by Jim Grady

Hi, my name is Jim and I am a lover of good music. I am a jamband-loving Deadhead whose musical interests include blues, bluegrass, funk, rock, and jazz. I am only 19, too young to be considered a legit Deadhead, but I am the perfect age for the ever-growing jamband scene. I attend concerts as often as money and school will permit, and I listen to music as often as I can. Good music is my life, man. Anyway, I feel like I am the only one who appreciates this music and who "gets it." I attend the University of Maryland, College Park, a university of over 30K students, but I have yet to find one person who "gets it." Most of the people that I associate with in my life, i.e., my friends, family, teachers, and classmates, have musical tastes that are drastically different than mine. I respect the individual interests of people; I know that everyone is different and has variable likes and dislikes. Whatever floats your boat is a cliché to justify the fact that people like different musical genres, styles, and sounds. But, when someone denies the opportunity to enter into a new, wonderful musical realm that jambands encompass, I am disappointed. I am constantly trying to introduce this simultaneously soothing and exciting music to my friends. I throw in a nice Dead tape from 69, 77, 89, or even 95 (based on the assumption that more recent music is more relevant), or a tasty String Cheese show from Telluride, or an upbeat Soulive track from "Turn it Out." I watch their faces intently, looking for even the slightest grin or visage of content enjoyment. Yet, they don t even tap their feet on the ground while listening to 5-8-77 s Scarlet>Fire, they don t smile from cheek to cheek during SCI s "Smile," and there is no sign of head-nodding during Soulive s opening track, "Steppin." It is a mystery to me: isn t the essence of music, let alone good music, its ability to move someone, either physically, emotionally, or spiritually?? I don t know how the funky bass-lines, the sensuous guitar solos, or the rhythmic drumbeats don t move people who listen to them. Someone doesn t have to dance or move physically, but there should be some kind of inner connection, at least. Although there is no concrete evidence that says that someone isn t moved internally, one just knows. It can be seen in the listener s eyes, it can be heard in his or her response, and it can be felt inside of the person playing the music. It is an inanimate vibe that exists that certain people can just sense.

Music helps me to get through each day. Songs that I connect with guide me through each day s troubles. There are always those annoying cyclic, repetitious rituals that everyone must go through in order to complete each day. Without music, it would be tough for me to make it. Forget dogs. Music is man s best friend and is certainly mine. It can expand your mind and help you to widen your perspective on life and its important elements. Aspects of life that you once thought were inconsequential or meaningless suddenly become beautiful, essential parts of your life. You start to notice things you once didn t after listening to music. Life starts to become fluid in nature and less concrete. Thus, it is easier for you to maneuver through life s cracks and crevices and reach the other side. Reaching the other side means your senses are heightened and your love for life is increased. Music is capable of extraordinary feats that other forms of enjoyment or leisure aren t. Lying down and sleeping can rest your body and mind, but you always have to wake up. Rest is temporary; music is eternal. Music is the greatest natural drug. It can leave with the best high because it alters your physical, mental, and spiritual states, but in a good way. There are no hangovers after listening to good music, only periods of saying to yourself, "Wow!" Music increases your gratitude towards life itself and makes you glad to be alive and able to experience such a wonderful aspect of life.

I decided to write this article b/c I was just playing a sweet Eyes of the World out of my computer when my roommate turned on his speakers and started wailing heavy-metal or something. I feel as if my love for "good" music is a negative aspect of my life because I have to feel so lonely all of the time. This music relates to my musical interests, my culture, and who I am. A sweet melody or solo just hits my soul and connects me to a higher level of identity. I would feel lost without this music. I thought I would find a group of people, or at least one person, who shared my passion for good music. But, I guess I was mistaken. I know that there are other people in the world with similar interests, such as you guys, but I don't think I have had an opportunity to hang out with them or talk to them about the musical love we all share. That deep, unseen vibe that pervades the atmosphere at jamband concerts is what connects lovers of "good" music.

Jambands aren t the only makers of good music. Jazz cats, blues artists, and classic rock and rollers all play soulful, spiritually connectable music, in my opinion. Even musicians like Andres Segovia and Johnny Staats, who are incomparable on their respective instruments ("was" in the case of Segovia) but aren t considered members of jambands, are great to listen to. Their music isn t commercial or popular to the general public, but to those who know them, it is amazing. If a certain type of music moves someone in one way or another, it should be considered "good," I think. If it exists just to be listened to and not heard, then it is superficial or meaningless. That is how most of today s popular music is composed. It is only made to be listened to, not heard.

My fellow colleagues here at Maryland just don t get it. I don t know why, but I think it is because they have been trapped by today s mainstream, commercial culture. They listen to what is popular and to what everyone else is listening to. This just creates a vicious circle of spreading bad music into people s consciousness. The predominantly played form of music on my campus is a hybrid form of rap and hip-hop. It is ok to listen to it if you connect with it on a non-superficial level. But, if you listen to it only because others are and you think you should, too, because its popular, then its not ok. Making decisions based on what others tell you to do and not based on your own, personal tastes is not smart because it encourages you to not be yourself. There are already enough pretentious people on my campus. Listening to pretentious music just worsens the scene. I find myself in a dry musical oasis. There are no groove-laden, soulful songs being emanated from the speakers that sit outside dorm room windows. The musical oasis, in fact, receives constant musical pollution from people who blast bad music into the air. So, it is hard to walk to class each day with a loud, dry bass beat constantly pervading your ears or a screechy, substance-less electronic keyboard piercing the fragile skin of your eardrums.

Well, anyway, I just needed to get all of that out of my system and onto paper (or a computer). Thanks a lot, guys, for existing in cyberspace and in the real world; it helps a lot to be able to logon to jambands.com every day and check out something cool that I can relate to. People like you and the people who logon to jambands because it tells about music that they not only listen to, but also hear, are lovers of "good" music. You guys help me to look forward to waking up each day and facing life. It is a real treat to have the opportunity to indulge in an activity with like-minded folks like yourselves. Being on the same page as someone else, musically, and otherwise, is a rare occurrence for me. It is all about the music and its effects on the listener. All fans of good music know that there is a special link that connects music to our souls. Music is the key to my happiness and daily survival. I m sure it is the same for many of you, too. So, keep on keepin on and let the music be heard.