Rusted Root

Rusted Root is a band from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania known for their fusion of Grateful Dead-style bluegrass with a strong percussion section that draws from African and Middle Easte

Rusted Root is a band from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania known for their fusion of Grateful Dead-style bluegrass with a strong percussion section that draws from African and Middle Eastern influences. Although they are often lumped together with other bands under the jam band label, Rusted Root rejects this categorization. Their songs are more melodic than jam-based, even in the live setting.

Rusted Root was born in 1992 with their indie debut Cruel Sun, which was rereleased in 2002. Their main-label debut album was 1994's When I Woke, a hit on college radio and platinum record. the album's title track hit the top 40 in early 1995, peaking at #33. Along with their increasingly well-known live shows, Rusted Root began working on contributions to the movies Twister and Home for the Holidays. Their next studio album was Remember (1996), followed by Rusted Root (1998) and Welcome to My Party (2002). Welcome to My Party was much criticised by fans, who are affectionately known as "Rootheads". Many felt the band's departure from tribal grooves to a "poppier" feel was an attempt to "sell out". Remember reached the Top 40 in the US, while Rusted Root found its sale buoyed by the use of the band's cover of The Rolling Stones' "You Can't Always Get What You Want" on an episode of Ally McBeal. A live double album followed in 2004. Their greatest hits album was recently released in April 2005 by 20th Century Masters Collection. They have two EPs, Evil Ways and Airplane and a documentary video cassette that came packaged with the EP Live.