Soft Parts is a podcast about identity, mental health, and all the chaotic, beautiful, and weird in-between phases of life. Therapist Deana Bianco sits down with artists, innovators, and mental health pros to talk anxiety, addiction, self-worth, creativity, and the surprising moments that shape us. Sometimes, she even dives into memoirs with guests to try to make sense of the human experience. Equal parts thoughtful, funny, and strange. Sometimes you’ll laugh, sometimes you’ll cry, and sometimes both.
Inside the 90s Jam Band Scene with Mike Ayers: Phish, Widespread Panic & Tape Trading
In Part 2 of So, What Brings You to Therapy?, Deana Bianco continues her conversation with author Mike Ayers (Sharing in the Groove) to explore the community-driven, DIY roots of the late ’80s and ’90s jam band scene.
They dive into Atlanta’s Aquarium Rescue Unit and the lasting influence of Colonel Bruce Hampton on a generation of musicians. The conversation highlights how bands like Phish and Widespread Panic helped amplify lesser-known artists—not for profit, but מתוך a genuine belief in the music and community.
Ayers breaks down Phish’s formative 1988 Colorado/Telluride run and explains how tape trading, word-of-mouth, and grassroots touring built one of the most loyal fanbases in music history. He also unpacks the role of cassette “fillers” in music discovery, introducing fans to bands like God Street Wine, Strangefolk, and moe..
The episode also explores why some “cusp bands” didn’t break into the mainstream—touching on major label marketing missteps, industry politics, and burnout—while reflecting on the era’s enduring sense of connection, collaboration, and “ladder-holding” within the jam band community.
Plus, Ayers shares details about his upcoming Seinfeld oral history project and where to find his work online.
17 Mar 2026
The Untold Story of 90s Jam Bands: Phish, Dave Matthews & the DIY Music Movement w. Mike Ayers
In Part 1 of this conversation, host Deana Bianco talks with author Mike Ayers about his new book Sharing in the Groove: The Untold Story of the Nineties Jam Band Explosion, featuring firsthand accounts from Trey Anastasio, Dave Matthews, Chris Barron, and more.
Together they explore how bands like Phish, the Grateful Dead, Spin Doctors, and Dave Matthews Band built devoted fanbases through tape trading, bootlegs, handwritten newsletters, and relentless touring long before social media or streaming.
They also revisit the key moments that shaped the scene: Lollapalooza '92, the early H.O.R.D.E. Festival, and the fraternity gigs and club circuits that quietly fueled the jam band explosion.
If you love 90s music, jam band history, or the DIY culture that defined a generation of live music, this episode is for you.
Part 2 drops next episode.
Episode Resources & Links –
📖 Sharing in the Groove by Mike Ayers — Buy here (https://www.amazon.com/Sharing-Groove-Untold-Explosion-Followed/dp/1250287456)
Follow Mike Ayers on Instagram here (https://www.instagram.com/themikeayers/)
Follow Deana on Instagram here (https://www.instagram.com/deanathinkstoomuch/)
Mike Ayers Instagram
Humble Among Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/humbleamong/?hl=en)–
Humble Among YouTube Channel (https://www.youtube.com/humbleamong)
3 Mar 2026
Mini Episode: Burnout, Nature, and Music for Regulation
Host Deana Bianco checks in from a place of therapist burnout, sharing a Boulder trail run at Chautauqua that left her feeling dysregulated—first after seeing a dog caged in a truck, then watching people stage content instead of connecting with nature—before finding quiet to reset.
She previews next week’s interview with Mike Ayers, author of Sharing in the Groove, reflecting on her experiences seeing Phish, Dave Matthews Band, and other ’90s jam bands, and what she learned about grassroots music business and marketing.
Deana closes with tips to reduce dissociation, connect face-to-face, and use music and nature for emotional regulation, including inner-child listening to Beck’s Mellow Gold.
Who has been a guest on So, What Brings You To Therapy?
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Mike Lisk
Jessica Lynn
Guy Mankowski
April Richardson
Jennie Ketcham Crooks
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Apple Podcasts (US)
4.5 / 5
11 ratings
Spotify
4.9 / 5
12 ratings
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