During the early 1990s while growing up in middle America I was making the transformation from teenager to adult.  My personal changes were not unlike what the country in general was going through.  The awkward years of George Bush gave way to the prosperous reign of President Clinton. During this time there was another interesting transition going on in popular music and culture.  The dominant days of hair metal bands were fading (like my stone-washed jeans), and the glam gave way to grunge which ushered in a new era of rock n' roll.

Phil Lesh & Friends will be playing July 22 & 23 at the Capitol Theatre in Port Chester, NY; July 24 at Penn's Peak in Jim Thorpe, PA; and July 26 & 27 at Gathering Of The Vibes in Bridgeport, CT.

Jerry Garcia is a Native Son of the Excelsior District, San Francisco.

If you're a Dead Head, chances are you've spent many an hour expounding upon the distinction of May 8, 1977, Cornell University, Barton Hall. Well, at the risk of preaching to the choir, we'd like to reintroduce you to a series of shows that matches said greatness from that same gloriously fertile season. While Barton Hall is well known, the astounding tour that surrounded it has occasionally flown under the radar due to the uneven quality of tapes in circulation.

The 2nd Annual Dark Star Jubilee, All Good Presents first festival of the 2013 season, has been scheduled for May 24th-26th, featuring three full shows by renowned Grateful Dead tribute band Dark Star Orchestra and performances by Mickey Hart Band, Yonder Mountain String Band, The Wailers, Melvin Seals and JGB, The Werks, and Donna Jean Godchaux Band,

Dead Phish Orchestra (DPO) kicks off right with ‘My Friend, My Friend’ opener, they showcase exuberant energy for such a dark song and then burst quite alarmingly in to Casey Jones. This is commonplace for the band, a bizarre mash-up of idyllic songs switching back and forth between Phish and the Grateful Dead.

Today the Rex Foundation releases A Buck Dancer’s Choice. The 19-song live compilation, culled from a very special December 1, 2012 performance at The Fillmore in San Francisco, features choice selections from that evening’s three sets of incredible music - opened by members of ALO, followed by an acoustic solo Bob Weir set, and then The Mickey Hart Band with Widespread Panic’s Dave Schools on bass.

Comparisons - The world is littered with them. We compare this to that for reasons only the people doing the comparing can comprehend. Sometimes they are interesting, sometimes they are not.

Furthur @ Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, NJ on Saturday 4/27/13 left me comparing a laundry list of items.

Bob Weir, former member of the Grateful Dead, collapsed on stage during a Furthur show Thursday night at the Capitol Theatre in Port Chester, NY after showing signs of distress throughout the evening.  Playing their ninth sold out show in twelve days, the 65 year old rhythm guitarist stumbled, then fell around 11pm during the song "Un

Punk rock...'70s country...Southern rock...jam band...and the utterly unclassifiable. Real Gone Music has once again leapfrogged all genres and eras with its June 4 line-up. Leading off are two titles from a true American original, Mason Williams, he of "Classical Gas" fame. RGM's two titles offer that famous tune along with more of Williams' ahead-of-their-time postmodern takes on pop music. Then the label vaults forward several decades and up several notches in attitude with the Surf Punks' sophomore release, Locals Only, produced with band founder Dennis Dragon's full involvement.