Military musicians to jam in Vegas - Entertainment, Music - Army Times

Military musicians to jam in Vegas

Ideally, music festivals don’t just celebrate a music scene. They serve as a flashpoint for recognition and creativity.

In a modest way, the organizers of GI Jams’ Veterans Day weekend concert hope it will be the springboard that defines a budding community of military musicians. Planned for Nov. 12 at The Club at Las Vegas’ Cannery Casino, the show rounds up eight active-duty and veteran acts.

From Joe Speed Band’s country and Corey Bower’s modern-rock/ country hybrid to American Attitude’s punked-up hard rock and Destruction Evolution’s post- millennial metal, the show covers a huge chunk of the musical landscape. Dark and McDermid, Jerard Brewer, Ric Ulsky and Potter’s Gamble round out the bill.

Bringing in a house band — led by Ulsky, a seasoned studio musician and Vietnam veteran — to round out solo artists’ sets, the event gives performers the chance to break from the cramped quarters of base-side bars and take the stage at a 500-capacity venue.

The Veterans Day weekend show marks the one-year anniversary of the launch of the GI Jams website, an online conduit for military musicians to showcase their songs and network with fans and other troops.

Organizers from GI Jams hope to make the show an annual event. It’s also serving as a sneak preview of a GI Jams compilation album slated for release early next year.