Wed, 09/08/2010 - 4:12 pm

Dear Dead Heads:

In 1980, the Grateful Dead needed a director to shoot the planned multi-city broadcast of their Halloween show from Radio City Music Hall.   They brought a guy named Len Dell’Amico out to San Francisco for an interview, and he managed to navigate through one large Hell’s Angel and some fat, potent spliffs sufficiently well to persuade Jerry Garcia that he was the guy for the job.  The result was Dead Ahead, which went on to become a platinum home video.

A couple of years later, Garcia reached out to Dell’Amico to suggest that they do another video, which evolved into a second major success, both commercial and critical, So Far.

By then, 1988, it was clear that the band would be needing video reinforcement at their larger shows, and Len signed on as the band’s “video guy” into the early ‘90s.  His first major show was the band’s Madison Square Garden benefit for the Rainforest, and the experience left Len thinking about the environment for a good long while.

After finishing his work with the Dead, he went on to produce concert films and music videos for people like Sara Vaughan, Herbie Hancock, the Allman Brothers, Linda Ronstadt, Bonnie Raitt, Ray Charles, and Carlos Santana.

But like any filmmaker, what he really wanted to do was to make a story-type movie.  And now he has, a rough little beast of a story called Everything Must Go, which combines slacker comedy and a looming environmental disaster, one consequence of that 1988 benefit.

Everything Must Go is yet another weird installment in the ongoing saga of the Grateful Dead’s larger impact on America.  Watch it! …and tell folks about it.

For more information and to buy the DVD, go to www.everythingmustgothemovie.com

Tue, 10/19/2010 - 9:20 pm

Dear Dead Heads:

In 1964, Jerry Garcia and his buddy Sandy Rothman packed up a tape recorder and took off for the American South on a bluegrass pilgrimage. One of the groups they most wanted to see was “Jim and Jesse” (McReynolds), of Dothan, Alabama. They saw them, and they had a ball.

Jim and Jesse went on to legendary status in the bluegrass world with more than 45 years at the Grand Ol’ Opry, Grammys, and membership in any Hall of Fame that means anything to this music.

And the world spins round, and now Jesse (alas, Jim is no longer with us) has completed the circle with Jerry by recording a tribute to the Grateful Dead’s music, Songs of the Grateful Dead – A Tribute to Jerry Garcia and Robert Hunter. Superbly assisted by David Nelson, Stu Allen, and some incredible Nashville players, he’s cut 12 classic Dead songs, from Black Muddy River and Ripple to Franklin’s Tower and Standing on the Moon. And to top it off, there’s a brand-new McReynolds-Hunter tune called Day by Day.

It’s wonderful stuff. Jesse sounds like a Southern version of Jerry if he’d lived so long, and sings these songs like the master he is. His mandolin playing is fabulous, and the other players and singers are just right.

This is going to knock your socks off. Listen and you’ll agree.

Very best,

Dennis McNally

For more info, go to: www.woodstockrecords.com or www.jimandjesse.com

Tue, 10/09/2012 - 9:47 am

Concord Records is going to have a contest – or more precisely a drawing – and give away a total of six box sets.  To enter, all you have to do is send in your name and mailing address to keystonecompanions.com. You’ll have from now to November 12th to enter, with five winners being picked and announced on November 13th.  As a bonus, we’ll have an early winner chosen and announced on Halloween – it’s an official Dead Head holiday.  Your reward, even before any of the box sets get given out, will be a free download of Jerry & Merl’s “Keeper,” one of the highlights of these shows.Keystone Companions/The Complete 1973 Fantasy Recordings, recorded live on July 10 and 11, 1973 at the Keystone club in Berkeley, California, beautifully captures the magical musical friendship of keyboardist Merl Saunders and guitarist Jerry Garcia. The Fantasy Records lavish four-disc set, scheduled for September 25, 2012 release on the heels of the 70th anniversary of Garcia’s birth, includes seven previously unreleased tracks, a special booklet featuring vintage photos; liner notes by Grateful Dead expert David Gans; and a poster, coaster, button, and “scratchbook” (replicating the design of the original album’s promotional matchbooks).The sterling band featured Saunders on keyboards; Garcia, guitar and vocals; John Kahn, bass; and Bill Vitt, drums. Virtuoso David Grisman added mandolin to Bob Dylan’s “Positively 4th Street.” The mix of songs ranged from Saunders originals to covers of songs by Jimmy Cliff, Junior Parker, Holland-Dozier-Holland, Rodgers & Hart, Blind Lemon Jefferson, Arthur “Big Boy” Crudup, Lightnin’ Hopkins, Don Nix and Dan Penn and Dylan.San Francisco-born keyboardist Merl Saunders had been writing and performing in New York before returning to the West Coast.  Producer Nick Gravenites offered him studio work that included playing with guitarist Jerry Garcia, already at the helm of one of the world’s most popular rock bands, the Grateful Dead.  “Garcia reminded me of [jazz guitarist] Eric Gale,” Saunders recollected, “Anything he played was very musical. He knew how to do a rhythm on any kind of tune — gospel, blues, jazz. I was amazed.”Saunders also helped Garcia expand his harmonic knowledge and even showed him some Art Tatum runs. “He taught me music,” Garcia said of his friend.By December 1970, a weekly jam session featuring Saunders, Garcia, Kahn, and Vitt had become a weekly gig at San Francisco’s Matrix. Of course Garcia was already a major figure in the musical counterculture as lead guitarist for the Dead, so he kept this new band low-key — so much that it never really had a name (although it was referred to as The Group at times.) As Garcia said, “I couldn’t take the pressure of being a double celebrity. It’s a drag just being it once.” (That didn’t stop the itinerant Garcia from having a third band as well, Old and In the Way, with David Grisman, Peter Rowan, and Vassar Clements.)Live at Keystone, originally released as a double LP, was recorded by Grateful Dead associates Betty Cantor and Rex Jackson; all four artists are credited as producers. Additional material was released as Live at KeystoneVolumes 1 & 2 in 1988. Keystone Companions/The Complete 1973 Fantasy Recordings assembles the original recordings and presents them, remastered, in the order in which the songs were performed at those two shows. The repertoire spans blues, rockabilly, jazz, funk, Broadway, Motown, two Bob Dylan songs, and Jimmy Cliff’s immortal “The Harder They Come.” Some songs appear twice, providing the opportunity to hear how the band kept it loose and fresh. 

As Gans notes, “This music is as exciting and satisfying 40 years later as it was on the day it was made.”On the collection’s September 25 street date, Fantasy Records will also reissue, on multi-color double vinyl LP, the first Saunders/Garcia album Live at Keystone.

Mon, 11/19/2012 - 11:38 am

Steve Kimock, one of Americas most original and innovative guitarists will be performing with his band at Stage 48, New York’s newest concert venue.Performing with Kimock will be Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Bernie Worrell, co-founding keyboardist of Parliament/Funkadelic (and a performer with Talking Heads), percussionist Wally Ingram (David Lindley, Sheryl Crow) and bassist Andy Hess (Gov't Mule) - a truly exceptional band.But then the evening will be kicked up a notch when some “very special guests” stop by to jam and raise money for “STAGE 2”, a fund raiser for victims of super storm Sandy.For one night only, in addition to regularly priced tickets, we will be selling tickets at special “STAGE 2” fundraising prices:Let’s Get Rid of the Blues - $50At this level you get a poster signed by Steve Kimock and the band.Let’s Rock Some Lives - $100This level gets you a signed poster and a picture with the band.Let’s Raise Some Roofs - $250And at this level you get the opportunity to sit in on the sound check , you receive a signed poster, and you get your picture taken with the band.Doors open at 6pm and the show starts at 7pm.STAGE 48 is located at 605 West 48th Street, New York, NY in the heart of Hell’s Kitchen.***Steve Kimock was originally scheduled to perform at Stage 48 December 8, 2012.  Due to a delay in the opening of the venue that date has been changed to February 23, 2013. People who purchased tickets can either get a refund or use the ticket for the new date.For additional information, go to http://www.stage48.com

Mon, 01/21/2013 - 2:36 pm

Steve Kimock and his friends Bernie Worrell (Parliament/Funkadelic, Talking Heads), Wally Ingram (David Lindley, Sheryl Crow) and Andy Hess (Gov't Mule) will bop around the Northeast in February.

Mon, 09/29/2014 - 11:23 am

They’ll be fresh off DSO’s Fall Tour, but they can’t resist making music together, so Mattson/Barraco & Friends with Skip Vangelas is pleased to announce a holiday season 3-night run of stirring psychedelic electricity!

With collaborative jam discoveries developing over the last four years, guitarist Jeff Mattson (Dark Star Orchestra, Donna Jean Godchaux Band, Zen Tricksters) and long-time musical collaborator keyboardist Rob Barraco (Dark Star Orchestra, Phil Lesh & Friends, Zen Tricksters) will be joined by DSO bandmate bassist Skip Vangelas (Dark Star Orchestra, Border Legion) for a run of some of their favorite haunts.

The mini tour kicks off with a show at the new 89 North Music Venue in Patchogue, LI (12/11).  They’ll also make a stop at MexiCali Live (12/13) and wind up – fittingly – at Garcia’s at the Capitol Theatre in Port Chester, NY (12/17).

With Rob’s son Tom Barraco on drums, the quartet will showcase original music and an exploration of the classic songbooks that inspired them with a touch of Grateful Dead sprinkled in.

--

Jeff Mattson - Guitar

Rob Barraco - Keys

Skip Vangelas - Bass

Tom Barraco - Drums

Dates:

Thursday, Dec. 11th, 7:30 PM:

 89 North Music Venue

 89 North Ocean Avenue

 Patchogue, NY 11772

 631-730-8992

Tickets: https://www.vendini.com/ticket-software.html?t=tix&e=7d977196f596aa6b9287e0cbb13bfe7f

Saturday, Dec. 13th, 9:00 PM:            

MexiCali Live

1409 Queen Anne Rd.

Teaneck, NJ 07666

 (201) 833-0011  

 Tickets: http://www.ticketweb.com/t3/sale/SaleEventDetail?dispatch=loadSelectionData&eventId=5373935

Wednesday, Dec. 17th, 9:00 PM:       

Garcia’s at the Capitol Theatre

149 Westchester Avenue

 Port Chester, NY 10573-4549

  1. 937-4126.

Tickets: www.ticketfly.com  

For more information:

http://jeffmattson.info/jm8.htm

Thu, 12/18/2014 - 8:52 am

Steve Kimock will host a special tribute show to Jerry Garcia in several Northeast cities featuring an all star cast of musicians from the Grateful Dead universe including Zero bassist Bobby Vega, Jerry Garcia’s drummer Bill Vitt, Furthur/RatDog keyboardist Jeff Chimenti, Dan Lebowitz of ALO on guitar, and Kimock’s own son on drums, John Morgan Kimock. The band will focus on the roots and R&B wing of Garcia’s vast repertoire.

When he first arrived in the Bay Area in the mid-‘70s, people thought he sounded a bit like Garcia.  Actually, Kimock hadn’t really listened to the man at that point.  He reflected, “I wasn’t trying to sound like Jerry, I was failing to sound like Roy Buchanan.”  So hearing Garcia’s own debt to Buchanan in the Keystone material suggested a special run to pay homage to Garcia and those that came before by playing the material of Garcia and Saunders (along with Kimock’s own catalog) – something Kimock is ordinarily quite careful to avoid. 

These venues may not offer the same funky, grungy ambience the Keystone bars offered, but the music will most certainly be up to standard and fill it with the spirit of Jerry Garcia.  

Tour Dates:

Wednesday, March 11thGypsy Sally’s, Washington, D.C.

Thursday, March 12thBaltimore Soundstage, Baltimore, MD

Friday, March 13thGramercy Theatre, New York, NY

Saturday, March 14thThe Met, Pawtucket, RI

Sunday, March 15thArdmore Music Hall, Ardmore, PA

Thu, 03/05/2015 - 10:30 am

The kitchen table that members of the Grateful Dead once gathered around to drink coffee and consider the day.  The desk from the band room at 5th and Lincoln.  Jerry Garcia’s last reading material.  The original oil paintings on which Rick Griffin based the 1990 tour poster.  Stanley “Mouse” Miller’s original “Golden Road” fan club poster.  The original lyrics, in Robert Hunter’s handwriting, of “He’s Gone.”

To paraphrase William Faulkner, “The past isn’t Dead (well, yes it is), it isn’t even past.”  If Dead Heads can send in many tens of thousands of responses and millions of dollars in money orders to attend the band’s “Fare Thee Well” concerts in Chicago July 3-5, God only knows what they’ll do to permanently own genuine, intimate fragments of the Dead’s own past.

On April 11 and 12, 2015, Donley Auction Services in Union, IL, will conduct a juried online-only (although there will be a few invited guests) auction of these remarkable objects and many, many more.

Further information is available at

www.gratefuldeadchicago.auction

But wait, there’s more:

Jerry Garcia’s personal William Morris chair (decorated with a Rolling Stone portrait of him).  Never-before-seen photographs from the three 1978 shows in Egypt.  Much more rare and remarkable Rick Griffin and “Mouse” Miller artwork.  The “Soto List,” the historical seed that led to the legendary Deadbase.

 www.gratefuldeadchicago.auction

Fri, 04/03/2015 - 1:52 pm

There’s been a new development in the Grateful Dead Family Jubilee auction (www.gratefuldeadauction.com).

Mickey Hart has made two extremely generous donations – one’s an incredible gift basket of signed books and drumsticks and lots of other stuff that will be an add-on to the drum kit he gave to the son of a band employee many years ago that’s being auctioned https://www.proxibid.com/asp/LotDetail.asp?ahid=6309&aid=91369&lid=24118551&title=Mickey-Hart-s-road-used-Pearl-Drum-Kit-w-Special-Custom-Curved-Tom-Rack-ADD-ON-ITEMS-for-CHARITY.

The second item is an artist’s proof of his painting “Beam Man.” https://www.proxibid.com/asp/LotDetail.asp?ahid=6309&aid=93716&lid=24379783&title=Mickey-Hart-Signed-Artist-Proof-Beam-Man---PROCEEDS-FOR-THIS-ART-ARE-GOING-TO-HIDDEN-WINGS

For both the gift basket and the painting, all proceeds (no auctioneer’s commission) will go to “Hidden Wings,” the autism charity Mickey’s partnered with.

Own something fabulous, give to charity.  What’s not to like?

Mon, 05/16/2016 - 5:00 pm

Philadelphia roots music leaders Mason Porter will kick off their summer with a brand new release on Friday, June 3rd.  Heart of the Mountains, their second EP in two years, showcases the band’s rapid growth and momentum. A fine companion to 2015’s Key to the Skyway, the band builds on the themes of traveling and adventure, this time with an emphasis on nature and personal discovery.

The title track “Heart of the Mountains” was inspired by the writings of John Muir, American naturalist and early advocate of US wilderness preservation. Mason Porter will be releasing the EP in conjunction with the National Park Service’s Centennial celebration and will be collaborating with the NPS on several events this year.

The EP was produced by Brian McTear at Philadelphia’s Miner Street Recordings. Musically, the EP is the band’s most far-reaching effort to date, truly taking the listener on a journey. The EP starts with the up-tempo rock-grass of the title track “Heart of the Mountains” and “See America.” The mood shifts to the easy-going folk of Tim Celfo’s “Box of Answers,” showcasing the band’s signature vocal harmonies. Next follows a powerful arrangement of the traditional ballad “Shenandoah” delivered by guitarist Paul Wilkinson. The scene morphs again with the surreal textures of Joe D’Amico’s “You and I.” The album concludes with “Yosemite,” an instrumental which highlights the musicianship of each band member, especially the drumming of Evan Smoker and beautiful textures of violinist Sarah Larsen, providing a sampling of the exploratory ensemble-based improvisation that has become a cornerstone of the band’s live performance. 

Heart of the Mountains marks the sixth release from Mason Porter and continues the arc of musical development begun in 2008, and has included Thunder in the Valley, Story of the Rifle, Home for the Harvest and last summer’s Key to the Skyway.  Each new record has brought the band new fans and critical acclaim, and with growing support from AAA, Folk and Jambands radio and press, has expanded their touring base nationally. 

That expansion continues this summer and fall with dates throughout the Northeast, including a partnership with the National Park Service to celebrate their Centennial in Philadelphia in August on Independence Mall in front of the Liberty Bell.  The band will wrap up their summer touring with their second annual Midnight Mountain Music Show music and camping festival in Blakeslee, PA September 16th and 17th.

Thu, 07/07/2016 - 12:17 pm

Established in 2015, Midnight Mountain Music Show is a music festival presented by the Philadelphia band Mason Porter. This year’s festival will take place at Peaceful Woodlands Family Campground in Blakeslee, PA on September 16th and 17th.

Taking the name from one of their songs, the festival will host a variety of American Roots acts from rock to folk, country, bluegrass and everything in between. The MMMS festival will also features a chili cook-off, kids’ activities, vendors and more.

In addition to 2 nights of the host band Mason Porter, first round artist’s announcements include Tom Hamilton's American Babies, Coal Town Rounders, The Wallace Brothers Band, No Good Sister, Chris Grunwald and the Slow Response, Ladybird, Valentina and Sunshine Superman and The Groove Merchants.

2016 Midnight Mountain Music Show
September 16th and 17th
Peaceful Woodlands Family Campground in Blakeslee, PA
Tickets and details: http://midnightmountainmusicshow.com
Full weekend with camping starting at $65

Lineup:
Mason Porter
Tom Hamilton's American Babies
Coal Town Rounders
The Wallace Brothers Band
No Good Sister
Chris Grunwald and the Slow Response
Ladybird
Valentina and Sunshine Superman
The Groove Merchants

Sun, 11/20/2016 - 4:19 pm

Of all the many approaching Bay Area rock anniversaries, few can rival The Last Waltz of November 25, 1976.  Between the evening itself – the SF Opera’s set from La Traviata, the incredible range of guests, and The Band itself -- and Martin Scorsese’s epic film, it was simply one of the great music history moments ever.  This Thanksgiving will mark the 40th anniversary...

One classy way to celebrate will be the Rex Foundation’s concert with the Ramble Band (Amy Helm, Larry Campbell, Theresa Williams – once the late Levon Helms’ band) at the Fillmore Auditorium on December 3rd (well, Winterland’s long gone, after all).  What’s the Grateful Dead’s Rex Foundation got to do with The Band, you say?

Glad you asked.  The connections run deep.  Early in 1969, as the songwriting duo of Robert Hunter and Jerry Garcia were on the cusp of the creative explosion that would result in Workingman’s Dead and American Beauty, Robert Hunter spent some very special quality time with The Band’s first album, Big Pink.  You can hear the influence.

And so over recent years there’s been a considerable cross-band friendship, with Amy, Larry, and Theresa taking part in the American Beauty Project, and then this spring, when the Rex Foundation gave Levon the Ralph Gleason award in honor not only of his playing but his long involvement in community-based musical events.   Now it’s time for the Dead Heads to make them welcome…it will be a special night.

Purchase tickets here!

Wed, 03/15/2017 - 11:34 am

Dave Hunter, a visionary poster designer who has created work for Metallica, the Neville Brothers and Dr. John, Les Claypool and many more, is a gifted artist who is currently fighting for his life with brain cancer.  Fortunately, he has many friends, among them Steve Kimock, for whom he has created considerable art. 

On Friday, May 12th, Steve Kimock & Friends, featuring Steve Kimock (Zero, the Other Ones) Jeff Chimenti (Dead & Co.), Bobby Vega (Zero, Sly and the Family Stone), John Morgan Kimock (Mike Gordon), and Leslie Mendelson (Bob Weir), plus very special guests, will take the stage on Dave’s behalf.

Opening for SK&F will be the band Disreputable Few, made up of Los Angeles area musicians who recently backed Bob Weir in several appearances at this year’s NAMM show.  Divine and illuminating visuals will be by artist Jonathan Singer.  The inestimable Wavy Gravy will serve as master of ceremonies. 

There will be a silent auction and a poster art show. 

We can’t get through life alone. “Art and Soul” will not only be a joyous celebration through elevated music, but a healing experience that not only Dave but all attending can share in. 

Thu, 03/30/2017 - 1:35 pm

Steve Kimock, the protean improvisational guitarist whom Jorma Kaukonen (Jefferson Airplane, Hot Tuna) recently tabbed “arguably one of the greatest guitarists alive,” is pleased to announce a new series of concerts in June that will celebrate the release of two singles (the complete album will be released in the fall).  This current phase of songwriting comes in the aftermath of his acoustic explorations in the album Last Danger of Frost.  In the wake of Frost, he and the members of the band that toured behind it found themselves creatively inspired, and new material has been crystallizing and recorded at Bob Weir’s TRI studios. 

The first single is “Sagan,” which includes the voice of the visionary astrophysicist himself.  It is written by Steve’s son, percussionist John Morgan Kimock.  “Variation,” co-written by Steve and Leslie Mendelson, will be the second single. 

Producer Dave Schools (Widespread Panic), said of “Sagan” that “It’s an exemplary and daring experiment that takes real musicians interacting, aided and abetted by modern day processes in electronic music.  It’s very 21st century, yet it never loses sight of five people sitting in a room in a circle interacting musically… which is very rare.”  “Variation,” he said, is “where Steve Kimock takes you around the world with his deft orchestration of pan global stringed instruments and Leslie Mendelson’s vocals take you places.  And again, it’s all done within the safety zone of five musicians in a circle playing music together.” 

KIMOCK will have the same personnel as toured behind Frost – Steve, John Morgan, Leslie (multi-instrumentalist), and Bobby Vega (bass). 

Expect beauty…and fireworks.

Kimock June 2017 Tour Dates:

6/1 Thurs.         Rams Head Onstage, Annapolis, MD

6/2 Fri.              Levitt Pavilion Steelstacks, Bethlehem, PA

6/3 Sat.             Outpost in the Burbs, Montclair, NJ

6/4 Sun.            Brighton Music Hall, Brighton, MA

6/8 Thurs.         YMCA Boulton Center for the Performing Arts, Bay Shore, NY

6/9 Fri.              Ardmore Music Hall, Ardmore, PA

6/10 Sat.           Club Helsinki, Hudson, NY

6/11 Sun.          Higher Ground, South Burlington, VT

Tue, 05/16/2017 - 11:51 am

This album is called 50 in celebration of the fifty years that have passed since “Country” Joe McDonald put out his first recording in 1965.  Since you may have noticed that it’s now 2017, you will not be surprised that there’s a story here.

Though his music comes from many places, Joe came out of a folk scene that generally recorded live – and pretty quickly.  So he was shooting for a 2015 release when he went into the studio with the legendary Tubes drummer Prairie Prince and his band (James DePrato, guitar and stringed instruments; Diana Mangano, vocals; Blair Hardman, bass).  Then the music took hold, and he began to see multiple new possibilities.  He returned to the studio.  About 27 times, actually.

Here we have a veteran (in both senses) musician taking stock of himself with a long career behind him – and taking a major new approach to his art.  The lyrics remain plain and direct, meditations on aging and loss, especially lost love, and the meaning of important things.  But they often come in surprisingly lush and lovely musical beds.  It adds up to a powerful package.  In a time in which communication is buried under surreal political distortions and a cyberworld that buries us in information that ultimately tells us little of value, here is sharp, considered wisdom.

Highlights:

“Round and Round” –- rather dark lyrics – “People come and people go we’re born and then we die” – set to an elegant, beautiful tune.

“I Don’t Think So” – Borderline bitter end-of-love song that’s downright energetic and danceable.   

“Poppa and Momma” – combines a ripping guitar lead and a rolling rhythm with Joe’s commitment to what’s important – “Serving and working and using my mind.”

“Sadness and Pain” - opens sounding like a Pink Floyd mini-symphony before going on to talk about “walking out the door.”

“Black Fish” – a folk song commentary on Orcas – with beautiful almost-flamenco style guitar picking. 

“Silent Rage” – snarling rock song that’s as punk-angry as the Sex Pistols ever were.

“Daughter of England” – classic McDonald political fury, wrapped in a big envelope of soaring voices and guitars…she’s “sitting on a weapon of war.”

“Compared to Florence” – the pain of inferiority…made even sharper by country steel guitar licks.

“Era of Guns” – a McDonald folk song movie of contemporary American life…in the era of guns.

“I’m Free” – a folk-rock declaration of autonomy.

“Where Did the Time Go” – a waltz looking back on a long life where once we were all young stars, with good advice: “cherish today, it’s all that we know.” 

“Seashore Symphony #2” – the joker in the deck, a collaboration with Bernie Krause.  An instrumental collage of natural seashore sounds with ethereal voices and guitars.

“Roseeann” – an a-capella lullabye and farewell.

You can hear “Black Fish” and “Where Did the Time Go?” at www.ragbaby.com

Mon, 05/22/2017 - 5:07 pm

The Owsley Stanley Foundation is pleased to announce the release of Doc & Merle Watson: Never the Same Way Once – Live at the Boarding House – May 1974. “A legend recording a legend,” is how Doc Watson’s long-time bassist T. Michael Coleman describes these rare live recordings of the American bluegrass giant by counter-culture icon and concert sound pioneer Owsley Stanley (known as Bear to his family and friends).

They will be available in stores on June 23rd, but can be purchased now at www.owsleystanleyfoundation.org.

“Bear had tagged these shows as among the gems in his Sonic Journal archive, in both the quality of the performances and the quality of the sound, which is why we chose them as the first project to develop since his passing,” said Starfinder Stanley, Owsley’s son and President of the Owsley Stanley Foundation. Owsley, who died in Queensland, Australia in 2011, left an archive of over 1,300 recordings covering diverse artists and idioms. Known as Bear’s Sonic Journals, they served as working tools as he innovated his live music recording and sound production techniques, still widely used today.

This landmark recording is the first box set of Doc Watson live recordings to be released.  It captures previously unreleased material from a fertile period in Doc Watson’s career for which live recordings are rare.

The stellar performances were captured by Owsley’s renowned live recording techniques. The audio quality rivals that of his Old and In The Way album, which is still among the highest selling live bluegrass albums of all time; indeed, these shows were recorded at the same venue just eight months later.  These vivid tapes were restored and transferred to the most exacting audiophile standards, utilizing state-of-the-art Plangent Process techniques to remove subtle timing distortions created by the recording and playback devices.

The album debuted recently at the 30th anniversary of MerleFest, the premiere bluegrass festival, named after Merle Watson and hosted in Wilkesboro, North Carolina. It is available now exclusively at owsleystanleyfoundation.org as a 7 CD box set covering four nights of shows, with 32 tracks available for digital download.  The box set features a 16-page booklet of liner notes including new work by Watson collaborators T. Michael Coleman and David Holt.  A broader release, as well as audiophile format vinyl and analog tape releases of single nights from the run will follow on June 23.

About The Owsley Stanley Foundation 

The Owsley Stanley Foundation is a 501c(3) dedicated to the preservation of “Bear’s Sonic Journals,” Owsley’s archive of more than 1,300 live concert soundboard recordings from the 1960s and 1970s, including recordings by Miles Davis, Johnny Cash, The Grateful Dead, Jefferson Airplane, Fleetwood Mac, Janis Joplin, and more than 80 other artists across nearly every musical idiom. All proceeds from the development of the recordings further the continuing charitable purpose of preserving Bear’s Sonic Journals and perpetuating Owsley's legacy.

To learn more, visit the Owsley Stanley Foundation at www.owsleystanleyfoundation.org or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/OwsleyStanleyFoundation/ or email us at [email protected]

Wed, 09/06/2017 - 5:47 pm

There’s no better way to celebrate the release of new recorded music (Satellite City, produced by Dave Schools, will be out in October—more on that later) than to go play it.

We’re pleased to announce that KIMOCK will commemorate their album release with a November tour featuring Steve Kimock, guitar; John Morgan Kimock, drums; Leslie Mendelson, vocals, multi-instruments; Andy Hess, bass.  Initially assembled to perform the music of Steve’s acclaimed solo release Last Danger of Frost, KIMOCK has catalyzed an extraordinary burst of song-writing creativity that has yielded a new record, Satellite City.

It’s gorgeous music, weaving together Steve’s exquisite tone and inspired melodies, John Morgan’s superb time-keeping as well as inventive samples and ambience, Leslie Mendelson’s elegant voice, and Hess’s rock-solid bass.

This is going to be special.

11/1 Weds.              Daryl’s House, Pawling, NY

11/2 Thur.                Highline Ballroom, NYC

11/3 Fri.                   Swyer Theater, Albany

11/4 Sat.                  Flying Monkey, Plymouth, NH

11/5 Sun.                 Met Café, Providence, RI

11/6 & 7                  Off

11/8 Weds.              World Café, Philadelphia, PA

11/9 Thurs.              Kent Stage, Kent, OH

Pre-sales from www.kimock.com will begin September 6th.  Public sales will begin September 12. 

Thu, 09/28/2017 - 8:23 am

Two years ago Steve Kimock spent a winter’s retreat in a barn with lots of acoustic guitars and an engineer making Last Danger of Frost.  To present this new music on tour, he created KIMOCK, with his son John Morgan Kimock on drums, vocalist and multi-instrumentalist Leslie Mendelson, and old mate Bobby Vega on bass.  In the process they found themselves inspired to write lots more songs, which gives us Satellite City, which will be released October 27th

They went into Bob Weir’s TRI studios with producer Dave Schools of Widespread Panic and laid down nine tracks -- the title song, which sets Kimock’s splendid guitar against Leslie Mendelson’s beautiful voice in a mystical dream state, a lovely cover of “Waiting for a Miracle,” and seven more originals. 

“Satellite City,” the first single, will be available September 27th at iTunes, Amazon, and www.kimock.com.  You can hear it at https://youtu.be/7Qls1NTc22Q.   

They’ll hit the road to support the album on November 1st (see below).

Here’s the first response:

I first heard Leslie Mendelson doing "Satellite City" live with Steve Kimock last year, and I've been hoping for an album track ever since. I finally got my wish, and it's worth the wait. This is wonderful stuff.

Deborah Grabien, No Depression

Pre-order the album and receive the first song instantly:

iTunes:  https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/satellite-city/id1281172759

Amazon:  https://www.amazon.com/Satellite-City-KIMOCK/dp/B0758MQXBQ/

A limited edition autographed vinyl and CD of the new release will be available directly from the band. Anyone who preorders in the Kimock Store will be automatically entered to win a chance to meet up with KIMOCK for an hour on the upcoming tour, plus 2 VIP tickets, and ultimate bundle. Pre-order now HERE: http://store.kimock.com/

KIMOCK LIVE ON TOUR:

11/1 Weds.              Daryl’s House, Pawling, NY

11/2 Thur.                Highline Ballroom, NYC

11/3 Fri.                   Swyer Theater at The Egg, Albany

11/4 Sat.                  Flying Monkey, Plymouth, NH

11/5 Sun.                 Met Café, Providence, RI

11/6 & 7                  Off

11/8 Weds.              World Café, Philadelphia, PA

11/9 Thurs.              Kent Stage, Kent, OH

Wed, 11/01/2017 - 11:40 am

Steve Kimock – aka “the guitar monk,” as Relix put it—needs little introduction; he’s been one of the top-flight psychedelic guitarists of his generation, a founder of the whole concept of jam bands.  He’s played with all the living members of the Grateful Dead, Jorma Kaukonen, the late co-founder of Parliament/Funkadelic, Bernie Worrell…you name it. On October 28th he’ll release a new album, Satellite City, produced by Dave Schools, and there’s no better way to celebrate such an event than to go play it.

After a November tour, Steve will return to the road for a special visit to Colorado in December, adding Jeff Chimenti on keys to the original lineup he organized to perform the music of his acclaimed solo release, Last Danger of Frost:  Steve on guitar; John Morgan Kimock, drums; Leslie Mendelson, vocals, multi-instruments; and Andy Hess, bass. That group catalyzed an extraordinary burst of song-writing creativity that has yielded Satellite City.  

