It was a warm, humid night in Buffalo, Ny. A small crowd had begun to  assemble outside Nietzches. The quaint music club has been home to some of  the best shows Buffalo has ever seen. Once I paid the reasonable admission found myself in a subculture that seemed to only exist within the walls of  the club or subsequently any Jamband club around the nation.

The show tonight was Merl Saunders, but it could have been any other of  the countless jambands which have come through Nietzches. Everyone from  Phish to The Slip have found themselves playing in the small but always  alive room.     

I slowly made my way to find a seat on the couch adjacent from the  soundboard. As I sat and observed the people walking by me I was hit with realization.  There is a music revolution that is happening and it taking  place in the small clubs and theatres which are quaintly nestled in every  city.     

    Music has always been something that people relate to. If you have a bad day you can put on a song of any genre to ease your mind. For teenagers the recent trends have been hip-hop, R&B, as well more hardcore music. While  every person is different, and musical tastes are broad, I think that people are slowly starting to return to the roots of music. Bands such as MMW, The  Slip, Jazz Mandolin Project, and countless others have developed a strong  and loyal following which is made up of the same demographic age group that is into the more pop-music culture.

This surprising trend only shows signs of growing. The jamband scene is  one which is coming alive with diversity. No longer do you have first and  second generation dead heads attending the local shows. There are high school  and college kids who are just as fervent about the music as anyone. As the  scene grows and spreads we all have to be accepting of the change.  

On tour this summer with Phish I was struck by all the comments about  "the local high school kids" who are coming to the shows taking the tickets, and ruining the scene. Sometimes we have a tendency to become elitist. As  bands like Widespread Panic, String Cheese Incident, as well as other bands  who a few years ago were playing small clubs no begin to fill mid size  venues some people have a hard time dealing with the new characteristics of  the following. The jamband scene is a scene which will be ever morphing and changing into different phases, while the core values and beliefs will remain the same.

Being 18 it is often perplexing to see the automatic resentment some  people have towards the "newer generation" of jamband fans. I am not going  to speak for everyone, or say that every kid there is there for the right  reasons. However, the younger generation of fans are the generation which is going to keep the scene alive and thriving.    

  Kids now are being influenced by so much great music. The diversity is  absolutely astounding. I am very excited about the kind of music which will  be out there in five to ten years. When 16,17,18 year old kids get older and start forming major bands they will have such a melting pot of influences.  Imagine the possibilities. There are kids sitting at home right now aspiring to play in a band who in there 6 Cd changer have The Disco Biscuits, MMW,  Widespread, Bela' Fleck, Phish, and Miles Davis. They are going to be  influenced by this eclectic mix and in turn right music that is influenced  by it.

It is a great time to be a fan of jamband music. The great thing about  the music which is created is that it reaches all demographics. The young  and the old can gather in the small clubs or massive arenas and listen to  this great music that enriches our souls.