📖 Sharing in the Groove

The Untold Story of the '90s Jam Band Explosion and the Scene That Followed by Mike Ayers

July 24, 2025

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This wasn’t just about music—it was about connection, freedom, and figuring it out as you go.

— Mike Ayers, Sharing in the Groove

Before social media, one music scene created a real-life following like no other.

In Sharing in the Groove, journalist Mike Ayers unpacks the jam band explosion—where bands improvised, fans built a culture from the ground up, and every night was different. It’s not just a story about music.

It’s about community, creativity, and a movement that quietly shaped how we experience live events today.

SMARTEST TAKEAWAYS
How the Jam Band Scene Changed Music Culture

1️⃣ Improvisation Was the Model: Bands like Phish*, Widespread Panic, and moe. didn’t follow formulas—they created in real time. It wasn’t about perfection—it was about being present, adaptable, and open to what came next.

2️⃣ The Fans Built the Infrastructure: From trading tapes to running fan sites and printing zines, jam band communities didn’t just listen—they documented, distributed, and preserved a living, breathing history in motion.

3️⃣ Success Meant Playing the Long Game: Without radio play or chart-toppers, these bands built massive followings through touring, word-of-mouth, and authenticity. It’s a case study in how grassroots passion beats polished marketing.

*The Greatest Band of all Time

Mike Ayers is a music journalist and editor whose work has appeared in Rolling Stone, The Wall Street Journal, and Esquire, with a focus on music, culture, and storytelling.

INSIGHTFUL EXAMPLE
Tapes Before TikTok

Before streaming, fans recorded shows on cassette tapes and traded them by mail or in parking lots. These weren’t bootlegs—they were part of the culture, encouraged by the bands and used to grow the scene organically.

👉 The takeaway: Long before social media, this community figured out how to build a decentralized network—powered by passion, not algorithms.

BOOK FACTS
Sharing in the Groove

  • First Published: July 22, 2025

  • Print length: 416 pages

  • Listening length: NA

  • Ratings: NA

BITTERSWEET MOTEL
Life on the Road, Exactly as It Happened

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