It’s elegant, beautiful music, weaving together Steve’s exquisite tone and inspired melodies, John Morgan’s superb time-keeping as well as inventive samples and ambience, Leslie Mendelson’s lovely voice, and Hess’s rock-solid bass.  Now add the especially joyous chemistry between Steve and Jeff Chimenti’s splendidly inventive keyboard work, and you’ve got Steve Kimock and Friends.

In addition to the new Satellite City material, they’ll be playing the rocking dance-band groove that has characterized Steve’s work with Jeff for some years.  A splendid time is guaranteed for all.

December 15    Cervantes, Denver

December 16    Cervantes, Denver

Tue, 01/02/2018 - 4:01 pm

Skull and Roses is a celebration of community, a community generated by the music of the Grateful Dead.  Our music.

Somebody asked Uncle John what being a Dead Head was all about.  He smiled and said, “When you want to be fully alive, an individual but also tied at the heart within a rich, vibrant family, somebody who wants to have a lot of fun and probably dance, too – then you’re a Dead Head.”

Come on along or go alone, then find your way home to Skull and Roses at the Ventura County Fairgrounds April 6, 7, & 8, 2018.

Snuggled up to the blue Pacific Ocean in that funky bowl full of memories that many thousand Dead Heads can still feel, taste, and remember, there’s going to be a veritable Grateful Dead garden.

The music will run from Friday through Sunday, with various bands presenting a wide set of interpretations of Grateful Dead music.  The headliners —unique for such a situation—will play full shows on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday evenings.  Performances will not overlap.

Headliners

The Golden Gate Wingmen (John Kadlecik (Furthur, Dark Star Orchestra), Jeff Chimenti (RatDog, Dead & Co.), Reed Mathis (Tea Leaf Green, Billy and the Kids) Jay Lane (RatDog).

Stu Allen (Phil Lesh, JGB) and Mars Hotel.  (Veterans of Jerry Day in San Francisco)

Melvin Seals and JGB (15 years with the man himself).

Cubensis (Los Angeles’s own, legendary Dead interpreters with 4,000 shows under their belt.)

Also:  Moonalice (John Molo, Barry Sless, Pete Sears, Roger McNamee),  David Gans (the solo + electronica approach to the canon), Roosevelt Collier (a brilliant sacred steel player ripping up Dead music), Shred is Dead (Jerry Garcia meets Jimmy Page & such), Alligators (because a Dead festival without Pigpen would not be right), Grateful Bluegrass Boys (their form taken from Jerry’s own musical history), Shaky Feelin’ (young Jam Band approach to Dead music), Jerry’s Middle Finger (honoring the Jerry Garcia Band).

Tickets will be available in three phases: Early Bird: beginning today and running through January 29 -- $69 for a three day camping & music pass.  Outrageous Deal! – 50% off.  January 30 – February 26:  On Sale One: $83.97, 40% off.  On Sale Two:  February 27 to April 2: $97.97, 30% off.   At the Door:     $139.95.  There will also be one and two-day tickets in varying permutations.

RVs will be welcome, but there will be no RV power hookups – camping will be as it was with the Grateful Dead.

The “Shakedown Street” market will be represented in ways you never dreamed of – clothing, mind-body-spirit, artisan goods, and memorabilia will be available.  There will also be vending from cars and blankets in the campground.  The Food Court will feature many cuisines; we promise that your stomach and taste buds will be happy. Adult beverages, too.

The music of the Grateful Dead wasn’t just assorted songs – it became a full, detailed language, one that musicians can speak and Dead Heads can dance to.  It was so fertile that it generated an entire subculture, one that shows no signs of flagging.  The question before us is how the language will carry on into the next generation.  Skull and Roses will present the language largely in the day time, in the rhythm of the earth that is the bowl at Ventura.   

The spirit of the Grateful Dead doesn’t just endure; it thrives.  And in April it will blossom. 

Sat, 02/17/2018 - 6:18 am

As you may have noticed, Grateful Dead music has assumed a life of its own, and the joy it brings, the community it generates, is not only enduring, but also thriving.  And so Dead Heads can return to one of their favorite show sites ever, the Ventura County Fairgrounds, on April 6 through 8 this year to take part in Skull and Roses, a gathering to celebrate Dead-Head-edness and listen to the Golden Gate Wingmen (John Kadlecik, Jeff Chimenti, Jay Lane, Reed Mathis), Stu Allen and Mars Hotel, Melvin Seals and JGB, Moonalice, Cubensis, and a dozen other players of the Dead’s music, with flavors ranging from heavy metal (Shred is Dead) to Bluegrass (Grateful Bluegrass Boys) to Punk (Punk is Dead) and lots more.  The promoter is a Dead Head and gets it, and is really after community – prices are more than reasonable, and it’ll be a sweet scene.

Skull & Roses Festival

David Gans recently remarked that G.D. music was its own language, one that the musicians who play it can speak (and, I added, that Dead Heads can dance to).  So I’m talking here with three of the musicians who will perform at Skull and Roses.

Skull & Roses Festival | Ventura, CA | April 6-8

Since the key element in the event is enjoying our common heritage as Dead Heads, I thought I would talk to the musicians about their relationship to the Dead’s music, which has become its own genre.  There will be three more interviews next month about this time; we lead off with three classic Dead Head players:  John Kadlecik, Stu Allen, and Craig Marshall.

John Kadlecik co-founded Dark Star Orchestra, and went on to play in Furthur.

John K: I picked up the guitar around 1984.  I’d been studying violin for about five years.  I was kind of one of those weirdo kids who taught himself everything.  I taught myself how to read music when I was seven.  I took that into sight-singing music – I was in a family that was going to church every Sunday, which was boring as hell except it gave me a chance to learn sight-singing harmonies off the hymnals.  … it was a nightmare things that my step mother dragged us into, one of those evangelical things with a four hour service every Sunday.  …

John Kadlecik

When I was playing guitar, I dove into everything, and at that point, Led Zeppelin was the big draw.  As a kid, I was into the Beatles, which was really, sadly really unpopular in the ‘80s.  … The Grateful Dead were kind of around everywhere but I didn’t have anybody to turn me on to it until my first semester in college, at Harper College, a junior college in the Chicago suburbs.  I was a music major and dropped out as soon as I started getting gigs.

It was a drummer friend who turned me on to the Dead, who’d also turned me on to pot and LSD, who said, “You gotta listen deeper than “Casey Jones” and “Truckin’.”  He played Europe ’72 and Mars Hotel for me, and somewhere between “China Cat Sunflower” and “Unbroken Chain” I was hooked. I’d kind of been into this idea of new age music, but something that was a little dirtier—I liked the new age ideas, the new consciousness, really, but new age music isn’t really the same thing as new age philosophy.  I was looking for some new kind of rock and roll, and then I saw the Dead, and realized that they’d been doing it.

John K

I was looking for loose ends and unburned trails in music, and there they were …in my high school years I had been all through transcribing solos from dozens of guitarists, but I’d intuited that it was what was in the hands that makes the tone, as opposed to gear, ‘cause I couldn’t afford gear (laughter).

It was really seeing them live a year later in 1989 and realizing that ‘oh, this is what it’s about.’  The live show is what it’s about.  The songs are just snapshots for a keepsake for the year.  Everything was growing and had its own bleeding edge, every song had its own bleeding edge for the moment. 

John Kadlecik

But my first show where I got to see them was the spring of 1989 at Rosemont Horizon.  Went to the first and third shows and the middle show I was home going “What the hell am I doing here?”   

So I was going, “how do I integrate this into what I’m doing?”  I had a band called Uncle Buffalo’s Urban Mountain Review, which had a regular weekly house gig in downtown Chicago, a punk hippie acoustic trio, I played mandolin and violin in it, I didn’t even play guitar. Then there was Hairball Willy, and when it blew up, the opportunity to join a local long-running Grateful Dead tribute band, “Uncle John’s Band,” came my way, and I jumped on it. 

It was like my first full-time music gig.  But after a year, I was kind of disappointed.  They had dialed themselves into the North Shore Chicago yuppie scene so much that there wasn’t much I could do.  Hits, no long jams, no blues, no ballads…thirty songs a night in three one hour sets.  Half the band had only seen the band once, and they weren’t even sure if they liked the band, but it was a good gig.  A lot of guitarists playing Donald Fagen-type rock-jazz fusion stuff.  Really tight, but didn’t understand what I called the “getting lost and found jam.”  That’s what I called what the critics used to call noodling. 

One of the things I had done in Hairball Willie for kicks one time once was to cover a whole Grateful Dead second set and had a contest, getting people to figure out what set it was.  It sort of struck me then that it would be a fun framework for a Dead cover band, a way to keep the applause hounds and money grubbers from burying the core roots music, the blues and folk music, and the ballads and the psychedelic jam… a way to create our own postgraduate study program. And that was the birth of Dark Star Orchestra. 

John K | Wanee Festival

We’d get together on Tuesday nights every week, pick a set list, study what we could about it, and really the study approach wasn’t so much as find a show and try to transcribe it, as find three or four different versions of each song from the same year and figure out what hangs together about it. Really it was like, ‘what if they would take one of their shows and see what it would be like if they played the same set again the next day.’

To my mind Grateful Dead music is very intentional, they crafted a full-blown language like bluegrass or reggae, and yet somehow made it – managed to put it in a bigger box, while still incorporating elements of different idiomatic forms, like blues – “that’s definitely this thing, and here’s why.” 

John K | Gathering of the Vibes

There’s always been a thing of taking a song from a writer and doing it in their own style.  There’s also the other side of it, there’s people who – say do a Grateful Dead song in a bluegrass style, you know, is no different from doing a bluegrass song in a Grateful Dead style.  There’s an arranging character that happens with the Grateful Dead.  A lot of musicians play parts together – really that comes from big band – but the polyrhythmic thing, which is really what Dixieland was, is what I’m after.  I’ve heard David Crosby refer to the Grateful Dead as electronic Dixieland.

Improvisation is a huge territory, and almost everyone that plays any of the traditional forms –reggae, bluegrass, country, klezmer – or whatever are improvising.  That’s my frustration with the jam band label.  Beyonce’s band, when they play live, jam the fuck out of those tunes.  To me, “jamband” is the sanitization of psychedelic rock.  It’s just supposed to be music for the mind.

John K | Jerry Jam | Bath, NH

I try to explain to people I meet casually what the Grateful Dead is about – people who have no idea who they are.  And I say they’re kind of like the American Rolling Stones, if you need a pop culture metaphor to understand their significance. They were the emergence of rock music as an adult art form.  They were there at the beginning, transforming it from teenybopper music to a real American art form.  And they’re really woven into the tapestry of Americana.  There are hobos that still hop freights, and they might not know G.D. very much, but they do know “Ripple” and “Friend of the Devil.”  I followed the hippie movement underground into the Rainbow Family.  And in that scene, they refer to something called the heart song.  An individual expression thing, your personal ultimate expression song.  And to me, in many ways, the repertoire of the Grateful Dead, the body of songs is in many ways collectively the heart song of the American experience.

Dennis McNally: I first heard Stu Allen in 2005, at the “Comes a Time” Rex Benefit at the Greek Theatre that celebrated Jerry’s passing 10 years later.  I hadn’t heard JGB in a while, and was running around doing my job when I suddenly heard someone singing a Jerry song in a voice that sent chills up my spine.  I’ve been listening to Stu ever since.  He played with JGB for seven years, and now fronts Mars Hotel.

Stu Allen | Northwest String Summit

Stu Allen: I was born in Savannah, and raised in Louisville, Kentucky.  I was 15 when I picked up the guitar -- thanks to my parents for giving me my first one. I was inspired by the guitar-heavy music I listened to -- Hendrix, Clapton, Led Zeppelin.  I got lessons once a week at House of Guitars in Louisville. 

My first exposure to Grateful Dead was probably “Touch of Grey,” when I was in the 8th grade.  Since it was the ‘80s, it was the MTV age, so the song was inextricable from the video – I remember the video being very funny, they were the Grateful Dead and there they were as skeletons playing, and that was interesting.  And the song was good, but it didn’t fire off a spark just yet.

Stu Allen with Melvin, Greg Anton, and others in San Fran

And then the Dead came to Freedom Hall in Louisville in 1989.  The show was great, and what I remember talking about the next day was the keyboard player being – I didn’t know Brent’s name – “That keyboard player was on fire.  He was really electrifying” – but the mind blowing part of it for me was the Dead Heads.  Driving through the lot – “What is going on here?!?” – and then in the hall, I went out through the lobby to go to the bathroom and people are dancing all over the place, in the halls, and everything they were wearing – “Hang on, what is going on here?!?”   So that moved the ball forward a little bit…

(I recalled a Louisville show that engraved itself on my own memory because the quite-enormous parking lot for both Freedom Hall and the Stadium was hosting the Dead Heads, a Jehovah’s Witness encampment, and a motorcycle show, everyone getting along famously.)

That was later, in 1993, because in ’89 at my first show there was camping in the lot, and then right after that it was – right after that – it was no more, and so as a young Dead Head I felt kinda cheated out of that whole experience.  “We have to drive after the show now?  Come on!”  And I also remember coming to Freedom Hall in ’93 and seeing all these tents set up and I felt doubly cheated, because it was the biker rally.  They were allowed to camp, and I was “Hey, come on!” 

So after the first show, I didn’t see them for a couple of years, so it was about trading tapes, listening to them with friends and talking about the music, what makes one moment or another great.  And having your perception and about music evolve. 

Stu Allen | photo by Alan Sheckter

As a player, I was jamming with guys in the first year.  I was in a band or two in high school, nothing that we ever recorded, didn’t make any records or anything. Until college -- I went to St. Olaf College, in Northfield, Minnesota, south of Minneapolis -- I was in an acoustic group, Blue Man Jive, made a record, made a lot of great original music, and that lasted from ’91 to ’96.  At the same time, I was hanging out with the guys from the Big Wu, who were also out of St. Olaf. 

Moved up to Minneapolis, and one day the phone woke me up.  Frist there was this guy, a member of Blue Man Jive, “This is what I think I heard on the radio,” that Jerry was dead.  And I’m still waking up and trying to figure it out, get my bearings.  Then my friend, who I was listening to tapes with and going to shows with in high school, he says, “Just wanted to make sure you’d heard.”  That’s when I knew it for real.  

Stu Allen (right) with JGB Band

And that seemed like the time to start playing Grateful Dead music – there weren’t any more shows.  Someone else was putting a band together and saw a classified ad in a weekly, The City Pages, in Minneapolis, “Grateful Dead:  Forming cover band. Need all instruments but bass.”  We ended up calling it the Jones Gang, which we took from a show at Colgate College in 1977, where they had trouble with the monitors or something, and to fill in the time, the band started introducing themselves as the Jones Gang.  “On guitar, Jerry Jones.  On guitar, Bob Jones.”  One of them was Julius P. Jones” but I don’t remember who or why.  But the double meaning was that the band was now gone and we were all now jonesing for the music.

 I lived there until the end of 1998, and then went to Boston to go to Berklee College of Music, and was there for four years, until 2002, then out for a year.  And then a guy I’d played with a couple of times in Minnesota by the name of Jeff Cierniak who was in Melvin’s band, called me because Ron Penque was leaving the band.  He was the bass player who sang the tunes.  And Jeff was playing guitar, but didn’t sing.  So they’d lost really two guys, and they thought, “How are we going to find a bass player who sings this stuff?”  Melvin threw up his hands and was going to cancel the tour, as I understood it, and Jeff was “No no, we’ll come up with something.  I’ll call this guy I know from Minnesota, and I’ll switch to bass.”  So Jeff played bass on that tour.  And I filled in, and was with him for seven years.

Melvin with Gloria, Jacklyn, Pete, Oteil and Stu Allen | photo by Alan Sheckter

My first gig with Melvin was – he hired me sight unseen – so I met Melvin in the alley behind the bar at the first gig I did with him.  And that gig went great.  I hadn’t really concentrated on the JGB material, so I felt I was lucky that I had 12 shows to get up to speed.  By the end of it, I was on board. 

People ask me about the difference between Jerry’s playing with JGB and Grateful Dead, and it’s hard to answer.  It’s different music, and so you play something that works with that music.  There’s fewer players, and you might think there’s more freedom, but there’s also more space to fill.  Since there’s more players in the G.D., there’s more listening and responding – there’s more to interact with.  And Phil is playing off the beat, and Kahn is playing on the beat, so Garcia’s playing might emphasize the beat more with the G.D. and be more free to play off of it with Kahn. 

Stu Allen

Playing with Melvin was inspiring.  He can really lift the vibe, the energy of a tune, and then continue to escalate when you think you’re all out, and just keep bringing it up.  He can also bring it down to some beautiful places. 

Instead of wanting to do a radical re-interpretation of G.D. music, I kind of take it to the opposite – I like to do other music in the style of the Grateful Dead.  At our Tuesday nights at Terrapin, we’ll take other classic tunes and play them more like Grateful Dead style, find places to stretch out. 

Stu Allen (right) with Keller Williams' Grateful Gospel | Northwest String Summit

But the Grateful Dead ethos just seems to not only go on but get bigger.  I mean, how powerful was Fare Thee Well?  It was really something, being back in there after all those years, and you gotta think it was incredibly powerful for people who were never there and had been listening to the music for two decades and then they finally make it in to a show!  It gives me goose bumps to think what that must have been like.

Being a Dead Head has gone viral.

Dennis McNally: Craig Marshall is the lead guitarist for Cubensis, Los Angeles’s legendary Grateful Dead band—more than 4,000 shows, more than 25 years of playing.

Craig Marshall

Craig Marshall: I was born and grew up in Hawthorne, in South Bay, the Los Angeles area.  I couldn’t go to the Beach Boys’ alma mater, I had to go to Leuzinger High School in Lawndale, which was closer to my house. The guitar thing started when my folks were approached by a door-to-door salesman.  He was selling a piece-of-crap guitar and a 10-inch amplifier combo, and it included free lessons, for $400.  And they bought it for me, because they knew I wanted to learn guitar.  It was 1967, and I was a freshman in high school. 

The lessons that came with the guitar happened a block away on Hawthorne Boulevard, and I went to exactly two of them.  The instructor was an old hippie guy – he had long hair, some kind of hippie clothing, a tie-dye or something -- teaching the lessons, and he mentioned the Grateful Dead to me, saying “you gotta check these guys out.  You gotta go see these guys.”  When I went up for my third lesson, the old hippie was no longer there, so I said, ‘Well, I’ll see you later.” Never had a lesson since.  But he’d advised me to get the first album, their only one at that point.  Sure would like to thank that guy.

Craig Marshall

In those days, record players had a switch where you could drop things from the normal 33 rpm to 16 3/4 rpm…which effectively dropped the playback of the record one octave lower.  So I would sit there and listen to Garcia’s licks at half speed, and I would copy those licks, and then work on trying to bring them up to speed.  So I always have claimed that virtually, Jerry Garcia taught me how to play guitar, because that’s how I learned to play guitar – essentially self-taught by listening to Garcia on those albums at half speed. 

There was no way I could play “Beat It On Down the Line” the way Garcia did it, unless it was at half speed, or “Cold Rain and Snow” or something like that.  Eventually, I gained some facility – I was able to play, and that was my learning experience.  I never got into music theory or anything like that, but I can play just about anything I want to by ear, and I’m happy with that.  I would have loved to have been able to read sheet music, or know a bit more about theory, but so far, so good.

Craig Marshall

My first Dead show was November 11, 1967, at the Shrine Exposition Hall, here in L.A.  One of the reasons I went was not only for the Dead but that I was a big fan of Blue Cheer, and they were on the bill, along with Buffalo Springfield, believe it or not.  What a bill, when you think about it today. I can’t remember who headlined.  The poster read, “Amazing Electric Wonders.”

I went with high school friends, meaning we were high and we had a great time.  And that’s when I got on the bus.  I especially remember the light show – the Exposition Hall was a rectangular building with a balcony that went all the way around, and in one corner they had a strobe light.  And they had a three-way sound system – a stack on both outer sides and one in the middle.  And two stages, so one band would be setting up while the other was playing.  I remember not dancing much, maybe for reasons of inebriation.

Craig Marshall

I knew right away that the Dead resonated with me – I might have gone to the show a Blue Cheer fanatic, but I left a Deadhead.  I said, “I’ve got to explore this” – so I just wore that album out.  I went to the Newport Pop Festival the next year.  I came up close when the Dead was playing, and during “Feedback” they were all facing their amps and bringing their guitars right up to them, causing that wonderful howl that they did – I was enough of a guitar player to know that this was pretty crazy, creating feedback instead of avoiding it, for musical experimentation.  They also had this one beat that kept showing up in so many songs, great for dancing…and I remember thinking that I’d like to re-create this scene, but it would take me to 1987 to get to that place and form Cubensis.

I saw the Dead whenever they came to LA – once I saw them at The Bank in Torrance, which was really intimate, maybe 300 people.  It was just a warehouse, I think they built electronics there during the day, and then at night it turned into this concert place.  They had an amazing 360-degree light show that was projected from a platform hanging from the ceiling.  Eventually the police closed the place down, but they had some great shows there.  I saw Pink Floyd there as well. I remember going to Compton Terrace in Arizona and seeing them on some Indian land in those early days.  But I was a single father and had kids and a job, so I couldn’t go to many shows in San Francisco.  I remember a Chula Vista show that I loved.  I saw as many shows as I could, though. 

Craig Marshall

I graduated high school in 1970, went to El Camino College majoring in journalism, and then my girlfriend got pregnant and I had to get a job quick.  Found one at the post office during Christmas rush, and they told me if I showed up every day, and worked hard they’d keep me, and I turned out to have a thirty- year career there as a letter carrier, delivering mail house to house on foot.  The band was working, and sometimes I’d get to bed after playing a show at 2:30 and get up at 6:30am to work 10 or 12 hours.  It was a little taxing some times.

Before Cubensis, I had two bands, a Top 40 band called Widow, and also an acid rock band called Green Mourning.  We played around with not much success, but it was fun.  Eventually a group of us were not happy with the frequency with which the Grateful Dead made it to L.A.  I think the LAPD gave them a hard time too, which didn’t make them feel welcome.  So for our own amusement, we started a band consisting of a friend of my brother’s, my sister’s boyfriend, a kid who lived in front of the rhythm player, a skateboard kid with a mohawk who played bass.  We formed a six-piece Dead cover band, just for our own amusement, just getting high and playing music in somebody’s garage.  Soon folks started asking us to play parties, and we had a club gig or two, then a festival gig, and all of a sudden we were playing all over the place.  And we’re still doing the same thing today.  It’s just grown to bigger proportions, with a far bigger audience.

Craig Marshall

I was the lead player, but I don’t sing Jerry’s parts – I sound like a frog.  Other people were happy to take the singing parts.  Richard “Chester” Lawson was the rhythm player.  He was a Northrup employee.  Brian Lerman was the skateboard kid/bassist.  We had two drummers, one of which was Gene Aulicino, my high school buddy who I went through Boy Scouts with, and C. W. Causer, was the other drummer, who was my sister’s boyfriend.  And we had a fellow named Tim Greutert on keyboards.  And that was the first band. 

We did OK.  We called ourselves “Sugar Cubensis” (a takeoff on “Sugar Magnolia” and sugar cubes used for taking acid.  At some point, some people who were looking for Björk’s band the Sugarcubes were showing up at our shows and getting really pissed that we weren’t them, so we cut it to just Cubensis.  The name was C.W.’s idea – we were sitting around a fire on a camping trip and he came up with it.

For the Dead, losing keyboard players has been the curse, but for us, the drummer position has been the hot seat.  We’ve lost three drummers to cancer.  Gene first, and then C.W. last year, and also Steve Harris.

Craig Marshall

We got our first club gig up at Club Dead in the Valley, thanks to promoter Kenny Kulber, and then it just kept growing.  Our biggest gig so far was around 7,000 people at the Hermosa Beach summer concert series last year.  We once had about 3,000 people at a show at the Libby Bowl in Ojai with Vince Welnick appearing with us.

One of the things that attracted me to the Dead’s music was that there were no admission dues to be paid, you were automatically a member of the club just by your desire to be in the club.  There weren’t any qualifications – you didn’t have to look a certain way or think a certain way.  If you were kind, you were in.  As musicians who play Grateful Dead music, there’s just no better thing than to incite happiness in people, get them dancing and enjoying themselves and getting away from life’s troubles for a while. 

The Dead’s music is wonderful.  It’s varied, it’s got something for everybody.  As you well know, the Dead played country, rock, jazz, improvisational stuff…  and it’s almost like they left a little space in the middle of the songs for bands like us to do our improvisations. Like in the middle of “Eyes of the World,” there’s a perfect place to jam—they used it, we use it, DSO uses it. 

Craig Marshall

Let me tell you the story of the one time I met Garcia.  In 1990 we were going to see the Dead in Eugene, Oregon, and our flight stopped over at San Francisco International, and there he was in the gift shop.  My girlfriend went up and got an autograph and a hug…but I wasn’t going to bother him, because I figured everybody was always pestering him, but I knew I might not get another chance, so I went up and thanked him for all the good music. I said I was in a band called Cubensis and he nodded his acknowledgement of the name and what it meant.  Then I revealed that we played all Grateful Dead music and he laughed in mock surprise and said, “Oh, yeah? So do we!”

I went on to ask him about his guitar effects and he launched a long dissertation about how he set up his effects, much of which was lost on me because I kinda got stage fright at that point because I was talking to “the man”, my favorite guitar player, but hopefully I absorbed some of it on some level.  Anyway, I asked him how he felt about us playing his music and he said, “As long as you do a good job of it, go for it.”  And nobody could dissuade me from doing it after that, because I received his permission in a way that completely satisfies me.

Fri, 03/16/2018 - 10:48 am

Something really remarkable happened at the Fare Thee Well shows in 2015.  Instead of being a goodbye, it was a re-ignition, a passing of the torch in some ways.  Although Jerry was always quick to point out that it was Dead Heads who created themselves, the phenomenon of Dead Head-ism was focused on the band for the first 30 years.  And it was fairly fractured for the next twenty, with some liking some iterations, and others, not.  And the musicians aren’t done, whether it’s Dead & Co. or Phil and Bobby’s recent duo, or the future outings of Billy and Mickey.

But it’s fairly evident that the energy of Dead Heads, instead of dying away as, to be honest, I had sadly expected, is growing.  The locus is not the band but the music, which has become a stand-alone genre that is played coast-to-coast.  Which is the rationale for the Skull and Roses Festival, April 6 through 8, Ventura County Fairgrounds.  There will be musicians you know—Golden Gate Wingmen (John Kadlicek, Jeff Chimenti, Jay Lane, Reed Mathis), Stu Allen and Mars Hotel, Melvin Seals and JGB, Circles Around the Sun (Neal Casal, Adam MacDougall, Dan Horne, Mark Levy), Cubensis, David Gans—and those whom you likely have not—Roosevelt Collier, Punk is Dead, Shred is Dead, Stephen Inglis, Nine Mile Skid.

great lineup @ Skull and Roses

There’ll be drum circles and a tasty Shakedown Street and, what the hell, the Pacific Ocean thrown in.  The promoter is a Dead Head and has one agenda; to keep the scene thriving and growing.  Tickets are modestly priced, there’s camping in the parking lot the same way it was in the 1980s, and a seriously good time is on the horizon. Go to www.skullandrosesfestival.com for tickets.

Marcus Rezak is the lead guitarist of Shred is Dead.  The band was so warmly received at the first Skull and Roses they were invited back.

I first picked up the guitar when I was ten years old, actually.  I found it in my mom’s closet.  I started playing and fell in love right away; there was just something about it, it got my interest going.  I was self-taught for the first few years, just listening to music and getting guitar magazines, stuff like that.  And I hung out with friends who played, which was a big inspiration.  Then I started getting lessons from a few great teachers.  Around the age of 14, I discovered a teacher who was really into the Dead and improvising by the name of Jon Gram5, that whole concept was new to me at that point, and he got me going in that world. 

Marcus Rezak | Denver, Colorado | photo by Melissa Bailey

In high school (Highland Park), I was into alternative rock, ‘60s rock, Jimi Hendrix, Frank Zappa, Rolling Stones, the Beatles – pretty much psychedelic rock bands.  And of course the Dead was something I was getting more and more into, too.  I got into the jazz band in high school, and that got my mind going in another direction.  In between classes, I’d be in the courtyard playing Dead songs on acoustic guitar, escaping the mundaneness of school.  I started reading music in the jazz band, but credit my advancement to my guitar teacher at the time, Aaron Weistrop.  I had double knee surgery when I was 17, and while recovering, I intensively self-taught myself music theory via books, and got into Berklee School of Music in Boston.  Spent four years there, had some amazing teachers, hung out with some incredible players, other students, and graduated in 2006 cum laude. 

I primarily studied jazz at Berklee, but I was also playing a lot of funk with people, jazz influence on top of rock, fusion, more avant-garde music styles rather than anything pop or mainstream.  I was just working hard to get myself better as a player.

Even before I graduated, I knew I wanted to be on the road performing.  My band ended up on a bill with another band that happened to be from Chicago, 56 Hope Road, and we hit it off, and they wanted me to join them as soon as I finished school.  So I had that lined up, and ended up playing like 150 shows a year like right off the bat.  They actually won some jam band “most shows in a year” award.  I really cut my teeth with them.  I got to take everything I’d learned and apply it on a nightly basis in a crowd setting.  The other musicians in the band really helped push me, especially the drummer, Greg Fundis, who I still play with today, different projects.  He’s in a huge Led Zeppelin tribute band, called Led Zeppelin II. 

After a couple of years touring, I decided to start my own group in Chicago with three other musicians, all of whom also went to Berklee.  We were called The Hue.  We were like an instrumental progressive rock jam group, kind of – we had a lot of influences from heavy metal to jazz to all kinds of stuff.  We did a bunch of stuff with Umphrey’s McGee, after shows, and they sat in with us, that was the kind of people we were looking up to back then, and the people I now play with.  We had two albums, Unscene and Beyond Words, and yeah, that group did some great music together from 2008 to 2012.

Marcus Rezak

Toward the end of that group, a band called Digital Tape Machine got started.  And that band was based out of Chicago with members of Umphrey’s McGee, primarily Joel Cummins on keyboards and Kris Myers on drums.  And we originally planned on it as a studio project, but the music was great and people were really interested, so we decided to take it out on a live basis. DTM played for about five years, consistently doing big festivals like Electric Forest, All Good, Summer Camp, Bear Creek, and more.  We recorded two albums, Be Here Now and Omens.  It was electronic-based, so it was performed as a band plus electronic production.  We played a lot of great shows together—you never know, we might play again.  But during that time, I also (laughter) went and did a master’s degree in jazz at DePaul University—luckily, they were really flexible about my schedule.  Had a great time there, Bob Lark and Bob Palmierei were particularly great teachers there. 

And that takes us up to pretty much the last couple of years, where I’ve been more doing my own projects.  I started a group with Arthur Barrow called Cosmic Playground—Arthur was Frank Zappa’s bassist for many years, he was on Joe’s Garage and You Can’t Do That On TV and Tinsel Town Rebellion and a bunch of others.  That’s been really fun, doing Frank Zappa shows with him and several other of the former members – Chad Wackerman on drums, and Robert Martin on keys and saxophone and vocals.  So I got to play the Frank Zappa role with those guys and had fun learning from them.  Arthur’s been very key in taking me under his wing and showing me how Frank taught him and how they worked together, and that’s been an invaluable experience.  Playing live between Arthur and Chad, I’ve felt like I was doing justice to Frank Zappa...

There’s been other side projects, but the main thing I’ve been focusing on, other than my debut album of original music coming out this year, is Shred is Dead.  My first exposure to the Dead was a hat with the Rosebud logo on it—I was like 13 at a summer camp—and I asked about it and the guy said it was from the Grateful Dead, “You never heard of the Grateful Dead,” and I said, “No.”  He had a bunch of tapes, so he turned me on to what they meant.  I got into it, and soon after I got pulled in by, I’m pretty sure, “Scarlet-Fire” from Cornell.  My uncle was a great Dead Head back in the day, and he used to play guitar for me when I was a little kid, I don’t even remember it, but I saw pictures.  So that was my first experience. 

