In our world, where cryptic Instagram captions and jaded malaise rule, very few dare to live with their happiness and passions on their sleeves. Some feel trapped by their 9 to 5, others by their student debt and uninspired journey to fulfilling their parents’ wishes in the form of a parchment paper. Some people are afraid to let that imaginary moat down to the core of their innermost treasures and hopes for fear of being judged or mocked. Others assimilated to a culture of nonchalance and ennui, afraid to stand out—or perhaps, they’re stuck in the quicksand of imposter syndrome. Whatever the case might be, sometimes we need a reminder that it’s okay to live our truth and express ourselves with an unabashed declaration. Luckily, our local area has just the reminder in the form of the supergroup, Galaxy Jams!

The saying goes that “first impressions matter;” in this case, the phrase could not be any more true. As I learned more about Galaxy Jams, I was struck by how much content there was from the group, despite them starting in late 2021/early 2022. As Galaxy Jams drummer Michael Mahgerefteh alluded to, the start of something new has to begin with the end of something old. And that beginning would start with the end of local psychedelic rock band—Galaxy Dynamite. 

“We used to relentlessly tour all up and down the coast, and we played more than 500 shows in our time, you know what I mean? When coronavirus happened, I didn’t want to be the band that played socially distant things. I never liked the car shows, like the drive-in shows, or like people wearing masks or having to sit in pods and stuff like that while we’re playing. I didn’t want to do that.” explained Mahgerefteh. “So, I designed a studio in my house, and we were able to jam in my house. I was actually able to pipe the music into my living room via Bluetooth so that while we were playing, people would be partying in the next room. It was just something that I was doing for fun.” And with that, Galaxy Jams was born. 

“EJ [Toudt] and Nate [Sacks], the other two guys in my band, got together and said, ‘Hey, if we have the music sounding this good and it’s this much fun to play, then why don’t we go another step further and set it up to record video? And if we’re going to go that further, then why don’t we set it up to stream, and then why don’t we do a channel and do the whole thing?’ Taking full advantage of the unpredictable environment brought on by the events of 2020, the group decided that after much reflection, why not start carving a path in their own way. What was the saying…work smarter, not harder? 

So with an affirmed resolution, Galaxy Jams assembled with Mahgerefteh (drums), Toudt (bass), Sacks (guitar and keyboard), and Kai Tomas (keyboard) at the helm, ready to launch into the next journey of their lives. The passion for this new journey practically exudes from Mahgerefteh as he exclaims, “The amount of times in my life where I can get a group of guys that are talented, and we all get along, and we all have time to do it, and we all make great music… it’s getting smaller and smaller. How often can we do this? We want to make as much content as possible.” One look at the quantity and quality of Galaxy Jam’s content is enough to prove Mahgerefteh’s sincerity. 

The supergroup holds weekly streaming sessions on Tuesdays (8:00 PM EST) and Sundays (3:30 PM EST) on their Twitch channel. Tuesdays are dedicated to lively podcast conversations, complemented with tasty improv jam sessions (they record and publish four albums a week out of these sessions) and a review segment on the latest zany snacks by member and snack aficionado Nate S(n)acks. On Sundays, the Galaxy crew holds ‘Galaxy Jams Reacts’ sessions, where they listen, review, and react to hand-picked and fan-picked music. The group’s approach is savvy, working a similar, tried-and-true formula including the key ingredients of passion, determination, and a sense of community. “We really wanna do this thing the right way, and I think that we can. There’s so much potential in this project.”

So what’s in the cards for Galaxy Jam’s future? The group plans to begin its second season this Tuesday, May 10th, at 8:00 PM. Mahgerefteh lists various ideas—both in motion and in the think tank. Everything from running “Cartoon Network-esque” commercial bumpers in-between live streams to potential collaborations with other local artists in the area is all things in the works for Galaxy Jams. The future is limitless, so let’s jam on. 

You can join the journey and follow the group below: 

Instagram: @galaxy_jams

Facebook: Galaxy Jams Fanclub

Twitter: @galaxy_jams

YouTube: Galaxy Jams

Twitch: Galaxy_Jams

Bandcamp: Galaxy Jams

Jasmine Rodriguez

Jasmine Rodriguez is a culture and music enthusiast based out of Virginia. When she's not writing for music blogs, you can find her working on her latest themed playlists, scouring for more new music, and taking pictures of her friends and life around her.

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