The first jam was held at the Millennium Art Gallery on August 14/99. The original idea behind the ANIMATICS was simple: everyone that showed up was part of the band. Participants played instruments, made percussive rhythms, harmonized, vocalized or waxed ecstatic in spoken word rant, trance or dance.

The first line-up was: Jake, alternating on bass guitar and funky bongo/maraca rhythm section; Rog, on acoustic guitar and spontaneous volcalizations, and Rick on wailing animatic electric guitar. They were soon joined by Willow on acoustic guitar and vocals, Leah on penny whistle, Ken on bass and guitar, and many drummers and percussionists, dancers and chanters... surrounded by the artworks of 22 child/artists and a galactic contingent of angels and inter-dimensional beings...this was the ANIMATICS first 3 hour community performance.

The Animatic Jams continued for as long as the gallery was standing (a fire destroyed the Millennium Art Gallery headquarters on November 4^th, 1999).

Ultimately, since the Animatic Art Movement was far from extinguished in the fire, the music will continue. In time, we will be encouraging members in other areas of the planet to form their own “ANIMATICS” band. MillenniumArtGallery.com will eventually be broadcasting live online audio/video feeds, to enable other Animatic communities to join the jam in real time from around the globe. Imagine! -Tens of millions of participants in simultaneous performance, gloriously raising rhythms and chants and musical modalities in harmony and transcendent joy.