But what if they all got together and jammed? Would Davis and Maynard James Keenan of Tool clash? How far afield would Phish frontman Trey Anastasio be allowed to wander? And what would it even sound like?
Denver psych trio In Plain Air has essentially been trying to answer those questions since forming in 2019, after meeting through the local School of Rock scene.
“All of our influences are very out there in contrast to each other. It’s always changing, too,” says vocalist and bassist Jake DeMarco.
“Someone is listening to a lot of hip-hop, another person is listening to a lot of R&B and another person is listening to a lot of jazz,” he continues. “We’re always playing this cat-and-mouse game listening to the same music, but never at the same time.”
Bitches Brew, Davis's seminal 1969 album, is one of his and the band’s go-tos, according to DeMarco. He’s more of a jazz and indie-rock guy, whereas drummer Nate Tharp looks up to Danny Carey of Tool and Danny Caddy of Psychedelic Porn Crumpets. Then there’s guitarist Ben Maillaro, who also likes prog groups such as Black Midi and Godspeed You! Black Emperor, but is also the self-proclaimed Phish-head of the three. 
“To me, ‘jam band’ is not a dirty word. I love jam bands. I love Phish. I’ll own it,” he says, adding with a chuckle that DeMarco is decidedly not into that whole scene. “Our influences are always orbiting each other, but never quite line up, which makes it cool.”
That makes In Plain Air’s music cool, too. Through two EPs — Pillars (2022) and Sunnyside (2023) — the band shows off its range and unique sound. It’s jammy and jazzy indie rock for the most part, but also surprisingly heavy at times. Songs “Ratslap” and “Shallow Waters” are the best examples of how metal In Plain Air can be. But that’s not necessarily indicative of what the group is doing now, Tharp explains.
“Lately we’ve been trying to focus in on what our sound is,” he shares. “When we started the group, we had a lot more of a heavier sound.”
With a couple of new songs at the ready, In Plain Air is showing off that sound and is hosting a release show for the latest single, “Blowout!," on Saturday, July 20, at hi-dive. Radio Fluke and Total Cult are also on the bill.
In Plain Air likes to change things up at live shows, too.
“It’s wearing two hats,” DeMarco says. “Live is more doing an interpretation of what you did in the studio.”
“It’s almost like being in a cover band of yourself,” Maillaro adds.
Spoken like a true jam-band lover, but Maillaro doesn’t want it to come off as “masturbatory” or contrived.
“We’re trying to figure out the balance between the more out-there influences and styles we have and something that is still palatable,” he continues. “We like to get weird, at least for a little bit, in each set. As Jake has pointed out, ‘Yeah, we got weird and you saw the musicians in the crowd like it, but all the people who were dancing and headbanging just stopped.’ It’s a difficult balance to strike between those two things.”
In Plain Air has been playing one song, “Give Yourself Away,” live already that feels like a “compromise” of that. It’s evidence that “we’ve been hitting a nice stride in the writing process,” Maillaro says.
Though it won’t be officially released until the day of the gig, “Blowout!” is a tune that the group worked on for nearly three years. The concept of “total nonsense” and “confusion” comes from the song’s pandemic beginnings, but it’s evolved sonically since then.
“I like to think of it as a short film. It’s got three little chapters, and they all fire through real quick — it doesn’t stay in one place too long,” DeMarco says. “On the surface, it’s listenable and fun, but it really is experimental in the writing process because it plays into the themes of COVID not making sense.”
Sometimes, the preposterous works well, and that includes conjuring up an alt-metal version of Miles Davis-meets-Phish. Add in some multi-media elements — mainly TVs playing a mash-up of random clips and sports reruns — and In Plain Air has found a formula that makes it feel like two different bands: the more structured studio group and the free-form concert trio.
“We try to find new ways to keep people engaged and make it rewarding for the listener,” DeMarco shares. “We don’t want it to feel like a recital.”
The hi-dive show kicks off a summer tour that will go to Washington, Oregon and California, then return to Denver for a final date at Reverence Brewing on Sunday, August 4.
Whether you catch the group out this month or next, expect a “more energetic rendition” of In Plain Air, says Maillaro.
“It’s a very different experience, at least for us, when we get to perform these songs,” he concludes.
In Plain Air, 8 p.m. Saturday, July 20, hi-dive, 7 South Broadway. Tickets are $12.