Marcus

And then all through high school, I listened to a lot of Dead, Howard Wales and Jerry Garcia, different stuff than just pure Dead.  I’ve always had that influence— playing free and open.  I wanted to get back to that, after playing a lot of really constructed music, really arranged.  And then Fare Thee Well came to Chicago, and the whole town was excited, the vibes were amazing.  And I had a vision of doing a pre-show for that whole weekend on Thursday night.  So I booked a show at the Emporium in Wicker Park, Chicago, and got a bunch of my musician friends to come down and play the show. 

It wasn’t called Shred is Dead but it was based around doing the Dead’s music in a progressive jazz, fusion-y and electronic at times way, different from the way anyone else was doing it, in a non-traditional way.  And it went really, really well.  Fareed Haque (Garage Mahal) was playing guitar also, Todd Stoops (Raq, Electric Beethoven), Steve Molitz who played with Phil & Friends, Greg Fundis was on drums, and Joel Cummins from Umphrey’s McGee came down too.  So it was a really great night, and the vibes were really high.  And it kinda got me thinking.  I really loved playing the music, and I wanted to do more of it.

I started thinking about how to make it happen—I started taking a look at the arrangements and the songs that I really loved, and started putting a band together.  The next ones after that were a few shows on the East Coast, I can’t remember what we were calling it, maybe Without a Net.  Reed Mathis was on some of those. 

Then I decided to make it an actual group, made arrangements and rehearsed people, and named it Shred is Dead, and the first show we did was at Skull and Roses last year.  We’ve done a bunch of shows since then.  We opened for Melvin Seals & JGB in L.A., and in a couple of places in Chicago, with Jay Lane in Denver, did one with Cubensis at the Lighthouse, and we have some more coming up in Denver at Be On Keys April 2 and 27.  Oregon.  And then Skull and Roses, where we’ll have the Grammy-winning Cuban percussionist Raul Pineda (a Chucho Valdés associate) performing with us.  And I’ve got plans for an album that’ll be Shred is Dead emulating the Dead in a way that’s different.  It’s been really fun to brainstorm on, see how to make the music different. 

Marcus Rezak

Ventura’s super-vibey to play in.  You know—palm trees and blue skies, it’s just a great place.  There’s a nostalgia factor, which I love. 

Marcus also shared some links:

Full Show - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p4_gXNg52D0

Estimated Prophet ( Dub Style ) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IlNAD_Fxopw

Row Jimmy- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2OGOMdtFUp8

https://archive.org/details/ShredIsDead2017-12-01.AKG.P170.AUD

Roger McNamee sings and plays rhythm guitar and bass in Moonalice.  He is an activist on the subject of the threats to democracy and public health in social media, a strong supporter of poster artists and the founder of the Haight Street Art Center.

I first became aware of the Grateful Dead I think in 1968, when I was about 12, when my older brothers – I had an older brother 12 years older, and one ten years older, both hugely into the Dead, and I really worshiped my brothers.  The Dead played the RPI Field House (I grew up in Albany) sometime in the late ‘60s, and my brothers went to the show.  One of them was out of college and had seen the Dead numerous times in New York City, the other one had seen them both in New York, and I think maybe New Haven.  But they played locally, and that’s when they came onto my radar.   

Roger McNamee | photo by Alan Sheckter

So in 1971, I changed schools, and there was a kid at the new school who had a reel-to-reel tape deck, which his parents had just given him.  I didn’t have any money, I didn’t have any stereo stuff.  But he had it, and he had just recorded American Beauty and Workingman’s Dead on it, because they were brand-new albums.  And he played them every single day, and I saw him a lot, and I just heard those albums over and over, and I completely fell in love.  And he also had a poster that was a Kelly and Mouse poster on his wall, and I fell in love with the art, too.   

Before this, in 1969 my brothers went to Woodstock and they came back and they were just going crazy.  So I’m growing up in this environment and it’s just a rite of passage to go on tour.  For me, the breakthrough came in the summer of 1973.  In the spring of 1973 I read in Rolling Stone or the Village Voice that there’s going to be this festival at Watkins Glen Racetrack, “Summer Jam.”  It’s going to have the Allman Brothers, who I’d already seen a couple of times, it’s going to have the Band, and it’s going to have the Dead.   For all intents and purposes, these are my three favorite touring bands of that era, although I’d only seen the Allmans.

The tickets were $10.50, and for me, that was a huge amount of money.  I went and stood in line at Ticketron, which was inside the Macy’s at the mall where I grew up.  I got a ticket, and I persuaded my best friend to go, and my mother said, “You can’t go to this thing, not unless you get some mature person to go.”  So I talked to my older brother Dan, and he said, “I’m all in. My girl friend and I will drive you; we’ll all go to the show.”

We get in their car, and we’re getting on to the New York State Thruway at Albany and the hood blows up and comes off of one of its hinges, and we haven’t even left town yet.  So we find a piece of rope, tie the fucker back down, and get on the Thruway and head west.  My brother knows this guy who lives really near Watkins Glen, so instead of going and camping out, which would have been better because we would have gotten the Soundcheck, we stay in the barn of this guy who lives right near.  And we drive up the next morning, and the traffic jam is over.  We’re coming from the other side, we literally park the car at the gate. We probably walked 50 feet before we handed in our ticket.  We were probably the last people to hand in their tickets because pretty soon everybody’s getting in for free.

Roger McNamee

So I get in there, and we get perfectly situated between the speakers, next to a plastic tarp covering a bunch of plastic bottles of water.  We brought some entertainment products, in my case shall we say a member of the larger Grateful Dead family, and it was one of those days, I’m 17 years old, they come out and start with “Bertha,” and I have in head in this altered state that every song is going to be “Sugar Magnolia.”  I go back and look at the set list and it was in many ways the greatest set list of any show I ever saw.  They played forever.  It was the proto-Wall of Sound, and it was complete magic.  Then the rain comes and fortunately we have the tarp next to us so we’re able to stay sort of dry, and it goes away, the Band finishes.

My one encounter with Jerry:  1975, I’m a sophomore in college, Jerry Garcia Band comes to Woolsey Hall in New Haven.  I’m working on the school newspaper, and I’m going to cover the show and interview Jerry. It’s with Nicky Hopkins.  And Nicky is shall we say not at his best. They practically carried him onstage for the sound check.  Sound check runs way long, and they have hardly any time for dinner. Big Steve and Jerry come out, I’m the only one out there, and Big Steve goes, “I’m really sorry, but there’s no time to do an interview. But here’s Jerry Garcia.”  Jerry goes, “Hey.”  I go, “Hey.”  That was my entire conversation…

I moved to San Francisco, and I was there from ’76 through ‘78.  It was a time when my girlfriend decided that the thing she was going to deprive me of was everything I loved, starting with the Grateful Dead.  So I miss all those shows…

I finally go back to college, and I have a new rule:  I’m never going to go out with another woman who will not love the Grateful Dead, baseball, and skiing.  So I meet this woman who was a grad student getting a Ph.D. in music.  And I invite her to our first date, to go see the Jerry Garcia Band at the University of New Haven gym.  We might as well check off one box right away.  She’s getting a Ph.D. in music theory and her first reaction is, “What instrument does Mr. Garcia play?” She’d missed a lot of stuff.  We had a ball.  We go to 10 shows on the spring tour out of a possible 14, so we check that box off.  We go to a baseball game and in the third inning I go to the bathroom and she scores balls and strikes while I’m gone, and I go, “’I’ll teach the woman how to ski,’ and we’ve been married ever since.”  (laughter).  Thirty-eight years and we celebrate that Jerry Garcia Band show every year. 

Roger with Jorma | photo by L. Paul Mann

In 1998 I get the call about Terrapin Station (the original concept was a Dead museum/playground/performance site).  I said to the guy that I wouldn’t talk with him unless Peter McQuaid (then President of Grateful Dead Productions) or a member of the band calls and tells me it’s something they care about. They have strong feelings about outsiders and I’m a front of house Dead Head, I’ve never been backstage.  An hour later, Peter called, and I said “Why me, I don’t know anything about real estate,” and he said, “You’re a Dead Head and you know about investing, and we don’t have a lot of Dead Heads who know about that.” OK, I’ll take some meetings.

This was the first time I started to meet members of the band.  We went to this thing at Bel Marin Keys.  It’s me and Peter on chairs, and Parish and Ram Rod in the front row.  There were probably about 40 people there. And they’re trying to decide if I’m OK.  “How do we know you’re really a Dead Head.”  “I’ve been to a couple hundred shows.” “Lots of people do that.”  “Well, how many of you guys were in Telluride when Jerry had to do the restart of “Brokedown Palace”?”  And only about a quarter of the people there had been there.  “How many of you were there in Hartford in ’86 when Phil did the “Earthquake Space”?”...Parish and Ram Rod came up to me afterward and they almost patted me on the head and said, “Son, I think you’re going to be OK.” 

So I spent three years working on stuff like that with the Dead and had this life-changing experience of being a Dead Head who got to meet and interact with the band, got to be a board member of the Rex Foundation, an opportunity to help out, like with the Archives.

The notion that you can have a whole festival like Skull and Roses dedicated to these things—you know the music will be great, but even more importantly, it’s the scene.

Moonalice | photo by Alan Sheckter

We (Moonalice) just played three shows in L.A. with Cubensis.  Our band was put together to be original music for Dead Heads, music that Dead Heads would like.  On this run, we played one venue for the 19th time with Cubensis.  The place was packed to the rafters. I’ve been on a mission to make the world aware of the dangers of social media, and that’s been draining—so to be back on stage with my tribe, it was like going from Kansas to Oz (from sepia to Technicolor). 

What always amazed me was the diversity of Dead Heads.  I mean the crunchy Granola thing has always been there, but the scene is open to everyone.  You could bring to the show whatever you brought, but when you were there, you were part of the family.  The diversity was part of what made it work. 

David Gans was a Bay Area player and music journalist who became nationally known as the host of the “Grateful Dead Hour” radio show.  He tours regularly as a solo artist and has sat in with almost everybody. 

I have been a musician since I was a child.  I started playing the guitar when I was 15, and I was already into a trajectory of writing my own music, following musicians like Elton John and Cat Stevens, when I got turned on to the Grateful Dead in 1972. 

David Gans | photo by Michael Bachara

I was living with a high school buddy, and we were writing songs together.  He’d been trying to persuade me to go see the Grateful Dead for a couple of years.  And I didn’t think I was going to be interested in it because I looked at their record covers and I saw that they had a song called “Ripple” and I thought it was a song about cheap wine.  Then they had a song called “Cumberland Blues,” and I wasn’t that into the blues and they had a song called “New Speedway Boogie” and I really thought that boogie was the least interesting kind of music there was so I didn’t think I was going to like it.

So I took what turned out to be a gigantic dose of LSD and rode up to San Francisco with my buddy and climbed up into the last row of Winterland – we got there really late, so it was already underway, and there were no seats.  We wound up literally in the last row, and it must have been 120 degrees, the place was packed.  And I was just blazing on this huge amount of acid, so it all just went by in a roar. 

But little bits of it stuck to my mind, so when I got home, I started listening to the records and picking out the things that I’d heard.  It turned out that it was “Bertha,” it was “Black Throated Wind, it was Bob’s guitar on “Greatest Story Every Told,” little things kind of etched themselves in my mind, and when I went and heard the songs they came from, I got really interested and excited.  It turned out that their music was much more interesting than I thought it was going to be, and much more along the lines of what I was doing – really amazing songwriting. 

Which really just showed me that looking to write a hit single was not the path for me, that this kind of songwriting was much more interesting and rewarding.  And then over the years I started understanding what they were doing in between the songs, too.  So within a couple of years I was pretty deeply into this, and that coincided with the beginning of my journalism career.  So when I was writing for music magazines, I started writing about the Grateful Dead, too.  And that led me to being introduced to them and interviewing them and stuff like that.  It really was the insistence of my collaborator that I go check it out and the strength of the acid (laughter)…and just the fact that there was this incredible charisma coming off the stage, too.  Even from that distance I could tell something amazing was happening.

David Gans with Mountain Girl & Alan Trist | photo by Michael Bachara

So when they came back in August (1972) we waited on line overnight to buy tickets at the San Jose box office, and we went to Berkeley Community Theatre for four shows in five days and we just got to watch them play, to be in that room with that incredible communal vibe, and be in that place where the thing was happening that was so deeply affecting people, and the commitment of the guys on stage, and the power of the songs  -- “Tennessee Jed,” and the thing about it was that there was this space between the notes, and I got to watch Bob and Jerry interacting, the way their guitars intertwined, it expanded my awareness of what guitar playing was, too. 

So really the Grateful Dead just kicked open this entire wide universe of stuff, and I started listening to the songs, where they got them – between the G.D. and Commander Cody and the Lost Planet Airmen, I got interested in country music -- and it just took care of itself from then on.  I didn’t even start figuring out the community part of it for several years after that – I went with my buddy.  I moved to Berkeley in ’74 and started playing Dead music with some guys up there, and that expanded my consciousness of what it was about.  It really was that 1972 stuff that made a lifer out of me.

The GD Hour began in the fall of 1984 when Dave Marshall at KFOG started a set of specialty shows every night at 10  – there was a reggae show, a new-age show, and one of them was the Dead Head Hour, with M. Dung as the host.  And he started relying on a few local guys, like (the late) Paul Grushkin, Richard Raffel, and I to help him by providing material.  Dung was seriously overworked – he had the morning drive show, too, getting up at 3 a.m., plus he had the Sunday night Idiot Show.  So he really welcomed the help. 

And I got really really into it – I was dating another KFOG DJ at the time – so I was spending time at the station.  So I started helping him produce pieces of the show.  Then I appeared on the show in February of 1985 to promote my book, Playing in the Band, and I produced a little documentary called “Greatest Pump Song ever wrote,” because I had stories from Hunter, Weir, and Mickey about the making of “Pump Song,” which became “Greatest Story.”  So the station was happy to have me involved, and I was enjoying the hell out of doing it, and over the course of 1986, they asked me to take over responsibility for the show.  And Dung boy was glad to see it happen, because he was so overworked. 

David Gans

So I wound up being given sole responsibility for it, and again, without making any plans whatsoever, the show took off nationally.  I got a call from WHCN in Hartford, Connecticut, asking if they could carry the show.  A classic rock station in San Diego asked if they could carry it.  And the coup de grace was when WNEW-FM (New York City) asked if they could carry the show.  And I went ‘Oh my God, this could really be something.’  So I called Jon McIntire and asked him for his advice, and he said, “Seems like a good idea, let’s take it to the band.’

And so I went to the band and laid out the case for it, and everybody said fine.  Phil in particular was in my corner, he said ‘You know the music, go for it,’ and they gave me access to the vault.  So I, without ever intending to, became a radio producer.  It led to a year in commercial syndication, which did not go particularly well, and after that I took back control and started working with public radio.  And it’s been half my day job ever since.  None of it was planned, but very much in the Grateful Dead tradition I followed inspiration and instinct into a variant.  [hard to hear that word.]

When I started touring, I couldn’t afford to take a band on the road, so I went as a solo act.  It was a lot of fun, but it was a very limited format for a guy who wanted to be jamming on stage.  I bought a looping device, which enabled me to play a lot more guitar in a solo setting, and once I had that pedal on the floor, I started getting ideas.  

But the other nice thing about my current traveling life is that I get to hook up with lots of musicians as I go around the country   I really feel like a spiritual and musical child of the Grateful Dead, not so much in the specifics of the vocabulary but in the approach to making music.  There’s a continuum between improvised music and composed music and spending time in that world between composition and improvisation is deeply rewarding. 

David Gans | photo by Jamie Soja

Another part of the continuum is between what I call the dogma playing and the interpretation playing.  Dark Star Orchestra being the absolute best of dogma playing, where they replicate the Grateful Dead’s approach brilliantly and faithfully, and they’ve got that end of things nailed down.  It’s not anything that I would want to do – I prefer to be over at the other end of interpretation, but again, where people sit along the lines between the two is great, and it makes for –- the idea of a whole convention of people playing Grateful Dead music isn’t nearly as boring as you might think if you don’t know this stuff.  It really is a great way to look at it, a myriad of different approaches to it, rather than a bunch of people all enacting the same thing. 

I think Fare Thee Well caused it all to gel, and gave a lot of people the opportunity to realize, “Look at this!  There really are tons of us still.”  I run into a lot of people bringing their kids to shows.  One of the remarkable things about my musical travels is that I’m playing with young musicians who weren’t born or were in diapers when Jerry died, and they’re deeply into the music. 

I remember when Blair and I interviewed Jerry in ’81, and I said to Jerry, “I think this music is immortal and will outlive the men who made it.”  Blair sort of cringed a little bit but… it turned out to be right, and it’s the songs.  God, I hope Hunter knows how this is going.  The songs are going to be played and sung more now than ever.  Every town I go to has Grateful Dead musicians in it, and good ones, too.  The sheer number of musicians who are keeping these songs moving forward is a wonderful thing, and it’s a testament to the power of it, and to the accuracy of our observations back in the day!

David Gans and friends | Portland, OR

Dennis McNally was the Grateful Dead’s publicist from 1984 to 1995 and worked for Grateful Dead Productions and RatDog after that.  He published his history of the band, A Long Strange Trip, in 2002. 

My very fine editors suggested that since I was telling these musician’s stories of their conversion to Dead Head-edness to you, I should share my own.  We’ll skip over the musical instrument part, since you’re not interested in very bad junior high school violin playing, and get to me and the Dead. 

In the spring of 1967, I was a high school senior in a small town in Maine.  I didn’t fit in—on reflection, not many people really do—and my refuge was the public library, where I did a lot of reading.  I still remember the pictures from the Be-In (January 14, 1967) of Jerry wearing his Uncle Sam top hat.  It sure looked interesting, but I didn’t have a clue what it would mean to my future.

That fall I was a dj at my college radio station, and came across the Dead’s first album, and “Morning Dew” entered my life with a vengeance.  Along with Billie Holiday and John Coltrane, it was a regular in my rotation.  For some odd reason, though, I lost touch with the band for a while, and it wasn’t until the fall of 1971, in graduate school, that I met the guy who walked me across the threshold of Dead-dom. 

Chris was a really, really brilliant mathematician, and also the only guy I knew of where I lived who smoked dope.  I was truly impoverished, and when I apologized for not having any weed to share, Chris would reply, “Hey man, dope is like manure.  It only does some good if it’s spread around.”  In addition to being kind, Chris was a true Dead Head:  we listened to them and only them, Hot Tuna being the only permitted exception.  I might add that this was before tapes were common, and I’m talking about records here.

Dennis McNally

On October 2, 1972, along with a bunch of friends up from the Bronx, Chris took me to my first concert, at Springfield Civic Center, and when we got there, told me to open my mouth.  I owe Chris (rest in peace) a very great deal.

He’d also given me a good shove in the direction of working on a book about Jack Kerouac, and by 1973 I had conceived a grand plan to write the history of underground culture in America after World War II in two books:  Volume one would be Jack Kerouac and cover the ‘40s and ‘50s, and Volume two would be the Grateful Dead.  It took some doing and a lot more time than I counted on, but eventually, that’s what I did.

Of course, I didn’t have clue number one about how I was going to get the members of the G.D. to go along with this idea—for starters; their telephone number was unlisted.  I published the Kerouac book (Desolate Angel) in 1979 and sent copies to Garcia and Hunter, and then more or less waited.  That fall I sold the idea of writing a piece on Dead Heads and New Year’s Eve to the San Francisco Chronicle’s Sunday magazine—I figured I could introduce myself to the band that way—and in January of 1980, I went to interview Bill Graham, since his number was in the book. 

And that’s where Dead Head synchronicity started to kick in.  Bill’s secretary was a member of the tribe named Jan Simmons, and after a great interview with Bill, who loved talking about the Dead and Dead Heads, she said, “You know, you ought to talk with Eileen Law at the Dead office.  Here’s her number.”  Eileen, being the complete sweetheart that she was and is, came to work on a Sunday (I was working a regular job), and we talked for a couple of hours.

“Dennis McNally speaking at GBB Fest 2017

Long story short, the Dead announced their 15 night run at the Warfield Theatre, the Chronicle ran my story, Eileen included me in a group of Dead Heads who met Jerry, Tom Davis, and Al Franken as part of what would be the video of the Halloween at Radio City show, Dead Ahead, and when I met him, I asked Jerry if he’d seen the Kerouac book I’d sent him.  You have to understand that Kerouac was a life-long hero and role model for Jerry, and yes, he’d read it, and was, ahem, enthusiastic about it.

So enthusiastic, as a matter of fact, that a couple of months later he sent Rock Scully (publicity) and Alan Trist (music publishing) to meet with me.  They said, “Jerry says why don’t you do us?”  (Do a biography of the Dead.)

Which seemed like a good idea to me, having been dreaming of it for seven years. 

I spent the next three years (1981-1984) very happily digging away.  I found Phil’s music teacher at College of San Mateo (who had a tape of Mr. Lesh in the CSM jazz band, both playing and the composer of pieces).  I dug up lots of Jerry folk and bluegrass music, getting to know Rodney Albin, one of the great people in Jerry’s early life (and I was lucky – we lost Rodney in 1985).  I found Gert Chiarito, who ran the “Midnight Special” show on KPFA that Phil engineered and Jerry played on.

And I went to lots of Dead shows, both in the Bay Area and further away.  Eventually, the crew decided I could be tolerated, and I spent more time on stage (seriously, a tough transition – it sounds better out front).  I spent lots of time at the office, talking with people and seeing how it all worked in business terms.  And overall, I managed not to piss off anybody too terribly much, which was important, because in the world of the G.D., just because Jerry had an idea didn’t mean everybody was going to jump up and salute. 

Dennis with friends and family

One day in June, 1984, Mary Jo Meinholf of the office staff sat up at a company meeting and said, “What are we going to do about the media?  They call, and nobody returns their calls (Rock had gone away to get healthy), and they annoy me.”  And Jerry said, “Get McNally to do it.  He knows that shit.  Send him up to my house, and I’ll tell him what to do.”  So I went up to his place for my job training.  He said, “OK, first thing is, we don’t suck up to the press.”  I think I even wrote it down.  And then he said, “Ah, that’s enough.  Here, toke on this.”  Nice training.

I tried to keep working on the book while being a publicist, but it was impossible.  It was the greatest job I’ll ever have, but I’m not joking when I say that it was 60 hours a week when we were off the road, and more when we were on.  I put the book on hold, but kept a notebook in my pocket to write down the interesting or funny stuff I saw, and there was plenty of that:  Jerry and Vice President Al Gore discussing John F. Kennedy’s desk (Bill Clinton had gotten it from the Smithsonian), Jerry talking with Tony Bennett before a San Francisco Giants baseball game, Phil encouraging Brent when B. brought up the idea of playing “Dear Mr. Fantasy,” Branford Marsalis playing like a god, and on and on.

All of which was summed up one disgusting day in Washington D.C., at RFK Stadium.  Disgusting because of course if we were playing at RFK it was summer time, and summer in DC invariably meant 100 degrees and close to a 100 percent humidity and we—staff and crew—were out there for 10 or 12 hours.  We were leaving the stage and heading for the vans back to the hotel, and Ram Rod, the crew chief and one of the greatest men I’ve ever known, said, “At least it’s not a real job.”  And it wasn’t.  It was at times more stressful and gritty and challenging than a “real job,” but it wasn’t just a job.  Instead, it was an amazing adventure, an incredible opportunity to serve a higher purpose, a chance to help save the world.  (Well, we tried, honest).

Dennis McNally backstage at GBB Fest 2017

We couldn’t save Jerry – or he couldn’t save himself – and that sucked, but along with all Dead Heads we honored the music, and I’m really proud of that.  See you down the road, maybe even at Ventura.

Mon, 07/02/2018 - 1:56 pm

The strangest thing happened; Grateful Dead music became its own genre, a language spoken by musicians across the country (and danced to by Dead Heads, same).  Each band plays it its own way, but Live Dead ’69 has certain advantages.

One is that it focuses on the band’s most legendary era, 1969-70, when it was the fulfillment of what psychedelic music could be.  The other is that it features Mark Karan (guitar, 12-year veteran of Bob Weir’s RatDog), Tom Constanten (the only living Grateful Dead-member keyboardist), guitarist extraordinaire Slick Aguilar (David Crosby and very long-time Jefferson Starship veteran), and bassist Robin Sylvester (RatDog).

This tour will reach into 1970, when the Dead began “An Evening with the Grateful Dead” concerts that included their spinoff band, the New Riders of the Purple Sage.  The show will open with the band as New Riders, including Mike Falzarano, a member of the Riders for the past decade and more.  And so we’ll bring you Live Dead & Riders ’69.

More info to come; there will be East Coast dates during “The Days Between.”

Band Bios

Over the years, Mark Karan worked with Dave Mason, Delaney Bramlett, Huey Lewis, Jesse Colin Young, and the Rembrandts before connecting with Bob Weir and settling into the lead guitar slot with RatDog, which would then headline shows at Bonnaroo, the New Orleans Jazzfest, and the Fillmore Auditorium.  He led a very successful long-term residency at Sweetwater Music Hall in Mill Valley, where he’s been joined by Huey Lewis, The Mother Hips, Roy Rogers, and ALO.  His band Mark Karan’s Buds includes Robin Sylvester, Wally Ingram (David Lindley, Eric Burdon), John Molo and J.T. Thomas (Bruce Hornsby) and more.  He says of Live Dead ’69, “We’re not trying to recreate the music of the GD.  Sometimes it sounds similar, and sometimes it sounds quite different.  Slick’s coming out of a different background, the rhythm sections are mutable, and I sing out of an R & B background, so I don’t sing like Jerry.  What we’re doing is honoring and celebrating this music in our own way…and we have fun.”

Tom “T.C.” Constanten met Phil Lesh at an entrance examination to U.C. Berkeley’s music department.  When T.C. remarked of modern Stockhausen-style composition that “Music stopped being created in 1750 but began again in 1950,” Phil knew he had a lifelong pal.  Late in 1968 T.C. ended his military obligations and joined the Grateful Dead, where he spent the next year-plus helping a weird band get much (musically) stranger.  Having studied in Germany with Luciano Berio and Karlheinz Stockhausen among others, he brought some of the methods of the avant-garde to a psychedelic band – wedging coins and other items into piano strings (“prepared piano”), using colored noise he’d prepared in Europe on Anthem of the Sun, and dropping a gyroscope on the piano sounding board…which really woke up their recording engineer.  He was at the heart of that era of the Dead’s music.

Mark “Slick” Aguilar spent the ‘70s as the house guitar player at TK Studios in North Miami, where he recorded with KC & the Sunshine Band and Betty Wright, Benny Lattimore, and Bobby Caldwell, among many others.  After a spell on the road with KC and later Wayne Cochran, he moved to the West Coast, where he joined Buddy Miles’s band, and then in 1982 hooked up with David Crosby.  He says of David, “He taught me how to get out there and be a pro.  I was a kid, and he took me out in the world.  He was really generous to me – he opened up his home in Mill Valley to me.  When you work with him, he’s the sweetest.  And musically, he’s brilliant.”

After a very long career with Paul Kantner and Jefferson Starship, and playing with the likes of Carlos Santana and Gregg Allman, he’s landed in Live Dead ’69, and is having a ball.  “I love playing for Dead Heads – they love that music and they all want to dance, which is so cool.  Starship audiences, Crosby’s audiences – they just look at you.  And the Dead Heads all know the lyrics – I mean, young kids know St. Stephen”!  It is the coolest music to play, because you can take it where you want to go.  And working with Mark is great; we’re both lead players, so it’s not like Jerry and Bob, but it’s gotten to the point where we can finish each other’s sentences.  I’ll start it and he finishes it, and vice versa.  Most of the jams, we’re both soloing, but it works because we both listen – you really do have to listen to jam.”

Robin Sylvester grew up in London and began his life in music in the high-level London Boy Singers, chosen by Benjamin Britten, singing at Covent Garden among other prestigious places, while also listening to his local pub band, the Kinks, or other future greats like the Yardbirds with Spencer Davis Group opening, at the legendary Marquee Club, or the Syd Barrett Pink Floyd, at UFO.  He picked up the bass at that time, first acoustic then electric, and his path was set, but first he found work as a recording studio engineer. A 1974 U.S. tour with vocalist Dana Gillespie hooked him on life in the states, and a session with Rory Gallagher at the studio where Workingman’s Dead was recorded brought him to San Francisco, where he settled.  He played with Marty Balin in a couple of bands, toured with Billie Preston, and then partnered with the great sax man Steve Douglas on many, many sessions.  In 2003 he got a phone call, and RatDog had its new bass player, and Robin got to learn what he called in an interview, “the great American songbook, really.  The Hunter and Barlow tunes have so much depth and there are so many ways to play them….”

Working on the Phil & Friends repertory model, Live Dead ’69 has employed a number of drummers.  This tour will feature Joe Chirco.

Joe Chirco knew he wanted to be a drummer from the age of three.  Long Island born and raised, he attended his first G.D. show at Passaic, NJ, then many more at home.  He studied percussion with Charles Perry, who worked with Mickey and Billy on Terrapin Station.  Charles took him to a concert at Nassau and introduced him to M & B, which got Joe a seat behind the drum risers for the show – “It changed everything I thought I knew about drumming.”     An extremely diverse and versatile percussionist, he has played in funk, world beat, reggae, jazz, blues, and jam bands over the years.  In 1997 he joined the Zen Tricksters for a four-year stint, which put him squarely in the G.D. world.  Working with Donna Jean Godchaux and Jeff Mattson took him even deeper.  He’s worked with David Nelson, Mark Karan, Melvin Seals and Terrapin Flyer, and Bob Weir at a benefit.

Tom Constanten will be forced to miss the first shows of the tour, and sitting in on keys will be Scott Guberman.

Scott Guberman grew up on Long Island, seedbed of DeadHeadism, and first encountered the Dead at a 1988 Madison Square Garden concert that, psychedelically aided, rocked his world.  Being a keyboardist, it was Brent Mydland’s brilliant modern touches that caught his attention.  He joined the East Coast G.D. band circuit and eventually played Hammond B-3 with Tom Constanten and then Vince Welnick.  A 2015 visit to Terrapin Crossroads brought him to Phil Lesh’s attention, and he’s become the house keyboardist there and a regular player with Lesh.  He also preforms regularly with Stu Allen, Robin Sylvester and Mark Karan, and just about everyone else in the wider circle around the Bay Area.

Michael Falzarano has been a working guitarist and vocalist for over 45 years, most notably in Hot Tuna, the famed offspring of The Jefferson Airplane, and in the seminal cosmic cowboy Grateful Dead spinoff The New Riders of the Purple Sage.  He also founded the Memphis Pilgrims, a Memphis-style rock ‘n’ roll band in New York City, and has two  current projects, The Englishtown Project and Live Dead & Riders 69.

His third solo recording, We Are All One (Woodstock Records), featured such illustrious guests as Vassar Clements, Melvin Seals, Buddy Cage, Jorma Kaukonen and Garth Hudson.  His most recent release is I Got Blues for Ya (Hypnotation Records/Woodstock Records).  Falzarano has also appeared live or recorded with greats from Bob Weir to Paul Simon to John Lee Hooker to Jesse McReynolds to Pinetop Perkins.  There’s no room for the complete list!

Mon, 07/23/2018 - 10:14 am

In the past few years since Fare Thee Well, as Grateful Dead music has morphed into its own genre, what bands play and how they play it has become an interesting series of choices.  Do they want to play it straight, or do they want to interpret it through a filter (heavy metal, Celtic, Bluegrass, Hawaiian slack key guitar, etc.)?  Do they want to emphasize the material the band played when they first became Dead Heads, or do they want to sample around?  Good argument-starter:  Is the best year 1972, or 1977, or 1989?  Or fill in the blank...

