All of the hippie-jam-band-patchouli-herb-and-Birks jokes that can ever be made have already been uttered, so we’ll forgo that part of the program. The jam band concept as we know it hatched in San Francisco during the ’60s, and despite being nationally viable and somewhat distilled 40 years later, it continues to find a loyal following in the City by the Bay. Vinyl formed here in the mid-’90s; with five records now to its name, it’s one of the more established jam bands on the scene.

The septet has played many high profile gigs over the last decade: main-stage sets at the High Sierra Music Festival and Reggae on the River; consecutive sold-out shows at New Orleans’ legendary Maple Leaf (the first club to reopen after Katrina, and home turf of the Rebirth Brass Band); and a 2001 performance as Phil Lesh’s band at a concert in Petaluma. Vinyl received a “Wammie” for Best International Band from SF Weekly in 1999 and was voted one of the top 25 bands in the country by a jambands.com nationwide poll.

Vinyl is ostensibly a funk band that can’t stay away from jazz, R&B, and reggae. The emphasis on funk means more similarities to George Clinton and P-Funk than to the Grateful Dead, while frequent excursions into other upbeat genres further distinguish its sound among jam bands. P-Funk founder Bernie Worrell is actually a close friend of the group, and frequently plays keyboard and sings for them both live and in the studio.

Vinyl’s latest, Fog Shack Sessions Vol. 1, is different than anything else it’s released. Bay Area producer duo the Rondo Brothers, who have worked with Dan the Automator, pored over hours of previously unreleased Vinyl studio recordings, then took what they wanted and remixed it for the new album. “Clickety Clack,” a six-minute, super-chill reggae dub that saunters along so patiently you get the sense time stalls while it’s playing, is one of eight groovy results.

BACK IN THE DAY:
-Give Vinyl mad props not only for having a pretty cool retro name, but also for slapping some awesome cover and sleeve art on their last two records, courtesy of local artist Neil Osborn.
-Vinyl records are, of course, available on vinyl. This may be the best way to enjoy the band’s warm, rambling sound as well as the vibrant album art.
-In line with the band’s old-school ethics, every one of their releases (okay, except one) features a Victrola on the cover. Three of them are creatively anthropomorphized.