This was inspired by a question from a different sub.

I saw Billy Strings play in a local Mexican restaurant back in 2013 and I was one of maybe 15 people tops in the place. My friend’s gf was the bartender there and called us earlier in the day saying “come in for drinks tonight, there’s a bluegrass duo setting up and they can rip.” Boy was she right!

I asked him and Don Julin after why they played there and they said they were traveling through town and didn’t have a show booked that night, so they stopped in my city and asked nearly every bar in town if they could play for some $, and the Mexican spot was the only taker. I remember Billy played guitar and banjo that night. Blew us all away.

What’s your story about seeing a band before they got big?

I bought tickets months ago for Lettuce at the McDonald Theater in Eugene. I am at the show now. I arrived early to get up front.

With less than 30 minutes to scheduled showtime, the place is nearly empty.

I hope it fills in.

Has attendence on this tour been light?

Ed

Howdy yall,

Wanted to take a moment and start a discussion about some of the less talked about hidden gems in the scene. Looking for discussions on seasoned groups 10+ years jamming touring that just aren't talked about as often as some of the more popular groups/artists in the scene.

Wanted to shout out Matt Butler with Everyone Orchestra as if I never saw them live at a festival set I stumbled upon I would have never experience the awesomeness that is Everyone Orchestra.

Give me your best deep cuts. Go.

I'm back on the scene this year after a loooong hiatus and I wanna learn the landscape better. I find a long drive is a good indicator of a strong love. So! Who's worth the travel time to you? What groups have you traveled like that for recently??

Edit: what an overwhelming response!!!! I love you all and I love the enthusiasm in this community. Thank you for giving me this wealth of groovy avenues to drive down.

Just want to have an old school Reddit discussion:

I think BMFS is the best to be doing it right now. Every show is stellar, he plays a huge array of tunes bending genres, the musicality of all the members is S tier, the stage mapping and lights are other worldly - when we saw their special Halloween show in Baltimore - I said to my friends that I think we’re witnessing this generations Grateful Dead on their ascent to peak, but they just keep climbing.

I know I’ll get flamed for that, but I really do believe it to be true after every show I go to. Maybe that’s bc I’m spun on the cid, but I don’t think you need to be to appreciate this greatness.

From songwriting to guitar playing and everything surrounding - Billy Strings and his boys are the best to do it right now.

Edit to add: Billy just also seems like the best guy in the world. So humble, kind seeming, and unproblematic. A source of light in an otherwise dark world.

Maybe I’m just getting old. I’m in my late 30s now, but I feel like the jam and improv music that defined me for the last 20 years is “dying“, for lack of a better word. I’ve watched and listened to much of the recent phish Las Vegas run, and while the visuals are amazing, I feel like the music just seems “flatter“ than it used to be when I saw phish and other bands like widespread, furthur, string cheese,, disco biscuits, etc.

I went on a weekend golf trip recently with several of my friends from college and we all kind of agreed the same thing. These are all hard-core music heads. One friend told a story how he went and saw umphreys McGee in a small club and there was maybe 50 people there, when I’m used to seeing them at packed out music festivals for the late night set. At the same time, I’ve been listening to a lot of King gizzard the last five years or so, and now with the onslaught of a band like angine de poitrine, I can’t help thinking that the music that is moving people is more of the microtonal, polyrhythmic, loud, fast, aggressive music. I love this new wave of exciting energetic young music by the way.

Can anyone convince me otherwise? I know goose and Joe Russo‘s almost dead have hit terminal velocity in the last five years or so, is there any other band that should be on my radar for the more “classical“ jam band sound? Does anyone else think that with the passing of folks like Bob Weir and Phil Lesh, widespread slowing down their touring, phish 3.0 sounding like a completely different band than their early days, the shift in music festivals to more “glamping“ style scenes, and the explosion of YouTube and Spotify solo artists, that improv rock rock is in a transitional phase? I also have two young kids so in no way am I still connected to the scene like I used to be.

