Suwannee Amp Jam has quickly made its way onto my favorite festivals list. Year 1 in 2025 had an amazing vibe and a terrfic lineup. Amp Jam has just announced a magnificent sophomore lineup and FunkCity.net will be there to soak in the good vibrations. Following in the traditions of the Spirit of Suwannee Music Park (SOSMP), the lineup features a heady selection of jam bands as a hat tip to the Wanee festival, and funk bands harkening back to Bear Creek. It all takes place on the glorious Amphitheater Stage so there’s plenty of time to socialize and relax. THE DAILY LINEUP HAS JUST BEEN ANNOUNCED AND IT’S STACKED EVERY DAY. CLICK THE LINEUP CARD TO THE RIGHT FOR TICKETS LINK AND CHECK OUT THE DAILY SCHEDULE BELOW!
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Thursday
Umphrey’s McGee will hit the Amp with their intricate compositions, technical prowess, and ability to weave seamlessly between progressive rock, heavy metal, jazz fusion, and acoustic ballads. We’ll expect some epic jams like “Wizard Burial Ground,” “JaJunk,” or one of my favorites, “Booth Love.”
The second set is an “All Night Wrong” that’s all covers and mashups of covers and it’s gonna be amazing. You can see a couple of videos when they did it several years ago. It’s gonna be wild crazy and funky with featured artists Jennifer Hartswick (trumpet and vocals), Skerik (sax), Alex Wasily (trombone) and Roosevelt Collier (pedal steel guitar). It’ll be horns a plenty and funky as hell.
Family Company out of Los Angeles bring a rich blend of soul, R&B, and funk to the Amp stage. They’re another ‘new’ band for Suwannee and I’m excited to hear their West Coast sound. There’s a whole vein of Cali music that’s been bubbling up the last few years — thinking of Diggin’ Dirt (last year’s Amp Jam debut), Thee Sinseers, LA LOM, Thee Sacred Souls and many more. Family Company consists of Alex Kyhn (bass), Josh Teitelbaum (drums), and Jason Goldstein (keys) and have a new album out with Sam Pounds on lead vocals, called Pieces of Us. Prepare to be transported by their soulful songwriting and classic, dance-worthy tunes.
Brock Butler Band is expected to blend rock, country, blues, and reggae. Brock is known from his role as Perpetual Groove’s frontman and will bring a mix of originals and eclectic covers from wide-ranging bands like Parliament-Funkadelic and Pink Floyd. I’ve heard that the exciting guitarist, Joe Marcinek will also be included on the band’s roster, so I’m looking forward to some cool improvisation.
Friday
Warren Haynes Band is one of the headliners and they know how to light up the Amp with soulful blues-rock. Last year, in the form of Gov’t Mule they kept the fire going with four hot sets and tons of special guests and we expect nothing less this year with the great roster. Look for some great originals, tributes and many special guests.
Lettuce is a band I’ve been listening to since 2004 and they played at every Bear Creek Fest. For the last 20 years, they’ve been one of my favorite bands and have ascended to today’s funk royalty. They blaze new trails in deep space funk and house music and often pay homage with covers of Earth Wind and Fire, WAR, Tower of Power, Maze (Frankie Beverly) and The Crusaders, all favorites of mine. Here’s a video from one of the two Amp Jam sets from last year! Their new album, Cook, will be out by the time of Amp Jam #2 and I expect a healthy serving from that album, not to be missed!
The Nth Power is another long time Suwannee favorite and they absolutely bring the spiritual vibe that’s so appropriate to the Amp setting. Jennifer Hartswick will be joining them as she did for Hulaween a while back (see video) and that will add another N+1 power. But then, adding Cory Henry and Robert “Sput” Searight, former Snarky Puppy bandmates and now mates in The Heavyweights” is going to be a premier and likely once in a lifetime mix that is worth the price of admission on its own.
The Roosevelt Collier Band always puts on a spectacular show. “The Dr.” is a master of the pedal steel guitar and can make it sing in so many different ways. I’ve never been to a performance of his that doesn’t end up with everyone dancing, smiling and amazed at what they saw. Check out this killer set from Hulaween’s main stage a short while back and you’ll see what I mean.
Family Company will kick off the day on Friday and I’m stoked to see and hear more of their latest album Pieces of Us when I wake up!
Saturday
Grahame Lesh, Warren Haynes, Nels Cline, Rob Barraco, John Molo are in a supergroup headliner! Grahame of course is the son of the late Phil Lesh, founding member of the Grateful Dead. Phil sadly passed away last year just as Bob Weir was onstage during Hulaween’24. Unfortunately, since the original posting of this article, Bob Weir has also just passed away.
This will undoubtedly be an incredibly impactful set as a tribute to both recently departed Grateful Dead members. Warren Haynes will add luster to the group, with roots back in the Allman Brothers, Gov’t Mule and his own band. Nels Cline is renowned as a member of Wilco; Rob Barraco and John Molo both also played with Phil Lesh.
Lettuce will serve up their second helping with a bunch of tunes from their latest album Cook and a mix of their funky history that is always a fan favorite at Suwannee. It brings me back to the old Bear Creek days when we always got a double portion!
Dumpstaphunk, the legendary New Orleans funk band, is another Bear Creek OG band. Ivan Neville leads the crew, and their sound is deep bass, pumping B3 organ, and punchy horns. I’ve just come back from New Orleans FunkFest where they performed the Sly and the Family Stone Tribute, and the consensus was that it was a full festival highlight (see full video). Their spot on vocals shared among members, with Rebekah Todd as the female lead, made it a truly authentic set. This is going to be unforgettable.
The Heavyweights are coming! If you’re familiar with this channel, you know how much I dig Snarky Puppy and Lettuce. Well, The Heavyweights are comprised of Cory Henry and Robert “Sput” Searight, formerly of Snarky Puppy, and Eric Krasno, formerly of Lettuce. Each has struck out on their own in a huge way with new bands and projects. They came together for a few shows in Los Angeles a while back, for a special event basis, but they’ll be at Amp Jam and I’m sure it’s going to be an incredible and unique set.
New Dawn Starkestra another new band for this new festival. While the band is new, its members are not, as it’s a collaboration between four heavyweights of the Western North Carolina music scene: vocalist and songwriter Rebekah Todd (Dumpstaphunk), guitarist Isaac Hadden (Isaac Hadden Trio and Datrian and the Family Tree), bassist Quinn Sternberg, and drummer Jeff Sipe, a veteran of the jam and jazz worlds known for his work with Aquarium Rescue Unit and beyond. As stated on their website, “Together, they’ve formed something that feels less like a supergroup and more like a conversation — one that’s unfolding live, night after night.” I’m ready to take in what their dishing out.
Gullah Collective is a new band for me but appears quite interesting. They were founded by drummer, percussionist, and producer CL Baxter to preserve and promote the rich, underrepresented sounds of the Gullah Geechee culture. The style blends traditional West African rhythms and storytelling with modern genres, including jazz, roots, R&B, and gospel. I love these roots-related bands and can’t wait to check them out.
