Jam bands inspire a lot from many. Cynicism from the skeptics. Almost endless support from the fanatics. Curiosity from the drive-bys, some of whom move on to casual fandom before completing devoting themselves to the cause. But what the Grateful Dead built, and what so many others bands continued on with in recent decades, seems to have hit a stall. It’s not that jam bands aren’t still around; it’s more than the scene, if you will, isn’t evolving the way it once was. Where are the experimental and exploratory acts that were still emerging even 15 or 20 years ago?
Has music shifted so much that wanting to improvise and bringing an instrumentation to your live show isn’t a pathway to even sustained underground success? I spoke with one of the editors-in-chief at Relix Magazine, Dean Budnick, to discuss more of where the genre’s going and if it’s long since hit is peak … with almost no chance at revival.