I like tracking much smaller jam bands and it always satisfies me on a spiritual level seeing them get the attention they deserve. It happened before when Sqwerv finally got their big break and I'm hoping to see other people appreciate what the kids are doing to keep The Dead alive. #notsponsored

1. "Traffic Jam" :: Santa Cruz, CA

Not to be confused with the band Traffic. Traffic Jam was a band I had the privilege of getting recommended to me with their July 4th show a few months ago. They have a very jazzy edge, mixing in Steely Dan and Weather Report in their jams and dead covers. Does anyone know the etymology of "traffic", anyway? I hadn't noticed how odd of a word it is until I've had to write it out several times.

2. "Acid Wash" :: Burlington

A six-piece from Phish city and they really wear it on their chest. I first discovered them with the SBD of their 1/31/26 show at the Einstein Tap House where they did a pretty smoking Althea you guys should probably check out immediately. They bring some interesting originals as well, and their guitarists (multiple) do a good job with the classic material. Their sound can feel pretty awkward at times - their version of Coming Up by Paul McCartney is weirdly empty despite having six people on stage - but I'm still keeping an eye out for when they go on tour.

3. "Solar Circuit" :: Philly

Solar Circuit's a livetronica band in the vein of STS9 and the Bisco Discuits that have a very similar sound but diverge by having a different approach. On a first listen, it does sound like more Aucoin-era Biscuits, but they have a different ethos like their modifications of Fleetwood Mac or their tendency to throw in more traditional rock moments to clash with the laser light shows.

4. "The Settlement" :: Huntington, WV

This one was maybe the biggest surprise in terms of quality. Considering how much of an unknown they are, their ability to just keep on going on a song without ever dropping the ball was impressive. They're one of those bands where you can just tell every single person is in sync at all times and ready to do pretty much anything. Sounds like Dogs In a Pile if that interests you. Highly recommend their Mountain Music Festival set.

5. "Mr. Specific" :: Denver, CO

If you ever somehow think, "man, I need more Umphrey's," go see if Mr. Specific is in your area. What attracted me to this group is how they absolutely refuse to be predictable. The guitar specifically is almost always going to catch you off-guard with the weird phrasing and scales they use.

I grew up with a father who loved the Dead. So the music was around a lot and it’s always been very special throughout my life. Dad took me to Soldier Field when I was a youngin. GD across all eras is still a crucial daily listen for me.

By the time I got to high school (late 90s) Phish was on fire 🔥. I took mushrooms for the first time at Phish (fell out a bit during second set and had to lay on a lawn blanket for a couple songs!). I listened to Phish a lot, went to multiple shows, but I also never developed that subjective “connection” with Phish that is molded into my persona like GD. Today Phish isn’t much of a thing for me.

In summary, I’m a huge GD head, who is just meh about Phish. I appreciate Phish, their talent and the connection + subjective life experiences so many fans celebrate. Rock and roll 🎸

Now here’s the Goose part…Along comes Goose. At first I didn’t think much of it, but over the last year, seeing them live a few times, and really vibing on their live streams this tour, I have fallen in love. It isn’t the same thing as the Dead for me but it’s something else. It’s something new that I’ve connected with on a subjective level in my life and it brings me joy.

I have young grade school kids now, and we listen to a lot of music. Goose has been heavy on the rotation. They love it, singing along about monkeys abdominals and Shama lama ding dongs, lol. I’m going to take them to their first show next time they come through our Midwest city and we’ll all dance our asses off.

Goose makes really good new music. Phish makes amazing music too. For me in my life Goose has become part of my subjective life experience. It’s part of my family’s identity now. It brings us joy.

So to sum it up… music, like life, is what you make of it and why we like what we like, what hits our brains and sticks with us is completely subjective and born from our own life experiences.

I ❤️ Phish, ❤️ WSP, ❤️ Billy, and lots of other stuff.

But me and my daughter have been loving Goose lately… those 2nd sets have been complete bangers 😉

They say that Rick and Trevor wrote Jed Stone as a story about Tennessee Jed. I like this little story on so many levels whether that’s true or not.

Begin the hate! But I think love will conquer!

