In 1969, when the group first broke out of San Francisco, it was a tough, jamming band that favored long improvisations.

Mr. Matthews worked his way up the neo-hippie circuit of jamming bands, playing colleges and clubs.

It also seems likely that the Allmans' reputation suffered somewhat for the excesses of other jamming bands of the period.

During the 80s he was an on-off member of the jamming band Spastik Children, also featuring schoolmate and close friend Cliff Burton, and other members of Metallica.

The Earthmen was formed by Scott Stevens and Aaron Goldberg in 1991 as a jamming band in Melbourne, Victoria and were influenced by 1960s pop music and late 80s American and UK indie noise-pop.