The Bridge is an American
jam band
A jam band is a musical group whose concerts (and live albums) are characterized by lengthy improvisational "jams." These include extended musical improvisation over rhythmic grooves and chord patterns, and long sets of music which often cr ...
. They are based in
Baltimore, Maryland
Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...
and formed between 2001 and 2002. The band is known for their live performances, blending various elements of
blues
Blues is a music genre and musical form which originated in the Deep South of the United States around the 1860s. Blues incorporated spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts, chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads from the Afr ...
,
folk
Folk or Folks may refer to:
Sociology
*Nation
*People
* Folklore
** Folk art
** Folk dance
** Folk hero
** Folk music
*** Folk metal
*** Folk punk
*** Folk rock
** Folk religion
* Folk taxonomy
Arts, entertainment, and media
* Folk Plus or Fol ...
,
funk
Funk is a music genre that originated in African American communities in the mid-1960s when musicians created a rhythmic, danceable new form of music through a mixture of various music genres that were popular among African Americans in the m ...
and
bluegrass.
The Band
The Bridge consists of
Cris Jacobs on guitar and vocals, Kenny Liner on mandolin and vocals, Dave Markowitz on bass guitar and vocals, Patrick Rainey on the saxophone, Mike Gambone on drums, and Mark Brown on keyboards. The band has developed a strong following in the
Maryland
Maryland ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean to ...
/
Washington D.C.
)
, image_skyline =
, image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, Na ...
area, and as of Fall 2008 have toured much of the United States and parts of western Europe. They were awarded Baltimore's 'Best Band' and 'Best Album' by the Baltimore City Paper reader's poll in 2005. In 2008, they won the Jam Cruise 6 'vote to the boat' contest, earning a spot to play on the annual jam band cruise.
In 2002, they were briefly featured on the television show
The Wire
''The Wire'' is an American Crime film, crime drama Television show, television series created and primarily written by author and former police reporter David Simon. The series was broadcast by the cable network HBO in the United States. ''The ...
which is set in their hometown of Baltimore, Maryland.
The original line-up of the band consisted of Paul Weinberg on drums and Ryan Porter on bass. Porter and Jacobs went to high school together, where they were in a band called Big Fat. Markowitz and Weinberg were also in a high school band together named Black Eyed Susan.
On May 26, 2011, The Bridge announced they would be breaking up after their last live show, Thanksgiving Eve 2011.
On April 18, 2012, The Bridge announced they would be reuniting for one night at the 2012 All Good music festival.
Discography
Albums
*''Cross Street Market'' (2004)
*''The Bridge'' (2006)
*''Blind Man's Hill'' (2008)
*''National Bohemian'' (2011)
References
External links
The Bridge official websiteLive recordings of The Bridge at the Internet ArchiveStory and interview with Cris Jacobsfrom bmorelive.com
The Bridge: Singing Like the Early Morning Sunfrom HonestTune.com
The Bridge:Fire & Iceby Tim Newby from jambase.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bridge, The
American bluegrass music groups
Jam bands
Musical groups from Baltimore
Musical groups from Maryland