Jam Cruise 21: Finding Zen At Sea – 5 Highlights From Day 3

Jam Cruise 21 continued on Sunday with a port stop in Cozumel, Mexico followed by dozens of sets across its eight stages. Once again, the weather was perfect and most acts brought their “A Game” to the MSC Divina.

The music started with a stellar set from Dragon Smoke on the Pool Deck and ran through the early hours of Monday with Shawn Eckels hosting the Jam Room and Marc Brownstein spinning a “DJ Brownie” set in the Galaxy Disco. Check out five of my favorite moments from Day Three of Jam Cruise 21 below.

Zach Gill Goes All In For Atrium Set

Each evening around 7 p.m., Jam Cruise presents an intimate performance at the ship’s atrium featuring an artist that doesn’t usually perform solo. ALO co-founder Zach Gill was tapped to play the atrium set on Sunday and made the most of his allotted 45 minutes.

Gill came prepared with multiple costumes as he would take off one set of clothes to reveal another. At one point, he wore a neon green alien suit that covered his whole body, including his head. Zach brought out his ALO bandmates mid-set for “Blank Canvas,” the lead single from the quartet’s forthcoming studio album, Frames. This song has such a killer hook and will fit into the band’s repertoire nicely. Gill also showcased his multi-instrumental talent by performing a medley of Madonna’s “La Isla Bonita,” Queen’s “Flash,” Bryan Adams’ “Summer Of ’69” and Van Halen’s “Jump” on accordion. You haven’t lived until you’ve seen Eddie Van Halen’s “Jump” solo replicated on accordion.

Summer Zen Offers ‘Scarlet’ > ‘Fiyo’

The term supergroup is overused, but new project Summer Zen is truly worthy of the phrase. The quintet brings together guitarists Steve Kimock and Lebo (Dan Lebowitz), bassist George Porter Jr., keyboardist Robert Walter and drummer John Morgan Kimock. Summer Zen mixed Grateful Dead classics, Meters favorites, a Steve Kimock-penned gem and classic rock tunes.

The band kicked off their Pool Deck set with a jam that allowed the talented musicians to stretch their sea legs before launching into “Scarlet Begonias.” I’m not sure if I’ve seen Robert Walter perform the music of the Grateful Dead, but he did a wonderful job infusing his own sound while still honoring the original. “Scarlet” led into “Fiyo On The Bayou” in a clever play on the typical “Scarlet Begonias” > “Fire On The Mountain” pairing. Summer Zen then tore through Kimock’s “Ice Cream” and brought out vocalists Shira Elias and Sammi Garett as well as saxophonist for “My Sisters & Brothers.” Other highlights were Porter fronting the group on “Eyes Of The World” and “Love The One You’re With.”

Chali 2na Connects With The Sweet Lillies

Colorado’s The Sweet Lillies have landed an annual gig aboard the boat as the hosts of “The Spot,” an unofficial performance space located outdoors near the entrance of the Jam Room. Nathan Moore started the tradition of “The Spot” on Jam Cruise 9 in 2011 and passed the baton to The Sweet Lillies post-pandemic who have rose to the occasion. Everyone is welcome at “The Spot” as Moore and now The Sweet Lillies have been joined at the cozy space by a variety of musicians who they’ve either invited or have wandered by “The Spot.”

The Sweet Lillies are an acoustic ensemble that infuses elements of Americana, roots, folk and bluegrass into the music. They also love hip-hop and a special moment came during their set at the atrium as the Chali 2na gave the group a chance to perform with one of their heroes. Chali and Sweet Lillies vocalist/fiddler Becca Bisque spit fire on “A Day At The Races” from 2na’s time in Jurassic 5. They fit in portions of other songs along the way including Bisque rapping “Baby’s Got Back.” Chali 2na returned the favor by swinging by The Spot around 3 a.m., where he and Bisque traded verses/freestyles on Salt-N-Pepa’s “None Of Your Business” in a moment which stands among highlights of all my time witnessing performances at “The Spot.”

Prince/Bowie

Bassist Eric Gould has set the record for the longest span between Jam Cruise appearances. After performing aboard the first two trips with Particle, Gould returns this year with both Pink Talking Fish and an all-star Prince/Bowie (The Music of Prince & David Bowie) tribute. Sammi Garett and Josh Schwartz (ex-Turkuaz) shared lead vocal duties for most of the set and brought so much energy to the stage.

Guests came on and off stage throughout the crowd-pleasing performance including percussionist Mike Dillon, vocalist Shira Elias, guitarists Shawn Eckels and Lebo and lespecial drummer Rory Dolan. Eckels shined on “Moonage Daydream,” while Garett and Schwartz dueted on “Under Pressure,” Lebo was featured on “1999” and Karl Denson threw down a sax solo on a tender “Nothing Compares 2 U.”

Shawn Eckels Jam Room

Andy Frasco & The U.N. guitarist Shawn Eckels hosted the Jam Room on Day Three of Jam Cruise. Eckels is incredibly talented and has stage presence that sometimes gets overshadowed by Andy Frasco’s hijinks. The guitarist shreds hard and displayed his skills on such songs as “Closer” (Nine Inch Nails), “Ramble On” (Led Zeppelin), “War Pigs” (Black Sabbath), “Vaseline” (Stone Temple Pilots) and “Helter Skelter” (Beatles). Vocalist Kanika Moore stole the show when she emerged to sing Radiohead’s “Creep” and Bill Withers’ “Use Me” towards the end of the “jam session.”

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Jam Cruise 21 continues after a port stop in Belize City, Belize on Monday. Head to @JamBase on Instagram for live coverage.