In 2003, UK mag The Wire ran an issue with improv collective Jackie-O-Motherfucker adorning the cover -- underneath them, the words “Welcome to the New Weird America.” A blanket phrase aiming to encompass an overwhelming resurgence in acid-rock and psych-folk “New Weird America,” this now applies to a much fewer number of artists than when coined in ’03. If any group of artists were to be keeping the phrase’s relevance fresh – and quite possibly, be leading the movement – it may just be the three modest gents who together comprise Akron/Family.

Releasing this May, the group’s new full-length on Dead Oceans, Set ‘em Wild, Set ‘em Free, sees Akron/Family seamlessly shifting from afro-funk to dusty ol’ folk, from doom metal to bursts of their own brand of anthemic, psychedelic get-down. The Akron/Family live experience is known to be exhausting in the best possible sense – without break, the sets wander from heavy, freewheeling jams to howling gospel stomps – almost always climaxing with the audience dancing on stage.

Before Akron/Family hits out on a month-long jaunt, culminating with a New Museum show on 3/27 and two rare Brooklyn gigs at Union Pool on 3/28 & 29 -– we sat down with drummer/multi-instrumentalist Dana Janssen, who generously shared a glimpse into the band’s evolving psyche -- and gave us a list of the artists, albums, shows and songs essential to him.

Here’s what Janssen affectionately deemed for us, his “Top 10 Most Mindblowing Experiences of Recent Recollection”:

1. Toumani Diabate - Live at the Bowery Ballroom with the Symmetric Orchestra in 2007
It was a performance that lasted over 2 hours and still had me wanting more. The effortless mastery that Toumani displays is a sight to behold. He has an extremely inviting presence and a willingness to share his song with everyone that warms my heart.

2. Miles Davis - On the Corner
An album I recently revisited that I never really connected with too much in the past, this time around, however, I felt the depth of the record. With some of the first explorations of sampling that I've heard, I love the trance-like grooves the group gets into. And when I think of it in the context of when it was released, I realize how ahead of its time this album really was. Inspiring a lot of drum and bass that I've heard.

3. Doudou N’diaye Rose – Djabote
Well, I love West African drumming. This record is great. I love when I can really hear the space of where a band, or drum troupe, is recording. They recorded this in a week on an island with fifty drummers and eighty singers. It’s amazing to hear the crickets in the tracks, and the decay of the outdoors mixed in with all of the other activity.

4. Hamid Drake and William Parker - Live at (now-closed experimental haven) Tonic, and many other venues…
Two of the best players/improvisers around today. These men are tapped into a higher power. I was fortunate enough to have played with both of them, and even record with Hamid on our album Meek Warrior, and I learned a wealth of knowledge about playing music through these experiences. It seems that the one of the best methods of teaching or learning music is through the experience of watching and sharing a space with other humans who are steeped in the tradition.

5. Megafaun – Live at Knitting Factory, late 2008.
I've known this band for a little while now and did a few tours with them. I got to see their set every night for a couple of months, so I thought when I went to see them at the Knit it was more to see my friends and hang out. However when they took the stage that night I noticed that something had changed -- they played familiar songs and new tunes but everyone of them was played with a breath of fresh air and an inspiring creativity that still sticks with me. In particular, I noticed the evolution of their drummer Joe Westerlund -- he was amazing to watch. Extremely entertaining and awesomely creative with his approach to the songs. And the dynamic the group played with was incredible -- playful and caring and generous. A really great band.

6. Tom Petty – Into the Great Wide Open
As much as I've heard this song, I never noticed that in the chorus, he drops a minor 7th. Ever since I noticed this, I've been obsessed with it, pointing it out to everyone around me every time it happens (laughs) I bet they hate it by now.

7. Do Make Say Think – “& Yet & Yet” and one of their performances at the Bowery Ballroom a couple years ago.
When I first moved to New York, I had a Discman with three cd’s that I rotated -- and left each in the player for a number of days at a time. One of the cd’s was Do Make Say Think’s “& Yet & Yet.” I fell in love with this record in a pretty major way. Especially track 4, “Chinatown”. On my first tour we stopped in Toronto, Canada, opening for the Angels of Light. After the show, a dude approached me and told me he loved the show and how he wished he had a cd of his band to give me. I asked what the name was and he said Do Make Say Think…I was so stoked. I told him I already had all of his discs!! Later they came through New York and played the Bowery in support of the album “You, You’re a History In Rust.” The live show blew me away. I was impressed with how they could pull everything off live. Amazing.

8. Prince - Coachella 2008
I’ve always loved this guy, and when I learned that he was the headliner for the day we played Coachella, I got so excited. His music seemed a bit lost on some of the crowd, mainly the deep R&B cuts, but it was exactly what I was needing. The showmanship he has is unparalleled -- and when he hit “Purple Rain,” whew, tears in the desert.

9. Funkadelic – Maggot Brain
Probably my favorite Funkadelic record. Track 2, “Can You Get To That,” is the best. The guy with the extremely low baritone voice kills it -- and obviously, the guitar solo on the title track! Deep space!

10. Phosphorescent – “Endless pt.1”
The first time I saw Matthew perform was in Atlanta, Georgia, again on my first tour. He played his song “Endless,” and ended up going into a real sweet vocal round melody into a line 6 pedal looper. It tugged on my heartstrings. Ever since, I've kept up with his work and we even did a tour with him through England and Iceland. A tremendous songwriter and an outstanding performer, I highly recommend him to everyone.

~Ben Zoltowski