dragon Cartel. The band consists of guitarist Jake E. Lee, bassist Ronnie Mancuso, drummer Jonas Fairley and vocalist D.J. Smith. Jake and the guys took to the stage and opened with the classic song “The Ultimate Sin” from Jake’s Ozzy years. The band continued on full of life and energy as they perform songs off their debut cd as well as old Badlands and Ozzy songs. The whole set consisted of 11 songs and 1 encore which was “Bark at the Moon”. The band sounded great and Jake E. Lee’s guitar playing was over the top, which is what he is known for. The whole night was great and filled with very talented musicians. I’m glad I did not miss this one.
A special thanks to Delve Texas Productions for putting this event together.
Guthrie Govan & The Aristocrats
Periphery
Red Dragon Cartel