Or, if you’ll listen to me (and it’s not the year I started going to shows), you’ll get very, very interested in 1969.  They would become better musicians in future years, better song-writers, and their material would become much more sophisticated and cover a far wider range, but the psychedelic jazz-rock fusion that peaked that year was a particular form of Grateful Dead that would never be matched.

And thus Live Dead ’69, the band.  It features Mark Karan (guitar, the Other Ones, 12 year veteran of Bob Weir’s RatDog), Tom Constanten (the only living ex-Grateful Dead-member keyboardist), guitarist extraordinaire Slick Aguilar (David Crosby and very long-time Jefferson Starship veteran), and bassist Robin Sylvester (RatDog).

This tour will reach into 1970, when the Dead began “An Evening with the Grateful Dead” concerts that included their spinoff band, the New Riders of the Purple Sage.  The show will open with the band as New Riders, including Mike Falzarano, a member of the Riders for the past decade and more, to be followed by a full set of Grateful Dead from that very special year.  What’s not to like?

August 1, Weds.  THE FOUNDRY AT THE FILLMORE, Philadelphia

Tickets: https://concerts1.livenation.com/event/0200548A07FC9645?_ga=2.153949688.1938584829.1530804104-600336727.1530804103

August 2, Thurs.  THE HAMILTON, Washington, DC

Tickets: https://www.ticketfly.com/purchase/event/1688137?_ga=2.50636009.1380948373.1530804195-2016805381.1530804195

August 3, Fri.  13th ANNUAL BEAR’S PICNIC FAMILY REUNIION, Blain Picnic Grounds, Blaine PA

Tickets: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/13th-annual-bears-picnic-family-reunion-tickets-43512447903

August 4, Sat.   STARLAND BALLROOM, Sayreville, NJ  08872

Tickets: https://www.eventticketscenter.com/live-dead-riders-69-sayreville-08-04-2018/3540930

August 5, Sun.  THE SPACE AT WESTBURY, Westbury, NY 11590

Tickets: https://www1.ticketmaster.com/live-dead-riders-69-ft-westbury-new-york-08-05-2018/event/0000548AC2C96920?brand=spacewestbury

Tue, 08/07/2018 - 8:13 am

Well, I know you already have plenty of G.D. t-shirts.  But if you want to cherish a juicier piece of Grateful Dead history, an item that’s never before been seen and is literally once-in-a-lifetime, then you’ll want to tune in on Saturday, September 8th, at 10 a.m. Central time, HERE.  The success of last year’s audience has inspired various former G.D. employees to clean out their closets...

Would you like a costume (one of those duster overcoats the band wore) from the “Throwing Stones” video?

How about a check (sorry, cancelled!) signed by Jerry Garcia?

Jerry check!

A gold record, backstage passes, laminates, incredibly rare posters, original artwork from Stanley “Mouse” Miller...

This will be the second Grateful Dead auction put on by the Donley Auctions people of Union, Illinois.  Randy Donley has been conducting auctions for more than thirty years, and holds 12 to 15 theme auctions a year, with an enviable reputation for quality, accuracy, and reliability. Their first GD auction, which included the original lyrics of “He’s Gone,” the last book Jerry ever read, the original copyright on the name Grateful Dead and a whole lot more, was a roaring success.

You get the idea.  This isn’t going to happen many more times...here’s your chance to own a piece of history.

Wed, 08/22/2018 - 6:39 pm

The news of the GD memorabilia auction (September 8th at 10 am central time) has brought more amazing items out of storage to be offered.  Do you want Jerry’s 1988 Bay Area Music Awards “Guitarist of the Year” statue?  A first printing of the very first “Skull and Roses” Avalon poster created by Kelley and Mouse (with thanks to Edmund Fitzgerald, who designed the artwork for an edition of The Rubaiyat of Omar Khayam)?  Fare Thee Well laminates?

p.s.  Out of concern for family feelings, the Garcia death certificate has been removed from the auction.

Check it all out at http://www.donleyauctions.com/gratefuldead

Mon, 08/27/2018 - 9:36 am

Join us at beautiful Stafford Lake Park in Novato for Sweetwater in the Sun, the first Sweetwater Music Hall Festival, a full day of live music, food & drink, and family fun.

Lineup:

Bob Weir, Steve Kimock & Friends

The Skiffle Players

Jennifer Hartswick Band

Maggie Rose

Jerry Joseph & Steve Kimock Duo

Kids Grove Stage with music from:

Little Folkies Family Band featuring Irena Eide

Arann Harris & the Farm Band

plus face painting, magic, and arts & crafts!

Rain or shine. Lineup subject to change.

Wed, 11/28/2018 - 9:31 am

“Dixie Chicken.”  “Sailin’ Shoes.”  “Fat Man in the Bathtub.”  “Feats Don’t Fail Me Now.”  “Time Loves a Hero.”  “Willin’.”  “Oh, Atlanta.”  “All That You Dream.” Little Feat has created its own version of the Great American Songbook, and boy, can they play those songs.  As great as the records are, there is nothing like live music—this is, after all, the band that created one of the two or three greatest live albums ever, Waiting for Columbus.

Back in 1969, Lowell George met Bill Payne, and not long after, they had a band. Richie Hayward came in on drums. Lowell tried Paul Barrere on bass—not a successful experiment—but in a couple of years Paul joined on his proper instrument, the guitar.  Over the next few years, Kenny Gradney emerged to be the right bass player and Sam Clayton took the percussion seat.  Lowell George passed, and eventually Bob Dylan’s guitarist Fred Tackett joined the family.  Illness stole Richie away in 2010, and his former drum tech, Gabe Ford (nephew of Robben and a member of Robben’s band), took the seat.

For this particular tour, Feat is pleased to be joined by the Ramble Band Horns (Erik Lawrence, Steve Bernstein, and Jay Collins)…serious punch!

They mixed their native Los Angeles rock with New Orleans gumbo, funk, jazz, rock, soul and boogie.  The critics cheered and the audiences danced.  So many miles, so many shows.  The fire still burns bright, and the 50th is an anniversary you just can’t ignore, as Paul Barrere noted:  “What an honor to be associated with Little Feat celebrating our 50th anniversary together. The love and respect we’ve received from our peers and fans tells me just how worthwhile our music truly is. Here’s hoping we get to see you at one of our stops on this momentous 2019 tour. Come celebrate with us 50 years of creating our own unique songbook.“

Or, as Bill put it:

“50 years

A blur and blend of memories and elastic time

The sky was the limit

 a sorrowful tune rising to a chorus of joy

 a dance with a thousand steps

unruly in its cadence suggestive of timidity and fearlessness

Forever horizons brought to a standstill

Reignited with love and passion

Another chance to play music on our terms

50 years of dreams realized and shattered

Kept alive in our hearts

Kept alive by danger and luck

With an insistence on quality and exploration

providing an alliance and handshake to

band, friends, fans, and family alike

50 Years of Little Feat

Time Loves a Hero”

 

It’s time to roll another one.

March 7, Thurs. Warner Theatre, Washington, DC   Presale:  11/28, On Sale: 11/30

March 8, Fri. Beacon Theatre, New York City with the full Midnight Ramble Band (Larry Campbell and Amy Helm).  Presale:  12/5,  On Sale 12/7

March 9, Sat. Scottish Rite Auditorium, Collingswood, NJ   PreSale: 11/28, On Sale 11/30

March 11, Mon. Harvester Performance Center, Rocky Mount, VA  Presale:  11/27, On Sale 11/30

March 12, Tues. Atlanta Symphony Hall, Atlanta, GA  Presale:  11/29, On Sale 11/30

March 13, Weds. Thomas Wolfe Auditorium, Asheville, NC  Presale:  11/29, On Sale 11/30

March 15, Fri. Ryman Auditorium, Nashville, TN  Presale:  11/29, On Sale 11/30

March 18, Mon. King Ctr. for the Performing Arts, Melbourne, FL  Presale:  11/28 & 29, On Sale 11/30

March 19, Tues. Ruth Eckerd Hall, Clearwater, FL with Buddy Guy  On Sale:  11/30

March 20, Weds. Florida Theatre, Jacksonville, FL  On Sale:  11/30

March 22, Fri. Pembroke Pines City Center, Pembroke Pines, FL  On Sale 11/29

March 26-30 Melia Braco Village Resort, Trelawny, Jamaica with the Ramble Band and Lucinda Williams (sold out)

Thu, 01/10/2019 - 6:07 pm

Becoming a Dead Head was and still is a remarkable thing, much richer and more complex than simply deciding to like a band.  It means becoming part of a community, a family of kindred souls.  It’s about celebration but also about learning – new music forms, whether it’s obscure blues or chanting monks or … everything.

Which is why, almost 24 years after Jerry Garcia passed, there are more Dead Heads than ever before.  And why they continue to gather – the excellent example being the Skull and Roses Festival, in the legendary home of Dead concerts, Ventura County Fairgrounds, April 5-7, 2019.  Featuring Oteil & Friends -- Oteil Burbridge (Dead & Co.) John Kadlecik (Further), Scott Metzger (JRAD), John Morgan Kimock (Mike Gordon), and Weedie Braiman (Mr. Unique) and JGB with Melvin Seals, Skull and Roses will have more than a dozen bands playing Grateful Dead music in every way imaginable…and then some:

Grateful Shred, one of the emerging younger bands; Fragile Thunder with David Gans, acoustic and Hawaiian slack key stylings; Wake of the Dead (Celtic Dead), Cubensis (Los Angeles’s Dead Head heart for thirty years)…and much, much more.

There’ll be camping, good food and drink, drum circles, dancing in the streets, and surprises, oh my yes – more on that later.  A splendid time is guaranteed for all.

Check it out at www.eventbrite.com -- prices are reasonable to start with, and 25% off until February 3rd….see you in Ventura!

Thu, 01/31/2019 - 6:11 pm

The Grateful Dead – New Riders of the Purple Sage – Marshall Tucker Band concert on September 3, 1977, is a special moment in the Dead’s legendary career. The largest concert in New Jersey history, it drew well over 100,000 fans to hear the Dead in spectacular form (and after a three-month break necessitated by Mickey Hart’s car accident and broken shoulder). Not just the Dead: as Mike Falzarano toured with the New Riders a few years later, most shows would include someone saying that they’d seen the Riders at Englishtown.

Eventually, he concluded that he really ought to pay tribute to the event. In May 2018 he assembled old friends from the Zen Tricksters – Tom Circosta, Klyph Black, and Dave Diamond – and Scott Guberman from Phil & Friends. They booked a one-off show at Brooklyn Bowl, and both band and audience had such a good time that one show became thirty, with more dates coming in weekly. “Go Figure,” Mike says. It’s been fun from the beginning, and still is. Each show has big slices of music from the concert in a relaxed, festival-style program, playing two full extended sets of a mix of Dead, Riders, and Marshall Tucker.

Englishtown Project

The lineup will include Mike Falzarano (rhythm guitar, Hot Tuna, New Riders of the Purple Sage), Rob Wolfson (lead guitar, Dead Center Allstars), Tom Circosta (guitar, Zen Tricksters), Klyph Black (bass, Zen Tricksters), Dave Diamond (drums, Zen Tricksters), Clare Maloney (vocals), and Mookie Siegel (keyboards, Phil & Friends).

On February 16th, the Englishtown Project will play at The Boulton Center, 37 West Main St., Bay Shore, Long Island. 

Tickets: https://boultoncenter.org

Wed, 02/20/2019 - 12:02 pm

Since the Grateful Dead has always cherished weirdness as a super-positive adjective, it’s not totally surprising that the post-Dead scene should have the weirdest possible outcome….namely, instead of fading away, Dead-Head-ism is growing just as it always has.  Now, it turns out, Dead Heads are fans of the music even more than the band, so that who’s playing the music is mostly a matter of taste and choice. Which is the understanding behind Skull and Roses, a festival of Dead music in one of the Dead’s favorite venues, the Ventura County Fairgrounds, April 5-7, 2019, featuring Oteil and Friends (including John Kadlecik), JGB with Melvin Seals, Grateful Shred, Stu Allen and Mars Hotel, L.A.’s own Cubensis, and lots more. In addition to playing lead and singing the vocals for JGB, Zach Nugent will have his own “Disco Dead,” as well as a trio called Reckoning with Stu Allen and Dave Hebert…. So talking with him about how he came to be the musician he is and why he’s perfect for Skull and Roses was a pretty easy choice.  For more on Skull and Roses, go to www.skullandroses.com.  See you in Ventura!

Zach Nugent:

By the time I graduated high school, I’d lived in 19 houses.  We were retail gypsies, really.  I was born in Connecticut and lived there until I was nine, and then we moved up to Vermont and bounced around the state.  I’ve lived there ever since.  My parents are big music followers, they’re Dead Heads as much as anything else, and they exposed me to a lot of music, from bluegrass to classical to reggae to Grateful Dead, and everything else.  But my first real prominent musical memory is riding around in my Dad’s car—a VW—listening to a bootleg, a semi-production bootleg that was called Acoustic Masterpiece.  And it was an acoustic Dead show from like ’93 or ’95.  Both my parents loved it, my mom especially, that’s her special Dead soft spot, Grateful Dead acoustic stuff, Reckoning or whatever.  And I remember riding around in my Dad’s car and we had a cassette of Acoustic Masterpiece.  So from a really young age, it’s always been Jerry in my ears.

photo by Rich Gastwirt

I started playing piano when I was five and then violin and then clarinet, but none of it stuck.  I loved music and I knew I’d play an instrument, but none of them really meant anything to me.  A lot of the music I listened to, bluegrass and reggae, was guitar-driven.  Guitar started resonating with me – I liked the power that comes with it, but also the versatility.  So when I was 12 my folks rented an acoustic guitar for me at Hanover Strings in Hanover, New Hampshire, just across the river from where we were living, near Norwich, Vermont.  I think it was $19 a month, with an option to buy or whatever.  My parents loved music and were really supportive, so it didn’t take much arm-twisting to get a guitar out of them.  I remember I went home that day, I remember right where I was, I can picture everything, and I learned “Ripple” first. 

We lived off the grid multiple times, no running water or electricity, and that was one of those times.  So, we got the guitar in Hanover and went home, and I remember the futon I was sitting on, I remember my parents coming and going and being stoked that I was playing “Ripple.”  It was a snowy winter day, and I grasped it pretty fast, and my folks were really pleased.

I dove pretty deep into the Old and in the Way bluegrass thing, and also Tony Rice and Clarence White, and really got into bluegrass for a couple of years.  Before that I got into classical and took some lessons – those were the only lessons I ever took – but then it was bluegrass, and flatpicking, and the summer between my freshman and sophomore year in high school, a few of the faculty at my school had a bluegrass band and the guitar player was moving to Alaska.  So, they asked me to join the band., the Fogey Mountain Boys.  That was the first time I played with other people for real.  We played gigs, and I was getting paid, and that was great. 

Zach Nugent - photo by Rich Gastwirt

Then the guitarist moved back from Alaska, so I was out of the band, and then my driver’s ed teacher at another high school – I had to log driving time with him, two students at a time for a couple of hours.  By now it was 2006, and the digital music thing was happening, and I was downloading stuff from Archive.org like crazy.  I made my Dad a binder of 300 Dead CDs for Christmas one year, and that was what I was mostly doing.  So I started bringing my own binder of Dead CDs on these drives, and it turned out that he was a total Dead Head – Vermont, after all – and when I finished Driver’s Ed, he disclosed to me that he was a very obvious drummer.  So, we got together with some friends of his and formed a band called Dead Man’s Hand, as in Wild Bill Hitchcock, Aces and Eights.  And we gigged pretty heavily – a few weekends a month – for the next three years.

Then around 2010 the bass player John Wakefield and I started Cats Under the Stars, doing JGB stuff.  So, we found a couple of serious guys, and Cats kept on going – different formations, lots of different members, of course, and by 2016 I was the only original member, but it kept on.  And by 2016 we were playing pretty seriously and pretty regionally.  I first met Melvin at a small festival which is awesome, and I still play there every year in Bath, New Hampshire, called Jerry Jam.  It’s so cool, and JGB still plays there.  It’s got a great vibe.  And Melvin would sit in with other bands, and Dan Webb, who runs the festival, made it his mission to connect us, and we played together.  And we hit it off both musically and personally.

Zach Nugent - photo by Alan Sheckter

I asked him to play with Cats for some short tours, half a dozen runs over 2014-2016, and then he gave me the call to join JGB.  It was about a week and a half before Jerry Jam in July 2016, and he said, “I think I need a new guitarist, and I’d like to try you out at Jerry Jam and that’ll be your audition.”  It was a little wonky – the endings are different, the forms are different, but overall, it was great.  And our next show was Jerry Day in San Francisco, August 3rd or whatever – in front of several thousand people with like Jerry’s family, Trixie and Mountain Girl and Annabelle, like overnight. 

Playing with JGB has been awesome.  Melvin is a great player, obviously, and such a mature player.  The connections and networking and the people I’ve gotten to play with, and the rooms I’ve gotten to play in, are all so cool, it’s all dream come true stuff.  When it comes down to it, I’m a guitarist, and I want to be good at my instrument, and one of the most valuable things is the maturity Melvin’s given me.  I feel good about what I did before, but this is the next level. He’s really good at saying “Don’t do that” in a really nice way.  He’s been doing it forever, and hey, he’s the hand that shook the hand, and it’s so nice to get that direction from him.  It’s great, and it continues to happen all the time.

Zach Nugent with JGB | photo by Rich Gastwirt

Being a Dead Head is an interesting phenomenon.  There’s your classic ‘Head with lots of tie-dye, and a lot of people think “hippie” when they see tie-dye.  But I don’t wear tie-dye, and I’ve never smoked weed, so I don’t conform to things that your average citizen would assume are important.  But what I like about Dead Heads is that you go to a Dead show and you know you’ll see a 15-year-old next to a dentist next to a grandfather next to a hippie who’s high as they can be next to a middle-aged woman.  I just love that the demographic has no edge or boundary – it’s everybody.  People from all walks of life are Dead Heads and it’s such a cool community to be part of, such a great family.  I love how much love Is passed around amongst almost all Dead Heads.  Being a Dead Head is being a member of a family that’s moving forward and has everybody’s interests in mind so much of the time.

Playing in Ventura is just crazy.  The first year we were walking around the fairgrounds, ‘cause that’s where we played, and I was digging it. It was cool, and there was obviously a vibe.  But last year they moved the stage into the bowl, to play on the racetrack, with those palm trees and the ocean in the background – there’s so many pictures of the Dead there, it’s legendary.  It was crazy in the best way to be playing on that stage. It’s so iconic.   And I loved the “Wall of the Sound” behind it. 

Sun, 03/03/2019 - 12:37 pm

When John Rider helped form Max Creek in 1971, he envisioned not just a band, but a community to welcome and embrace people who couldn’t quite fit in— people like himself, who found the mainstream to be an uncomfortable and constricting place. He saw Max Creek, he said recently, as “a vehicle for the dreams of musicians, artists, poets or anyone else with a vision.”  Nearly 50 years later, that dream endures.

45&Live, thirteen songs culled from eight sets played in their 45th year, is strong, meaningful music.  Max Creek is fronted by veterans John Rider (bass), Mark Mercier (keys), and Scott Murawski (guitar), and since 2012 has been backed by Bill Carbone (drums) and Jamemurrel “Jay” Stanley, whose next-generation status affirms the timelessness of Creek’s musical direction, even as audience members introduce the band’s music to their children.

Set One:

“She’s Here” (Scott) is a blues inflected screaming rocker that Scott swears was inspired by putting new strings on his bass.  When he recorded something to check it out…he found a gift.

“Sadie” is a delightful romp, half boogie-woogie and half bluegrass.  Written by T. Michael Coleman and recorded by Doc Watson, it’s about a sweet daughter.  Having been recently blessed with one, Mark fell in love with the tune.

“Devil’s Heart (John) is about four different folks John has known, and leads to a killer jam and groove. 

“I’ll Be Your Baby Tonight” (Dylan) is sung by Bill, who took the arrangement from a Rolling Thunder Revue rehearsal.  To my ears, it’s about half of a fifth of whiskey past Dylan’s original—rowdy and right.

“Emerald Eyes” (Scott) is a beautiful romantic shuffle that leads into a spectacular, fabulously stretched out jam.  It was, Scott tells us, “inspired by a vision I had about a previous lifetime of a very good friend of mine who's since passed… the vision itself was rather elaborate and describes some sort of 18th or early 19th century small family attempting to settle in the wilderness while surviving multiple calamities and challenges of the times as well as not surviving some of them, and waiting for their impending reincarnation.”

“I Got My Mojo Workin’” (Mark) is a standard written by Preston Foster and made famous by Muddy Waters.  Mark was looking for a voodoo song for a Halloween show, and he chose a winner.  It’s got some incendiary guitar and a wonderful bass sound. 

Set 2

“Into the Ocean” (Jay) was written in Costa Rica at a Max Creek Jungle Jam after Jay witnessed a disturbing incident when a server at their hotel, a beautiful and kind woman, sat down to talk with him and was immediately fired.  As a black man growing up in the U.S., Jay related not only to the struggles of people in the third world to find meaningful livelihoods in a beautiful land, but also the reality that beauty and suffering are not separate.  As a melody, the emphasis is on the beauty—it’s gently exquisite; the lyrics drive the politics. 

“Willow Tree” (Scott) is a reggae-influenced love song based, says Scott, “on a TV commercial for conservation that was promoting planting trees at certain milestones in your life, like having children, and watching the tree grow along side whatever it was.  I thought that was a great idea and though I never planted a tree, I did write a song about it.”  Sweet as hell, with lovely guitar and keyboard solos in the middle.

“Peaceful Warrior” (John).  The tune feels more warrior than peaceful, with an opening reminiscent of late ‘60s Rolling Stones.  John tells us that it was “written after reading Dan Millman’s book Peaceful Warrior.  The concept is that you have a peaceful heart but at times you are called on to be a warrior. Those values that have faded from your life will be ‘coming back again’ when you become that warrior.”  The instrumental passage is definitely warrior quality, a rocking slash and burn attack that builds into a major musical statement.

“After Midnight” (J.J. Cale) is sung by Mark.  It’s a classic song we’ve all heard a million times, but as Mark notes it’s “adapted to Max Creek’s style with a lively keyboard intro, a country/bluegrass inspired two beat, and an open R & B jam at the end.”  Let me add that it features some seriously ripping guitar work running up inspired keyboards.

“Emotional Railroad” (Scott) is a terrific love song with a reggae bounce on top of a driving rock beat.  It was written, Scott reports, “on one of our seven hour drives home from some shows in Rochester, NY, all in my head.  I couldn't wait to get home and record it!  It's my favorite melody to sing, too.”  Bill and Jay deliver a highly danceable groove, Mark serves up a superb keyboard solo, with Scott wrapping the musical package.

“Said and Done” (Mark).  This formidable musing about power and who really runs things in our lives echoes early Dylan in point of view.  Mark tells us that “This is a song that hugely changes meaning with each passing year, ranging from extremely personal to a commentary on the state of things. The original idea came years ago, long before 9/11, when I ran into a friend outside of Lupo’s in Providence who was in the middle of a heated political discussion while waiting to get into our show there.  I asked what was going on, and she angrily turned to me and shouted, “Don’t you know that this country is run by old white men.?!?” I started musing on this and pictured in my mind a secret gathering of heartless, powerful political and corporate giants that would take place annually in a mountain cave to determine, a la Vonnegut, the future course of mankind. And I wondered, while they would suspiciously celebrate their accomplishments with each other, if any of them ever had a heart or a love, or, as they grow old, a longing for what they might have been if not for their climb to power. Sadly, this has turned out to be truer that I could have imagined.”

“Midnight Special” (Traditional, associated with Lead Belly; Creedence Clearwater Revival had a hit with it).  Sung by John.  Max Creek, in its early days, had a Creedence/CSNY-inspired country/folk influence that exists to this day. This is one of the first songs that the band learned in 1971.   Said Bill the drummer, “In my seven years with Creek, we’ve only played this song once, and here it is. They called the tune, turned to me and just said ‘you’ll hear it,’ counted the intro, and off we went.”

45 features a few songs from the 70s, but they’ve evolved, and they’re nestled comfortably amongst the contemporary selections, voices, and even raps, of the new guys. And the improvisations—of which there are plenty—reflect the deep history, shared language, and veteran sensibilities of the band while exhibiting a flavor and pop that isn’t at all like “back in the day.”

Ask Murawski how the band has lasted 48 years and he’ll tell you, “we ride to gigs in separate cars.”  There’s something to that. But watch Creek in action and you’ll see a different truth—they’re a family with connections far too deep to uproot. Linda Cournoyer, the band’s lighting czarina and the designer of all its album covers and merchandise, has been with them since 1978.  DJ the sound man has been with the group off and on since the 80s, Mike the tour manager since the mid 90s, and many of the traveling fan family look back to their first shows in the early 80s, or at least heard about those years from their parents. And truly nothing has seen more action than pianist Mark Mercier’s touring briefcase, which may or may not have lyrics and receipts from the band’s first gigs in it somewhere.

There’s a patina that art gets with the endless polishing of age, a richness of intuitive interaction that takes time to get to.  You can hear it in 45 & Live.

Upcoming Shows:

Friday March 29

The Barn at Levon Helm Studios

Woodstock NY

Friday April 5

The Colonial Theater

Pittsfield, MA

Friday April 19

Infinity Hall

Hartford, CT

Friday May 10

The Met

Pawtucket, RI

Sat May 25

Strangecreek Campout Music Festival

Greenfield, MA

Sun, 03/17/2019 - 1:04 pm

I get asked a lot about the current crop of young (as in, never saw Jerry Garcia live) Dead Heads and whether they’re “real.”  And no question, they are.  They get the music, the code of ethics behind the music, the reason we do this stuff.  There is, however, one thing that reveals the passage of time.  Many—not all, but quite a few—members of the younger generation suffer from P.D. – Pigpen Deficiency.

This is not true of Chris Mitrovich, the founder of Skull and Roses (at Ventura Fairgrounds April 5-7 this year, and you should buy tickets now – www.skullandroses.com).  When I first met him, I knew I could trust him when he remarked that “Every Dead Head gathering needs some Pigpen.”  Which brings us to the story of the Alligators, and Pete Carona.  They are the antidote to P.D., and you’re going to want to see them….so let’s talk to Pete.

The Alligators @ Skull & Roses Festival

My family moved from New York to the San Gabriel Valley, Southern California, when I was in the 4th grade, and everything changed.  I’ve been really blessed to come from a really musical family.  My parents and my brothers were real proponents – my Dad was in a doo-wop band in the ‘50s, in Brooklyn, and my mom loved the band.  She waited on line at a record store where they were doing a signing, and the rest is history.  And I ate it up – from very early on, I listened to everything there was on the radio.  My early favorite band was Kiss, and my father took me to see them at the (Madison Square) Garden when I was nine years old, and it was a life-changing experience; I got a taste of over-the-top rock and roll and never looked back. Then I got to California, and everybody, including me, was nuts for Led Zeppelin.  The Dead came a little later on, in high school, and when it hit, it hit hard.

I don’t play an instrument, and I don’t claim to be a great vocalist – I’ve got this gritty Bob Seger/ Lynyrd Skynyrd approach, but my main strength, which I’ve taken from all these things I’ve listened to, is performance, putting on a big, high-energy show --- finding individual people in the crowd, tuning into them, locking in to make sure that everyone is grooving on the same page.  I bring the bottle of Jim Beam onto the stage and just go full tilt.  We bring an energy that you don’t see in most other bands.  I’m a concert junkie still, I go to two or three shows a week.  All the Dead & Company’s, reggae and blues – I just suck it all up as much as I can.

The Alligators | Ventura, CA

My first band was a punk rock band called Annihilation.  That was in 9th grade.  Then I went to high school, and that’s where I met Chris Mitrovich, the founder of Skull and Roses, and we became best of friends to this day.  We started out deep in the punk rock scene.  Within six months we started a punk rock fanzine, we were interviewing bands, then we put on shows…and it reminds me of the Dead scene in certain ways.  It had a real DIY vibe to it, it was all people you knew doing everything.  Along the way, we stumbled in with the stoner music guys at school, and they started sharing tapes with us.  The Dead had been on my radar, but then we met these guys and the tapes…it was kind of game over at that point.  We still loved the punk scene, but once the Dead came in it took us on a whole new journey.  From then on, we started hitting Dead shows in the ‘80s, and we started bringing more and more friends of ours into our scene – we always had a big scene, the Arcadia/San Gabriel Valley thing, we traveled in packs, 30 or 40 of us, and it just grew.

Irvine was the first one.  Before that, we had been immersing ourselves in the tapes and getting super excited.  There was this Atlanta ’85 tape that somebody loaned me – it was the only thing I listened to for days.  They do this “Scarlet”-“Touch of Grey” second set opener – I must have played that thing a billion times and then we were just drooling for a show.  Chris got a head start on me, he went away and caught some show, I’m not sure where, and my band, the Insultors, (still my band after 30 years!)  was playing that night so I couldn’t get away – and when he came back, I could just see the glow on him.  So, the first one I got to was Irvine.

The Alligators | photo by Steve Kennedy

And then I was in the freak show.  Thousands of people camping out, eating, smiling, loving, music from every tape coming from every corner of the parking lot. It was just pure ecstasy.   I remember we pulled our van right in, and I got out and the first person I met, he called himself St. Paul, and he handed me a donut, and then he said, “On the eighth day, God created Jerry Garcia.  Welcome to heaven.”  I still get goosebumps…And then the music started!  We were experimenting with psychedelics, which was kind of new to me, because I was always a whiskey guy…and, of course, psychedelics and the Dead kinda go together, the colors, the sights, the sounds...  I remember a “Wharf Rat” from that first show that completely melted me; After the encore, I remember the lights came on, and I had a smile that I just could not get rid of.  And we went back out to the parking lot, and I realized I’d found a new tribe. Most of our friends were all experiencing it for the first time, and we all gelled with it.  At that point, we were off, and then it was show after show.

And then the Europe tour – it was one of the funnest times of my life.  That’s always been one of the things I loved most about the band.  Not only are you meeting new people along the way, but you’re seeing the world, you’re traveling, and what better way to travel than at the end of the day you get to go see your favorite band?  There were six of us that wanted to go, and I couldn’t afford to go, really.  So, I hit up a friend of mine who was in business, and he said “Here’s $2,000.  Go have fun and represent Arcadia, and you have a year to pay me back.”  So I took it.  And four or five months later I paid him back.

The Alligators

Some nights we camped out in the park, some nights in youth hostels, some nights we threw some money in and stayed at a nice hotel.  And once again, just meeting the European fans – and in some places, the shows seemed really small and intimate.  It was an experience like no other.   There was a certain “Dark Star” there, and it was one of the nights where we got to get up pretty close.  It was getting really spacey, down and deep and dirty, and then Bruce Hornsby got out his accordion and Jerry sort of looked at him...that might just be in our minds, too.

I went to a bunch of colleges—I was never really focused too much—but finally got my degree in communications, and I’ve been a TV producer for Fox for the last 20 years.  I make 20 and 30-second promo commercials for the station.

The Alligators

How the Alligators came about is a funny story.  Chris had been coming to see my band for forever, helping out in every way, so when he put together the first Skull and Roses we were behind him 100%.  He had such a great approach to it, and on the banners and ads for the first one, he kept talking about “48 Bands for Three Days.”  About three weeks away from the start, somebody couldn’t pull it off, so now he only had 47 bands.  And it bothered him; he really wanted to keep it as he’d said, at 48.  He’s very attention-to- detail-oriented.  We were talking about it, and we thought, well, we could put a band together, but there’s already dozens and dozens of bands playing straight-up Grateful Dead, but we wanted to do something special, and somebody said, “What about Pigpen?”  And I had that whisky rock-and-roller kind of approach, so I said, “We can give that a go.”

