Jam Sessions   

A little while back I discovered Tom Morello's alter-ego and put up a video of The Nightwatchman doing Jailbreak with Slash. Well I was sleuthing around for some more from The Nightwatchman and came across this gem, a rather loose interpretation of Tom Petty's Breakdown.

Like other Nightwatchman appearances in LA from this timeframe, it's basically an all out jam session. This one features Perry Farrell on vocals, Flea on bass, Carl Restivo and Jonny Polonsky on guitar, Stella Mozgawa on drums, and an unidentified horn player.

What do you call that dance anyway?

Tom Morello's acoustic-guitar-toting-folksinging-alter-ego The Nightwatchman was developed in 2003 as an opportunity for Morello to return to "politically-based" songs. You know, the type of songs with anti-this and anti-that messages he'd strayed from since Audioslave emerged out of Rage Against the Machine's ashes in 2001

Ironically or perhaps even hypocritically, Morello released his Nightwatchman solo album One Man Revolution on Epic Records / Sony BMG. So much for being anti-corporate.

In any case, from this blog's perspective, The Nightwatchman is actually a better vehicle for kick-ass impromptu jam sessions than for political change.

Witness this sublime example. It's The Nightwatchman joined by Slash and the current lineup of Alice in Chains for a loose rendition of Thin Lizzy's Jailbreak.

It's not the best sound or video quality, but it's a rare assemblage of musicians having a good time jamming with each other, and it's hard to complain about that. I also love the way William DuVall spends most of the song eye-humping Slash's guitar work. It's hard to tell if he's just trying to pick up the song or steal Slash's licks.

Jailbreak originally appeared on the creatively titled Thin Lizzy album Jailbreak. Alice in Chains reportedly have a new studio album coming in 2008 — their first since 1995. And unless you've been in a cave or simply don't watch Montel, Slash's biography is now in stores.

UPDATE: Sadly, the Going Down video is NO LONGER AVAILABLE on YouTube. I'm trying desperately to find an alternate copy. In the mean time, please enjoy this rendition of Lieber & Stoller's Riot in Cell Block #9 from the same night but with a slightly different lineup.

Here's a real gem of a jam session, featuring the unlikely pairing of Jerry Garcia with Sammy Hagar doing blues mainstay Going Down at Sweetwater Saloon during a Village Music Record Store party.

Jerry Garcia warms it up with the song's opening bars for a few repetitions. Just as things started, Elvis Costello grabs his drink and bolts off stage. Jerry apparently didn't bring a guitar as he's playing Elvis's custom Fender Jazzmaster. It's no problem though, as one reviewer notes, "Jerry makes it sing!"

Hagar, on lead vocals, is skinnier and of course younger looking than the Hagar of today but cheeses it up just the same.

Jeffery Burton, son of James Burton, is on guitar. He has some spectacular hockey hair and equally spectacular licks about two-thirds into the jam. Annie Sampson provides powerful backup vocals. Sean Hooper of Huey Lewis and the News is on keys. Pete Sears lays it down nicely on bass and Scott Matthews rounds out the rhythm section on drums.

Sadly, Village Music Record Store closed in September 2007. Sweetwater Saloon closed briefly but will re-open in a new location.

And don't miss this great video of Freddy King doing a ripping live version of Going Down as written by Don Nix. The song is also available on The Best of the Shelter Years, a compilation album of King's earlier work.