In many cases it goes way beyond fandom. When one artist influences another to the point of emulation, you cross over into disciple territory. When you're a fan, you're fond of; you dig; you enjoy; you dance to; you sing along to in the car. When you're a disciple, you carry the message further. Ithaca's Revision is undoubtedly influenced by Medeski Martin & Wood; the trio cops the same guitar/organ/drums assault steeped in acid and jazz. I'm sure the band members are fans, but it's gone beyond that. And now more than ever the whole jam-band idiom has stopped looking for a post-Jerry savior and opened its arms to encompass Southern rock (Gov't Mule), Delta blues (North Mississippi All-Stars), and jazzy, bordering-on-prog-rock funk like MMW. These bands - like Revision - take their various influences in, digest 'em, re-tool 'em, and make 'em their own.

I've seen Revision a few times, and have to say, now as a trio, the band was astounding. The musical interplay and symbiotic energy was slick. Nick Bullock's guitar playing floored me, as he seemed unable to decide which end of his big red guitar's neck he wanted to wring. I swear, at one point he played both. The drums didn't get overplayed and the organ - besides bringing up the bottom end much less obtrusively than electric bass - was a musical interpretation of soul food. It was a deep-fried, B-3 wail.

Tonally this band is much sharper than its contemporaries, and not afraid to put a little grit into it. On Thursday night the band celebrated the release of - and featured cuts off of - its new CD, "Amplification." Revision entertained a High Fidelity full of fans, and won at least one more disciple: me. Wait'll you hear me plug my old 350 in next time. You might hear some Nick Bullock blasting out through the tweed.

Homeboys Macro Meltdown warmed up the affair with a similar jazzy groove, and with a lot more soul than I remember off the band's recordings. It was still exploratory and curious, but man did it ever Sam Cooke.