Jam Cruise announces 2007 lineup

Jam Cruise will once again set sail for tropical ports in January. The popular excursion--a kind of boat trip for Bonnaroo types--will feature such acts as The Derek Trucks Band, Burning Spear and ALO.

The cruise departs Ft. Lauderdale, FL, on Jan. 2, and will stop at Turks/Caicos Islands and Cayo Levantado (near the Dominican Republic) before returning to its original home port on Jan. 7. Along the way, jam-band fans will have several opportunities to twirl aboard the boat to the likes of Railroad Earth, Tea Leaf Green, Deep Banana Blackout and Galactic. Concerts are held on several different stages, and the music runs from early afternoon until well past midnight. Bands typically play multiple sets per voyage.

Although this fifth annual event features a number of Jam Cruise regulars, including Tea Leaf Green and Galactic, it also includes some acts from outside the jam-band realm. The most notable are reggae-legend Burning Spear and acclaimed Southern country-rock band Drive-By Truckers.

It's also worth noting that the cruise will feature the reunited Zero, the influential San Francisco Bay Area band that helped spawn the revival of interest in jam-band music in the late '80s. Zero is best known by its guitarist, Steve Kimock, who has gone on to find success fronting his own band.

The fourth annual Jam Cruise, which sailed Jan. 7-13, proved to be immensely popular with fans. That outing featured such acts as Michael Franti, Gomez, Bela Fleck, Umphrey's McGee and Les Claypool.

Tickets for Jam Cruise 5 go on sale to the general public June 1. For more information, visit www.jamcruise.com.