Sun 12/22 @ 2PM
Kid-friendly jam music is a niche that isn’t being filled by many bands. That’s what sets Cleveland’s Big Ship apart. It doesn’t go in for long jams that would challenge the attention spans of its younger fans, but it’s retained the upbeat, grooving, sunny-day-at-Nelson Ledges vibe.
The band’s two founding members both have jam-band experience in their background. Michael Rotman played percussion with long-running Cleveland jam band/Grateful Dead acolytes Oroboros in the ’90s before going on to become a singer/songwriter under his own name. And David “Dreadlock Dave” McDougald led “folkadelicfolkpop” Waterband, a fixture on the local jam-band scene from 2000-2013.
The two started Big Ship in 2010; along the way they picked up Gary Naherny, Ryan Mitiska and Carlos Jones, who leads his own “positive vibrations” ensemble, the P.L.U.S. Band.
“Big Ship’s mission is to spread peace, love, and compassion into our communities using music as a vehicle,” the band asserts. “They believe that children’s music should be diverse, genuine, and contain quality musicianship. They have worked to create songs lyrically appropriate for children as well as musically enjoyable for adults.”
They’ll be performing their annual brunch at Nighttown — bring the whole family. Tickets are $10.