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Music

Day Two at Bugerama: A Chat in the Jam Van and Backstage Burger Binging

We spoke to Lee Rickard and Sean Bohrman, who orchestrated the whole party, too.

One of the best parts of Burgerama is that in addition to big-name headliners, there’s a cavalcade of bands I’ve never heard of. I spent day two of the fest actively trying to only see bands that are, for the moment, under the radar.

It was only 3PM and I was four hamburgers deep. I’m not particularly used to being backstage at a music festival, and goddamnit, I was gonna make the most of it. I’m not a single man, but if I were, I think my brain would’ve popped. I was adrift in a sea of high-waisted pants and tattoos. Everyone was radiating positivity, and not being in a band myself, I was drawn to every shiny outfit or asymmetrical haircut. Male or female, I had to let them know that I wasn’t up to any funny business—and what better way is there to say “Hello, I am not trying to fuck you,” than by having an entire hamburger in your mouth?

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As I Grand Marshalled my stomach’s fourth straight meat-parade, I became transfixed on the airbrushed van a few beanbags away. This cartoonish monstrosity had caught my eye multiple times before, but I hadn’t yet paid it the attention it truly deserved. This was the Jam Van, home of Jam in the Van. I marveled at the ridiculous airbrushed portraits of Frank Zappa, Jerry Garcia, Jimi Hendrix, Surprised John Lennon, and two other people who were definitely supposed to be famous musicians but instead just looked like white versions of Prince. The Jam Van also sported what had to be a portrait of Kurt Cobain, which lead to wonderful thoughts about the Suicided Grunge Jesus pleading with Jerry Garcia to not solo so fucking much on the way to a gig in heaven.

The real reason I was drawn to the Jam Van was because of what was emanating from it. Trampolining organs, impeccable harmonies, and a sound that was altogether of 60s psychedelia, without being a cheap rehash. Recording a live track in the band, amplified for our listening pleasure, was Mr. Elevator & the Brain Hotel. I wasn’t the only one flocking to the van, a handful of artists dropped what they were doing to check it out. Watching musicians stop drinking beer in order to listen to someone else’s band playing a in van backstage says a hell of a lot more about how good these guys were than any words I could possibly string together.

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On the way to the bathroom, I bumped into Lee Rickard and Sean Bohrman, the two dudes who orchestrated this whole party. I asked if we could talk for a few minutes in a quiet place. They escorted me to a van, where we smoked a bowl and hung out.

VICE: So how did this come about, the idea of putting on the festival?
Lee Rickard: It’s just natural baby steps--

Sean Bohrman: And having so many bands, you wanna present them to people in a public space and we have enough bands to do it. More than enough.

Lee: Yeah, we have bands that we all love and that are friends of the community and we can just throw together a ton of bands on a whim’s notice. Bands from all over the world are participating.

Sean: Yeah, we’ve got bands from Australia, Brazil, The UK--

Lee: And so we have fans coming in from all over the world as well.

What is the feeling you get when you look at this crowd, these people you’ve brought, to see these bands that you love?
Lee: It’s weird, man. It almost feels out of our control. It’s surreal.

Sean: I feel super proud.

Lee: I feel proud!

You guys are businessmen. I mean, sure we’re hanging out in a van but…
Lee: This is my home. When we’re not hanging out in the store, I’m like this. (Lee puffs up a blanket to make a pillow and lies down on the bench of the passenger van.) When I’m tired of shit, y’know, this is where I go. We don’t know what it’s like to have privacy anymore. There’s no separation between Burger…

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Sean: Friendship and work, there’s no difference.

Lee: It’s family, it’s so deep down, like (Points to Sean) we can’t disown each other because our parents will disapprove.

How does it feel to be putting on something this big while still treating each other like a family?
Lee: That’s what it’s all been about. We were always awkward, misfit, weirdos, and we wanted to be loved and accepted… but we’re not gonna change for nothing. We’re stubborn and this is who we are. And now the more that we do this stuff and just try to cheerlead and let the world hear all these tunes, we want them to be loved and accepted, and we believe in all this music, so it’s valid. It comes from passion, it’s not fake or phony or bullshit, it’s sincerity at its fullest.

Invigorated from their sincerity, and their weed, I left the van itching to discover a new band. Lucky for me, I stumbled into the Constellation Side Stage just in time to catch Danny James and his Once and Future Band. Even their soundcheck was entertaining, backup Vocalist/Keyboard player Joel Robinow checking levels was funnier than your average stand-up comedian, and he was just being himself. Frontman Danny James, rocking a fringe-jacket and prog-sideburns, has a voice like a caramel s’more-- it’s warm, familiar, but in a wonderful surprise, a little salty.

The best way to describe their sound is to imagine ELO, Steely Dan, and Yes going on a cruise ship, getting silly on Mai Tais and falling asleep under a palm frond. Their collected dreams would sound just like Danny James and his Once and Future Band. They’ve got everything you’d wanna like about Prog, but you can also dance to it. I also cannot stress enough how fantastic their stage presence is, especially Robinow’s. I want to have a beer with him so much that If he ran for president, I’d vote for him 69 times.

Last on the docket for me was The Memories. The aptly named Memories remind me of my old boogie board. They play hopscotch music, in that their music makes me feel like I’m on the goddamned playground, except I don’t feel any childhood angst-- who has time for angst when you’re on a boogie board? Drawing equally from their sunburnt-punk Burger brothers and Doo Wop classics, they match sincerity with winks. One standout is plus-sized macho anthem You Need A Big Man, where false bravado melts into poppy hooks. Also, they probably have the catchiest song I’ve ever heard about going down on a girl.

Overall, Burgerama 2014 made me feel like I should quit whatever I’m doing, find some cool friends and start a fucking band already. Who knows, in a few years I could have thousands of people lining up from all over the world just to hang out. Would any of you like to be in my band? I think I wanna call it The Muscle Teens.

Should Josh Androsky start a band? Let him know, he's on Twitter. - @ShutUpAndrosky

For the full recap of Josh's first day at Burgerama 2014, check it out here.