Right around the same time disco morphed into house music, 1970s dinosaur rock began its own transformation. Once sneered at for their onstage wankery and long stretches of super-size soloing, bands like the Allman Brothers, Little Feat, and Traffic became jam-band groundbreakers. The big difference between these old-school behemoths and their shaggy-haired progeny is the latter's clever fusion of genres: funk, jazz, hip-hop, krautrock, metal, and math-rock have all joined the musical party.
Cleveland's contribution to this field includes a bunch of noodle-happy groups that offer their own spins on tradition. Three of the bands perform this week. The four-piece MödQuad plays songs — that's right, songs, not just jams — which feature deep grooves with jazz-funk shadings. Papadosio heavily seasons its Phish food with electronica-oriented rock that covers everyone from Pink Floyd to Radiohead. And Jones For Revival equalizes its soulfully mellow tunes with imaginative jazz runs. Jam on it!
