The jam band explosion of the 90s and beyond

Love 'em or hate 'em, jam bands have infiltrated our culture and forever changed the music industry. There’s the Grateful Dead and Phish, but also Widespread Panic, The String Cheese Incident, and The Dave Matthews Band.

Author Mike Ayers joins Mikaela to talk about his new oral history which chronicles the rise of the jam band genre in the 1990s, and the culture that surrounded them. It's called "Sharing in the Groove: The Untold Story of the 90s Jam Band Explosion and the Scene that Followed." We talk about some of the biggest jam bands to come out of this region, and remember some of the most iconic local concerts. Mike Ayers is a veteran music journalist, and he’s been to more than 20 Grateful Dead shows and 130 Phish shows.

Broadcast live on Tuesday July 22, 2025, at noon; rebroadcast at 7 p.m.

Have questions, comments or tips? Send us a message or check us out on Instagram.