After three days of very minimal sleep and listening to rock music all night, the first thing I should have done when I got home was to fall asleep for lengthy hours. But instead, I couldn’t get my mind to shut up about the music weekend I’d just experienced. With my ears still ringing and my sleep schedule all flipped around, I scrolled back through all the photos and videos I took this weekend and relived the Deff Jam 2018 music festival on my tiny screen.
This weekend was one of those hilarious, fun and memorable experiences that gave us a break from our normal reality. It put us all in a wonderful cube of live music, good-natured goofy people, lots of beer, bonding and intense dancing. Deff Jam 2018 was organized by Chicago-based musician Ryan Deffet in his home in Dayton, Ohio and brought over 20 bands to perform, some from Logan Square’s DIY music scene and some from Dayton and its surrounding towns for the third year in a row. The massive DIY house show was a full-on party for two straight days that featured acoustic sets, punk-rock sounds and groovy soul sets. I got to enjoy the ride and head to Deff Jam to help volunteer, enjoy the amazing music and make some great new friends.
The local bands that played were Mannequin Pants, Faux Furrs, Uma Bloo, Space Gators, Namorado, The Knees, Krozer and DJ set by $lumbyr Pyrty. Other bands that need honorable mentions for their performances at Deff Jam were Gaptooth Grin, The Zygotes, Manray, Mojo Power, Water Witches, Garbage Greek, Hyacinth and Streetlamps for Spotlights. It was refreshing to see these Ohio bands keeping the psych-rock-funk communities going strong in smaller cities and that the modern DIY music scene is thriving everywhere; it was a perfect melding of both music communities.
What was essentially a giant, intergenerational house party brought me back to nostalgic childhood times: Being with friends you can laugh with and be stupid with at all hours of the night, having very caring, soulful and enthusiastic parents who one thousand percent support the creative energy bouncing off the walls of the basement and having fresh food delivered made Deff Jam 2018 a beautiful memory for the archives and speaks to the musical talent of our community.
Check out the highlights from some of Logan Square’s talented groups below and maybe discover a new local favorite band!
Ohio band Mojo Power brought the soul and funk to a high level on the first night of the fest. Photo: Lena Rush 
Yellow Springs band Gaptooth Grin closed out day 1 of Deff Jam. Photo: Ariel Parrella-Aureli 
Faux Furrs got a lightshow that matched their psychy-groovy sound. Photo: Ariel Parrella-Aureli 
Faux Furrs. Photo: Ariel Parrella-Aureli 
Namorado played an electrifying set and even sung a Beatles’ cover of “Don’t Let Me Down.” 
Space Gators invited other musicians up for some songs—true Space Gators fashion. Photo: Ariel Parrella-Aureli 
Ryan Nolen rocks out during the Space Gators set. Photo: Lena Rush
Featured photo: Faur Furrs band (Lena Rush on bass, Ryan Deffet on vocals and lead guitar, Ryan Nolen on second guitar and Ryan Shuck on drums. Photo: Ariel Parrella-Aureli
Thanks, Dave! Will amend right now. If you have any photos of them, feel free to send them my way and I will add them to the piece. I didn’t take any of The Knees. [email protected]
The Knees and Krozer are Chicago bands