Article Contributed by Dennis McNally
Published on 2026-06-17
Greg Anton, best known as the drummer and co-founder of Zero, will premiere his new band, The Anton Collection, on Saturday, June 20, 2026, at Sweetwater Music Hall in Mill Valley, California.
The new group will perform songs Anton co-wrote with Grateful Dead lyricist Robert Hunter, including material that addresses political and cultural upheaval in America with a directness that feels especially timely.
The Anton Collection features Greg Anton, Melvin Seals, Steve Kimock, Stephanie Coyote, Angeline Saris, Vicki Randle, Dino English, and Fletcher Nielsen.
Among the songs expected to be featured is “End of the World Blues,” written by Hunter, Anton, and Kimock:
“Mid-East oil all over my shoes,
I’m singing these end of the world blues.”
The group will also perform “American Spring,” written by Hunter and Anton. The song’s lyrics reflect on American ideals, disillusionment, and the distance between what the country promises and what people experience:
“I was born one American spring
Bright dawn of the reckoning
Clouds had faces, feet had wings
Grew up learning American things
Star-spangled church of the grand old flag
Not some blood-soaked mop-up rag
Cops were good, crooks were bad
Rights were something everyone had”
Anton’s long musical history includes decades with Zero, whose adventurous blend of rock, jazz, psychedelia, and improvisation became an important part of the Bay Area music scene. His songwriting partnership with Hunter produced a body of work that carried Hunter’s unmistakable lyrical voice into new musical territory.
The debut of The Anton Collection brings those songs back into focus with a lineup deeply connected to the extended Grateful Dead and Bay Area music communities. Seals, Kimock, Randle, Saris, English, Coyote, and Nielsen join Anton for a night centered on songs that remain politically charged, culturally aware, and musically open-ended.
The Anton Collection will make its live debut on Saturday, June 20, at Sweetwater Music Hall in Mill Valley.
