Planning begins for Music Jam

May 18, 2008 06:13 pm

— By Kelly Young
kyoung@jacksonvilleprogress.com
Preparations have begun for the third-annual J’ville Music Jam, to take place Saturday, Oct. 4 from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Event organizers met Tuesday afternoon at the Norman Activity Center to begin hammering out details and lining up sponsors. Featuring some of the best musicians in all of East Texas, and attracting several hundred patrons throughout the day, last year’s JMJ will be difficult to top.
“We’ve got tons of bands interested in playing at this year’s event; I have a folder packed with promo kits from bands that want us to book them,” said Johnnie Helm, creator of the jam. “Some of the bands interested in playing have participating in previous jams, and others have just heard about us around East Texas. I think the majority of musicians find out about the festival through Web sites like enjoytexasmusic.com, which goes out everywhere.”
Helm said the two main purposes of JMJ are to showcase the best musical talent that this region has to offer, and to bring attention to the numerous music legends who began their lives and careers in East Texas. Al Dexter, Johnny Horton and Fred Lowery are just a few of the many successful musicians with roots in East Texas.
Organizers of the event are looking for volunteers who could help them research the historical aspect of the Jacksonville music scene.
“We keep trying to find a person that has the time and interest to help us put all that historical information together. In order to really do that right, we need to find someone who really loves music and who is willing to do the research,” Helm said.
According to Helm, he would eventually like to have enough information and memorabilia to be able to set up an East Texas music museum in town, to be open year-round.
While most of the event’s details have yet to be determined, a few changes have already been decided upon that organizers say will improve the jam. In addition to two stages of music and the USACI Triple Point Sound Off competition, this year’s festival will also include a bike rally sponsored by the Jacksonville Police Association — with proceeds benefiting the Crisis Center of Anderson and Cherokee Counties.
Other changes include turning last year’s Battle of the Bands into a Karaoke contest and doing away with the gospel stage.
Working with an estimated $6,000 talent budget, Helm is currently trying to line up a headliner for the jam. He said eight to 10 acts will probably be featured in this year’s event. While he is still in negotiations with them, Helm believes he is going to be able to book Emerald City, a Dallas band, to headline this year’s event.
“I helped do sound for them at the Texas Motor Speedway a few weeks ago, and I was blown away. I’ve worked with a lot of bands, but they were just incredible,” he said. “They can play all styles of music, and they can play them well — anything from Chicago to Santana to Jimmy Buffet. If you can’t find something that they play that you like, you’re not a true fan of music.”
The next meeting of the planning group will be Tuesday, June 17. Helm wants to have most of the talent in place by the next meeting.