The multi-instrumentalist group Rusted Root integrated the Grateful Dead's jam-heavy rock with percussion influences based on the music of Africa, the Middle East, and Latin America. The six-piece formed in Pittsburgh in 1990 with Michael Glabicki (vocals, guitar), Liz Berlin (vocals, percussion), Patrick Norman (bass, vocals), and Jim Donovan (drums, percussion) as the initial lineup, though John Buynak (percussion, winds) and Jim DiSpirito (percussion) joined later that year.

Rusted Root's self-produced debut album When I Woke appeared in 1994 on Polygram. With support from college radio and a good buzz from the band's entrancing live show, When I Woke became quite successful in alternative circles during 1995-1996, especially with singles such as "Send Me On My Way" and "Ecstasy." In mid-1996, Rusted Root released the Evil Ways EP, a compilation of live tracks with the band's contributions to the movies Twister and Home for the Holidays. Rusted Root's second album, Remember, followed in October. Produced by Jerry Harrison, it reached the Top 40 in its first week of release. A self-titled LP followed in 1998.