Dear Squeaky Feet,
My name is Phillip Watson, I’m 33, 3 Kids, and I’ve been in love with jam band/improvisational music since I was 13. I’ve seen thousands of shows in the scene and I have probably listened to upward of 10s of thousands of recordings of everything from The OGs like The Dead and Phish, to the newbies and younger bands of today like yourselves. I consider Lotus, The Disco Biscuits, Papadosio, Spafford, and Phish as my favorite bands in the scene.
Before I get into gushing over you, I just want to preface this with I have yet to see you live, and its been less than a year since Discovering your music. I hope to change this in the coming months at your South Carolina and Asheville Shows. I live in Atlanta and it is harder to travel now with the family and work life that I have.
Ever since really the Pandemic my love and obsession of the jam band scene had been a little tainted. It was very hard for me to listen to “Live” recordings knowing that I had no idea when my next opportunity to see a show was coming and I became super obsessed with my other Music passion Electronic Music. It became easier and more friendly on my brain to listen and get involved with the Living Room sets that DJs could play and I truthfully never really listen to much studio music in the improvisational world. This continued after the world returned to “normal” and the person that I once was listening to every recording I possibly could from any jam band continued to fade. All that changed when I saw your name pop up on nugs.net and took a chance at listening to a show (October 12, 2023 Buffalo NY).
Over the next few days I listened to about 20 of your recordings that had been put up on Nugs. You are everything I have ever wanted in a Jam Band (prog/improv/jazz however you would like to be classified). Shows where every track is upwards of 20 mins, every improv section of every jam is interesting, honing in and listening to each individual player and no one is playing anything that is “boring,” all composed sections of the songs interesting, and all of this happening knowing that even on the recordings some nights you are playing to a very small crowd yet you are still delivering soul shattering and face melting performances. Crazy keyboard sounds that fill the jams and space to perfection, booty shaking hanging on every note bass lines, perfect guitar riffs in the rhythm sections followed by soul shattering and mind bending solos, Dance Floor Sweating drum beats, and even some extra flavors with sax and other instruments. You can do it all from emotional heartfelt jams, face melting prog, atmospheric jams, and drop your booty to the floor funk and untz jams.
Every time I open my nugs app I have to actively fight the desire to put your music on. I have at this point listened to every show you have put up on nugs (have yet to go to archive or any taper website) and most of the shows from the start of 2023 onwards I have listened to multiple times. I can’t get enough. If I were in a different point in my life I would drop everything and hop on tour. But please know I am so incredibly thankful you continue to put these shows up online for us. I know its a bunk deal, I know you don’t get paid enough, and I know the time consumption angle that goes into putting recordings up. Thank you for all the access you have given to us as fans in this early stage to your career.
You have revived my love for this music and this community that we have across the US and beyond. I feel more like myself than I have in a long while. I wish there was more I could do for you as you have given me so much joy and happiness. I will continue to spread the word about you guys as much as I possibly can. I tell every single live music fan that I come across about you guys and I will surely continue with every possible avenue I can.
You are by far the best and most interesting band our community has seen in a long time. Please don’t lose yourselves as your rise to fame continues to grow. Don’t lose that flame to play 2-4 song sets as your catalogue of songs grow. Hold onto each other, reach out to us for anything we can do to help, and I can’t wait to see what the future holds.
-Phillip
Catch Squeaky Feet this year across the country starting March 20 in Iowa City!
