Jam4Dan III rocks the Top CityA beautiful guitar found a worthy home. Dozens of musicians got to share their passion and skills with their peers. Resources were generated that will allow young local musicians a chance to develop their own musical dreams. Hundreds of music lovers passed through the doors. It was a weekend to remember. It has its roots in a tragedy, but it has blossomed into a celebration. It honors a person that touched the lives of many Topekans, both through his friendship and his ability to teach and inspire. It has the capacity to become an event that makes Topeka a hub for live music in northeast Kansas, perhaps beyond. It was Jam4Dan III. And, it was great success! Twenty-four bands performed over the two days, and by all accounts, every one of them put on a great performance. They covered a wide spectrum of genres, from classic rock to blues, from hard driving rock to soulful R&B, from folk rock to hard hitting modern bluegrass. They came mainly from Topeka, but Emporia and Lawrence had some of their top talent on stage. And the place, as John Wooten is apt to say, RAWKED! Thanks to the generosity of local sponsors, the donation of the performances, and the incredible contribution of a lovingly built guitar created specifically for the event, almost $4,000 was raised that will be used for scholarships to support Shawnee county youth taking guitar and bass lessons. Brad Hendrix, Topeka, was the lucky winner in the guitar raffle. His name was drawn from the 500-1000 tickets that were filled out. Joel Edison, who made the guitar, was ecstatic Brad was the winner. He knew that Brad had been a friend of Dan’s and that he was in need of a good guitar. It was a tired group of dudes that arrived at The Celtic Fox Monday morning to tear down the PA. For the most part, they had put in 30 hours of work over the previous two days and all the hours leading up to the weekend. But, they were pumped. Jam4Dan IV was already being planned. --Jam4Dan Staff |