meet the band: jamm
JAMM is a four-person band from California that takes from various musical backgrounds and influences. The band, consisting of Anthony Coseo (lead vocals/rhythm guitar/saxophone), Matt Crocco (lead guitar), Ian McIssac (bass guitar), and David Bygum (drums), best describes their music as Reggae-Rock.
Tell me more about the name "JAMM."
“The name JAMM originally came about as an acronym of all four band members first names. Our original lineup was James, Anthony, Matt, and Mitch (J-A-M-M). In 5+ years, JAMM's members have changed, but people in Chico knew the name "JAMM," so we just kept the name going.”
How did JAMM form?
“In the summer of 2018, Matt Crocco posted a Craigslist ad during the time he was attending Chico State. The ad read, "Singer wanted for rock band." Anthony Coseo, a fresh high school graduate at the time, was attending Chico State in the fall to study business, although his primary interest was music. Anthony answered the ad and met Matt on his first day living in Chico to form a band in the small garage space of the Nord Garden Townhouse Apartment Complex.
Three days after their formation, "JAMM" played their first show in Matt's backyard to a crowd of friends. From this moment, the boys were hooked. Each weekend, they would plan another backyard show at Matt's house, and soon, they realized that they could take this gig farther than just backyards.
In 2019, JAMM needed a new bass player. At the same time, Ian McIssac decided to move to Chico in pursuit of forming a band. Ian moved into the same apartment complex as Matt, and the two became good friends instantly. Matt offered the position of JAMM's bass player to Ian, who did not play bass at the time. Ian was thrilled and obliged.
The band continued to gig across Northern California relentlessly and the Bay Area until the COVID pandemic in 2020 shut the world down, along with all of JAMM's gigs. The pandemic essentially killed JAMM for a solid 1.5 years. Being unable to practice, get gigs, record new music, and still balance the expensive reality of daily life, the band went on an indefinite hiatus. Mitch, JAMM's drummer at the time, took a job offer on the East Coast, and Matt graduated and moved to San Diego. It didn't look good for the band.
In mid-2021, JAMM was requested by a friend to play a private Grad Party for the '21 school year. This was the first show JAMM had back since the pandemic began, and the group was thrilled. The only problem was they had no drummer! After scrambling to find someone who could learn hours of material very quickly, the band played the Grad Party show, which turned out to be a major success. This sparked the interest back into the band and had them asking themselves, "Are we going to do this thing or not." They decided that, yes, they were going to make this band thing happen.
That following school year, Ian McIssac met a session drummer by the name of David Bygum in a Butte College Recording Arts Class. The pair became great friends, and Ian invited him to hang out and jam. Ian also invited Anthony to meet David and see if the group meshed well. From the moment David started practicing with the group, they knew they had found the drummer they needed. David was a perfect fit both stylistically and in attitude and drive.
The band returned to the drawing board, trying to figure out how to make this happen. They decided to take it back to their roots and start organizing bigger, more organized, well-promoted house shows. Since the beginning of 2022, JAMM organized four large-scale multi-band house shows, with over 200+ in attendance for each show. The band felt on top of the world, seeing their hard work pay off.
By the end of 2022, JAMM needed to make another adjustment. Anthony was graduating, and the band had to figure out whether they wanted to keep this train rolling. A lot of thought and reflection was had, but the band decided to move EVERYTHING to San Diego, CA. The summer of 2022 was spent saving, working, finding housing, jobs, etc., and by Christmas 2022, JAMM had completely relocated under a single roof in San Diego.
Since landing in SD, JAMM has exploded. After nearing almost 100 SD shows since the move, the band has taken the stage at many iconic San Diego venues, including Winston's, SOMA, The Holding Company, Petco Park (Wonderbus), etc. The band has felt a welcoming like none other and continues to record and release new music, play new shows, and visit new cities on the daily!”
What other musical acts inspire the type of music you make?
“Matt - Pink Floyd, Stevie Ray Vaughn, Grateful Dead
David - Led Zeppelin, John Coltrane, weather report, funkadelic
Ian - Bob Dylan, tower of power, Queen, Victor Wooten
Anthony - Pearl Jam, Metallica, Alice in Chains, Slightly Stoopid
Some local bands that inspire us, and ones we just really dig, include The Diz, Rickety Cliffs, and Dead Rosetta.'“
Favorite live show experience?
“From our own show experiences, getting to play on top of the Wonderbus as we rode around Petco Park for the 2023 Padres Opening Day is probably our favorite. We were in the pouring rain, on the freeway, and on top of a bus. It was a crazy experience.
From other shows we've been to:
Matt - Seeing Roger Waters in 2019 at the Staples Center. It was life-changing.
Ian - Tommy Emmanual at Chico State. So good that he saw him five times there.
Anthony - Pearl Jam at SDSU in 2013. "I shed tears during that show. More than once."
David - First Dead and Company show in 2018, Thundercat in 2020, and Roger Waters in Sacramento last year.”
Tell me about your experience in the San Diego music scene. Is the music scene here excelling more so than other music scenes or needs to improve in any way?
“San Diego is absolutely full of insane musical talent. Anywhere you go, you can find mind-blowing talent, whether they are a well-known artist or completely undiscovered. The community itself fosters growth for new bands, and we, as a band moving to SD from out of town, have been met with so much kindness, friendship, and love from the community. We're unbelievably grateful for the reception we have received since moving, and we are PROUD to call San Diego our home. “
Tell me about your latest single, "Figure it Out," which came out on June 21, 2023. What is this song about? Is there a certain message you are trying to get across?
“Anthony initially devised the idea for Figure It Out and wrote all of the lyrics. Anthony explains the meaning as:
The song is a conversation with myself. When writing the song, we had freshly moved to SD. I was unemployed and putting every ounce of time and energy I had into promoting JAMM and getting us booked around San Diego. The work was paying off, but I was mentally drained and very unhappy with my life and who I am.
The song is about how these plans that we had for the band seemed to be moving in such a great direction; we were getting gigs left and right, and our name was finally becoming somewhat of a known thing in the area. It was like our dreams were actually becoming true right before our eyes. But in the midst of all of this success, I cannot help but have that itching feeling that "I don't know if things are always gonna be this way because something's gotta come around and fuck it up eventually." The lyrics of this song still ring true to me each day.”
What was the recording process like?
“Before Figure It Out, JAMM was confined to recording in Anthony's parent's RV trailer deep in the mountains of Valley Center, CA. The boys recorded their EP "Abducted" one hot summer week while visiting San Diego before their move.
Figure It Out was a very special recording for us because it was the first song to utilize our new in-house studio. Ian McIssac is a construction wiz, and he masterminded the building of a full recording studio in the spare room of the JAMM house. Figure It Out was our first rendition of recording in this new studio, and it gave us total freedom to experiment, mess up, try again, and improve the song continually. “
Have any advice for other local bands looking to record music but don't know where to start?
“Talk to other bands/friends with any experience in a recording setting. Ask questions, be as creative as you can, and think outside the box on your sound. Don't only go with a cookie-cutter sound that you KNOW follows the formula of success. We are big believers that if it sounds good to your ear, chances are you probably are onto something good! Keep improving, ask for advice and review, and DO NOT get too disappointed.”
What can listeners expect from you guys in the future?
“People can expect many more shows around San Diego and new cities that we haven't visited before! We also have a LOT of new songs that we have written and are in love with, and we cannot wait to get them recorded and put out for the world to hear. Also, new merch ideas are underway! There are a whole lot of irons in the fire for the JAMM boys!”
All photos taken by Zeke Shockley (ig: @zshock_photography)