Stampen Music Pub Stockholm
Located on a tiny, cobble stone street in Gamla Stan or the old town section of Stockholm, Stampen pub has been serving up jazz, blues, and R&B since 1968. What was once a pawn shop (the name Stampen is derived from the stamps clients would receive per regular maintenance payments, for items they had deposited at the pawn shop as collateral), now offers musical entertainment and libations almost every day of the week. When I lived in Stockholm, during the cold, dark, winter months, we would head to Stampen without fail for the Saturday afternoon Blues Jam. Run by American Brian Kramer and the Couch Lizards house band, this open jam session invites anyone, from young amateurs to old seasoned professionals, local and foreign, to turn up and create live, spontaneous, on the fly blues or R&B compositions together. Lasting all afternoon with a drink break here or there, the Blues Jam always ends on the same note—with a rousing rendition of Muddy Waters' Got My Mojo Working, while the packed, standing room only house sings along. Even when the weather is dreary outside, you know things will always be heating up inside Stampen. So grab a stor stark, pull up a stool if you can find one, and prepare for an afternoon of good old fashioned foot tapping.
