I looked around at this incredible group of musicians that surrounded me last Wednesday at the Old Millhouse restaurant in west Redding and thought, “This is about as good as it gets.”
There was Thom Berry on harmonica, Rick Larsen on keys, Eric Day on guitar, Michael Gregory on bass and Ron Adams on drums. The mighty and marvelous Marvin Allen was actually playing tambourine (of all things) and harmonizing with Torri Pratt. Dave Palin was playing lap steel, and I believe it was Joe Furnari on congas.
The only thing standing in the way of this being an incredible group was the band leader.
Nevertheless, it shows you the type of folks who might pop in for the Wednesday evening (6 to 9 or so p.m.) jam sessions at the Millhouse. Kudos to owner Bob Gallegos (who also plays) and Palin for organizing this jam.
Another great jam is the blues jam happening at Johnny’s Cathouse on Sunday evenings. Certain bands (like Rick Larsen’s band) will serve as the host band and players will work their way in and out throughout the evening.
A week ago when I stopped in, the terrific young guitarist Andres Acuna was absolutely ripping it up with a groovy group. I went over and told him how excellent he sounded after his set. He said thanks and offered to let me play his guitar for the next set. I was like, “Yeah, right. I’m gonna follow that? No thanks.”
Anyway, even if you’re shy to the large Friday-Saturday crowds at Johnny’s, I found the Sunday night blues jam there to be a fun hang.
On Thursdays, the Shasta Blues Society continues to host its jam at LuLu’s Eating and Drinking Establishment. This is the longest running jam session in town and it’s always fun. The LuLu’s bar is so the French Quarter of Redding (and it’s my kind of breakfast place).
A lot of the players who attend the LuLu’s jam will also show up at Johnny’s, so there is some cross over.
The Millhouse jam has been happening for just over a month and it may shift outside when the weather stays warm in the evenings.
If I’m missing any other jams (I can think of at least one I need to check on), please let me know.
