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To jive is to come together. Jive is the jargon of the jazz musician, and jive is alive and well today. It is a means and it is an end. It's also where the perpetual journey of The Peach Truck Republic begins: "Keeping jive alive in an all out bitter resistance against the blanding of American music."
That's the long and short of it, the battle cry of this here republic. And though it all sounds rather militant, well, really it isn't — at least not in its spirit.
This is no youthful cry of rebellion, nor is it a bandwagon for the gaining of attention. It is what it's always been: the custodianship of rock music's greatest intentions, the preservation of its greatest traditions, and the full realization of its very meaningful evolution. It's all of these things and more: folk, blues and instrumental music galore — a panoramic view taken from the eyes of a bunch of Texans. Blood in the streets? Well, no. Fierce actions levied as definitive lessons against the oppressors? Not exactly. In a word or two, this is more like a sort of subtle upheaval, one that avoids the mess of cataclysm. It's a transformation without convulsion. It's a gentle insurrection that rather neatly evades the darker shades of subversion. And it's a call to arms that has a lot more to do with holding hands than it does with handling weapons.
Much has happened in the last year and one thing, if nothing else, has been made very clear: the spirit of the American Revolution will never end. Music, without regard to incident, has always been a testament to this great truth. The ways and means may vary and sway, but the song remains the same. We've got a fertile land, one that thrives on change, and one that survives the same through the use of its most enduring traditions. And what is our music if it isn't a mirror of this? And what is The Peach Truck Republic if it isn't a reflection of that?
And so, while there may be no organized opposition intended to overthrow authority, and while there isn't necessarily any momentous or sweeping change in regard to the grand scheme of things, we've still got a revolution on our hands. It's an awakening from the inside out, one that began with a few and is moving to the many, one that has aptly named the journey as its destination. And this July 4th at Roxies Roost in Tahlequah, Oklahoma, we have an invitation to celebrate our heritage with more than a handful of the journeymen.
The Peach Truck will be headlining the main stage on both July 5th and 6th. Proud children of the Allman Brothers, CSNY and the Grateful Dead, the Peach Truck Republic will no doubt join together with nature's architecture as it performs original title after original title from its heartfelt canon of blues, folk and instrumental rock music. Three and four part vocal harmonies, dual-lead guitars, solo improvisation, full-on percussion, and feature-length instrumental compositions — The Peach Truck's live show has proven to be a neoclassic mushroom for all to consume. Built for the long haul, a vehicle for most every appreciative generation, no better act could have been selected to bring home this occasion.
Sharing the stage with PTR on Friday evening will be Tulsa's own Sun Cured Red. A regional favorite in the red-dirt jam scene, SCR brings listeners a mixture of soaring guitar and horn work, spot on vocals, and 31 flavors of the all-encompassing jam. SCR is a veritable host to a number of classic covers. Equally well known for its original compositions, the music of Sun Cured Red is reminiscent of acts in range from String Cheese to Dave Matthews. Brothers of the road, members of PTR and SCR have been known to share the stage on more than one occasion; sit-ins and improvisation will undoubtedly be a part of the Friday evening show.
Joining the festivities Saturday night is a relatively new act based out of Fayetteville, Arkansas, a band by the name of the Flip-off Pirates. Given to fused forms of post-reggae, funk, jazz, modern blues and jam, FOP is known to journey within each of the before mentioned idioms in a simultaneous adventure upon the deep blue sea of high energy. Intensely original and yet immediately accessible, FOP will fill the listeners' sails with winds of inspiration that come from shores as near as Phish and as distant as Primus. Sharing the Peach Truck's penchant for heartfelt original music, Saturday night's performance is sure to reflect a marriage of kindred spirits.
Take these three bands together and what you've got is an autonomous group of musicians belonging to one rather sovereign federation. It's a kind of music, a kind of spirit, and a kind of community that has risen collectively from everything that has come before it. And so it's all rather fitting: the time, the place, the birthday, the celebration, the expression of unification. Three bands representing three states are going to come together in a single place, and those who join them will participate in one of the finest celebrations of freedom, harmony and Southern jam music that's ever been crammed into a 4th of July Weekend.
Hosting the grand occasion is a family within a town within a state, and that family would be Roxie and Rocky Wagers of Roxie's Roost, just outside of history-laden Tahlequah, Oklahoma. Roxie's, a multi-stage indoor/outdoor venue, features on-site camping, a full service grill and bar, easy access to Oklahoma's Illinois River and a staff of music lovers like none other in the state.
Take it all in: the scenic view, good drink and good food, the natural reverberations of a 100-foot stone bluff echoing out into the star-filled night. Become a part of the chorus that's been sung for 226 years. Do it here. Join the celebration. Partake in a revolutionary atmosphere that will make one thing very clear: music, friends, family and freedom, there'll be no distinction between them at this 4th of July celebration.
Information and Schedule
Peach Truck | Sun Cured Red
Friday, July 5th | 10pm-2am
Peach Truck | Flip-off Pirates
Saturday, July 6th | 10pm-2am
Roxies Roost
Tahlequah, OK
Email nida-51@ionet.net | Phone 918.458.9531
Directions
From 62, go one mile north on Hwy 10.
From 412, go 30 miles south on Hwy 10.
Robert Cast
JamBase | Texas
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