Jonathan Shank's Podcast 'The Jam' Connects the Dead to a New Audience: 'We're Living in a Golden Age'

Few Millennials can boast that they saw the late Jerry Garcia live in concert, and yet no generation of jam band fans has benefited from the success and companionship of bands like The Grateful Dead since those born after Garcia's death in 1995.

“Today we live in a golden age for the mosque scene,” said the veteran music industry executive, producer and artist manager. Jonathan Shankhost of The Jam, a new podcast from Osiris Media that explores the bands, fans and jams that make up one of live music's most enduring musical legacies.

From Phish and Dead and Company's successful run of shows at The Sphere in Las Vegas, to the emergence of superstar artists such as Billy Strings, Goose and even EDM pioneers Odesza as mainstream festivals, artist-born music such as the Grateful Dead, Allman The Brothers Band, the Meters and Dr. John is more accessible than ever.

Advertising sign recently caught up with Shank to discuss his long history in the jam scene and hear about his new Osiris Media podcast, which launched in March featuring interviews with the legendary bassist and producer Randy Jackson as well as editor of Relix magazine and jam scene scholar Dean Budnick.

Why did you decide to get into podcasting?

I was inspired by Dan Steinberg and by Luke Pierce The Promoter 101 podcast and the idea of ​​elevating people's stories in the industry. I wanted to find some untold stories with artists that I love and create a platform to tell those stories in a very organic, free-flowing way and maybe find some nuggets that people haven't heard before.

Aside from naming your label after a Grateful Dead album, who are your bonafides in the jam scene?

I've managed a few jam bands; first Particle in 2001 and then the Disco Biscuits for quite some time, who are our podcast guests. And then, around 2004, I started conducting (Grateful Dead percussion) Mickey Hartwho i met through Irving Azoff and continued to manage Mickey and Bill Kreutzmann in the Rhythm Devils and then later in the Global Drum Project and the Mickey Hart Band for several years. I love Billy Strings and Goose and have seen the Grateful Dead with Jerry Garcia over 50 times. I still hold the Grateful Dead as the benchmark for all live music I've ever experienced.

Where do you see the fingerprints of what the Grateful Dead built in today's music industry?

The Grateful Dead's approach of directing fan marketing through fan club tickets and community around their live experience is a blueprint for what artists like Beyonce and Taylor Swift are doing today and how they connect with their fans through social media. The Dead were the first to recruit fans to a newsletter. They were the first to establish a tape trading practice, which has now really evolved into Setlist.net where people go and find sets from different shows. So much of how we think about the connection between artist and fans comes from the dead.

What does the rise of artists like Billy Strings and Goose say about the longevity of today's jam band scene?

I think we're in a new golden age of jamming, and a lot of it really has to do with the emergence of these two artists — Billy Strings and Goose. They are true headliners who can navigate major festivals and headline major festivals like Lollapalooza that aren't just jam-centric. They are the ones who will continue the jam scene for decades to come.

Let's talk about some of the guests you've had so far, starting with George Porter from the Meters. What does it say about the jam scene that a New Orleans funk band is part of The Jam podcast?

It's a great example, actually, of how the jam scene incorporates bluegrass, funk, R&B and jazz into this wide range of influences and different styles of music. George Porter Jr. is someone who has worked with Dr. John, with Robert Palmer and some of the greatest New Orleans musicians of all time. But he has also collaborated with Widespread Panic and The Grateful Dead. George has really embodied that spirit and is doing his own Grateful Dead covers now on his set with a cover of “Eyes of the World”.

How do you get visitors for your podcast?

I've known Robby Krieger since the 90s. I have known Randy Jackson for over 10 years. He was a great mentor to me. You know, Billy Cobham I collaborated on Jazz is Dead. Bill Payne and I have mutual friends. I want to give the people I've crossed paths with over the years a forum to thank them for the role they've played in my career and for inspiring many others in the music industry.

Who helps you produce The Jam?

I have great partners in this project. We record the podcast inside the Sony studios and then Osiris handles all the marketing, editing and distribution. They are an incredible team. Osiris has a great collection of artists and podcasts that caters well to the jamming crowd. My goal is to introduce great artists and some industry people who have stories to tell and also some tastemakers and people you don't hear too often to help out. I feel very blessed to highlight these stories and have conversations with some of the greats in this business.