"There Ain't Nothing Like A Grateful Garcia Gathering"

Article Contributed by press | Published on Saturday, January 13, 2007

"There Ain't Nothing Like A Grateful Garcia Gathering", and with a warm summer just 6 months away, the bus is up and running again! Its next stop will be the Grateful Garcia Gathering 2007 being held once again on August 2nd - August 5th. The 3G's will celebrate and pay tribute to the life, art, and music of legendary guitarist Jerry Garcia on what would be his 65th Birthday. This music and camping festival will once again take place at the picturesque Camp NCN Campground located in beautiful Black River Falls, Wisconsin. The campground features 60-plus acres of brilliant surroundings with tall trees that shade your camp site. For your fishing, swimming, and water sports pleasures we have a five-acre natural spring fed lake with sandy beaches, modern bathroom facilities with showers, and other luxurious accommodations.

Campers will be able to have campfires at each individual campsite and firewood is available at the campground! There will be plenty of awesome vendors on-site for you to check out, a kind and friendly atmosphere, and a stellar musical lineup for all to enjoy! In addition, there is going to be a memorabilia "Jerry Garcia Shrine" near the main stage. All attendees are encouraged to bring pictures, candles, ticket stubs, tie-dyes, old posters with Jerry's signature, any and all related items related to Jerry Garcia, or the Grateful Dead! You can place it at the shrine for all to enjoy!

Festival attendees will be able to enjoy the sounds of local and regional bands who were influenced or inspired by The Grateful Dead such as Waterband, Baghdad Scuba Review, Bowser, Grateful Beth & The Volunteers, Jana Holland, Covert Operations, Macyn Taylor, The Northwoods Band, The Weavils, Bar Tab Band, Run Side Down, and many more bands! We are also opening a second stage for more live music to fill the air!

All these bands will all be performing their own original tunes, plus a few covers of The Grateful Dead and the Jerry Garcia Band. All this, in tribute and honoring of Jerry Garcia, which will also mark the 12th Anniversary of his untimely passing. Singer/Songwriter Bear, will emcee and perform in between set-ups and take-downs of the performers. In addition, there will be a very special Fireworks Display for this exciting weekend of camping, music, friendships, harmony and love!

The real thrill of the Grateful Garcia Gathering is the return of Melvin Seals & JGB for TWO NIGHTS! The 3G's just wouldn't be complete without a musical cohort and true friend of Jerry's to be part of these wonderful festivities. Melvin Seals, longtime friend, vocalist and organist of JGB and The Jerry Garcia Band from 1980-1995, will headline the first two nights of the gathering, August 3-4. The vision of the Grateful Garcia Gathering is to keep the spirit of Jerry Garcia's music alive by bringing the music and the Deadhead fans together as family!

Opening for Melvin Seals & JGB is the Grateful Dead's Donna Jean Godchaux-MacKay, Mookie Siegel of the David Nelson Band (and formerly a member of both Phil & Friends and Ratdog), Wendy Lanter of Hope in Time, and Jeff Mattson, Tom Circosta, Klyph Black and Dave Diamond, all of the The Zen Tricksters, now create music together as "Kettle Joe's Psychedelic Swamp Revue".

"Boris Garcia" will be opening for Kettle Joe's Psychedelic Swamp Revue! Heres what Dennis McNally (Bob Weir and Ratdog publistist) had to say about Boris Garcia:

During my 25 years with Grateful Dead Productions, I listened to a lot of jamming, both electric and acoustic. Recently, though I still work with Bob Weir, I've been approached by a fair number of bands to help them, and have usually not been moved enough by the music to say yes - until I heard Boris Garcia. They fuse a bluegrass/country/folk sound with a jazzy rock improvisation mode and really excellent songwriting. Some say it reminds them of Tom Petty, others of old Byrds. Either way, I like them, and want to share them with my larger family. So here y'are!

Early Bird Special Weekend Passes for the Grateful Garcia Gathering are on sale on-line NOW at www.GratefulGarciaGathering.com

Ticket Price:
$55 before April 30th
$60 before May 31st
$65 before June 30th
$70 before July 31st
$80 Day of Show

For complete ticket information and more details, go online to the Grateful Garcia Gathering web site: http://www.GratefulGarciaGathering.com