Over the past four decades American mainstream culture has become much more accepting. As each generation has grown up, an increasing number of styles have been adopted into the mainstream. This applies to art, clothing, gender, language, etc., and it especially applies to music. Both the hippie subculture and bluegrass subculture had music that was very specific to their ideals in time and place. While both have grown to be recognized nationally, they started as very small subcultures. This is a pattern that is very difficult to find in today's society. With the creation of the internet, especially websites like YouTube, music can be created and instantaneously be shared with the world. It does not need to find a local following, a pocket of people to nourish the new style. Instead, it finds people all over the United States, it is open to be heard by anyone, which immediately destroys the opportunity to become a subculture. Furthermore, society is ever more accepting of new techniques and styles, so it doesn't take much for popular culture to catch on either.
The music on this playlist helps exemplify the idea that neither the hippie or bluegrass subculture exist in pure form anymore. Over time these two musical sounds have traveled across the United States, merged and created a new style. All of these songs bring influence from both the rock and roll/jam band sound of the sixties and the quick tempo, acoustic instrument sound from bluegrass; some relying more heavily on one over the other. Today, most of the music has a very large following, which must be attributed to its forefathers: Appalachian bluegrass and San Fransisco rock and roll.
The music on this playlist helps exemplify the idea that neither the hippie or bluegrass subculture exist in pure form anymore. Over time these two musical sounds have traveled across the United States, merged and created a new style. All of these songs bring influence from both the rock and roll/jam band sound of the sixties and the quick tempo, acoustic instrument sound from bluegrass; some relying more heavily on one over the other. Today, most of the music has a very large following, which must be attributed to its forefathers: Appalachian bluegrass and San Fransisco rock and roll.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=isrCQobZgdY
String Cheese Incident is a jam band that takes sound from The Grateful Dead but also incorporates the mandolin and violin. The introduction of this song is a good example of psychedelic rock sound with acoustic instruments. As it builds, the sound and combination of styles becomes more intense.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QHDupqwy-nA
Keller Williams is known as the one man jam band because he mixes a bluegrass sound with electronica and dance. This song has strong acoustic instrumentals which creates a bluegrass/rock sound.
Old Crow Medicine Show is a recent bluegrass band that has taken the bluegrass sound and added a little rock. Wagon Wheel is a song written by Bob Dylan, but made famous by O.C.M.S. exemplifying the ties between sixties rock and bluegrass.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ZkEZyooe7Y
Widespread Panic is another jam band that mixes hard rock with blues rock. This sound has a banjo-like sound which reveals the bluegrass influence.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rlExzSQW9aw
MGMT is a current day psychadelic rock band, mixing their instrumentals with electronic. This song is a good demonstration of their ability to combine these two different sounds.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ARIr6S_0lAQ
Nickel Creek finds its home somewhere between bluegrass and acoustic rock. This song exemplifies the melody you can create playing acoustic instruments with a slower tempo.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ysqZlzKqKWI
Umphreys McGee is a rock/jam band group, but this song is a little slower with acoustic notes, exploring the style of bluegrass.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nf0BNlYY_RA
This is a current jam band that keeps it sound in the electric guitar, it finds its roots more in the hippie rock sound. They were heavily influenced by both Cream and Jimi Hendrix, replicating their sounds.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wWV91h5bplg
Phish is a very popular jam band that does a great job of combining the sounds of rock and bluegrass. It uses the electric guitar in this song, but creates a banjo/acoustic type sound. There are also long instrumentals which they use to explore the different melodies they can create with these two styles.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_3Yeum4AaDw
Yonder Mountain String band is a progressive bluegrass band. They take some rock/jam band influence by slowing down their tempo. Like bluegrass in the past, this song lyrically relies a lot of geographical place.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pkggOkBxcnk
This song is one of Dave's songs with a longer instrumental. He incorporates electric and acoustic instruments to create his jam band sound. By doing this he explores the relationship between rock and bluegrass.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=22mD_pUjYrk
Disco Biscuits thats their influence from electronic rock, creating a sound they call livetronica. This song has a slower tempo which allows the listener to get a full sense of the sound they are creating.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tTfi3EW2vbw&feature=related
Bela Fleck is a banjo player that has created a band with a guitar player, harmonica player and keyboardist. This song combines the sound of the electric guitar and banjo throughout the instrumentals.
Yeasayer is an experimental rock band that combines psychedelic rock with pop. Their influence largely comes from the electronic sound of the sixties.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CeqMiHUgo5g
Moe. is another American jam band that uses electric and acoustic guitars to join the sounds of rock and bluegrass. This song has a background bluegrass sound with an upfront electric guitar.
