April 20 is all but a holiday in stoner parlance — "Hippie New Year," they call it. Local concert promoter Matt Altruda hopes to turn 4/20 into a localized — and less political — extension of the Hash Bash, the popular first-weekend-of-April stoner fest that brings thousands to Ann Arbor each year.

Tuesday night at downtown's Blind Pig, Altruda hosted the 4/20 Super Jam, composed entirely of local musicians. If the Hash Bash is a political rally meant to draw a crowd from far and wide to advocate for a cause, Hippie New Year is apolitical, more focused on thanking the Ann Arbor community for supporting local music than anything else.

"This show isn't designed to make money," Altruda wrote in an e-mail blast before the concert. "This show is designed to have an amazing night of boundless improvisational music for make you dance dance dance."

None of the artists indulged in pre-set political rants. The fact that it was 4/20 barely even came up — that the crowd came out on a work/school night to support its local artists was a bigger point of emphasis.

By the time the show rolled around, most of the audience members who planned on indulging in 4/20 had already done so. The scent of marijuana could be observed at points throughout the night, but it was by no means why anyone came out.

Which is good, because with bars in the State of Michigan going smoke-free on May 1, such indulgences will become more of a rarity in the future. Smoking pot under the haze of cigarette smoke is one thing; smoking it at a time when all smoking is prohibited in the bar is quite another.

Ann Arbor's own Macpodz formed the base of the 4/20 Super Jam, with other local musicians dropping in or out of sets at their leisure. The Macpodz's Brendan Andes hosted the show and played guitar. Ross Huff held down the trumpet while Griffin Bastian played the drums. Jesse Clayton split time on the keyboard with Dave Sanders of UV Hippo.

They were joined by Ypsilanti's Martin Luther Simmons, who contributed for a time on the saxophone. Dan Bennett, sax man for NOMO, stole the show at times during the second set. Russ Tessier of Body Talk and Mike Phillips of Four Finger Five got the crowd dancing with their bass play, while Fareed Haque of Garaj Mahal impressed with an extended set on guitar.

But the biggest hit of the Super Jam was Jamie Register, who split time between vocals, the guitar, and drums. Register, who helms the Glendales, added a vocal element that focused the jam session and got the audience moving.

Register closed down the show with a rendition of Carl Carlton's "She's a Bad Mama Jama."

About 150 people came out to the 4/20 Super Jam, not bad for a first-time event. Once the April 20 show becomes a staple of the local music scene, Altruda said, that number should grow significantly.

"I want to do this every year," Altruda said. "We're going to make 4/20 an annual thing in Ann Arbor, something that people circle on their calendars."

James David Dickson can be reached at JamesDickson@AnnArbor.com.