A little history of Random Jam and Random Bands

In early 2014 the concept of a program called Random Jam was suggested to the SA live music club as an avenue to keep members connected with the club once they had completed the then entry requirement to the club, participating in a Week End Warriors program with the sponsoring music store Holden Hill Music. The aim was to offer members a connection or meeting point outside of their formed bands, in the event their band did not continue together they could still meet and jam regularly with other club members, network and possibly find new band connections or just remain as a social jammer, getting the opportunity to play with the full contingent of a band and at the same time learning and sharing. The concept was pitched as a nonprofit exercise with fees set to just cover rehearsal room charges and protect against future shortfalls or small maintenance costs.

The first year was very successful with a few events introducing players who instantly became a band, others put their hand up to attend multiple sessions and long-standing members who had one or more bands came along to share experiences or even try out a new or different instrument. All round Random Jam was well supported.

Early in the second year, one of our loyal members who also participated in a theatre group mentioned their group was putting on a cabaret style show later in the year and would we consider making a number of bands from Random Jam members only, for a one off event. We thought it was a great Idea and so began seeking registration of interested parties. The rehearsals were overseen by Random Jam organizers and some of us even participated in the bands. The show went off well with participants expressing great delight in the whole experience. The following year the event was again suggested as a possibility but sadly couldn’t be coordinated so as a compromise we formed four bands and registered for an open mic at The Railway Hotel Port Adelaide. This event was a smash hit with a full house of cheering appreciative supporters and spawned the concept we now have of Random Bands, offering the opportunity to become part of a band for a 5-6 week period, learn a 30 minute set to be performed in front of friends and family with the support and backline of the SA Live Music Club as part of the Clubs regular Saturday at the Gov performances.

This is what we invite people to be part of, friendship, cooperation, networking, sharing, supporting and the wonderful therapy that is live music.