Me (PetePen) and Jason (J.J. Gator) on bass kind of assembled a bunch of guys from the neighborhood who’d played in a million different bands, and then we found a couple of guys to fill out the lineup with a local Craig’s list kind of thing.  We have a real eclectic bunch.  One guy’s been in reggae bands his whole life; now he’s McSwamp, who does vocals and is our d.j.  Another guy, our percussionist, Tommo, was always an REM-Smiths-alternative college rock kind of guy. Our rhythm guitarist, Stevie Ravioli, comes from a heavy metal, Judas Priest Iron Maiden kind of background. Steve Kim-Chee Warrior came in on lead guitar, Scottie Gator on drums, and Berkee Gator on keys.

Pete Carona | The Alligators

But all of us liked the Dead, it’s just our bands weren’t always that focused on it.   We put it together strictly to fill that void.  So, we told Chris that we had his 48th band together.  And then he told us our time slot, which caused us to fall on the ground laughing, because he told us the band that had cancelled was due to play at 6 a.m. on Saturday.  “Is anyone going to even be there?”  But of course, we played, and it was unbelievable.  We started off with “Good Morning, Little Schoolgirl,” and we did a really long spacey intro to get people up before we kicked into it.  And little by little, people started getting out of their tents and trailers—it wasn’t huge, it was like 40 or 50 people. 

But we got mid-way through our set, and we were doing “Smokestack.”  And it was misty and cloudy, and right in the middle of the jam, we didn’t even notice, but 50 feet behind us were train tracks, and right in the middle of our jam came the morning train, just howling by, and it was just perfect.  And we just got such a wonderful response as we came off the stage, and even though we’d thought of it as a one-off to help Chris, and before you knew it, all the people were saying to us “Where do we see you next?”  So we rolled with it, and every show we play, the crowds keep getting bigger and bigger, and more and more people—not to compare us, but in a strange way it’s like a microcosm of the Dead, where they all came from different influences, and we’ve had people jump on board to fill all the roles—the Owsley role, the crew,  the sound guys, the merch guys.  It’s probably like that for all the bands here at Skull and Roses. 

Pete Carona | The Alligators

I gotta say that an absolute Pig purist might have reservations about us—I mean, the music is all Pigpen all the time, but we’re trying to bring our own trip to it too, so sometimes we’ll use their songs as a base, but then we can jam into a “New Speedway” or “Other One” and then bring it back to Pigpen—not lyrically, but musically.  And we really do have a show, it’s a party, like Pigpen crossed with Mardi Gras.  And taking the Alligators out and around has been amazing, you really do find out how big a tent the Grateful Dead really is.  People just come out of the woodwork.  It’s an honor to tap in to the Dead this way, and all we wanted to do was kick up the party a few notches, and that’s what we’re doing...

For more on the band, go to www.alligators.love 

Tue, 05/28/2019 - 9:27 am

Steve Kimock, guitar wizard and the man Jorma Kaukonen labeled one of the best guitarists alive, first came to notice with Zero, the legendary Marin County jam band from the ‘80s.  Then came the post-Grateful Dead Furthur tours in the ‘90s, and he currently leads Voodoo Dead among other combinations.  But for a good long while—25 years!—Steve Kimock & Friends has been his primary outlet.  It’s a hell of a band, and in September they’re going to take a short jaunt around the Northeast to celebrate. 

Joining Steve is Jeff Chimenti (Dead & Company) on keys, Reed Mathis (Tea Leaf Green) on bass and vocals, and John Morgan Kimock (Mike Gordon, Oteil & Friends) on drums. There will certainly be guest players.

SK&F plays everything.  Tender ballads and psychedelic crashbang, music suitable to meditate by and deep improvisation that sounds like electric versions of John Coltrane, swampy funk grooves and crystalline rock and roll.

Jorma’s not a b.s.-er and he wasn’t kidding—Steve is one of the remarkable musicians of his generation.  Not to be missed.

Tour Dates:

Sept. 25 Weds.                   Ridgefield Playhouse, Ridgefield, CT

Ticket Link:  https://red.vendini.com/ticket-software.html?t=tix&e=46a96d909272c63ef3a86ecaa88a817f

 

Sept. 26 Thurs.                    Cabot Theatre, Beverly, MA

Ticket Link:   https://red.vendini.com/ticket-software.html?t=tix&e=898c58df985da2c631b437b97d949b5c

 

Sept. 27 Fri. (early show – 7 pm)    Le Poisson Rouge, New York City

Ticket Link:  https://red.vendini.com/ticket-software.html?t=tix&e=8ba7c1c57eb407086f699ce9e90d1183

 

Sept. 28 Sat.             Ardmore Music Hall, Philadelphia, PA

Ticket Link:     https://red.vendini.com/ticket-software.html?t=tix&e=b5d79da7c29b272079bf91dcb3601bc3

Fri, 05/31/2019 - 6:31 pm

Los Angeles is bursting with musicians, but few can boast resumes on the order of Paul Ill (bass, vocals), Mark Tremaglia (guitar and vocals), Randy Ray Mitchell (guitar, vocals), and Dan Potruch (drums).  Live and in the studio, they’ve played with such artists as Linda Perry, Courtney Love, Mick Taylor, Matt Sorum, Daniel Lanois, Jackie DeShannon, Elvin Bishop, Warren Zevon, Donna Summer, Billy Bob Thornton, Deron Johnson, and Keb’ Mo.

In the trade, they are what is called “first call” players, and they deliver without fail.  After years of perfecting their craft at the service of others, they craved a band of their own, which became The Disreputable Few.  The Few was fun, and began to build a reputation.  They released Ain’t Who I Was and got an excellent response.

But then the Few backed both Bob Weir (Grateful Dead) and Butch Trucks (Allman Brothers Band) at special events, and something ignited in their collective musical brain.  Along with the originals that they were coming up with, they started finding extreme satisfaction in sandwiching Dead and Allman Brothers songs together – “One Way Out” into “Bertha,” “In Memory of Elizabeth Reed” into “Dark Star.”  They tried it out in public, and the audiences went bananas.

And so we bid a fond farewell to The Disreputable Few and introduce you to Uncle Duane’s Band.  They’ll knock your socks off.  They’re touring the South in June, and will pop up at your neighborhood music hall sometime soon.  Their first release, Uncle Duane’s Band, will come out in July 16, 2019.

Do not miss this.

The Seven Sons Tour, with Tyler Boone, sponsored by Boone’s Bourbon

June 1, Sat. - Rebirth Festival, Austin Parish/Empire Control Room, Austin, TX

June 2, Sun. - Bottle and Tap, Baton Rouge, LA

June 3, Mon. - Blue Canoe, Tupelo, MS

June 4, Tues. - The Nick, Birmingham, AL

June 5, Weds. - The Basement, Nashville, TN

June 6, Thurs. - Wicked Weed, Asheville, NC

June 7, Fri. - The Creek Stage at the Rookery, Presented by the Big House Museum, Macon, GA

June 8, Sat. - The Rooftop Bar, Georgia Theater, Athens, GA

June 9, Sun. - Vinyl, Atlanta, GA

Thu, 06/27/2019 - 5:45 pm

Goose is an indie-groove band from Connecticut.  Rick Mitarotonda is the guitarist-singer-songwriter up front—his tunes are folky and hummable, and the man can shred.  Peter Anspach on guitar and keys joins Trevor Weekz on bass and Ben Atkind on drums.  They all can play, and they like to go to very deep space places.

On June 26th they released their latest single, “All I Need,” recorded and mixed at Factory Underground in Norwalk, CT, and mastered by Grammy Award-winning engineer Emily Lazar (Paul McCartney, Beck, Foo Fighters, John Mayer), with assistance by Chris Allgood at The Lodge in New York City.  Their first release, a CD called Moon Cabin, came out in 2016.  In the interval, they’ve honed their chops and done some serious growing, opening for Pigeons Playing Ping Pong, Spafford, and Aqueous.  This summer will see them at major festivals like Domefest, Summer Camp, Beanstalk, Peach Fest, and Resonance.

This is a band on the rise.

artwork by Jason Piperberg

Here’s how you can hear “All I Need”:  http://hyperurl.co/0d7kxm

Wed, 08/21/2019 - 5:31 pm

Thirty-five years ago, having met when Steve Kimock auditioned for former Grateful Dead members Keith and Donna Jean Godchaux’s Heart of Gold Band (which already had Greg Anton as its drummer), Greg and Steve recorded an album, Greg on drums and piano, Steve on guitars and bass.  Then they started a band to play the music. Having gone through many, many names, Greg asked Steve how many were left on the list to consider: “Zero” was the answer, and Zero became the name of one of the finest jazz/rock fusion “jam” bands ever. 

35 is a pretty hefty anniversary, and definitely worth celebrating.  On November 22nd, Greg and Steve, with Melvin Seals (JGB) on keys and Pete Sears (Jefferson Starship, Hot Tuna, Moonalice) on bass, will kick off Zero’s 36th year at the Great American Music Hall

They went years without a vocal, creating such instrumental-only gems as Here Goes Nothin (1987), Nothin’ Goes Here (1990), and the live Go Hear Nothin’ (1991).  A casual conversation with Grateful Dead lyricist Robert Hunter sent the band in a new direction, and they added vocalist Judge Murphy and produced the classic Chance in a Million

Greg Anton

As bands will, Zero came and went.  After their incendiary set at the 1999 30th anniversary Oregon Country Fair, the Fair manager said, “You guys want to be on the 50th anniversary bill?”  “Sure,” and they shook hands….and this past July, 20 years later, Zero returned to the Country Fair stage.  “Both Pete and Melvin,” said Anton, “used the word magic to describe it.  We worked, as Zero does. One thing Steve and I have is a work ethic.  We played five hours before each of the two shows‚ because the songs needed to be honored.  The songs have developed so many moves over the years, and we were in touch with them.” 

There’s zero chance that they won’t be ready to do it again at GAMH.  Be there…or you’ll be missing out.  There will undoubtedly be special guests….there are rumors about a saxophonist to succeed the late, wonderful Martin Fierro, for instance…and few would be surprised if there are other shows as well. 

Tickets on sale Friday, August 23, at 10 a.m. pacific, at https://zerogamh11222019.eventbrite.com

Fri, 09/13/2019 - 8:40 am

The bubbling stream of songwriting and recording creativity that began for Steve Kimock with Last Danger of Frost and progressed through sessions with John Morgan Kimock and Leslie Mendelson on Satellite City shows no signs of quitting.  Next up is a single called “While We Wait”— a sumptuous, elegant, romantic instrumental, beautiful as only KIMOCK (Steve on lap steel, guitar, and (!) piano, Spencer Murphy on bass, John Morgan Kimock on drums, kalimba, piano, and synthesizers) can make it.  Written by Steve and produced by John Morgan, it’s quite simply gorgeous—all the more remarkable because the initial source of the song was the bittersweet joy Steve experienced in visiting with a friend who didn’t have much time left.

Steve’s playing creates a unique space, one not conventionally occupied by the average mind.  As John Morgan put it, “You cannot identify what you are hearing, which is really exciting to me. I try to run with the ‘UFO’ vibes and let that creep into the production.”  Commenting on John’s production work, Steve replied, “I don’t know how he does it.  He takes pieces I’ve done and creates something new…his process is fascinating.”  The other-worldly magic of Steve’s guitar meets its match with John Morgan’s studio alchemy.

"The feeling inside this tune is patience, life, a prerequisite to waiting.” - Steve Kimock

“While We Wait” will be released September 13th, premiering on Jambands.com, and will be available everywhere in cyberworld:

Spotify: http://open.spotify.com/album/2WwaZrOmUZp8d7hP5i4lmR  

Itunes/Apple: https://music.apple.com/us/album/while-we-wait-feat-jmmy-single/1477875172?ls=1&app=itunes  

Amazon: http://amazon.com/dp/B07WRRSMVL

Wed, 10/02/2019 - 9:56 am

Grateful Dead drummer Mickey Hart once remarked, “We’re not in the entertainment business, we’re in the transportation business – we move minds.”  That spirit led to a connection between band and audience so profound that it developed into a subculture.  At the University of the Road, Dead Heads actually studied what was going on, whether it was tapers analyzing the finest sound system ever assembled, literature majors contemplating some of the most sophisticated lyrics in rock history, or musicologists studying the vast array of sources for the Dead’s considerable body of work.

All of which makes the Dead the ideal topic for Steven Van Zandt’s (the E Street Band, The Sopranos) Rock and Roll Forever Foundation (RRFF), whose goal is to create a 21st century school curricula based on popular music as a way of empowering teachers and engaging students.  In recent years they’ve devised 160 lesson plans at levels from elementary school to AP high school covering social studies, language arts, STEAM and music based on artists from the Beatles to Beyonce.  It’s legitimate material endorsed by national education organizations, and it’s all free at Teachrock.org

Just by way of example:

Beat Culture and the Grateful Dead (High School English)

●      Students engage with excerpts from several "Beat" writers and consider how the Beat worldview both influenced and was reflected in the Grateful Dead's music

Feeling the Vibrations (Elementary/Middle School STEAM)

●      Using the Dead's history of catering to the needs of Deaf and Hard of Hearing Fans, students explore the science of sound as vibration and learn basic sign language

Jerry Garcia, Addiction, and Intervention (Middle/High School Social Emotional Learning)

●      Students use clips from LST to confront the idea of infallibility and learn intervention strategies developed by the Mayo Clinic

Loudspeakers, PA Systems, and the “Wall of Sound” (Elementary/Middle School STEAM)

●      Following an introduction of Augustus Owsley "Bear" Stanley and the Wall of Sound, students construct simple but functional speaker cones

1960s Counterculture (High School English/Social Studies)

●      Students explore the 1960s Countercultural Movement in Haight-Ashbury by examining the early career of the Grateful Dead and reading journalistic accounts of the neighborhood at that time

Deadheads and Reagan's America (Middle/High School English/Social Studies) 

●      Students consider the idea of the family as it applied to the Deadhead community and the conservative values promoted by President Ronald Reagan in the 1980s.

The Original "Going Viral" (Middle/High School General Music)

●      Using the history of Grateful Dead tape trading, students explore the concept of virality beyond its current internet-related connotations 

https://teachrock.org/book/long-strange-trip-the-untold-story-of-the-grateful-dead/ 

Wed, 10/09/2019 - 1:30 pm

Dear Friends,

As many of you know, for the past several years I have been dealing with liver disease. When we finished the second leg of our 50th Anniversary Tour, I was beginning to develop some edema, which has been making some things a little more difficult. It has been a bit of a roller coaster as I go through the treatments my medical team has prescribed, and I have had good days and not so good days. Lately, the not so good days have been more common. I have met with my team at UCLA and they have told me that what I am experiencing is common and treatable. However, the timing is not ideal, as they have directed me to stay home in October while they fine-tune the treatment in order to get me back to where the good days are the norm. 

Needless to say, I am beyond disappointed as I was really looking forward to the shows in October. This whole year has been a musical dream come true and none of it would have been possible if not for the enduring support of all of you, the Feat Fans!

Fortunately, the shows will go on. I have no doubt the band is going to rise to the occasion. As a band, for over 50 years we have always had each other’s backs and I know they will continue to put on the best possible show each and every night.  That’s the way we roll.  I am also very appreciative that Larry Campbell and Teresa Williams (from October 7 to 24), and Scott Sharrard (October 26 and 27) are able to fill in for me. I can’t think of any musicians better suited to take on the guitar seat than Larry and Scott. Most of you know Larry, and you may have heard Scott while he was with Greg Allman’s band.  He is one hell of a slide player for sure. Together with the band, they will take the music to some great places.

My plan is to follow my doctor’s orders and sit tight, but I have every intention of getting back to Jamaica in January and rock'n on the beach with all of you. Until then, keep your sailin’ shoes close by… If I have my way, you’re going to need them!

Very best wishes, Paul

Sat, 12/14/2019 - 12:43 pm

Andy Logan is a Dead Head, a serious guitar collector, and a filmmaker—more on those subjects in a minute.  He’s always dreamed of owning a Jerry Garcia guitar, but since “Wolf” recently went for $1.9 M., the odds seemed slim. 

Still, he took part by telephone in Tuesday’s (12/10/19) Bonham’s auction, setting a figure of $400,000 as his limit to buy Jerry’s legendary “Alligator,” which he played from May 1971 to late 1973 (in other words, all of Europe ’72). 

The bidding reached $400,000, and he figured he was done.  But when the auction representative said “It’s 420 to you,” he couldn’t resist.  “I guess I have to say yes to 420.”  The rep laughed, agreed, and placed the bid.  There were giggles from the crowd, and then all Andy could hear was silence in the room—there were no more bids.  The auctioneer declared him the winner at $420,000, the audience in the room clapped and cheered, and Andy found himself leaking some tears of joy.

homage to Jerry's guitars

There’s lots more to the story.  Andy’s guitar collection is, in fact, a Grateful Dead Guitar Library which contains a model of the guitars used by Jerry and Bob for every year from 1965 to 1995.  Like any good librarian, he loans them out.  So when DSO recreated the Dead’s 9/8/83 Red Rocks show recently, they used one of Andy’s axes to get the right tone.  When Phil Lesh & Friends recreated all thirty years of the Dead in 2015-16 at Terrapin Crossroads, and when Stu Allen and Mars Hotel did the same at Ashkenaz in Berkeley…you get the idea.  He’s also hired luthiers to build replica G.D. guitars, and given them to most of the best-known players in the Dead-oriented band world, including Rob Eaton, Jeff Mattson, Stu Allen, Zach Nugent, Mik Bondy, Alex Jordan, Dave Hebert, Garrett Deloian, Keir Anzelmo, Evan Jones, Nate LaPointe and Daniel Marc. 

He also owns two guitars that Jerry commissioned from Steve Cripe, who built Garcia’s “Lightning Bolt” and “Tophat” instruments.  Alas, Jerry checked out before he could take delivery, and Steve passed on a year later.  Since 2013, Andy has loaned these out to Jeff Mattson (DSO), Stu Allen (Phil Lesh & Friends), Kenny Withrow (Edie Brickell & New Bohemians, Forgotten Space), Adam Terrell (Assembly of Dust), Mik Bondy (The Garcia Project), Alex Jordan (Midnight North), Zach Nugent (Melvin Seals & JGB), Garrett Deloian (Jerry’s Middle Finger) and Craig Marshall (Cubensis). 

"Alligator"

In addition to “Alligator,” on Tuesday he won the bidding for the Martin D-28 that Garcia played on the Festival Express in 1970.  As with the rest, it’s his intention to get them into top-performing shape and then make them available for loan so that they can do what they were made to do.

Andy is also producer of a new not-for-profit documentary on the musical legacy of the Dead, The Music Plays the Band.  Directed by Jake Cunavelis of Mt. Mansfield Media, it will be out in 2020.  All profits from the film will be split between the Rex Foundation and a soon-to-be-launched nonprofit that will further the aims of the G.D. Guitar Library.

homage to Weir's guitars

If Andy has anything to say about it, the music will never stop. 

Mon, 01/06/2020 - 10:30 am

About five years ago, Robert Hunter, sweet be his memory, sent his old friend David Nelson a stack of lyrics.  David’s written music for several of them, some of which were on the David Nelson Band release Once In A Blue Moon.

The DNB finished another song, “Movin’ Right Along,” but for whatever reason—perhaps because it seemed so very intense—it sat and waited.  And on September 23rd, Robert himself moved along to wherever we’re all going, and it seemed appropriate to share it with you.

Although the song is about a character who clearly isn’t Robert, it’s also hard to avoid the thought that Robert was contemplating his own mortality in “Movin’ Right Along,” since it’s filled with images of war, strife, and death:  “I have died for liberty, fought heavy hard and long / I have died in poverty, moving right along / I’m about to blow this joint so listen to my song / I have died to prove a point, moving right along.”

Hunter was busy and productive until very near the end of his life, and lord only knows how many lyrics he left behind.  But in the circumstances, “Movin’ Right Along” will be a special testament to his power as an artist and the love and overwhelming respect that his audience has had for him for these many years.

“Movin’ Right Along” will be available on January 22, 2020, from ITunes, Apple Music, Spotify, Amazon, Pandora, TikTok, and just about any other digital music platform you can think of.  It is available for preorder now at those sites.

Wed, 01/22/2020 - 4:14 pm

Skull & Roses returns for its 4th year celebrating the music and community of the Grateful Dead at the Ventura County Fairgrounds (California) from April 2-5, 2020. A new ticket category, GA Plus, was introduced this year for 500 lucky fans, which will offer many great perks including exclusive opportunities throughout the weekend to attend intimate performances, rare interviews, and more in the GA Plus section of Hunter’s Lodge, a comfy, indoor space located just outside of the arena.

This is the initial lineup of a very special series, so stay tuned as more artists are added!

Intimate performances by Steve Kimock, Jackie Greene, John Kadlecik, Grahame Lesh & Elliot Peck, Holly Bowling, Doobie Decibel System feat. Jason Crosby and Roger McNamee & more.

Interviews with Steve Parish, Melvin Seals, Dennis McNally, Jay Blakesberg, Roger McNamee & more.

Slideshow “Between The Dark and Light”, The Grateful Dead photography of Jay Blakesberg.

Grab your tickets and secure your accommodations (hotels or off-site camping) for what is sure to be an EPIC weekend as we celebrate the music and community of the Grateful Dead!

Enjoy All The S&R Perks With GA Plus:

  • Complimentary access to Thursday Night Kickoff Party featuring live performances from Stu Allen & Mars Hotel and Rooster Conspiracy.
  • Access to our S&R Lounge Tent inside the arena.
  • Pit Access and VIP Viewing for all Live Performances.
  • Attend Intimate Performances and Interviews with Musicians, and more as described in our announcement above.
  • Access to private cash bars.
  • Air-conditioned restrooms.
  • Complimentary bottled water.
  • Full-service bar.
Tue, 02/04/2020 - 3:07 pm

It’s hard to imagine a better match than the spirit of New Orleans with the vibe of the Grateful Dead, so Voodoo Dead just seems to make perfect sense. Debuting in 2015 at the NOLA Jazz Festival, and the 2020 East Coast edition features guitar wizard Steve Kimock on lead, Dead & Company’s Jeff Chimenti on keys, George Porter Jr., the King of New Orleans bass, and John Morgan Kimock (Mike Gordon) on drums.  They will be joined by Al Schnier (moe.), Jackie Greene, and Wally Ingram at various shows (see below).

With a slightly varied lineups (with Kimock and Chimenti participating in all shows to date), it’s gone on from just an idea to becoming an annual, late-night staple at JazzFest as well as popping up in clubs around the country.  The band embodies a celebratory vibe with a serious depth of improvisation that sets it apart.

The Big Chief requests your presence to come get down with Voodoo Dead!

Voodoo Dead tomorrow night in Ardmore, PA!

Tour Dates:

2/5/20, Wednesday Ardmore Music Hall, Ardmore, PA 

https://www.ardmoremusic.com

2/6/20, Thursday Capitol Theatre, Port Chester, NY 

https://thecapitoltheatre.com

2/9/20 Daikanyama, Tokyo

2/11/20 Bay Hall, Yokohama

2/12 Club Quattro, Umeda, Osaka

4/5/20 Skull and Roses Festival, Ventura, CA 

https://www.skullandroses.com

4/9/20 Boulder Theatre, Boulder, CO 

https://cupresents.org/ticket-info/

4/10/20 Gothic Theatre, Denver 

https://www.ticketoffices.com/Steve-Kimock-Band/2213/3416694

4/11/20 Gothic Theatre, Denver 

https://www.ticketoffices.com/Voodoo-Dead-(16+-Event)/2213/3417208

4/24/20 Republic, New Orleans, LA 

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/voodoo-dead-tickets-85655063601

4/25/20 Republic, New Orleans, LA 

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/voodoo-dead-tickets-85660375489

The core four will play all shows.  Al Schnier will join the band on guitar and vocals 2/5 & 6, and 4/24 & 25.  Jackie Greene (guitar/vocals) will play on 4/5, 4/10 and 4/11.  Wally Ingram will sit in on 2/6.

Wed, 02/12/2020 - 7:01 pm

One of the highest moments in Grateful Dead history came on September 16, 1978, in front of the Great Pyramid of Gizeh, when a rhythm and percussion choir led by Mickey Hart’s friend Hamza El Din opened for the band’s second set  by playing his song “Ollin Arageed.” As they sang and percussed, the moon went into eclipse.  One by one, the band members drifted on to the stage and joined them, eventually going into “Fire on the Mountain.”  It was pure magic.

So you will not be surprised to know that for the forthcoming celebration of Hamza’s life at the Presidio Theatre in San Francisco on March 21st that Mickey, along with his partners in rhythm Zakir Hussain and Sikiru Adepoju, will return the favor, opening the show.  I suspect it will be magical once more.

There’s more information about the show below.  You’ll want to be there.

As the Nile Flows, A Celebration of Hamza El Din with Mickey Hart, Zakir Hussain, Sikiru Adepoju, and Joan Jeanrenaud

March 21, 2020 | Presidio Theatre | San Francisco, CA

As the Nile Flows will celebrate and recount the life of Nubian composer, singer, oud (the short-necked Arabian lute) and tar (a frame drum – a tambourine without jingles) virtuoso Hamza El Din (1929 - 2006), starting with his childhood in Egypt and tracing his journey through Sudan, Italy, Japan and the United States. Having made Northern California his primary home since the late 1960s, Hamza left an indelible mark on the Bay Area’s musical community. His recordings and collaborations with the San Francisco-based Kronos Quartet, the Grateful Dead, Lines Ballet, and the San Francisco Ballet among others, along with countless worldwide concerts, introduced Nubian music internationally and showcased his unique voice and inimitable instrumental style.

He was also a truly lovely man.  “Hamza was the master of quiet,” says the Dead’s Mickey Hart.  “He taught me the soft side of drumming and how to romance my drum.”  After Joan Jeanrenaud left Kronos Quartet, she spent a considerable amount of time studying with Hamza, focusing particularly on improvisation.  He was, she said, “incredibly supportive.”  They performed together several times, especially the song “Escalay.”  Hamza, Joan recalls, “was very much like his music…open, thoughtful, loving, present.” 

Presidio Theatre

This live retrospective will feature excerpts from Hamza’s autobiography, anecdotes and memories shared by many of his friends, Alonzo King among them, and performances by some of his collaborators, including percussionists Mickey Hart, Zakir Hussain,  Sikiru Adepoju, and C.K. Ladzekpo, as well as longtime Kronos Quartet cellist Joan Jeanrenaud, who will lead a cello quartet (including Robert Howard, Alex Kelly, and Theresa Wong)  performance of Hamza’s master work, “Escalay (The Water Wheel).”

This celebration is set for 7 p.m., Saturday, March 21st to highlight International Water Day and recall the deep connection between Nubians and the Nile River. Hamza forewarned the flooding of his ancestral homeland and the great Nubian migration due to the 1964 raising of the Aswan High Dam. He spoke of the plight of the Nubians, and all the while his music expressed his environmental ethic. 

As the Nile Flows is produced by Nile Project director Mina Girgis in association with Zambaleta and the Presidio Theatre and will be narrated by Dr. Arif Gamal - professor of Nubian poetry and environmental science at College of Marin. Net event proceeds will support Hamza's Nubian community.

Tickets at Presidio Theatre:  https://www.presidiotheatre.org/show/as-the-nile-flows

Sat, 04/25/2020 - 4:06 pm

Casey Van Beek was born in Holland but raised in Los Angeles from the age of five, and fit right in to the burgeoning local ‘60s rock scene.  By his teens he was playing bass and singing in The Vibrants, who opened for the Dave Clark Five and the Rolling Stones’ first L.A. area show, and also toured with Peter and Gordon.  He moved on to backing the wonderful Linda Ronstadt, along with two guys named Don Henley and Glenn Frey.  When the duo left to start the Eagles, Casey headed to Tulsa with Don Preston to record with the Shelter People, part of Leon Russell’s Shelter Records label.

Tulsa surprised him—the blues, country, and rockabilly had fermented there into a mellow blend called the Tulsa Sound, and he quickly discovered that the bands in town were playing as much Freddy King and B.B. King as Merle Haggard. Then he realized he was home, a place where the music vibes were right, and where you could get out of town into open country in five minutes.  It took a while to find his way into the scene, but fairly soon he was in a band with Walt Richmond and Jim Byfield.  And is once more.

Eventually, Casey joined Tulsa’s multi-platinum, Grammy-nominated band The Tractors, which included Casey, Walt Richmond, and the future Tulsa Groove member Ron Getman.  Three members of the Groove (Richmond, Byfield, and Steve Hickerson), would back Bonnie Raitt during her tenure in Tulsa, playing shows in the area to (successfully!) protest the construction of the Black Fox Nuclear Power Plant.  Walt would go on to play on Tulsan JJ Cale’s Grammy-winning Gold album collaboration with Eric Clapton, The Road to Escondido, so impressing Eric that he’s played on all of his albums since then.

When they weren’t on the road collaborating with people like Clapton, Cale, Bonnie Raitt, Linda Ronstadt, or Bill Medley, they played around town.  Casey and Walt Richmond began to get tight, first recording Christmas songs, then writing original Christmas songs, then gathering at Walt’s home studio to record more of their own originals and favorite covers, selecting the best players around to add their touches on a few songs at a time. This wasn’t to satisfy anyone’s record contract or dreams of stardom, but out of camaraderie and an enjoyment of each other’s musical company; music for music’s sake.  There’s a purity to that.  This record, produced by Walt Richmond, showcases what they are capable of when they focus their in-demand skills on their own music. Carrying on the legendary Tulsa sound of forerunners like Leon Russell, JJ Cale and Elvin Bishop, the band is adding their own new flavors while keeping that historic tradition alive for current and future generations.

That’s where the Little Village Foundation came in. Little Village is a nonprofit record label which finds musicians who don’t fit the relentlessly commercial values of the music industry and helps them to be heard.  It is motivated by a faith that sees in diversity the seeds of empathy, and out of that connectedness the source of stronger communities and a better world.

And here we have Heaven Forever.  The title song, by Walt, is a dry, humorously twisted contemplation of the afterlife; “what we gonna do with all that time…is it too late to change my mind?”  “Roberta” is an up-tempo Huey “Piano” Smith tune, complete with the requisite New Orleans bounce.  In a proper bow to their roots—really, the whole album is a summing up of the Tulsa Sound—they include JJ Cale’s “Since You Said Goodbye.”  Casey and Walt’s “Solid Ground” is a swinging shuffle about the vagaries of romantic life.  Groove member Jared Tyler inherited “Waltzing With My Shadow” on the passing of his teacher and friend, Tulsa luthier Dixie Michell.  Be careful.  It could make you cry.

Walt remarked that what really defined the Tulsa sound was the groove, and then proves it with his and Casey’s “Thinking About You.”  If it doesn’t make you want to dance, you might consider rhythm surgery.  Peppermint Harris, a running partner of Lightnin’ Hopkins’s, gave the band “I Got Loaded”—which seems to have been pretty much required to hang with Mr. Hopkins.  Eddie Shuler founded an important outlet for Cajun music, Goldband Records, and wrote “Sugar Bee,” a song Casey’s been singing for quite a while, which interestingly brings out some of the most prominent guitar in the set. 

Casey and Charles Tuberville combined on “Superstitious,” which uses a dry wit to combine the title topic and romance.  The trio of Casey, Tuberville, and Richmond wrote “If You Don’t Love Me,” which will tear your heart out: “If you don’t love me, sun don’t need to rise.  Leave me in the dark, I won’t need the light.”  “Whatcha Think About That” is a great dance groove that is the least mushy love song ever written.  “Get On With It” is another love song—but it’s the song of someone who’s been around the block two or three times and then some.  It rocks. 

Walt was right.  Heaven Forever is about the groove(s), deep, wide, and frequent.  It’s wonderful American music that’s fresh and fine and brand-new and simultaneously honors its Tulsa roots.  I suggest you get on with listening to it….

