It’s no Bonnaroo to be sure, but Nate and Wally’s Fishbowl is doing its best this weekend to put itself at the center of jam band paradise with performances from returning groups Skinny [formerly 2 Skinny Dorks] and the JiMiller Band.
Both bands have flown their freak flags high in Bowling Green before and both reported getting some groovy vibes from area fans.
“BG’s become one of our favorite places to play,” said Skinny vocalist and guitarist Jake Blazer. “Everyone who comes out is great. You guys still have hippies and other people who are genuinely into music, which is cool.”
Jim Miller expressed hope that attendees of his show will be genuinely into music enough to appreciate his planned three hour set, pushing the time limit even for a genre used to prolonged performances.
“We still do [Grateful] Dead, Allman Brothers and Phish covers,” he said. “But we will be highlighting songs off of the new album.”
That album is an ambitious effort from the JiMiller Band, a double-disc release featuring the group in the studio and at home on-stage.
“In Trance It” will feature the widespread influences of the entire band, Miller claimed, including “gumbo songs, cajun songs, serious rock songs, bluegrass stuff and some definite spacey stuff.”
Although what constitutes a “serious rock” song is still way up in the air, there was no doubt about Miller’s personal feelings about Bowling Green.
“When we came to Nate and Wally’s there were people on the table dancing,” he said. “They are great people. There is something about the BG area.”
Coincidentally, Skinny is also out in support of their upcoming album, “Grass,” which will come out on Oct. 27.
After several years of recording and touring as 2 Skinny Dorks, the group felt they had outgrown their memorable yet polarizing moniker, hence the abbreviated name Skinny.
“We started out as just two guys on stools trying to get drunk for free,” Blazer said. “Now it’s [the band] a professional thing for us, with tours and recordings and everything. We just have more integrity, I think.”
On a full stomach courtesy of Denny’s Grand Slam breakfast, Blazer explained his band’s sound.
“It’s all positive stuff,” he said. “We don’t dwell on the negative. If you come see us, we’re not gonna be talking about abusive relationships or anything. Also, we’re a performing band more than a record band.”
