For those of you who missed the announcement at this week’s GG session we now have our own merchandise shop!
Have you ever fancied wearing a WJN T-shirt whilst sipping coffee from your very own WJN Mug picked up from your WJN Coaster, whilst enjoying the smooth glide of a WJN Mouse Mat whilst uploading your latest song suggestions to Worldjam.vip?
Well now all your merch dreams (and more) can come true!
There is a whole host of products available in different colors, designs and sizes – many of which can be customised to your own specification to make each design unique to you!
For 2 weeks only we have an opening discount of 15% of all orders, and because we just love to spread joy and happiness to all the Jamily, WorldJam have decided all items will be sold at cost price and so we will not make any profit on these items.
So who will be the first person to get a selfie on here with their WorldJam merch? ?
Until lockdown happened in the UK, I did quite a lot of music. Most weeks I had a couple of rehearsals with different bands, played at a couple of jams or open-mics and even had an occasional gig. Then lockdown kicked in and there was …… NOTHING. Suddenly my life had a large void. No sweaty rehearsal rooms, no trips to a pub, sweaty or otherwise and no spending time making music with similarly minded people.
But I’m a persistent sort of bloke (more than 30 years of fixing, modifying and, in some cases, rewriting ancient, creaking IT systems does that to you). So, 2 or 3 weeks after lockdown and a couple of false starts and trials, I alighted on Jamulus.
I think Jamulus is truly remarkable. If the people you play with are within, say, 1000 miles radius, it is as near as possible to playing with them in a studio.
The downsides are :
I don’t get the visceral thrill of playing, at volume, with others.
I don’t get to spend time in sweaty rehearsal rooms or pubs, sweaty or otherwise.
There are many upsides, but the main ones are :
I get to play with fantastic musicians who are generous with their patience, time and knowledge.
My hearing will not be damaged by rehearsing or performing at top volume.
I spend much less on rehearsal studios, beer and hasty meals out.
The Jamulus community and, particularly, the Jamulus Worldjam team is very happy to solve problems and freely share their time, expertise and knowledge. Amazing !
I don’t get to spend time in sweaty rehearsal rooms or pubs, sweaty or otherwise.
What’s not to love? I have been spreading the word ever since.
I find it hard, now, to imagine a future without Jamulus. Whenever all our lives return to normal, I hope I can continue to play with the superb musicians I have “met” and friends I have made through Jamulus.
Thank you so much to Volker Fischer and the Jamulus Worldjam team. You have all made my life in lockdown immeasurably better.
How strange this disparate group of musicians; to build friendship and trust through disembodied voices and small moving pictures.
World Jam 21
Within six months, musicians from around the world have travelled through the internet into the unknown, like Alice sliding into Wonderland, and have created a family-like bond, destined to remain embedded in their lives indefinitely.
It is in the character of humans to be cautious in giving their loyalty, their friendship, their love; injudicious relationships can give rise to betrayal, hurt, and anger. Yet the Jamulus family, the Jamily as it has become known, has given freely of its time, its expertise, its friendship. No-one is perfect, we all have cracks, but a family doesn’t have to be perfect; it just needs to be united. (Having said that, blessed are the cracked for they let in the light.) The Jamily is as a good friend in helping each individual, ‘to find important things when you have lost them…your smile, your hope, and your courage.’[1]
Daily, we find former strangers bantering and sharing as if they have known each other since childhood, frequently using their second language (a courtesy greatly appreciated by those, like me, who failed to listen at school and hold the illogical expectation that everybody speaks English).
How has this almost instant rapport arisen? A shared interest can encourage continued involvement. However, when you see the level of musical expertise that exists, the tendency in the real world is, frequently, to back off; to withdraw and not let yourself be open to humiliation by other, more adept, musicians. The joy of the Jamily is that this doesn’t happen.
I have met and played with more outstanding musicians than would ever be possible in the real world. I listen to, and wonder at: the power and range of the singers; the skill and sympathetic playing of the musicians; the intricate, thought-out solos; the off-the-cuff jamming; the meshing of thoughts, ideas and technical ability; the help and suggestions made to improve a song; the constructive criticism that improves an individual’s ability; the capacity of those who can jam across the globe despite high latency.
Added to this is the constant thought, and trials, of the technically gifted people who have improved Jamulus and the World Jam, and made online jamming possible, even essential. So much so that I, and I suspect many others, simply ride their expertise without knowing how it’s done; appreciating every advance and improvement even though we may not recognise it.
The World Jam is the culmination of this. How many of us fire up the computer, click on to Jamulus, set up Zoom, get sound-checked and then dash to the waiting room to see who’s around? The backstage banter can be as important as the performances. I believe it provides the dopamine rush experienced at live gigs with trusted band-members and an enthusiastic audience. This is because it makes us happy. Jamulus has the power to make people happy; the world needs more of that.
The Jamily: Inclusive. Compassionate. Supportive. What real life should be like.
