Jams, in the context of band music, are normally defined as improvisations of chord patterns and progressions, sessions of which naturally result in long sets of music. Due to this very definition of “jamming,” jam bands have a natural predisposition to play and cross a variety of genres, from psychedelic rock to jazz fusion to folk music. Jam bands, to take the definition further, are groups influenced by The Grateful Dead and their fan culture – a culture with a strong sense of loyalty, with fans following musicians from gig to gig across the country. Jam bands radio then is any radio station that plays mostly if not exclusively jam-band music.
It all started with The Grateful Dead, of course, and though the band still had a major following during the 1980s, bands like Phish, the heir apparent to The Grateful Dead, as well as Blues Traveler, Spin Doctors and Edie Brickell & New Bohemians were starting to tour and play jam-band-style music. During this time and perhaps due to the experimental and unique nature of jam songs that differ each time they’re played, jam bands radio stations were nonexistent. Fans had to make do with their very own recorded concert sessions in order to replay a particular piece during a particular concert. Even if commonly referred to as illegal bootlegs, these tapes were freely shared and exchanged by fans.
The ‘90s saw increased exposure for bands such as The Black Crowes and Aquarium Rescue Unit, and Phish by then was building a larger fan base and introducing new concepts in their concert performances. The death of Jerry Garcia in 1995 only led to the explosion of Phish’s popularity. The Internet, young as it was then, paved the way for the creation of discussion groups for such bands and their music, which arguably resulted to more awareness and hence more concert-goers for these bands.
Even when Phish disbanded in 2004, other bands such as String Cheese Incident, Widespread Panic and Disco Biscuits rose in the jam-band scene, participating in booming jam-band festivals. By this time, of course, downloading songs from the Internet was already common practice. What used to be private recorded sessions were infinitely more easily shared to anyone with a computer and an ISP.
Nowadays, one can easily find jam bands radio stations online, which effectively skirts the issue of piracy and illegal sharing. This, however, could be considered beside the point, as it is part of jam-band culture to allow listeners to tape concerts and shows. In fact, some will very well argue that bands that don’t allow fans to record performances are not really jam bands in the tradition set by The Grateful Dead.
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