Heaven Forever by Casey Van Beek and the Tulsa Groove was released on April 24, 2020, via the Little Village Foundation.  It is  available on all the major digital platforms or go to www.littlevillagefoundation.com 

Sat, 05/09/2020 - 12:10 pm

In normal times, Steve Kimock and Friends (John Morgan Kimock, drums, Jeff Chimenti, keys, and Reed Mathis, bass) would have returned to Mill Valley’s Sweetwater Music Hall this weekend for a three-night residency.

These are not ordinary times—oh, you noticed?—and so Steve & Co. decided to release a mini-EP, Point of No Return.  Here’s what Steve says about the EP.

A beautiful bit, one of my favorite KVHW (Kimock/Vega/Hertz/White) / Studio E (a place in Sebastopol where Steve lived and worked in the ’90s) era numbers, recorded live at the Sweetwater (Feb 14, 2019) and reimagined here via John Kimock’s signature production.

(To the extent all art is necessarily subject to context and the emotional state of the observer for interpretation, comments of mine about this piece necessarily refer more to observer than observed.). Nevertheless…

I think everybody’s clear about the basic “can’t go back” “too late to stop now” nature of the Point of No Return title.

All the more poignant in our current pandemic lockdown context, “The Point” in this timeline suggesting a world we knew well behind us and an unknowable world somewhere ahead. 

Likely no going back to life as we knew it.

My own slightly psychedelicized version of the lockdown pictures us all in our cocoons, waiting to emerge as beautifully transformed beings.

But that ain’t it either.

The Point of No Return is the arrow of time, it exists in every moment.

You can’t go back from any moment, the blessing may be you don’t have to either.

Let it go, grow, don’t look back, you never step in the same river twice,

Point of no return, it’s now.

           John Morgan added, On any given night it could be a 30 minute song.  This suite offers up the more delicious parts of where our improvisations tend to go in SKF.

           Point of No Return is now available on

 ITunes: https://music.apple.com/us/album/point-of-no-return-single/1509590925?ls=1&app=itunes

Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/us/album/point-of-no-return-single/1509590925?ls=1&app=itunes

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/album/2gPkV0fduNpItOtLsWAMg6

And Amazon: Download- http://amazon.com/dp/B087JW6W6M

Unlimited- http://music.amazon.com/albums/B087JW6W6M

 or just go to www.kimock.com 

Fri, 06/05/2020 - 5:30 pm

Alex Jordan is an old musical soul in a young man’s body.  He approaches things with the fresh perspective of a relative newcomer, but he’s been playing so long—like since he could hold on to an instrument—that he has a fully rounded sense of the history of rock and its roots.  And that’s why The Subtle Exhibitionist presents such a wide range of musical flavors, cooked up with exquisite taste.  Lots of it is brand new, but often you have the oddest feeling that it’s an album you’ve had forever.   

It didn’t happen overnight.  “In November of 2017, I got some demos together, and with my engineer/co-producer David Simon Baker, went into the studio for the first time.  I had strep throat and was on antibiotics, so it was kind of a challenge, but it felt great to start work.  We finished recording the last song a year ago, in March of 2019.  Since Midnight North was playing 90 shows a year and I was working a day job, there were a few things that occasionally interfered with recording, but we sure didn’t screw around.”

“We set some musical goals, and I was pretty diligent about meeting them.  By early 2018, I was full-time on keyboards for MN, so for the record I wanted to play all the guitar parts.  I had Danny Eisenberg (Mother Hips, Ryan Adams, Counting Crows) play the Hammond on “Your Kingdom Comes (With a. View),” because I knew he’d be right for it.  Otherwise, I covered the keyboard parts.  Half of the bass work is me—I was going to hire bass players, but scheduling things got complicated, so I just started doing it, and Dave liked it, so I kept doing it.  And to make it a solo record, I sang the lead and the harmonies…which is a lot of work!  I don’t play drums, though, so Sean Nelson plays them all.  And he just killed it.  So it all took time.”

“Working in a studio intrigues me because it poses the question, how can you use this technology to better tell the story that you want to tell?  In a live environment, you can control only so much.  GAMH is a great place visually for a live environment, but it’s sometimes hard to really hear what you’re trying to do.  I’m a lifelong, habitual improviser, I just sort of make it up as I go along.  So the live environment is my natural place.”

“And you never can tell—there are nights when you play better than you think you can…it just happens.  But in the studio, you can control things….and on this record, I feel that Dave and I achieved what we wanted to achieve.  We knew the sound we wanted, and we didn’t stop until we got it.”

Alex Jordan

Your Kingdom Comes (With a View).  Really it’s a tribute to Kevin Gilbert, who was a former student of my father’s.  He was a legend in L.A., with a band in the ‘90s called Toy Matinee.  Their keyboard player was Sheryl Crow before she moved on. It tells the story of the rise and fall of a hero from the point of view of the audience.  It’s a mix of snark and admiration.  There’s a pretty shreddy guitar solo at the end of it, but for the rest of the album I wanted the focus to be on the songs themselves. 

I Know I’ll Be OK.  I wrote this the day before I moved back to San Francisco.  I’d just spent my last dime renting a U-Haul to drag my stuff back—I was having fun in L.A. but not making any money, so things were kind of up in the air.  But I had some faith—maybe that’s why there’s a pedal steel/country flavor to it; it’s kind of affirmative music. 

Golden Land. It’s about touring, of course.  It was the first time where we weren’t going to get there that day, where our destination was a motel half-way between points A and B.  We were driving over Monarch Pass and just going up and up and up….

It’s Cool.  I was trying to meld a Radiohead vibe with a Paul McCartney/ Sgt. Pepper vibe:  I wanted the music to start almost apathetic and get to a conclusion that clearly wasn’t apathetic, while the lyrics are saying a thing which you don’t have to do.  The singer is saying “It’s cool,” but when he gets a chance to say what he really means, he says, “You don’t have to do these things.”  There’s no positive direction.  It’s a case study in poor communication. 

To Be Whole.  This was once described to me as a laundry list of reasons that a relationship couldn’t work.  Both I and my cowriter were in those kinds of relationship at that time.  In the middle of working, I said, “Let’s write a Simon and Garfunkel song.”  He started fingerpicking a tune, and we wrote it in half an hour.

California In My Eyes.  It’s one of the older tunes on the record.  Three things were going on.  I finally got a recording interface to work, and I didn’t have a microphone, so I borrowed a guitar from Craig Marshall (of Cubensis) that had a pickup so I could record.  Then I visited a friend in Flagstaff, Arizona, and did a solo drive that included the Grand Canyon and Sedona—truly amazing—and came back through Joshua Tree.  And three, I was sorting out the end of a relationship.  I was just starting to really study classic Americana, bluegrass and fiddle music so that was in my ears along with memories of the road from Kingman to Flagstaff when I made the demo.

‘Til We are Gone.  It’s the oldest song on the record, in terms of writing.  Like “Kingdom Comes,” it’s a tribute to Kevin Gilbert.  It’s 3-4 time but it’s not a waltz.  It’s One Two Three.  And I had an idea about a relationship that you know it’s going to end before it ends, you can see it coming.  Anyone who’s tried romance has had the experience.  In the studio, I had the hardest time getting the groove right.  Finally, I told Sean, “It needs to be a samba in 3-4.”  Which he said, quite rightly, didn’t make sense.  I went out to get lunch, and when I came back, he’d created this Tom and rim groove that was just perfect.  It had a Graceland vibe to it, so Dave and I decided to add a fretless bass part—which was kind of tricky, because I’m not really a bass player. 

Makuahine (Hawaiian for Mother).  It was Mother’s Day, and like every good family holiday, everyone was arguing in the kitchen about what we were eating and when.  My brother-in-law and I were in the living room and I had been goofing around with Hawaiian slack-key acoustic guitar, but on that day I was fingerpicking on an electric guitar and the melody just came out. 

Smile At Me.  I wrote this back in 2013.  In recording it, I wanted to make it a big thing, musically, a giant soundscape.  Andy, our executive producer, said that there was a good spot there for a jam, and I said, “It won’t be a jam, just watch.” And as a recorded Pro Tools file, there’s a four-piece band, and then there’s a section that’s 32 tracks, where the music explodes.  Live, it does in fact become a jam.

Subtle Exhibition.  There’s some irony to having the title track be the last one.  It’s not truly autobiographical, although it has elements.  I was frustrated with how you navigate decisions through a social group, how hard things can be sometimes.  And why you pick things to fight about to the point that it destroys a relationship.  And nowadays, this is all played out on social media so that it’s a show.  And it’s all framed; we choose what we put out.  So that’s the subtle exhibition, although the guy in the song isn’t really subtle.  Musically, I wanted a rootsy rock vibe, as though you were seeing a band live at Terrapin.

“The Subtle Exhibitionist” is available on most digital platforms or at www.alexjordanjams.com

Mon, 06/22/2020 - 10:53 am

Gospel music has a fundamental heart magic, a soulful joy in the positive things in life that summons a response from believers and nonbelievers alike.  That joy is embodied in the music of the Sons of the Soul Revivers (Walter Jr., James, and Dwayne Morgan), whose new album on the Little Village Foundation label, out July 4th, is called Songs We’ll Always Sing – A Tribute To The Pilgrim Jubilees

The Sons have deep roots, reaching back to the Silver Four, their father’s first group back in Pastoria, Arkansas.  Migrating to the Bay Area in the early fifties, Walter Sr. started a group called the True Tones, and then in the sixties, the Soul Revivers, which sang exclusively in the church.  On July 4th, 1970, at the venerable age of nine, Walter Jr. gathered up his brother Sidney and some cousins and began his own gospel group.  For lack of a better name, they called themselves the Sons of the Soul Revivers, and never found a way to improve on the tag. 

Various young Morgans started taking music lessons over in Berkeley—Walter on guitar, brother Sidney on bass, sister Cheryl on piano, and James on drums.  But James had recently been taken to a concert at Oakland Auditorium that featured The Violinaires, and young as he was, he came out of it certain that he wanted to be a quartet singer.  The older kids heard him trying to mimic the Violinaires’ lead voice, Robert Blair, and as James recalled it, “They heard me back there howling and screaming on the drums.  What they did then, they put me in the group officially, they took the drumsticks out of my hands, and put the microphone in my hands, and the rest is history.”

Aged six or seven, he debuted as lead vocalist at the local playground with a song by the Swan Silvertones, “We’re Going to Have a Good Time,” and, as James put it, “the people seemed to like it.  I did my little scream and the people hollered back at me, and I said to myself ‘OK, I’m on to something here.’  You know what, it’s a feeling.  I had it then and I still have it now, that when you get on the stage to sing, something exciting, something spiritual, something magical, however you want to describe it, it’s going to be nothing but positive good vibes, and it’s going to flow from the stage out to the audience, and my prayer is that everybody will be impacted by that in some kind of way.”

The Sons performed in churches—the family attended Friendship Baptist Church in South San Francisco—then met a group from Oakland and started crossing the bridge.  They got very good, and the audience noticed.  As Walter remembered it, “One day, at Lafayette Elementary in Oakland, I guess we were early teenagers.  I can remember we opened up with a number called “I Made a Vow.”  And at that particular time, we had pretty good harmony, but on that stage, the microphones were especially clear.  And when the background came in with our harmony, it was just right, and the crowd went crazy.” 

Show followed show, some more spectacular than others.  Dwayne particularly recalled a big one at Oakland Auditorium that included the Mighty Clouds of Joy, the Canton Spirituals, the Blind Boys of Mississippi, Spencer Taylor and the Highway QC’s, With a lineup like that, it was not surprising that the place was packed.  “We got up there and we did pretty well.  There was like a dance floor in front and my brother James was down there and people were coming up and shaking his hand, and it was just something.” 

Still in their teens, they put out a single, “I’ll Be Satisfied,” and an original by Walter Jr., “When I Get Home,” a version of which is on this album.  They recorded their first album, It Should Have Been Me, in the Bayview District of San Francisco at the studio of Melvin Seals (well-known in the Bay Area for his work with Elvin Bishop and then Jerry Garcia).  Their second album, Help Me Lift His Holy Name., was recorded live at Union Baptist Church, Vallejo.  I’m a New Creature, also live, followed. 

A friend of the group’s put a song called “Pilgrim and Stranger” on YouTube, and Jim Pugh of the nonprofit record company Little Village Foundation was all ears.  Former Huey Lewis & the News manager Bob Brown was another Sons fan, and he suggested recording the quartet.  Jim signed them up and they produced a live album at Bob’s club in West Marin, the Rancho Nicasio, and then more recently the Sons went into the studio for Songs We’ll Always Sing – A Tribute to The Pilgrim Jubilees.

Said James, “We definitely used the Pilgrim Jubilees as a blueprint for how the traditional gospel quartet sound should be.  We got a chance to see those guys in 1977, and long story short, they blew us away.  When they got on the stage, they sang.  They didn’t have fancy gimmicks, they didn’t have a standout tenor singer where you can showcase his vocals, like Claude Jeters (Swan Silvertones), they were just a good, old-fashioned solid group who could really sing.  And I said to myself, ‘that’s the way traditional gospel quartet should be.’  And with this effort, we just want them to know that we love them, that we appreciate them, and that we will not allow the traditional sound of gospel quartet to die.  As long as we’re living, we’re going to keep it going.”

Songs We’ll Always Sing offers rocket-propelled rhythms, the kind of close harmony singing that only brothers who’ve practiced for decades can achieve, and the joyful bounce that Duke Ellington wrote about in “It Don’t Mean a Thing (If It Ain’t Got That Swing”).  The rhythm section of Ronnie Smith on drums and Daquantae Johnson is totally in the pocket, and Walter Jr.’s guitar is a delight, fully honoring his favorite early role model, Tito Jackson (just listen to “I Want You Back”).

Both Dwayne and James picked “It Ain’t Safe,” from the Jubilees’ Don’t Let Him Down release, as their favorite on this album.  “We have yet to come to a common ground on how we can get along,” said James.  “I’m hoping and praying that this song will resonate with people in general.  The lyric goes, ‘We should treat sin just like dirt, and with the broom of faith we should sweep it aside.’  I love that.  It’s the only way we’re going to survive.  ‘Do unto others as you have them do to you and I declare that this is all we have to do.  It ain’t safe’…There is still hope, you know what I mean?  There are still people out there that you can get along with.  They may not look like you, they may not come from the same background, but at the end of the day, all of us are going the same way…”

Let’s give Walter Jr. the last words: “We’re giving honor to a group that we grew up listening to, and unfortunately, a great portion of the group is deceased now.  And sometimes, gospel groups can get lost in the shuffle, forgotten about, and we decided—they have so many wonderful songs that should be carried to the next generation.  So we talked with them and got permission, and so we recorded their hits.  We want to spread a good message to a lost world so that people can feel better.  Tommy Castro said the other day, he said he wasn’t super-religious, but that there was something about gospel music that moves you, even to tears sometimes, and that’s just the feeling you get. There’s something in gospel that soothes peoples’ minds.”

Music heals.  Listen with an open heart and it will indeed soothe your mind and soul.

“Songs We’ll Always Sing” is available from iTunes and will be available at www.littlevillagefoundation.com

Tue, 07/07/2020 - 11:16 am

Casey Van Beek and the Tulsa Groove have donned masks and socially distanced themselves to create their own episode of Working From Home, the streaming series sponsored by Little Village Foundation and the Arhoolie Foundation. This episode features Casey Van Beek on bass and vocals, Tulsa Groove members Jared Tyler on acoustic guitar and backing vocals, Seth Lee Jones on slide guitar and guest Jake Lynn on drums and backing vocals.

The Tulsa Groove is a clutch of gifted musicians who have played with music icons including Leonard Cohen, Eric Clapton, Linda Ronstadt, and Bonnie Raitt. They weren’t thinking in terms of the Top 40 on the Americana charts when they gathered to play.  They just wanted to make the music they loved.

But that’s why the unique, nonprofit record company, Little Village Foundation, is around—to seek out quality music that is in danger of being overlooked.  The result was the CD, Heaven Forever, and not only has it been on the Americana charts for several months, it has garnered praise like this:  “The sultry, laid-back Tulsa groove — familiar to so many of us by way of JJ Cale and Eric Clapton records — is as resilient as ever…Settle back in and enjoy.” 

Vintage Guitar applauded in its coverage (and will be presenting a video soon), Bluegrass Situation was pleased to premiere a track, and roots music fans from as far away as Europe reached out and cheered, along with blues and (Grateful) Dead Head websites. 

It’s real American music, and people are enjoying it thoroughly.  For more information about Casey (vocals, bass), Walt Richmond (producer, various instruments) and the rest of the Groove, as well as the record company, go to www.littlevillagefoundation.com

The Working From Home series has presented i-phone recorded live shows representing Mariachi, blues, Hindi-blues, gospel, Tex-Mex, and Cajun styles and is surely the most diverse series around.  The musicians get to play, and you get to reward them; a true win-win.

Again, that’s www.littlevillagefoundation.com or www.arhoolie.org. and the episode becomes available on both of those web sites beginning on Wednesday, July 8, 2020 at 8:00 pm Eastern, 5:00 pm Pacific time.

In these very strange times, more than ever, people need music. 

Thu, 07/09/2020 - 9:10 am

The Sons of the Soul Revivers (James, Walter Jr., and Dwayne Morgan, plus Ronnie Smith and Daquantae Johnson) have lots to celebrate, including their golden 50th anniversary of singing together and a new release, Songs We’ll Always Sing – A Tribute to the Pilgrim Jubilees—and you’re invited to join them for a genuine gospel celebration that you’ll never forget. 

On July 12th at 7 pm pacific time they’ll gather (socially distanced) at Greaseland Studios, San Jose, to praise, pray, and salute the music they make and the spirit they make it in.  And we can join them at home:  https://www.facebook.com/CantStopTheBlues 

Gospel music has a fundamental heart magic, a soulful joy in the positive things in life that summons a response from believers and nonbelievers alike.  It’s the spirit that counts most.  The Sons have been generating that spirit for 50 years now, and they’ve got it down, as their new release, Songs We’ll Always Sing, documents.

The CD, out July 12th, comes from Little Village Foundation, a nonprofit record company that works to shine the light of awareness on those who might not otherwise be heard.  All incurred costs from production, manufacture and promotion are paid by the company, and the artist owns 100% of their content.  A life full of diverse music builds empathy, making for stronger communities and a better world.

Walter Morgan Jr. put it this way: “We want to spread a good message to a lost world so that people can feel better.  Tommy Castro said the other day, he said he wasn’t super-religious, but that there was something about gospel music that moves you, even to tears sometimes, and that’s just the feeling you get. There’s something in gospel that soothes peoples’ minds.”

Certainly times are difficult enough for us all to welcome help.  Music heals.  Listen with an open heart and it will indeed soothe your mind and soul. 

Mon, 08/17/2020 - 4:28 pm

Bay Area hip hop artists Sol Doc and goers begin with everyone’s fundamental need: Breathe.

Breathe is their debut CD, lead single, and one of two videos kicking off this duo’s exciting new project! The video takes you on a trip to the woods for a literal breath of fresh air, high up in the trees above the daily stress of life. Funky and soulful, these artists reveal yet another side to the Bay Area music scene as Goers’ jazzy keys and rich synth sounds buoy up Sol Doc’s lyrics…  Breathe is available from Apple Music, Spotify, Tidal, and most online platforms. The vocals throughout the album, take the listener through a compassionate journey, and provide a unique lens and looking glass into many relevant issues we have today. Sol Doc challenges you to carry on the torch and to make the world a better place.

Sol Doc

A bit of background: Sol Doc and goers are a Hip Hop duo based out of the Bay Area.

Sol Doc's lyrics reflect his close ties with the land in which he was raised and his carefree yet conscious lifestyle. Growing up in West Marin County on the rolling hills of Mt. Tamalpais looking out at the curling waves of the coast, Sol Doc shares this reality with his mindful lyrical content and positive messages.  

goers

goers is a producer based out of Oakland but also raised in Marin. He has been creating music for over a decade and has carved out his own niche of California Hip Hop. Raised on and the styles of his producer icons Oddisee, 9th Wonder, Black Milk and J Dilla, goers produced, recorded, and mixed Breathe through and through.

iTunes/Apple Music: https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/breathe/1454013645?app=itunes&ign-mpt=uo%3D4

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/737GHJptwayWh07Sq7aAox

YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCHDk3N-PesCj1QU8iPxkWTA

Tidal: https://tidal.com/album/104540832

Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/soldoc/sets/breathe

Official Music Videos

Breathe

If They Only Knew

Northern Cali Grown

Life Is A Blessing

Thu, 09/03/2020 - 7:36 am

Jerilyn Lee Brandelius, one of the most colorful and beloved figures in the greater Grateful Dead family and the San Francisco rock and roll community, died August 31st in San Francisco from complications of a life well lived.  She is survived by her son, Creek Hart, three younger siblings—Ken, Susie and John Brandelius, a number of nieces, Margarite Legate, Frankie Norstad, Alicia Welch, Erica Brandelius, nephews Lars Gobel, Dylan and Riley Brandelius, and a slew of “grandkids," including Colin, Benjamin, Milo, Phoenix, Freya and Oscar.

Born on June 25, 1948 in La Jolla, CA, to marine Edwin Carl Brandelius II and homemaker Dorothy Anne Reid, Jerilyn contracted polio as a child and spent her 8th year of life in the hospital.  At 16 she gave birth to Christina Nanda and at 19 welcomed Creek into their family of three.  

Jerilyn was an early participant in the ‘60s rock scene in San Diego as part of Translove Airways Productions, which ran the Hippodrome Ballroom, an early “hippie” rock dance hall.  There she connected with a number of the San Francisco bands who ventured away from the Bay Area, including the Grateful Dead, the Jefferson Airplane, and the Sons of Champlin.  In 1969, she moved to the epicenter of California’s rock scene, San Francisco, and went to work for Chet Helms and the legendary Family Dog, first at the Avalon Ballroom, and then at the Family Dog on the Great Highway.

Around 1972, she was hired by the Warner Bros. record company to coordinate a record release party for the popular East Bay soul powerhouse Tower of Power.  The celebration took place at “The Ranch,” an essential part of the Grateful Dead’s mythology, located in Novato.  The band member in residence, Mickey Hart, later remarked that he liked the “way she handled a clipboard.”  Jerilyn and Hart remained closely connected for a decade, with Jerilyn’s children adopting Hart’s surname.

In the 1980s, Jerilyn helped kick off what would become a landslide of publications, creating The Grateful Dead Family Album, a rich trove of photographs and memorabilia concerning the band and its wide circle of friends and intimates, with characters ranging from the toughest Hell’s Angels to the distinguished researcher Dr. Stanley Krippner.

Shortly after being graced with a new liver in her sixties, Jerilyn weathered the premature loss of Christina due to complications from asthma.  Jerilyn spent her sunset years caring for a host of friends in need, including Chet Helms and, most notably, the Dead’s lyricist John Perry Barlow.  Bob Weir serenaded her deathbed with an acoustic rendition of “Brokedown Palace”—“Fare you well, my honey”—as masked loved ones surrounded her.  She was a vortex of love, joy, and hustle, and will be achingly missed by many.  In the late Robert Hunter’s words, “May the four winds blow her safely home.” 

Wed, 09/09/2020 - 12:30 pm

Unless you’ve passed through Los Angeles or attended a Skull and Roses Festival, the annual Ventura Fairgrounds gathering of Dead Heads and bands playing Dead music, you probably don’t know too much about the Alligators….this needs to change.

The Gators came into being because Chris, the promoter of Skull and Roses, had a problem—and a vision.  The vision was:  “Every Dead Head gathering needs some Pigpen.”  The problem was that one of the bands couldn’t make it to S & R #1.  The visionary solution was to gather together some of his friends and have them play Pigpen songs…bingo.

The Alligators

From the beginning, the Alligators rocked the joint…which may have something to do with the Jim Beam that “Pete Pen” (Pete Carona) hauls up on stage—and let us add that while he sings the songs with the true spirit, it’s not an impersonation.  Instead, it’s a high-octane, whiskey-soaked party that celebrates the too-rarely-played Dead songs associated with Ron “Pigpen” McKernan.  How can you miss?

The band features Stevie Ravioli on rhythm guitar, Steven “Kim Chee Warrior” Kim on lead, Berkey Gator on keys, J.J. Gator on bass, and Richard La Chomp on drums.

The Alligators

In their own words, the Alligators play year-round, spreading the gospel of fun-loving, ass shakin’ Boogie Woogie Swamp-rockin’ Jam Music. But who needs words:  see and listen to their debut video, “Hard to Handle,” on their site at www.alligators.love.

To see them live, but virtually, at the free June Lake Jam Fest, 9/11-13, go to https://junelakeloop.org/calendar/june_lake_jam_fest_5  

Thu, 10/22/2020 - 1:13 pm

That the Grateful Dead’s music has remained a source of joy and inspiration for an ever-growing audience now 25 years after the passing of Jerry Garcia is simply one of life’s modern mysteries.  But the endurance of the band’s Rex Foundation, still making charitable grants and effecting change—that’s a miracle.  The band was its sole source of income, but in the years since Garcia, other bands, along with Dead Heads themselves, have stepped forward to celebrate and support the tradition of community building through grants that Rex still embodies.

In fact, like the Dead’s music, the Rex Foundation is more active than ever.  Consider 2020’s “Daze Between" event, which took place during the Dead Head-created holiday celebrating the eight days between Garcia’s 8/1 birth and 8/9 passing, the name taken from a classic Hunter-Garcia song.  Given the pandemic, it was virtual:  over the period, 80 artists and storytellers from across the community gathered in cyberspace to play 120 different songs over nine days.  The event saw more than 2.7 Million views spread across multiple platforms, including nugs.net, FANS, YouTube, and Facebook.  Partners in the event included HeadCount, Keen, and the Jerry Garcia estate.  Better still, it raised $150,000 in donations, a portion of which went to the artists who participated, fulfilling Rex’s spirit of taking care of the community.

Rex Roadie Fund

Rex recently announced that $25,000 from Daze Between will go to the Rex Roadie Fund, a new Rex project in conjunction with Sweet Relief that aims to assist the hardworking touring crews of rock and roll (both at the bands and in the venues) who are out of work due to the pandemic.  Good generating more good, the Bay Area’s legendary Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival (which recently pulled off its own virtual version for 2020) has jumped in to match that sum.  Feel free to join them both with a donation to https://www.sweetrelief.org/rex-roadie-fund.html.

That’s only one of a number of cool things going on.  Rex recently partnered with “Little Kids Rock,” a national nonprofit supporting music education, to record a wonderful version of the Dead song “Touch of Grey” that included such well-known artists as David Hidalgo, Steve Berlin, and Louie Perez from Los Lobos, famed producer/bassist Don Was, Trombone Shorty, Jeff Chimenti of Dead & Co., Billy Strings, and Jay Lane (Primus), as well as kids from LKR’s national music education programs.  See and listen to it here:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uy40Z745VTA. The video has already generated several thousand dollars in income for LKR.

And Rex continues to do what it has always done, supporting small nonprofits that practice social and environmental healing for the planet as a whole and arts programs for young people in particular.  A partial list of this year’s recipients includes the Abundant Earth Foundation, which is establishing a permaculture program in Togo; Color Outside the Lines, which brings arts programs to at-risk kids in Portland, Oregon; the Give a Beat Foundation, which offers incarcerated youth an education in music production; the Human Needs Project of Kenya, which delivers water as well as computer and life-skills education; and Food Runners of San Francisco, which gathers food that would otherwise be discarded and makes sure it reaches those who need it.

There’s lots more information at www.rexfoundation.org about recipients – and yes, you are welcome to donate, too.

Wed, 11/18/2020 - 12:02 pm

Susana Millman is petite, quiet, and a long-time member of the G.D. family, so when she got serious about photography and began shooting events backstage and away from shows….no one minded. As a result, her book Alive with the Dead / A Fly on the Wall with a Camera, self-published in 2016, was stuffed with shots from places most Dead photographers couldn’t go—Bob Weir’s wedding, a party at Mickey Hart’s house with Jerry, Governor Jerry Brown, and the Gyuto Monks, and lots more. Unsurprisingly, it was a huge hit, and traveling around the country meeting hundreds of ‘heads and selling it was enormously satisfying.

Bob Weir's wedding - photo by Susana Millman

But she also learned how much work is involved with self-publication, even with a road manager-publicist to haul the books around.  So when she sold out every single copy of the second press run of 1,000, she called a halt.  And then San Francisco’s legendary Last Gasp Press (R. Crumb, lots of other classic Comix and a whole lot more) expressed interest.

photo by Susana Millman

After a few complications (the new Chinese printer refused, for this edition, to print pictures of the monks), she is very pleased to announce that the new edition of Alive with the Dead will be released December 14, and signed copies are available for pre-order now.  If you pre-order with Last Gasp at https://lastgasp.com/products/alive-with-the-dead it’s $30, with free shipping.  Directly with Susana at www.mamarazi.com/preorder-alive-with-the-dead, it’s $40, but along with the book you get a signed 8.5 x 11 print of Jerry.  Preorders will end 12/10.

Mickey Hart and The Monk - photo by Susana Millman

The new edition is a little more modest (no fancy slipcover) and less expensive ($40), but still full of the same intimate pictures that made the first copies sell like Dead tickets.  The original centerfold thanked crowdfunding supporters, and now salutes the two G.D. lyricists lost in the interval with wonderful portraits of Robert Hunter and John Perry Barlow.

Susana Millman and Jerry

We may not be able to gather for the holidays in 2020, but we can still send presents….and here’s the right one for the Dead Head in your life (and everybody knows one!).

Tue, 12/01/2020 - 10:51 am

The Owsley Stanley Foundation, in partnership with the Ali Akbar College of Music in San Rafael, CA, is pleased to announce the sixth release from Owsley’s storied archive of live concert recordings – Bear’s Sonic Journals: That Which Colors the Mind, a previously unreleased 1970 live concert featuring one of the greatest masters of Indian classical music, Ali Akbar Khan (sarod), accompanied by Indranil Bhattacharya (sitar) and Zakir Hussain (tabla). The 2-CD set and digital downloads will be available in stores and on the usual digital platforms on December 15th, but pre-release copies will ship as early as November 27th if purchased at www.owsleystanleyfoundation.org.

The combination of Stanley, the eccentric genius of concert sound and live recording as well as psychedelics, and Khansahib, the greatest sarod master of the 20th century, is simply remarkable.  Along with Ravi Shankar and his tabla player Allarakha (Zakir Hussain’s father), Khan was a central player in bringing the music of India to audiences around the world.  That this recording would originate from San Francisco’s counter-cultural beacon, the Family Dog on the Great Highway, at the very furthest edge of Western civilization, makes it even more iconic. 

Ali Akbar Khan was the court musician of the Maharaja of Jodphur, a MacArthur “Genius Grant” recipient, and has been called “the Bach of India” (Washington Post) and “perhaps the greatest musician in the world” (Yehudi Menuhin). He was identified as a key influence by the Beatles, Grateful Dead, Rolling Stones, and Santana.

This release is one of the most evocative recordings of Ali Akbar Khan from the era, as Owsley’s tapes have an uncanny ability to transport the listener to the room that night. Owsley’s tapes have long been considered some of the highest quality live concert recordings of his era. This is the sixth chapter of Bear’s Sonic Journals.  Previous titles featured Doc Watson, the Allman Brothers, Jorma Kaukonen & Jack Casady (Hot Tuna), New Riders of the Purple Sage, and Commander Cody & His Lost Planet Airmen.  

This album features more than two hours of music from Ali Akbar Khan’s May 29, 1970 live performance at the Family Dog at the Great Highway, San Francisco, CA. The 2-CD set includes original cover art by Chris Gallen, unpublished photographs, and an extensive 28-page booklet with notes featuring new interviews from Ali Akbar Khan’s family and colleagues. The notes explore some of the surprising connections between the Grateful Dead and Ali Akbar Khan, some of Bear’s theories about the impact of Indian classical music on the human central nervous system, and the intense rigor and discipline required to play this music.

