Columbus has perhaps the biggest variety of local music around. Uncle Sam’s Dream Machine, one of the more well-known bands in town, showed off their style Friday night at Little Brother’s.According to Tracy Hedrick, a spokeswoman for USDM, the band performs around 150 shows a year, creating a large following in Ohio and several surrounding states. Scott Maruskin, bassist and vocalist for USDM, said the band has been together for about four years, with the recent addition of guitarist and vocalist Don Ritchey.Maruskin loves the wide variety of music in Columbus. Percussionist Chris Martin said because of some Columbus radio stations, local bands are able to have their music played to a wider audience and get more recognition.Brant Gipson, vocalist and guitarist, said Columbus has so much great music talent that one day the city will be recognized for it.Like most musicians, Maruskin said it’s hard for USDM to define their music. He said the band has many influences, and includes a mixture of country, rock, and folk. Blues, psychedelic rock and jazz can also be heard in their music, the other members added.According to Hedrick, the band is up for a People’s Choice Award for the Columbus local music awards.Hedrick said USDM has been part of larger tours, including opening for Bob Dylan and Phil Lesh during five days on the East Coast this summer. They also performed on the Levi’s sidestage when Jewel and Rusted Root played at Polaris Amphitheater in 1999. Still, Hedrick says the band prefers playing smaller venues to large arenas. She said they would rather see a small, packed club with people dancing by the stage. “This is more to them than any amount of money,” Hedrick said.Maruskin agreed. “It’s more of a chance to get to know your audience,” said Maruskin. “We see the same people coming back to our shows. It’s more of a personal touch.” Gipson said he loves playing small venues and bars, but nothing compares to playing at a huge outdoor arena with the sky and thousands of people staring at them.Some of the fans are part of the following known as the Uncle Sam’s Dream Machine family and are a close-knit group of family and friends.Gipson said these are good people, people who love to dance and have fun. Uncle Sam’s Dream Machine was part of a three-band act last Friday at Little Brother’s.The first musician to take the stage was Peter Bruntnell. His music sounds much like Tom Petty, Bob Dylan and Bruce Springsteen and his sound varied from soft and mellow to hard and guitar-ripping.USDM was the second act to take the stage. True to their word, their music was a blend of just about every music genre. Country, folk, rock and blues music came streaming out of the speakers.Gipson and Ritchey’s vocals and guitars with Maruskin’s vocals and bass made them sound like the Grateful Dead at some points of the show. Their style varied so often that it was hard to believe this was the same band. The Dead, Rush and Johnny Cash sounds came out at different times.Martin’s percussions were outstanding. Constantly beating on them, he was perhaps the biggest reason for the people dancing in the area by the stage. Adding to Martin’s performance was Mike Stocker’s drum playing. His hard-hitting style brought more energy to the people on the dance floor.The third act to hit the stage were the North Mississippi All-stars. This was the band that majority of the people came to see, said Martin. Hailing from Tate County, Miss., they are out promoting their debut album, “Shake Hands with Shorty.” Claiming to be a combination of blues and rock, they performed to a packed crowd. Their sound was a hard combination of blues and rock and at times a B.B. King-like sound could be heard. This was not just a smoky club atmosphere with snapping fingers kind of blues; there was a more of an upbeat sound – a groovier and more danceable beat than your standard blues. USDM will headline a local band show at the Newport Music Hall this Saturday. This is a chance for people new to Columbus – a.k.a. freshmen – to see what kind of music Columbus has to offer.USDM is also playing for Shocktoberfest at Polaris Amphitheater on Oct. 18.