BERTHA: Grateful Drag release first-ever live album, ‘Slayin’ in the Band Vol. 1′

Today, the world’s first all-drag Grateful Dead tribute band BERTHA: Grateful Drag have released their first-ever live album Slayin’ in the Band Vol. 1, out now. Listen HERE.

Slayin’ in the Band Vol. 1, captures the musical excellence of BERTHA: Grateful Drag, which has quickly been embraced by the Dead community and has become a powerful symbol of resistance and fearless self-expression. Yes, these are 7 Nashville musicians, dressed in full drag, shredding the (music of the) Grateful Dead. Collected from standout moments across recent tours, the album features beloved Dead classics including “Scarlet Begonias,” “Fire On The Mountain,” and their namesake track and inspiration “Bertha,” transforming the timeless songbook of Grateful Dead into a glitter-soaked, harmony-rich spectacle rooted in inclusivity and pure musicianship. 

BERTHA: Grateful Drag is also honored to give back to the community by donating a part of the proceeds of the album directly to Trans Aid Nashville.

On the record, the band stated, “To celebrate our first two years of touring, BERTHA:Grateful Drag is proud to present our own version of a two-set, two-and-a-half hour Grateful Dead concert. Though you’ll have to imagine the looks we slayed on stage, we invite the discerning head to close their eyes, tune in, and turn on to the echo of rhinestones and heels through the roar of each glitter-tinged crowd. These live recordings have been remixed, mastered, and blessed with queer magic, and a portion of proceeds will benefit Trans Aid Nashville.”

BERTHA: Grateful Drag are the world’s first Grateful Dead tribute band of its kind. Born in Tennessee in 2023 as a joyful, defiant response to anti-drag legislation, queens united on stage to celebrate community and raise funds in support. What was meant to be a one-night stand quickly turned into a full-blown love affair: the debut show sold out, caught the attention of Rolling Stone and the San Francisco Chronicle, and launched an all-star roots collective with some serious legs and lashes. 

The band was hatched during a phone call from Mommy to Daddy Bertha (aka Caitlin Doyle and GRAMMY-winning songwriter Melody Walker), with an initial vision of an all-female, Nashville-based Dead project. That plan gleefully expanded as queer and allied bluegrass and Americana heavyweights Thomas Bryan Eaton (lead guitar), Jacob Groopman (bass), Mike Wheeler (rhythm guitar), Alex Jordan (keys), and Justin Vorp (drums) hopped aboard the rainbow bandwagon. 

Musically, BERTHA: Grateful Drag stays reverent to the tones, textures, and deep-groove spirit of the Grateful Dead catalog they hold sacred, while giving it a bold new glow-up. Doyle, Walker, and Wheeler lead collectively as a vocal trio, shifting keys as needed to unleash powerhouse female vocals. BERTHA: Grateful Drag’s show consists of high-octane, late 70’s / early 80’s Dead inspired classic two-set, three-hour format, and a fresh, never-repeated setlist every night. 

Community is baked into the band’s DNA with every BERTHA: Grateful Drag show including a fundraising component for  local LGBTQ+ organizations and featuring drag or burlesque performers from the host city, turning each night into both a celebration and a cause. Equal parts jam-band devotion and queer joy explosion, BERTHA: Grateful Drag is for the first-time listeners and lifelong Deadheads alike. 

From an uproarious early set at Newport Folk Festival to their debut in the promised land of San Francisco, where Wavy Gravy himself sat stage-right in a pink bowler hat, bestowing full Prankster approval. 

As longtime Grateful Dead publicist Dennis McNally put it during BERTHA: Grateful Drag’s two-night run at San Francisco’s Great American Music Hall: “Jerry would have loved this.”

TRACKLIST 

1. Intro by Grelley Duvall > (Live at Thalia Hall – Chicago, IL – Feb 1, 2025)

2. Truckin’ (Live at Thalia Hall – Chicago, IL – Feb 1, 2025)

3. Bertha (Live at Thalia Hall – Chicago, IL – Feb 1, 2025)

4. Mr. Charlie (Live at Ford Amphitheater – Vail, CO – Jun 17, 2025)

5. Cassidy (Live at Thalia Hall – Chicago, IL – Feb 1, 2025)

6. A Brief History of BERTHA (Live at Thalia Hall – Chicago, IL – Feb 1, 2025)

7. Friend of the Devil (Live at Thalia Hall – Chicago, IL – Feb 1, 2025)

8. Samson and Delilah (Live at The Mishawaka Amphitheatre – Bellevue, CO – Jun 13, 2025)

9. St. Stephen (Live at The Grey Eagle – Asheville, NC – May 17, 2025)

10. It’s All Over Now (Live at The Aggie Theatre – Fort Collins, CO – Nov 23, 2024)

11. Mississippi Half-Step Uptown Toodeloo (Live at Ford Amphitheater – Vail, CO – Jun 17, 2025)

12. Greatest Story Ever Told (Live at Vivarium – Milwaukee, WI – Aug 6, 2025)

13. Scarlet Begonias > (Live at The Grey Eagle – Asheville, NC – May 17, 2025)

14. Fire on the Mountain (Live at The Grey Eagle – Asheville, NC – May 17, 2025)

15.  Viola Lee Blues > (Live at Brooklyn Bowl – Las Vegas, NV – Apr 18, 2025)

16.  Cumberland Blues > (Live at Brooklyn Bowl – Las Vegas, NV – Apr 18, 2025)

17.  Viola Lee Blues (Live at Brooklyn Bowl – Las Vegas, NV – Apr 18, 2025)

18.  Stella Blue (Live at Brooklyn Bowl – Brooklyn, NY – Sep 12, 2024)

19. Terrapin Station (Live at The Mishawaka Amphitheatre – Bellevue, CO – Jun 13, 2025)

TOURING

Feb 19 –  Wonder Ballroom – Portland, OR
Feb 21 – Neptune Theatre –  Seattle, WA
Mar 25 – Bearsville Theater – Woodstock, NY 
Mar 27 – Back Porch Music Festival – Northampton, MA
Mar 28 – Higher Ground – South Burlington, VT
April 9 – Grey Eagle – Asheville, NC
April 11 –  Lincoln Theatre – Raleigh, NC
May 8 – State Theatre of Ithaca – Ithaca, NY
May 9 – Asbury Hall – Buffalo, NY
May 15 – Saturn – Birmingham, AL
May 16 – Terminal West – Atlanta, GA
June 5 – Key West Theater – Key West, FL
June 13 – Dead on the Creek Festival – Laytonville, CA
June 17 – Headliners – Louisville, KY
June 18-20 – Nelsonville Music Festival – Nelsonville, OH