Well said, and thanks.

To add one last piece of relevant comparison, it should be noted that seeing the Dead live in highschool directly inspired and turned Trey on to the entire jamband/audience experience, so in a very direct way one did inspire the other. Your assertion that artists don't seek to ascend on other's backs I disagree with. They would never be so bold or callous as to assert that they invented the musical theory they use to create. In just this way, I'm sure they have made deep peace with the flow of musical ideas through generations and feel that the advancement of soundscapes by those before them gives the band the freedom of such a broad palette. In much the same way that Isaac Newton claimed that if he were to see further, it was only by standing on the shoulders of his colleagues and those who lived before.