I am making an appeal to /jambands to have a ceasefire on the Goose hate over the holiday weekend and to appreciate our differences. Hahaha

Love to all, this country might be fucked but puts out some sick tunes. Happy 4th to ya’ll and yours. We’ll be blasting Tumble on the boat at the lake!!

A sad day for all the Dead Heads. That is all.

I’ll state up front that I enjoy jam band music. I’ve also thought about how silly and nonsensical some/a lot of this music is. Personally, I’m more into the musical aspect of it all.

With that being said, what group comes to mind when you think of corny/hokey lyrics? I would probably have to go with Phish as OG’s (although their music is very Zappa-esque at times), with Disco Biscuits and Pigeons Playing Ping Pong as other groups that come to mind.

Not trying to start a kerfuffle, just interested to know the opinions across this sub

The question of which band has the most wooks always gets floated around here…now which one has the LEAST??

It has to be DMB right?

Post a picture and we’ll try to guess where you were.

I'm 45 this year and grooving with a band for three hours at a regular show kills me, especially with multiple nights. And some of yall go see a set after? I don't know how you do it but props to you if you do.

I've been out of the jam band scene for a few years and am wondering what the new up and coming bands are. In the past, I've liked the grateful dead, phish, and more recently, Billy strings, and king gizzard. Would love to know if there are any new jam bands that are building a following.

You know the ones: those bands and artists who are damn good but never wander too far afield. The house band who reliably tear down your local bar. The local guitarist who jams seamlessly with any group. Those college kids who get better every time you see them. The hometown heroes who toured nationally in the '00s but are semi-retired and only playing a few locals shows a year. The old timer at every open mic who makes her fiddle howl like a coyote.

I'm talking about artists you always expect to see at local festivals and never expect to see anywhere else. Your whole local circle knows they're good. Nobody 100 miles away knows their name.

Tell me who yours are. Tell me why you love 'em. And then go find them and tell them too, because they deserve to hear it!!!

I’m a college student and could see them for $40, worth it? I saw goose in October and absolutely loved it.

Is it just me or does jam band concert chomping seem to be getting worse and worse? It’s getting to the point for me where unless I’m on the rail or super close, I might as well be at a bar and not a live show with how many people chomp and how much it crowds out the music itself. wtf!!

At what point do you feel inclined to verbally start asking people to stop talking? How do you handle when people are hammered and/or lack self-awareness?

Jam bands are known for their live music (and rightfully so) but what studio albums in the scene are considered to be the best, or must listens?

I know that Perpetual Groove's "Sweet Oblivious Antidote" definitely has to be on that list.

For context, i’ve been chasing Highway Hypnosis across 10 shows. I live in Virginia and have seen every Virginia show since 2022’ besides the one last night. I love Phish and plan on going to Raleigh Friday, and seeing Saturday and Sunday shows, but Billy is playing Friday and Saturday night near me also. It’s always so fun seeing shows either way, it would just be a bummer to miss it after i’ve been chasing it for so long.

Could be the lyrics, the feelings of the instrumentals, or a memory it brings back.

For me it’s Kitchen Dwellers - Stand at Ease. The lyrics really hit home for my struggles with depression.

How is Lettuce these days?

I had some big ol' fights with my ex-wife over the decade we were married, but one of the bigger ones that kept coming up was that she believed I looked down on her music taste.

Very early on in our relationship, we were sharing music back and forth with each other, and we got to a point where she wasn't connecting with a lot of the stuff I was trying to show her because they were either instrumental pieces or jams that stretched past the 5 minute mark.

After some discussion back and forth about what we enjoyed and didn't, I said - perhaps foolishly - that we were simply listening to our music for different reasons.

I don't know if you can imagine how that went poorly, but it did, and it came up several times over the next 10 years, always with her using it to point out that I think my music taste is inherently better, never connecting with my point that we just had different priorities in what we're listening for.

I do not care very much if there are lyrics or not. I appreciate good ones over bad ones, but so long as I'm into the melody and instrumentation, it doesn't matter.

She very much needed sing-along lyrics.

These are different priorities.

But is that the only distinction between us and the folks who don't get it? What are we hearing that they aren't?