It’s been said that Bear’s tapes are like a time machine; this release starts 50 years ago and will take you back 500 years in time, to the origins of a musical tradition that was believed to have the power to heal…or even to harm if misplayed.

Come and take a magical trip with us.

About the Owsley Stanley Foundation

The Owsley Stanley Foundation is a 501c(3) non-profit organization dedicated to the preservation of “Bear’s Sonic Journals,” Owsley’s archive of more than 1,300 live concert soundboard recordings from the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s, including recordings by Miles Davis, Johnny Cash, The Grateful Dead, Jefferson Airplane, Fleetwood Mac, Janis Joplin, and more than 80 other artists across nearly every musical idiom.

Tue, 01/12/2021 - 1:02 pm

Susana Millman was a friend of Jerry and other people in the GD family even before she was a photographer, when she began shooting, no one paid much attention when she took pictures in places that were not on stage.  To put it mildly, she had unique access.

Susana Millman’s Alive with the Dead / A Fly on the Wall with a Camera

As a result, this book is the most intimate portrait of the band in the ‘80s and ‘90s you’re ever going to see. It’s also a just plain beautiful work. She self-published it a couple years back, and recently Last Gasp Press signed her to bring out a slightly less fancy (no slipcover, for instance) and less expensive—$40—version that will be in all the better bookstores.  You can of course get it from her at www.mamarazi.com, or at www.lastgasp.com

Mon, 01/25/2021 - 3:12 pm

“Zindagi” (fyi, pronounced zin-duh-gee) means life.   And it starts like this:  “Walk with the dreams that lie in your heart/ Don't look back, keep moving forward./ When your desires whisper a melody. / Become the voice of that song.”

We live in such dark times that Aki Kumar, whose lyrics usually lean toward the edgy and challenging, decided the world needed something closer to a kiss.  But then, he’s used to upsetting expectations.  Born in Mumbai, he came to the U.S. to be a software engineer—until he encountered the music of the blues. Goodbye coding, and hello, blues harmonica.  It’s no game.  Charlie Musselwhite has sung his praises – Aki has respect from a big dog.  As Charlie put it, “Check it out.  I wouldn’t steer you wrong.”

What he does with the blues is unique—he mixes them with Bollywood.  He’s got to be the king of cultural mashup.  “Zindagi,” as you’ll discover, is basically a reggae tune sung in Hindi, appropriately presented on a beach in Northern California as shot by the outstanding videographer Jeremiah Hutchens, who also did Aki’s singles for Sony India.  But there’s no gimmick in the song.  As Downbeat opined, “the integrity of his music marks the difference between novelty and substance.”

“Zindagi” comes from Little Village Foundation, a non-profit record company dedicated to shining a spotlight on music that you might not otherwise hear about—and you should definitely hear Aki.  He remarked that “Zindagi” is basically “pandemic-induced creativity.”  We can all use some of that.

We present alternate videos for your consideration:  #1. Is the original.  #2 includes English subtitles for those of us lacking Hindi.   The song is available on all the usual digital platforms.  

         #1 –  https://youtu.be/O3MzMpiNBtY

         #2 -  https://youtu.be/FkOh28JT510

Mon, 03/08/2021 - 12:34 pm

Deborah Grabien was part of the music scene long before she ever recorded a note.  At the age of 15, she was hanging around the Dead’s dressing room at Fillmore East, the guest of her 9-years-older rock journalist sister, who introduced her to Jerry Garcia: “This is my baby sister.” Raising an eyebrow, Garcia replied, “Far out.  Does she have a name?"

A few months later, at Woodstock, she used her access only once, where she would have the life-changing experience of falling in love with Nicky Hopkins, there playing with the Airplane, when she met him under the stage.   Mired in a dysfunctional marriage and in a constant battle with alcohol when they next met three years later, Nicky was a difficult person to stay in love with.  Their time together was tumultuous and sporadic.

Perhaps that was why, having graduated high school and settled in the Bay Area—and after a couple of music business jobs—she went to work for a publishing firm. Though she continued to play guitar, she soon began to channel her creativity into prose, and in 1988 published her first book, a supernatural thriller called Eyes in the Fire.  Well over a dozen followed, ranging from historical romance (Fire Queen) to utopian fantasy (Plainsong) to magical realism (And Then Put Out the Light.  They were succeeded by a pair of riveting series, the Haunted Ballads (among five, Matty Groves) and the detective story series of The Kinkaid Chronicles.  If you check out the titles, among them Rock and Roll Never Forgets, While My Guitar Gently Weeps, Graceland, and Uncle John’s Band, you might think that music was still on her mind.

It was.  In 2002, Deborah was diagnosed with MS, and soon, the stories that came to her head came with music attached.  She began to write songs again.  Years before, she’d gone alone to the studio and equipment rental site S.I.R. to record a song for personal therapeutic purposes—mostly to get it out of her head. The studio manager asked if she could use a bass player.  Cranky just then, she snarked, “Got one handy?”  Well, yes.  Nic the studio manager was an accomplished player, and they continued playing together after the day’s labors at S.I.R.  A few years later, they got married.  When the drummer Larry Luthi jammed with the two of them one night, he was so inspired that he pressed hem to start a band…and so was born The Sound Field.  Their first CD, The Bucket List, came out in 2017.

About the album: (for the real thing, check out Deborah’s expanded liner notes online at www.soundfieldband.com).

This Moment of the Storm is a long, strange journey through the nightmare that has been the Trump years in America.  And it’s both reassuring and totally right that this trip ends in a song (“Roof Falling In”) that is largely a delicate, lovely duet between her voice and Henry Salvia’s exquisite piano.

Mark Karan

Resting on the black-belt rhythm section of Nic Grabien and Larry Luthi, the songs of TMOTS are graced by co-producer Mark Karan’s superb guitar work—I spent the best part of four years listening to him with RatDog, and this is the best I’ve ever heard him play—and the truly astonishing beauty of Salvia’s piano.  One of the master stringed-instrument-players of our time, David Lindley, lends his gifts on three songs.  With that behind her, Deborah is free to wail—and wail she does.

She remains a gifted writer.  In “It’s About Time” (the tune co-written with Lauren Murphy), she turns two cliches into a classic line with “Because I paid my dues and Time gets to pick up the check.”  She even recalls Nicky Hopkins and answers herself in “Across My Kitchen Door”: “Nothing comes from paying dues / But broken hearts and dirty blues / Just walk until these well-worn shoes / Dissolve to dust around me.”

These have been dark times, and Deborah has seen enough to know all about that.  “The storm is all inside me.”  There’s plenty of despair to go around:  see “Trick of the Light,” a very cheery little ditty….not.  So big.  So dark!  “Life…puts you down that hole / And maybe that’s exactly where we all belong.”   A haunting song, born of bad dreams and harsh words.  Or, as she put it in her notes, “This song came out of my frustration at being essentially told, however lovingly, that how I see myself matters less than how other people see me. I vehemently disagree.”  Somehow, the song is also graced with sweet singing and some of Henry Salvia’s prettiest piano work.

photos courtesy of The Sound Field

The band does a wonderful job with Steve Earle’s “Copperhead Road,” turning it into a march that supports Deborah’s Saz (yes, it’s an instrument) and David Lindley’s Irish bouzouki.  The other cover, Tom Petty’s “You and I Will Meet Again,” is equally superb.

And “If We Get Lucky” gives her a chance to get raunchy, which she does…brilliantly.  So does Mark Karan’s guitar, which puts out the bump-and-grindiest chords ever heard.  “Cry for Memory” includes David Lindley demonstrating that it’s the musician, not the instrument, that counts when he plays a $69 cheapo lap steel and makes it sound like….perfection.  Or Laurel Canyon, 1972.

“Everything About You” is a love song to her husband/bassist, Nic.  “Crazy Girl’s Song” is, in a sense, a song to herself:  “These days when I look in the mirror I don’t understand what I see.  Then I realize there are two pairs of eyes, and both of them staring at me…”.   She says she’s luckier than she deserves and wouldn’t trade the life she’s gotten…”But the young girl’s still caught in the dream.”  And she’s terrified.

“Walk” starts with one of the darkest poems in world history, William Butler Yeats’ “The Second Coming,” about a world of a pandemic (1919) and one in which fascism is bubbling under the surface….and then it moves to 2021 and oh, boy.  David Lindley returns on lap steel, and it’s incredible.

This Moment is available at all the usual digital outlets.  Or go to www.soundfieldband.com/Store

Mon, 03/22/2021 - 1:47 pm

Lauren Murphy is a veteran singer-songwriter with close to two decades of experience, mostly in the San Francisco rock arena. Relocating to Fairhope, AL, in 2015 following the death of her husband and music partner, Zero vocalist Judge Murphy, she assembled her Nappie-Nominated high energy band, "The Psychedelics."  Her latest CD, Psychedelics, is her fifth.  It was recorded in Mobile, AL, at Dauphin Street Sound, founded by former SF Giants pitcher Jake Peavy.

Murphy has shared the stage with Steve Kimock, Bob Weir, Bernie Worrell, Papa Mali, the Jerry Garcia Band, Will Kimbrough, Ivan Neville, Zero, and many other members of rock royalty. Lauren has been described by No Depression as "Simply Brilliant. The Real Deal." Jambase has reviewed her as penning "songs from the heart," and Relix dubbed her "Lady Willpower" as far back as 1997. She specializes in power vocals and haunting melodies, and is an accomplished guitarist in her own right.

Lauren has been featured at the legendary “Frog Pond Sunday Social" Folk Alliance House Concerts (Silverhill, AL) for seven consecutive seasons.  She has performed at the historic Sweetwater Music Hall every year since 1997, and her music can be heard on radio stations across the country. She was also a featured performer at the 35th and 36th annual Frank Brown Songwriter Festival, an outstanding event held along the Alabama/Florida line.  She has been compared to Grace Slick & Janis Joplin, but Murphy is a force all her own.

“Psychedelicize” is Lauren’s plea to the modern world, with its substance and tech-addicted society, repeating the refrain “Manifest the Mind,” which is the original meaning of the word psychedelic (psyche is mind, delos is manifesting).  “Give in to Love” follows as a theme to unite humanity in spite of our divisions, and simply love one another and be in harmony.  “Booker and Honey” is really a metaphor for the music industry’s various games.  It was written for Lansdale Station as an 1890’s Dixieland swing thing, but wasn’t recorded until Lauren’s fourth CD, El Dorado.  This incarnation came when her guitarist Cochran began “dancing it,” shifting the song into a cool ‘70s funk vibe.  It was a complete accident – except they all agreed that was the way it should play. Both it and “End of the World Blues” were recorded in only one take.  “My Most Deadly Sin” is about addiction, but to the endorphin rush of being in love—and being strung out on a person who isn’t good for you.    

Finally, “Time Across” is a giant, anthemic tribute to the spirit of California. Consciously positive, it takes its chorus from the Willy Wonka line, “We are the music makers; We are the dreamers of the dream.”

To get that music: for physical copies or downloads, go direct to www.LaurenMurphyMusic.com/products

For downloads and streaming, Psychedelics is at all the usual outlets:  Apple Music.   https://music.apple.com/us/album/psychedelics/1545724227?ign-gact=3&ls=1

Spotify.  https://open.spotify.com/album/2Ss51AS8PnGFcxDhx9u8e3?autoplay=true

YouTube Music https://music.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_nWz8i31u9iWVWD-7cdbSyHfo0d8zqBVjo

Deezer.  https://www.deezer.com/us/album/194609542?autoplay=true

Iheart Radio.  https://www.iheart.com/artist/lauren-murphy-32008882/albums/psychedelics-121121550/?autoplay=true

Thu, 03/11/2021 - 4:36 pm

Some 14 years ago, Donna Jean and the Tricksters (Donna Jean Godchaux and the Zen Tricksters, basically) put out an album of the same name.  It included a song called “Shelter.”  As the pandemic took over our lives, Donna Jean thought about the new meaning of the song and….but let me let her tell you about it:

In 2007. Donna Jean and the Tricksters recorded an album at Cloud 9 Studio on Long Island.  One of the songs, “Shelter,” was written by myself and Jeff Mattson.  As good as the original track was, I had always longed to hear it somewhat differently, with a more tribal rhythm and stronger backup vocals on the choruses.

In the past year, the word “Shelter” has only come to be more powerful in all our lives, and we decided it was time to go to work.  David MacKay and I went into The NuttHouse Recording Studio in the Muscle Shoals area of Alabama.  We took the hard drive of the song and gave it a re-vamp with some powerful, soulful background vocals.  We also beefed up the rhythm section with a decidedly tribal edge.

The result is a new version that comes off with more intensity and pathos, which certainly connects with the challenges of today.  As the writers, Jeff and I are thrilled with what came to life.  We couldn’t have this song just languish away somewhere without being heard. Its time is now.

Thank you for giving it a listen.

Sincerely, and with love, peace, health, and music, Donna Jean

--

Shelter will be available for download at all the usual platforms.  

         Go to:  https://donnajeanandthetricksters.hearnow.com

         Or to Jeff’s site:   https://jeffmattson.net  

Thu, 05/27/2021 - 12:53 pm

It takes enormous talent and skill to be good enough to be on the stage at all—stars are well and good, but without the musicians outside the spotlight, you don’t have much. Gary Vogensen has been one of those guys for nearly fifty years, and as you’ll hear in Shot of Hope, there were excellent reasons why he’s been up on all those stages.

“Music was always there,” he recalls of his childhood in San Rafael, CA.  He grew up singing in choirs—his mother said that he sang in tune before he could talk.  Then he heard James Burton, whose riffs propelled Ricky Nelson’s “Hello Marylou” and “Traveling Man” to the top.  Mom kindly bought Gary a guitar when he was 17, and he never put it down.  Vocally, he lists influences ranging from George Jones to The Mills Brothers, the Beach Boys and Ray Charles…and about a million other Country, Soul, Gospel, and R&B singers.

At the local College of Marin, he was in the Purple Fox blues band, which was memorable because everyone else in the band was Black, and their families were not only welcoming but tolerant; “They taught me how to eat, how to laugh, and how to love, and they let us get high in the yard before playing.”  When he headed off to Chico, there was a soul band, The Fabulous Dynamics, and of course a jam band.

Elvin Bishop & Gary - photo courtesy of Gary Vogensen

His commitment to music became absolute on the memorable night of November 1st, 1968, at the Avalon Ballroom.  Genesis was the opening act, which interested Gary not at all because they didn’t have a guitarist.  The closers were the Byrds, with Clarence White playing his Telecaster.  But the middle act was Taj Mahal backed by Jesse Ed Davis, and it was Jesse Ed who got under his skin and heart and left him saying, “I just have to do that.”

He was a normal Marin guy in the ‘70s, used to seeing Garcia drive out of the Dead’s office at 5th and Lincoln, knowing that the Dead were a part of the community, even though he’d not met any of them formally….yet.”  In 1972 he was hanging out at Marin Recorders, sitting in what was supposed to be a control room, smoking fatties and watching people rehearse.  One night during the recording of Barry Melton’s record Melton, Levy and the Dey Brothers, the band was jamming with their producer, Mike Bloomfield.  Gary’s friends more or less put his guitar in his hands and shoved him into the jam.  “Could I sit in?”  And Bloomfield said sure…In fact, he was so generous that he followed it up by looking at Melton and saying he should take Gary into the band and on tour as the rhythm guitarist.

“Square as a pool table and twice as green,” Gary said of himself, but those first shows changed his life.  That band was followed by lots more—Top 40 bands, blues bands, you-name-it bands.  A little more seasoned, in 1976 he ran into Bloomfield again, and through him came more high-level bands.  He backed Mike, then Norton Buffalo (and got to know John McFee in that band).  Maria Muldaur, for a tour.  Almost Frank Zappa’s band, but it didn’t work out.  Then Elvin Bishop, which led to a special moment.  They were opening for Etta James at Lake Tahoe, and her guitarist sprained his wrist.  Gary was drafted to substitute, and as he played, he had the thought that while Etta was something of a tortured soul, she was the real deal, the genuine article and what he was striving to be.

In the 1980s he was part of Commander Cody and the Lost Planet Airmen, and in the ‘90s he worked with John “Marmaduke” Dawson and the New Riders of the Purple Sage.  Later, he would be part of the band on guitar and harmonica for Blues Broads, which features Angela Strehli, Tracy Nelson, Annie Sampson, and Dorothy Morrison.  Over the years and in between things, he worked with Boz Skaggs, Steve Miller, Rick Danko, Kinky Friedman, and Lloyd Price.  So many stages, so many roads.

photo courtesy of Gary Vogensen

And now he works at maintaining the Gary Vogensen School of Guitar, which is not only enjoyable, but where he continues to “Learn, learn, learn.”  “I’ve settled down now and this recording project reflects my vision of what music is all about. It’s an auditory portrait of who I am as a singer, a musician, an artist, and a producer.  It’s heartfelt, it’s pure, a bit of pleasure, a bit of pain, a bit of gravity, a bit of levity, and…you can dance to it!”

As a long-time veteran of New Riders of the Purple Sage music, Gary’s solo work is, as you’d expect, pretty much in the country-rock vein, with a particular emphasis on his very fine voice.  Expect some heavy-hitting rockers as well, though…Gary’s made a living meeting the demands of many bandleaders in many styles and this project shows it. There are some originals, some covers, and even a traditional tune that’s a nod to his past.  Gary plays all the guitars, some dobro and mandolin, and harmonia, and handles most of the backing vocals under the nom de voice “Marin Slim.” Here’s a very partial listing:

“Barbaric Splendor,” written by Joe New (who’s written songs for a crowd of people including Levon Helm, Nancy Sinatra, Jerry Reed, Nick Lowe, and Del McCoury), emphasizes Gary’s voice.

“Friend of the Devil” is authentic country, complete with pedal steel and banjo.  Gary performs duets on both “Friend” and “Ripple” with his long-time NRPS partner, singer and multi-instrumentalist Russ Gauthier.

Gary adds:  “Musicians can spend a lifetime and never find a singing partner the likes of Russ Gauthier.  For me, he’s a gift from heaven…”

“Doing Time in Bakersfield” was written by Jim Lauderdale, who many will know from his extensive collaborations (several albums’ worth) with Robert Hunter.

Van Morrison and Gary - photo courtesy of Gary Vogensen

“Peace Love and Understanding.”  Nick Lowe’s timeless anthem, somewhat countrified with a terrific dobro solo.

You have to be about as old as I am or a real student to know about “Lies,” by the Knickerbockers.  It’s such a perfect Beatles tribute that everyone was convinced it was really them.  Superb version – Gary remembers.

The album finishes with perhaps the two strongest cuts, a country-flavored “Do Right Woman,” and as Gary puts it, a nod to Taj Mahal and Jesse Ed Davis with a rocking version of the traditional tune, “The Cuckoo.”  Just terrific.

Shot of Hope is from the Little Village Foundation, a nonprofit record company.

Enjoy!

Tue, 05/11/2021 - 1:51 pm

The Owsley Stanley Foundation, in partnership with the Tim Buckley Estate, is pleased to announce the seventh release from Owsley’s storied archive of live concert recordings – Bear’s Sonic Journals: Merry-Go-Round at the Carousel, a previously unreleased 1968 live concert featuring Tim Buckley, accompanied by John Miller (bass), David Friedman (vibraphone), and Carter “C.C.” Collins (percussion). The CD set and digital downloads will be available in stores and on the usual digital platforms on June 4th, but pre-release copies will ship as early as May 7th if purchased at www.owsleystanleyfoundation.org.

“Between the sonics and the songs, this is a major moment in Buckley-land. This is the follow up to Dream Letter,” says Tim Buckley scholar Pat Thomas. Buckley, father of Jeff Buckley, made his mark with his Southern California folk-rock sound and four-octave vocal range. But this album reveals Buckley in a light never before captured on tape, featuring a jazz-rock lineup that calls to mind Van Morrison’s Astral Weeks. It includes two newly discovered songs (“Blues, Love” and “The Lonely Life”), early drafts of Buckley classics, and a stunning cover of Fred Neil’s “Merry-Go-Round."

photo credit: Elliot Landy - Newport Folk Fest | July 1968

Recorded by the Grateful Dead’s legendary soundman Owsley “Bear” Stanley, the infamous LSD chemist, Owsley’s tapes have an uncanny ability to transport the listener to the room that night. Owsley’s tapes have long been considered some of the highest quality live concert recordings of his era. Bear recorded this show using a split input technique that separates and emphasizes John Miller’s standup bass, creating a distinctive sense of the space onstage. This is the seventh chapter of the nonprofit OSF’s critically acclaimed Bear’s Sonic Journals.  Previous titles feature Doc & Merle Watson, the Allman Brothers, Jorma Kaukonen & Jack Casady (Hot Tuna), New Riders of the Purple Sage, Commander Cody & His Lost Planet Airmen, and Ali Akbar Khan and Zakir Hussain.

This album features 79 minutes of music from Tim Buckley’s June 15th and 16th, 1968 live performances at the Carousel Ballroom in San Francisco, CA. The CD includes original cover art by Dennis Larkins and an extensive 28-page booklet featuring new insights from bassist John Miller and Buckley lyricist Larry Beckett.

photo credit: Grant Gouldon - Fillmore East | May 1968

“This is a great discovery! Even though tracks here appear elsewhere in studio albums or other concert recordings, they are not the same at all. They are reinvented. And that's why every single one is worth listening to,” says Larry Beckett, Tim Buckley’s lyricist.

About the Owsley Stanley Foundation

The Owsley Stanley Foundation is a 501c(3) non-profit organization dedicated to the preservation of “Bear’s Sonic Journals,” Owsley’s archive of more than 1,300 live concert soundboard recordings from the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s, including recordings by Miles Davis, Johnny Cash, The Grateful Dead, Jefferson Airplane, Fleetwood Mac, Janis Joplin, and more than 80 other artists across nearly every musical idiom.

Thu, 06/03/2021 - 1:10 pm

Cue “Here Comes the Sun” – I mean, it feels as though it’s been raining hard for 15 months and we’re starting to see the end of the storm…which means musicians can go back to doing what they do best.

Here’s the way Steve put it: 

Wow! The last thing I was expecting was for the whole world to grind to halt. And the last thing I wanted was to find some “new way” to do a gig.  
Well, looks like we’ll be able to gather again soon, have community, dance, make a joyful noise, shake hands, maybe hug? A gig?? 

Hopefully soon CDC guidance will include “don’t bogart that joint” too, but for now let’s just take a deep breath, count our blessings, and rebuild our world.

Feels like starting over, can’t wait, and I’d like to thank everybody in advance for their love and support moving forward.

Steve Kimock is going to greet Summer 2021 with a few shows, so get your tickets while you can. 

The band will be new and old all at the same time, starting with Billy Goodman (Goodman Brothers) on vocals and slide guitar.  Back in Pennsylvania in 1974, living at the Goodman family commune, Steve climbed into a van with Billy and made the big move to California.  After decades of living in Berlin, Billy recently returned stateside, and the adventure resumes with SK&F.  Also featuring David Uosikkinen (The Hooters) on drums, Kenny Aronson (Bob Dylan, Billy Idol) on bass and Mike Borowski on keys.

July 10th Stanhope Outdoors, Stanhope, NJ TICKETS AND INFO

Aug 7th   Ardmore Music Hall, Ardmore, PA  TICKETS AND INFO

Tue, 06/08/2021 - 12:58 pm

Andy Logan is a Dead Head who recognizes (along with the rest of us!) that Dead music is our common heritage and a nurturing source of love for us all.  Wanting to support that, and having a collection of guitars, he began to lend and sometimes give special instruments to gifted players who didn’t have the means to acquire them on their own.  This came to include not only first-quality examples of the types of guitars that Garcia and Weir had played, but then instruments built for them, as well as instruments Jerry owned, most famously “Alligator,” his axe from the era of Europe ’72 and the Martin acoustic he used to record American Beauty

It is time to formalize this practice, and so today, June 8, 2021, we are announcing the official founding of the Grateful Guitars Foundation.  Our mission statement: “Grateful Guitars is a 501c3 foundation that obtains world-class musical instruments for talented players who seek to carry on the tradition of jam band music into the 21st century and beyond. We identify musicians who thrive in live settings and we secure the gear they need to reach their fullest musical potential. Through the powerful connection between the skilled player and the highest quality instrument, our aim is to ensure that jam band music thrives for generations of live music fans.” 

Logan added, “There’s just no doubt in my mind that the more really good instruments are out there, the more the jam band scene thrives, the more that Grateful Dead music continues to grow and touches more people, even if the band is no longer playing.  And it’s fun to help feed that growth by gifting guitars to musicians, kind of helping them and helping the scene that I love.”

After a basic East Coast Dead Head youth (first show Hartford 4/3/88), Andy followed his wife-to-be to the Bay Area (bonus: more shows!), and after a career in high-tech marketing, earned his credentials as a psychotherapist.  In 2008 he began to learn guitar, and naturally bought the guitar Garcia played on Live Dead, a Gibson SG.  Not too long later, he stepped up and purchased the Steven Cripe guitar “Tribute,” also known as “Saturn” for the rings inlaid on the neck, which had been built for Jerry but was not yet complete on August 9, 1995.  Before Andy even took possession, he realized that it had been made to play live music, and he had to share it with the GD community as the original builder and player had intended. 

He naively popped up just before showtime at a Dark Star Orchestra show at the Great American Music Hall in San Francisco—in the future he’d learn it was better to arrive before sound check and give the guitarist time to make friends with the guitar—and Jeff Mattson graciously subbed it into the night’s festivities.  It was a revelation to watch him, and later other musicians, be inspired by the equipment and watch that energy flow to the fans.  Soon after, when Phil Lesh and Friends began a re-creation of shows (one a year for the 30 years), Andy lent Stu Allen a vintage Guild Starfire for 1965 and then many more Garcia guitars for later years, as well as some Weir-style guitars to Grahame Lesh and Scott Law.  Then Stu Allen began a similar re-creation at Ashkenaz, and the GD gear flow continued, including when Andy found a Fender Deluxe like Garcia’s for the 1971 show.  The tone moved not only Stu but also a person in the audience who’d been present at the original show at the Berkeley Community Theater some 45 years before. 

His efforts have drawn in luthiers like Rich Hoeg, a former Modulus employee who still builds for Weir, Leo Elliott of Scarlet Fire Guitars, and Kevin Burkett of Travis Bean Design, who has made copies of the Travis Bean guitars that were Garcia’s 1975-1977 axes of choice, which Andy gifted to Stu Allen (formerly of Phil & Friends and Melvin Seals & JGB), Mik Bondy of the Garcia Project, Zach Nugent (formerly Melvin Seals & JGB, and now Dead Set), and Garrett Deloian of Jerry’s Middle Finger.  The circle grows, and with today’s launch it can grow much larger. 

Jerry used to say to his bandmates, “Serve the music.”  Andy and the Grateful Guitars Foundation are working to do just that.  Dead Heads who want to share in the process should go to www.gratefulguitars.org

“It’s hard to know where to start to describe how important and influential Andrew Logan has been to the community of working musicians. His dedication to providing us with amazing instruments cannot be put into words. Imagine Picasso with no paint or canvas? What Andrew has done with his foundation helps struggling musicians have the tools to be their best. I have no words that can fully express my gratitude for what the foundation has done for me personally, but also for the people building these fine instruments. I’m so very grateful for what this foundation has done for so many of us who work very hard for very little. Having a quality instrument in the hands of musicians like myself helps make the world a better place and creates better musical experiences for us all.”

Rob Eaton, Dark Star Orchestra

“I wanted to start off by telling you all how instrumental Grateful Guitars Foundation was in recognizing my luthier skills before they fully matured. The orders they placed early on gave me the capital to purchase the top quality equipment I needed to make the best I instruments I could.  The GGF facilitated a more widespread awareness of my art by putting my instruments in the hands of premier artists, playing the music that Andy, I and thousands others love. I view GGF as a bridge between luthiers who create and artists who play, synonymous with the patron and artist relationships from the Renaissance period. GGF’s love for the music of the Grateful Dead and their willingness to commit resources to make the experience of the players and concertgoers alike just exactly perfect is a beautiful thing. Good luck with all your future endeavors!”

Leo Elliott, Scarlet Fire Guitars

“Grateful Guitars Foundation is a museum meets a library founded by one of the most dedicated and compassionate people I have met in the music world. Andy Logan reached out to me while I was touring with Melvin Seals and JGB in 2015.  It was the first time anyone had taken a serious interest in my guitars and equipment. The guitar I was playing was wearing out after four years of solid touring and I had little time for repairs.  Andy loaned me a black Tiger clone made by a reputable builder while I got my instrument set up and ready for the road again. It was truly a life-saving moment for me and also an eye-opening moment into the possibilities that happen with a better instrument in your hand.

Since then, a number of musicians have spent time with Andy exchanging information and learning more about the guitars of the Grateful Dead and 21st century jam bands alike. To be able to tap into the knowledge and the history of the gear while having hands-on access to a collection of instruments through the Grateful Guitars Foundation is an experience like no other. It has helped me and other artists reach a higher musical purpose and potential.  This unique foundation connects great players with amazing instruments for a devoted and grateful fan base. I look forward to seeing where Andy takes this foundation, and the joy it brings to musicians and the fans.”

Dave Hebert (Abear), Steely Dead, Very Jerry Band, Xtra Ticket, Melvin Seals and JGB 2011-2016

“GGF is a brilliant idea of Andy Logan’s! This foundation helps Grateful Dead/Jam bands get the gear that can be financially out of reach!  Over the years, Andy has impressed me with his generosity and kindness. I feel lucky to call him my buddy.” 

Rich Hoeg, Hoeg Guitars

“I have known Andy Logan for several years now and I cannot speak highly enough of his dedication and devotion to the music we all love and to the musicians who perform it. Through the establishment of the Grateful Guitars Foundation, so many talented jam-band musicians’ dreams can be fulfilled and their full potential reached, ensuring the survival of high-quality live music to delight fans and music aficionados for generations to come. The future is in good hands with the GGF!”   

Evan Jones, Xtra Ticket

“The jam band world has inspired players, builders, technicians, and fans alike. It’s no secret that the costs of high-quality tools can be prohibitive for many. The folks at Grateful Guitars are genuinely passionate about making dreams come true. It’s inspiring and encouraging to know that somebody values what we musicians do and unites us with our dream gear to bring our musical visions to fruition.”

Alex Jordan, Midnight North, Cubensis, Stu Allen & Mars Hotel, Alex Jordan Band

“Grateful Guitars is an inspiration on many levels. I’m personally invested in the organization since I’m a player who has benefitted from the generosity and vision set forth by GGF. Grateful Guitars assures that players have gear, keeps builders hard at work, and provides the highest quality stage gear for fans to enjoy.” 

Nate LaPointe, Cubensis, Bobby Womack, Selena Gomez

“The work that Grateful Guitars is doing is of invaluable assistance to the musicians of the jam band community. Unfortunately, due to the difficult struggle of being a working musician, musicians are in fact the last people able to afford the best, high-quality instruments that they should have access to. I personally have been the benefit of the largesse of Grateful Guitars and have been given and loaned some of the finest instruments that a guitar player (particularly one who plays the music of the Grateful Dead such as myself) can hope to play. In fact, I consider the opportunities I have had to perform on the actual Stratocaster that Jerry Garcia played from 1971 until 1973 to be some of the highlights of my professional life. This foundation goes a long way to correct the symptom of society where the finest instruments are not in the hands of creative musicians but on the walls and in the glass cases of collectors, never to be played again. I fully support the work that Grateful Guitars is doing and I applaud their generosity and kind spirit.”  

Jeff Mattson, Dark Star Orchestra, The Zen Tricksters, Jeff Mattson and Friends, Donna Jean Godchaux Band

“I’ve been part of the jam scene for quite a while now—just about half of my life. I’ve shared the stage with members of the Grateful Dead, Jerry Garcia Band, Phish, Allman Brothers, and many, many more. The growth I’ve found in myself as a player and throughout my overall career has been exponential since linking with Grateful Guitars. In just the last four years, I’ve had more fun and connected more deeply with my gear and instruments than all of the prior years combined. I don’t know where I’d be without Grateful Guitars, and I consider myself and the rest of my scene beyond blessed to be connected with such a beautiful, generous, and loving organization. 

