Trampoline Records, the new independent label founded by Rami Jaffee of the Wallflowers, Marc Dauer of the Jukebox Junkies, and Pete Yorn, held their first of a series of events celebrating their premiere release, "Trampoline Records Greatest Hits Vol. 1" at the Hotel Cafe on Saturday, August 31st. The invitation read BYOB in keeping with the down-home feel, which the label is striving to achieve.
Hollywood certainly had its way with Trampoline Records on Saturday night at the Hotel Cafe delivering a hot and sultry night, making the crowd thankful for the sun to go down and the party to begin. Each table in the venue was crammed packed with bottles of beer and wine brought in by the 150 or so people who were lucky to find a place to position themselves in the overcapacity establishment. The outside of the venue had a line of many souls who waited to see the list of talent featured on the "Trampoline Records Greatest Hits Vol. 1" release and the first of the Trampoline nights at the Hotel Cafe. And party, everyone did--inside or out. Shauna, a fan who arrived early, was pleased to see the line-up of talent and the founders mixing among the crowd, "It makes how hot it is worth it! I just bought a CD and have autographs from most of the performers here tonight. I cannot wait to see everyone play. I am really loving the idea of so many talented singer-songwriters together on one CD."
The inaugural Trampoline Records Revue was a HOT success. Each one of the artists who appeared this evening brought down the house with their performances and their enthusiasm for Trampoline. Jam sessions, good cheer and conversations were everywhere and the familiarity of the venue made for the down-home party magic that Rami, Marc and Pete were looking to make when they set out to see Trampoline Records happen. The homegrown backyard feel held a spell only between the slight intermissions of each set and was quickly broken by the talented performances that happened one after the other. The crowd was continually reminded that this is what music and Trampoline Records is about. Forgetting that it was a hundred degrees outside and a 105 inside, the crowd held their positions at tables and walls singing along and hooting and hollering throughout the evening. Marc Dauer announced over the microphone in the opening ceremonies, "Trampoline Records couldn't have happened without the talent, friends and fans here tonight. Thank you everyone for coming out."
Rami, Marc and Pete were seen mixing with the crowd and onstage with performers throughout the evening. The list of performers began with the haunting vocals of Chris Joyner and his band Mavis; Evan Frankfort solo playing a beautiful acoustic vintage Gibson; Happily Ever After's Joe Kennedy also sang slow and solo; Gary Jules and the Group Rules; The incredibly energetic performance of Phil Cody with guests Sid Jordan on bass (Minibar), Rami Jaffee on keys and Andy Kamman on drums; The Gingersol boys cranked it up a notch when joined by Sid, again on bass and Malcom Cross on drums (Minibar); The crowd started dancing to their favorite Minibar songs with Rami; the Jukebox Junkies heated it up with a surprise performance of Pete Yorn on drums and Sid and Mal (Minibar); Pete had Minibar back him; And the evening closed with a "friends in full force" jam. The jam session had members of each band crammed on the tiny stage or in front playing with standing room only. Not only did each performer play their hit off the CD, but also a slew of new and familiar songs, which were all crowd-pleasers.
For much of the evening, founders Rami, Marc and Pete were available in the back where Trampoline family members took turns manning the merchandise table. A variety of T-shirts and CDs were sold, in exchange for autographs and chats over beer. Pete Yorn said of the evening, "This is a great night. I cannot believe how many people are here!"
In the course of the night, Rami ran back and forth on and off stage, throwing out CDs and other prizes to people in the crowd by means of rock n' roll trivia and sheer unabashed happiness. You could hear him say over and over, "I can't wait for the next one. This is too much fun."
Join Trampoline Records for their next revue at the House of Blues on October 29th. The event promises to be bigger, better, hotter and with better air-conditioning.
About Trampoline Records
Trampoline Records was founded in 2002 by Rami Jaffee, Marc Dauer and Pete Yorn, who combined, have a lifetime of experience in the music industry. Rami Jaffee plays keyboards with the Wallflowers among many others; Marc Dauer is former frontman for Five Easy Pieces and is the founder of Jukebox Junkies; Pete Yorn has had critical success as a solo artist. With a combined appreciation of great music and talented friends, "Trampoline Records Greatest Hits Vol. 1" will be the first of many releases to come.