Zach Nugent, Melvin Seals & JGB, Zach Nugent Band, Dead Set

“I'm so thankful that Grateful Guitars arranges for iconic instruments to be put into the hands of today's masters for them to bring back the tones we never thought we'd hear live again.”

Nica Orlick-Roy, Director of Operations & Special Events, Terrapin Crossroads

“The music of the Grateful Dead that Dark Star Orchestra performs spans generations. Fans have come to appreciate the band’s unique attention to detail when it comes to the actual sound of recreating the Dead’s music. Grateful Guitars Foundation helps get world class instruments into the hands of our players. The band and fanbase community benefit from this Grateful Guitars Foundation collaboration, as it adds an upgraded historical component to DSO’s already fanatical attention to detail.”

Tim Walther, Manager, Dark Star Orchestra

“It’s hard to overstate what GGF provides to artists. Many artists do not have access to the beautiful tones and moods that these vintage instruments are capable of invoking. An exceptional instrument doesn’t just change your sound, it changes your playing and your posture, and fills you with reverence for the moment. What would Van Gogh be to us without the color blue?

Thank you, GGF.”

Stu Allen, Melvin Seals & JGB, Phil Lesh & Friends, Stu Allen & Mars Hotel

Fri, 06/25/2021 - 1:47 pm

Nic Clark had a fairly unconventional childhood, which is perhaps one reason why his first album, Love Your Life / Songs for the Whole Family, came out youth-centric.  It wasn’t that he wasn’t supported— in fact, his mom got him the certificate that allowed him to play in bars at the tender age of twelve.  It was the school thing.  His school system in the Denver area had a truancy court, and he set up semi-permanent residency there around the 7th grade.

You see, he had found the blues.  Visiting a bookstore with his brother, he found a book about harmonica playing which included pictures of Sonny Boy Williamson and Stevie Wonder and a harmonica….and he never came down.  The harp was his school, and he never missed a class there.  Soon he was playing live and then, after the shattering loss of both a young cousin and his grandfather, he found the healing power of music, too.

The harp led to the blues, and he identified his biggest influences as Mavis and the rest of the Staples Family, Taj Mahal, Curtis Mayfield, and the Staples’ “Respect Yourself”—“Such simple and direct lyrics,” he says, “But so many layers.”

His harp connected him to other blues men and allowed him to play with them, including Billy Branch (who played with Willie Dixon), Lazy Lester, and Muddy Waters’ son Big Bill Morganfield.

Eventually, he fell in with Rick Estrin and the Nightcats.  One night in the van—Nic was 14—he got to talking about Charles Bukowski with guitarist Kid Andersen, who said, just a bit incredulously, “You read Bukowski?”  “Yeah.”  “Hell, yeah,” said Estrin.  Some people are just born that way.

In 2019, Nic came out to San Jose to see one of his heroes, Jonathan Richman, perform at the Henry Miller (another hero) Library in Big Sur.  Kid Andersen, the Head Mojo of Greaseland Studios when not a Nightcat, suggested Nic stick around and be his studio assistant.  In the first few weeks he got to help on a Charlie Musselwhite and Elvin Bishop session, and then one with Little Village Foundation’s (LVF) Sons of the Soul Revivers, which lead to Nic meeting Jim Pugh of LVF.  A few jams later, Kid mentioned to Jim that Nic would love to make a record.  It snowballed from there.

Nic Clark

“I’m a bit goofy, not a tough guy,” said Nic.  “Funky family music suits me better.”  He’s also the uncle of a niece, Leah, who’s 11, and a nephew, Asher, 6.  There are enough painful memories in his own slightly strange childhood that he explains why he’s fairly sentimental about children, about their innocence, and that’s why he wants to make music for the whole family, including the children.  But real music, he says, “Not pandering, not just to distract them, but to share something with them.  After all, the little ones deserve the best from us.”

And so he began work on Love Your Life.  One track, “I Love Music,” was recorded with his Colorado band, but the rest allowed him to play with heroes, the heavy hitters that hang out at Greaseland.  Kid on guitars of course, but also D’Mar—Derrick Martin, long time drummer for Little Richard.  Atlantic Records session man Jerry Jemmott (Nina Simone, B.B. King) came in for a track on bass.  The Tonight Show’s Vicki Randall added percussion on several songs.   The Sons of the Soul Revivers backed up “I’m Your Friend.”  And Charlie Hunter, who stimulated “the most rewarding panic attack ever,” helped out on “Dance Party!” and “This Little Light of Mine,“ playing everything except vocals and harp.

“I wrote a few songs for my niece and nephew, and a couple for parents and grandparents.  It was a passion project, and it’s for my family.  Jim gave me total creative control, and I got to play the studio as well as instruments, so there’s fingerpicking guitar, Calypso steel pan percussion, and synthesizer weirdness at one point…we left no rock unturned.  It really turned out to be an insane level of fulfillment.  And I love my niece Leah’s album art.”

“Somehow, most children’s music shows come across as upper class….I wanted to make music with some grit in it, for Walmart customers like my own family, not the usual place.  I think we did OK.” 

Love Your Life will be released on July 15, 2021, by Little Village Foundation, a nonprofit record company but is available now on the usual digital platforms, including Apple.   For more information, go to www.littlevillagefoundation.org

Tue, 07/13/2021 - 10:45 am

Fifty-two years of great music doesn’t squeeze down to a short announcement very easily.

“Dixie Chicken,” “Oh Atlanta,” “Willin’,” “Let it Roll,” “Spanish Moon,” and “Fat Man in the Bathtub” are just the merest hint of a repertoire that has inspired more joy and more dancing than you can imagine.  Little Feat fused a broad span of styles and genres into something utterly distinctive, a mix of California rock, funk, folk, jazz, country, rockabilly, and New Orleans swamp boogie and more, all stirred into a rich gumbo that can only be Little Feat.

Their album Waiting for Columbus is a consensus contender for the finest live rock and roll album ever recorded.

But it’s not at all just about the past.  Little Feat is proud to announce the release (available on all the usual digital platforms Friday, July 16th) of their latest single, “When All Boats Rise,” a combination of optimism, fire, and heart that will make you dance and maybe puddle up.  The video will premiere on www.relix.com today, July 13th.

Little Feat is especially pleased to announce that they’re going back where they belong—the stage.  They’ll break the long (almost two years!) pandemic drought with a special livestream on September 20 from Nashville, followed by an interactive full-band Q & A session, courtesy of 237 Global.

Then in November they’ll kick off their “By Request” tour, where they will perform the songs and setlists that Feat Fans have asked for.  V.I.P. packages go on sale day after tomorrow, July 14th.  See www.littlefeat.net.  The tour will go on sale on Friday, July 16th.  

For more info on how to take part in the song selection, go to www.littlefeat.net.  

Bill Payne (keyboards, vocals), Kenny Gradney (bass), Sam Clayton (percussion and vocals), Fred Tackett (guitars and vocals), Scott Sharrard (guitars and vocals), and Tony Leone (drums) are Little Feat in 2021.

Scott (Gregg Allman Band) and Tony (Olabelle, Chris Robinson Brotherhood, Midnight Ramble Band) will be new to many Feat fans.  Fortunately, both guys have crossed paths with the band many times over the past decade, and they fit as elegantly and comfortably as a perfectly broken-in pair of jeans.  They were born for this.

More than fifty years in, Little Feat’s been up and they’ve been down and they know where they belong—standing or sitting behind their instruments, playing for you.  
And anything’s possible, because the end is not in sight.  

Nov. 11,Thur.    The Capitol Theatre, Port Chester, NY
Nov. 12, Fri.        State Theatre, Ithaca, NY
Nov. 13, Sat.    Mayo P.A.C., Morristown, NJ
Nov. 15, Mon.    Paramount, Huntington, NY
Nov. 16, Tues.    The Egg (Hart Theatre), Albany
Nov. 17, Weds.    Calvin Theatre, Northampton, MA
Nov. 19, Fri.        Lowell Memorial Auditorium, Lowell, MA
Nov. 20, Sat.    Flynn Center for the Performing Arts, Burlington, VT
Nov. 21, Sun.    State Theatre, Portland

Jan. 19, Weds.    Thomas Wolfe Auditorium, Asheville, NC*
Jan. 20, Thur.    Charleston Music Hall, Charleston, SC*
Jan. 22, Sat.    The Peabody Auditorium, Daytona Beach, FL
Jan. 23, Sun.    Parker Playhouse, Ft. Lauderdale, FL
Jan. 25, Tue.    Ruth Eckerd Hall, Clearwater, FL
Jan. 26, Wed.    King Center for Performing Arts, Melbourne, FL
Jan. 27, Thu.    Sunrise Theatre, Ft. Pierce, FL

*Jack Broadbent is support on all dates except Asheville, NC and Charleston, SC.

Mon, 08/23/2021 - 12:36 pm

Quite remarkably, Grateful Dead music has become its own genre, drawing crowds based on the music itself.  Waynard Scheller and Rainbow Full of Sound (RFoS) have become one of the East Coast’s premiere bands playing Grateful Dead songs, thanks to talent and a lot of practice—300 shows’ worth.  But this fall’s tour will come with a very special twist:  for the second time, they will re-create the Dead’s legendary 1972 tour of Europe, tracing the path of twenty-one shows from England to Denmark to Germany to France to the Netherlands and back to England.

Appropriately, RFoS began as a one-off experiment in 2012 when a gang of Dead Heads decided to play the entire 1980 Radio City Music Hall run.  It was so much fun that it took on a life of its own, with a rotating cast that keeps it fresh.

The one consistent link is Waynard, and it makes sense—his commitment to music goes back to a ragtime-piano-playing grandfather, hippie babysitters who brought guitars with them, and then a mom who taught him classics like “Heart and Soul.”  By the age of 10 he was playing guitar, and after lessons in voice and theory but almost none in piano, he became so consumed by the Grateful Dead’s Terrapin Station album that for close to a year he’d listen to it before going to school.  Things were never quite the same afterward.  Soon he switched to keyboards and joined his first Dead-oriented band, Changing Planes.

As a pianist, he was able to get solo work in restaurants, where he amused himself by jamming from American songbook standards like “Over the Rainbow” into, say, “Dark Star.”  He took a hiatus from Dead music and spent a decade playing R & B and Motown at corporate gigs and private events with his vocalist sister Sudie, but eventually he happily returned to the jam band world.  He fell in with one of the oldest Dead-oriented bands, the former Zen Tricksters of Long Island, and they toured for some time as Jam Stampede.  He met John Kadlecik, formerly of Dark Star Orchestra and then Furthur and now JGB with Melvin Seals, and worked on three tours with him.

Waynard Scheller and Rainbow Full of Sound

One day he got a call to play a show in a crypt at the Church of the Intercession in Trinity Cemetery, New York City, in the process meeting Zach Nugent (then with Melvin Seals and JGB) and Kenny Brooks (formerly with Bob Weir in RatDog).  His name spread around GD circles, and he played with Weir himself in an SF Bay-Area benefit for the Jerry Garcia Foundation called “Imagine There’s No Hunger,” and after they hit it off, on several other shows. Working with the Foundation brought him into contact with Hot Tuna’s Jorma Kaukonen and Jack Casady, then another event connected him with Jason Crosby and Grahame Lesh of the Lesh Family Band…and the road goes on.

Bruce Hornsby once remarked that Grateful Dead songs had become “hymns” – in fact, they really are the new canon of traditional American music.  Their appeal, Waynard says, is two-fold;  there’s the sheer eclectic gumbo of bluegrass, jazz, blues, R & B and you-name-it that is fused into what they did, what the songs represent—but “best of all is the improvisational nature of the music, the opportunity to explore the unknown, to have no earthly idea what will come next, which is the most inspiring part of it.”

It's a musical adventure, and Waynard and RFoS are the ideal boat to take on the ride.

RFoS will include a rotating cast:

Waynard Scheller / Piano & Organ, Kevin Griffin / Guitar, Alan Gilman / Guitar, Jesse Wagner / Guitar, Eric Cohen / Guitar, Mike Kennedy / Guitar, Colin Lennox / Guitar, Jim McGuigan / Guitar, Andy Morse / Guitar, Gary Hempsey / Guitar, Rich Whiteley / Guitar, Paul Avrutin / Bass, TJ Glowacki / Bass, Jason Ferguson / Bass, Klyph Black / Bass, Alan Lerner / Drums, Jack Betzen / Drums,. Nathan Graham / Drums, Chuggy Carter / Drums, Carolyn Pender / Vocals

Opening Sets:  James Dalton

The Tour

9/28Tues           Donovan’s Reef, Seabright, NJ

10/1Fri               The Biergarten, Hamilton, NJ

10/8Fri               89 North, Patchogue, NY

10/14Thur          Lark Hall, Albany, NY

10/15Fri             Sera Phi, Philadelphia, PA

10/16Sat            Hard Rock Café, Atlantic City, NJ

10/23Sat            The Colony, Woodstock, NY

10/31Sun            8 x 10, Baltimore, MD

11/4Thur             Martin’s Downtown, Roanoke, VA

11/5Fri               The Blue Note, Durham, NC

11/6Sat              The Music Room @ Smith’s Olde Bar, Atlanta, GA

11/7Sun              The Pour House, Charleston, SC

11/9Tue              Terra Fermata, Stuart, FL

11/10Wed           Green Parrot, Key West, FL

11/11Thur            Green Parrot, Key West, FL

11/12Fri               Miami Beach Botanical Garden, FL

11/13Sat              Big Storm Brewery, Cape Coral, FL

11/14Sun             Skipper’s Smokehouse, Tampa, FL

11/18Thurs           Lark Hall, Albany, NY

11/19Fri                Zenbarn, Waterbury Center, VT

11/20Sat               Electric Haze, Worcester, MA

11/24Wed             8 x 10, Baltimore, MD.

Fri, 09/24/2021 - 9:17 am

In 2016, Stephen Inglis followed up a show in Dallas with a private tour of the legendary building at 508 Park Ave., the site of Robert Johnson’s second and final recording session.

An acclaimed Hawai’ian slack-key guitarist and vocalist, Inglis had many reasons to feel connected to the legendary Johnson, who listened to a wide array of music. Hawai’ian music was extremely popular when Johnson was recording, and it cross-pollinated with the blues.  The steel bar for lap slide came from the islands along with slack key.

Stephen Inglis with Robert Johnson

His host at 508 Park Avenue was Pat Bywaters, the founder of the nonprofit Encore Park, which has preserved the building.  As they parted, Pat said, “Music is a river, you dip your bucket in, then put some back.”

You couldn’t ask for a much better whisper from the universe into the ear of a songwriter.

Here is the live “Music Is a River,” recorded by Stephen Inglis, backed by the Stephen Inglis Project: Eric Petersen, bass and vocals; Steven Howells, drums; and Joshua Kaye, Keyboards.  For the studio version, they augmented the sound with harmony vocals from Ginai Hill and the wonderful horn section of Todd Yukumoto on alto, baritone, and tenor sax, and Eldrid Ahlo on trumpet.

The video was directed by Robert Bates, who won a James Beard Award for directing “The Kitchen Sessions with Charlie Trotter” for PBS. Greg Lundsgaard collaborated.  The live performance was recorded at Crossroads at HB Social Club in Honolulu by Lock Lynch, with live sound by Lee Anderson.

Both the video and live versions were mixed by Gary Lux, twice nominated for Emmys for his work with The Jacksons and Frank Sinatra.  The studio version was recorded by Pierre Grill in Honolulu and produced by Stephen Inglis and Eric Petersen.  Both versions were mastered by David Donnelly of DNA Mastering.

“Music is a River” will be available on all the usual platforms.   

A second single with video also directed by Robert Bates, “Nothing Left to Prove,” will be out in November.

Sun, 10/03/2021 - 1:00 pm

On October 8th, the Nobel Peace Prize will be announced.  Peaceniks and hippies should take note, because one of our own, Patch Adams, has been nominated.  You’ve probably heard of the Robin Williams movie about Patch, but there’s a lot more to the story, and quite a lot of it is in the podcast “The Best Day of My Life:  Patch Adams’ Journey to the Nobel Peace Prize Nomination.”  (Available on Apple; a Pantheon Podcast produced by Rainbow Valentine).

Most podcasts are about the psychology of psychotics & murders.  This is a podcast about the psychology of the opposite kind of human - an extreme idealist/humanitarian/joy-bringing/changemaker, infusing the most dangerous & dire places on earth with love, play, fun & joy.  

Patch and his son, Lars

Patch Adams attempted suicide three times in his teens and survived to become an extreme love clown revolutionary & Nobel Peace Prize Nominee.  He wants to build a hospital with an entirely new paradigm of healing – in part, through laughter.

He’s intellectually a brother of the hippie saint Wavy Gravy.

His clownish quest for peace might just save us.

Wed, 10/06/2021 - 4:21 pm

Best-known for gracing the pedal steel chair in Commander Cody and the Lost Planet Airmen, Asleep at the Wheel, and the New Riders of the Purple Sage, Bobby Black is one of the greats at his chosen instrument and one of the last members of the first generation of players to introduce it to American music. And he is definitely the only member of that club who spent most of his life in Northern California, San Mateo to be specific.

Compiled by Myles Boisen, a music veteran and studio professional who played a lot of shows with Bobby, Seventy Years of Swinging Steel from Little Village (#1044) is a wonderful compendium that displays Bobby's artistry in the best possible way. It starts with an appearance at a San Jose department store in 1954, and includes a brilliant version of "Water Baby Blues," with Bobby and brother Larry trading riffs on what Bobby called "just a boogie woogie thing." Then the music cruises through a Gershwin tune recorded in his guitar playing brother Larry's bedroom to some Duke Ellington from 1991-2. They only got four down before Larry passed, surely one of the great lost albums. The fact that Bobby was a serious student of American jazz,
with influences like Charlie Parker (and also Andres Segovia), along with his impeccable taste and musical humility, is one of many reasons that he was so special.

Bobby and Larry Black

His wide range didn't always help. He tells the story: "We were playing on an early TV show, the Hoffman Hayride, and it was an audience that just wanted to hear country music— actually, they called it hillbilly music then. We got away with playing some Western swing, as long as it wasn't too fancy, but we started doing those jazz types of things, like "A Foggy Day in London Town," and we were told by the people running the show that they didn't want anything like that. So we did `Foggy Day' and we got fired."

The instrument originated in Hawaiian music with steel guitar played horizontally, known as "lap steel." In the `30s manufacturers added a resonator and then an electric guitar pickup to make it more audible, and then in 1940 added pedals so that the picker could play a major scale without moving the bar (held in the left hand to affect tuning; picks on the right hand) and also bend notes into harmonies. It's a challenging instrument, the only one that requires both hands, both feet, and both knees. As the 1940s passed, it became an essential part of country music.

Bobby was born in Arizona, but by the age of eight he lived in Burbank, where he heard Harry Owens and the Royal Hawaiians, one of whom was steel player Eddie Bush. One side-effect of WWII was mass migration, including Southern and Oklahoman/Texan country music fans. The father of "Western Swing," Bob Wills, settled there. So did Spade Cooley, whose pedal steel player, Earl "Joaquin" Murphey, was a particular favorite of Bobby's.

When he was thirteen, the family moved to san Mateo. Already a piano player, the following year he got his first guitar, a lap steel. His first lessons were frustrating, and then he got lucky. He heard a song by Jerry Byrd, "Steelin' the Blues." Bobby wrote him a fan letter, and got a quick reply teaching him Byrd's C6 tuning. Armed with that information, he taught himself to play by ear.

His slightly younger brother Larry picked up the guitar and as a team they landed their first pro gig with the Double H Boys, a band with a weekly radio show. Later at the ripe age of 17, he and his brother then joined Shorty Joe and the Red Rock Canyon Cowboys, who had a regular gig at Tracy Gardens in San Jose. He'd never forget the place, since in 1952 he got to meet Hank Williams there.

L/R Bob Wills, Bobby Black, Merle Travis

Bobby joined Blackie Crawford and his Western Cherokees, moved to Beaumont Texas, and ended up taking part in some of the first recordings for Starday, an early and important country label. Lots of bands followed as he and his brother scratched for a living, at one point in the sixties even donning green Beatles wigs to play rock and roll. Finally, in 1970 he met Bill Kirchen, the lead guitarist for Commander Cody, at a San Jose venue called Cowtown. The Airmen were a decade younger and a whole lot rowdier, but they loved the country-rock music they played, and he joined up.

Cody guitarist John Tichy reflected: "I always thought we were a bunch of inspired amateurs. All of a sudden, Bobby joins, and the whole thing came together. I realized, `Oh, we're actually pretty damn good!' He tied together all these loose ends, and turned it into a great band." You can hear that on the studio albums Cold Steel, Hot Licks, and Truckers' Favorites (listen to "Truck Driving Man"!), Country Casanova, Tales From the Ozone, and We've Got a Live One Here, and on Live From Deep in the Heart of Texas, recorded at Austin's legendary Armadillo World Headquarters.

Bill Kirchen experienced playing with Bobby with some awe. "Bobby, for me, was the living link to the past. But he also was the most advanced player in the band. We could look all the way back and all the way forward with him. He was the guy who met Hank Williams, started playing in the '40s on a straight (lap) steel... And on the other hand, he was the best bebop player in the band. It was just extraordinary."

Myles Boisen, who curated this collection, wrote: " It has been my great pleasure - and a life-changing experience - to have shared the bandstand, the studio, numerous storytelling sessions, and a great friendship with Mr. Bobby Black. The day Bobby showed up at my recording studio with a large box of unreleased tapes, cassettes, and CDs I knew I had discovered a goldmine that I just had to share with the world. These tracks show Bobby to be not only an important trailblazer on the pedal steel (while still a teenager!) but also a virtuoso with a solid command of western swing, country, jazz, and Hawaiian steel styles. And now, in 2021—
seventy years after joining Shorty Joe Quartuccio's Red Rock Canyon Cowboys—Bobby is still swingin'.

Jerry Garcia told Bobby that the awards he's gotten from Guitar Player as best pedal steel player had embarrassed him. "And people like you are way down the line, and that's not right."

New Riders of the Purple Sage

Garcia was right; Bobby deserved lots more attention, and this collection from Myles is truly called for. Bobby, typically, is humble about it. "All of a sudden, they showed me this presentation, and it really blew my mind . . . I didn't realize it was that serious. I'm just pleasantly surprised by the whole thing. I had never planned that any of this stuff would be heard by other ears. Myles did some miracles in the studio, cleaning up stuff that needed it, made it listenable . . . I'm sure happy about it. It's all a really nice surprise to me."

Bobby Black

Little Village Foundation is a nonprofit record company whose mission is to present music that might otherwise fly under the radar. Learn more at www.littlevillagefoundation.com.

Fri, 10/15/2021 - 8:31 am

Two young men playing authentic original blues, the one-chord trance drone chanting form that preceded what most folks think of as the traditional 12 bar/ AAB lyric structures, might seem like a musical anachronism. But when the song's vocal chant kicks in "get cha foot off my neck," you know it's 2021 and as modern as can be.

This is the work of Memphissippi Sounds, the duo of Damion Pearson and Cameron Kimbrough. Their new release from Little Village is called Welcome to the Land, and was out October 15th. It was recorded at Memphis's legendary Sun Studios and produced by Aki Kumar, a Little Village artist and board member who plays a world class harp himself.

Memphissippi Sounds | Outside Sun Studio | Memphis, Tn | Photo Credit: Aki Kumar

As we know you can guess, Memphissippi is a partnership of musicians (Damion, harmonica, and Cameron, drums—both play guitar and sing as well— from, respectively. Memphis and North Mississippi, which are essentially adjacent and also worlds apart.

Music hasn't changed so much in North Mississippi, so it's less surprising that Cameron was in touch with these original blues, particularly because his grandfather is the well-known Junior Kimbrough.

But Damion grew up on his father's record collection, which featured George Clinton and Parliament/Funkadelic and the Ohio Players. Local and national rap and hip hop, from Playa Fly and Dr. Dre mixed with church every Sunday growing up. He picked up on blues from Memphis's stalwart blues station WDIA, and he studied it seriously, "the older the better for me," from John Lee Hooker to Muddy Waters, Howlin' Wolf, Jimmy Reed, and both Sonny Boys. His family was first-generation Memphis, and the rest of the family still lived in Madison County, Tennessee, some in town and some on the farm, so he was never too far from the blues.

Cameron, from the North Mississippi country village of Pott Camp, "deer hunting, four- wheel riding," did indeed grow up surrounded by the blues....and a few other forms of music. His early favorite was Metallica's "No Leaf Clover" with the San Francisco Symphony. "It was so dramatic." It led to System of a Down, Nirvana, Incubus, and rap, as well as the Holly Springs Saturday morning blues, "a southern soul circuit type of blues." He moved on to years of playing R & B, but his life blew up in his late twenties when the trucking company he worked for got caught selling commercial driver's licenses and Cameron lost his job, his truck, his house,
and his life to that point. Suddenly, the blues were truly meaningful, and he held them close.

When Cameron and Damion met up, something clicked instantly. Damion had never heard hill country old-school groove music, but as soon as he did, he realized he'd been a fish out of water with more conventional blues. "I play with a lot of feeling, which is deeper than a lot of guys on Beale Street doing the 12 bar, so I always felt like I was out of place. Then I found Cam and realized, "this is where my music is, my harmonica can really take off with him and with this kind of music. I was having my own kind of feeling and that feeling, once I really honed in on it, just worked with this type of music. Like James Brown said, `Trust in the one.'
And follow the groove."

Cameron felt the same way. "I think Damion pretty much fed off of my energy of what I was playing, you know, he's a really top guitarist, and so he had the technical way of doing things and I had the spiritual way of doing it. And I think he combined his spirit with my spirit and it just kind of took off from there. We didn't have any conversation, we just started playing together. Actually, we were walking around somewhere playing on the street and we caught people's attention and that's when we started to realize that maybe we got something, because we was just having fun with it, but when we played it seemed to draw people in, and people started asking us what our name was."

Memphissippi Sounds | Sun Studio | Photo Credit: Aki Kumar

Enter Aki Kumar, who'd met Damion at a harmonica workshop in Holly Springs. After "stalking" him on his Instagram page, Aki found out about Memphissippi Sounds and proposed recording. Damion steered them to Sun, which pleased his partner. "Man, I was geeked to be in there recording. I knew, you know, that we might not go platinum, but we got some juju on this one. I was surprised at how fast the engineers worked. Aki really surprised me because he really did play a large part of the ideas that kind of came together ...Just his presence and the way that we all worked well together in that studio. It was like clean, pristine. Everything was fast if you wanted something. They made sure it happened. It was just a smooth operation."

In his first stint as producer, Aki was equally impressed with the duo. Never having seen them play together, he avoided going in "with any kind of predetermined agenda. This instinct was a fairly good one. Both gentlemen, being the seasoned musicians that they are, took very little time getting up and running and required very little direction/course correction. They were jovial, relaxed, free-flowing and took creative chances even while holding themselves to a high musical standard. I'm grateful they were open to whatever inputs and suggestions I provided on occasion."

Cameron Kimbrough and Damion "Yella P" Pearson | Memphissippi Sounds | Photo Credit: Aki Kumar

The album opens with Damion's "Who's Gonna Ride," an anthem to the pandemic, George Floyd, and Black Lives Matter. "Seeing that," he said, "but also personal experiences of seeing friends or myself in those kind of situations, and if something happened to me personally, would the whole world come out, `who's going to ride, who's going to ride with me.' If I can't speak for myself, who is going to ride? Who is going to tell my story? But also there was a Tupac song where he said that as well, who's going to ride, so it's a hip hop saying. If I got to go down there and if I got to march, who's coming with me? It takes a community to make this change and it came out of that as well."

Welcome to the Land isn't all politics. In Cameron's words, "After you get through getting your neck stepped on, you need a little love after that. If you've heard any of my music, 95 percent of it is involved with making love to some woman or trying to figure out what's going on with a woman. And you could never go wrong with that concept and, you know, that's kind of where I am, you know, I want to keep that Kimbrough vibe going. It's really about wooing the woman, loving the woman and the blues—we all get blue. If you can't relate to any other blues, you can relate to a woman leaving."

Raw, by turns searing and romantic, this music will move you. It's a perfect example of why Village Music set out to uncover music that needed a hearing. www.littlevillagefoundation.com

Tue, 10/19/2021 - 9:19 am

Making a truly great live rock and roll album is an enormous challenge, so difficult that they are a rarity. Waiting for Columbus is a consensus member of that very exclusive club.

After two years of Covid-enforced silence, Little Feat has big plans for its return to the stage.  Hard on the heels of their November “By Request” tour, they are planning a March-April 2022 tour that will celebrate the 45th anniversary of the legendary Waiting for Columbus, replicating the album at every stop.

Jerry Garcia once said that making a studio album was like building a ship in a bottle; with skill and oceans of patience, you could make something beautiful.  But playing live and recording it was like being on a ship in a raging storm. Feat’s trademark blend of California rock, funk, folk, jazz, country, rockabilly, and New Orleans swamp boogie rested on a base of improvisational skill and jazz-based chops that made their live shows special, and on Columbus those abilities are on triumphant display.

In August 1977, the band brought along a recording team to four shows in London and then three in Washington, D.C., and they captured sonic gold. Backed by the Tower of Power horn section, with whom they’d recorded Feats Don’t Fail Me Now, they romped through extended versions of a stellar song selection that included “Fat Man in the Bathtub,” “Spanish Moon,” “Dixie Chicken”, “Sailin’ Shoes,” and “Feats Don’t Fail Me Now,” as well as the iconic truck driver’s lament, “Willin’,” the song that got Lowell out of the Mothers of Invention and gave birth to Little Feat.  Generations of listeners have worn out the original vinyl, and the digital world will carry that heritage forward.

Fred Tackett and Paul Barrere | Little Feat

Having passed through ice—the Covid winter of the past eighteen months—Little Feat is ready to bring some fire.  They’ve announced their By Request tour for November 2021, and now they’ve added the Waiting for Columbus tour of March-April 2022.  Happy Feat, indeed.

Waiting for Columbus was Feat’s first live album, and it perfectly captures their consummate playing skill with extended versions of their early classic tunes.  Feat fans have been waiting for this tour for quite a while.

The tour stoppage caused by Covid could not obscure the joy and sparkle of their incredible body of work.  As their newest song, “When All Boats Rise,” puts it:

“When All Boats Rise we will find another pathway / When All Boats Rise we will shine like stars above / When All Boats Rise we can ride the silver skyway / That day is coming soon When All Boats Rise.”

We need that kind of optimistic faith, and Little Feat is ready to supply it.  Feat, do your stuff.   

Bill Payne | Little Feat

Little Feat is very possibly the last-man-standing example of what used to be the norm in American music, a fusion of a broad span of styles and genres into something utterly distinctive.  They combined earthy, organic material with first-rate musicianship in a combination that transcends boundaries.  Feat took California rock, funk, folk, jazz, country, rockabilly, and New Orleans swamp boogie and more, stirred it into a rich gumbo, and has been leading people in joyful dance ever since.

It all began in 1969 when Frank Zappa was smart enough to fire Lowell George from the Mothers of Invention and tell him to go start a band of his own.  Soon after, Lowell connected with Bill Payne, which stirred up sparks.  They then found drummer Richie Hayward, and for a while had Zappa veteran Roy Estrada on bass.

Actually, there were quite a number of bass players in the early days—that seat took a while to fill.  Lowell even considered guitarist Paul Barrére for the role, although as Paul put it, “As most who know the story’s end can tell you, as a bassist I make an excellent guitarist…”   

Bill Payne | Photo credited to Polly Payne

The name was part of the legend.  A member of the Mothers happened to mention Lowell’s small feet to him “with an expletive,” said Paul Barrere.  “Lowell deleted the expletive, and the name was born with Feat instead of Feet, just like the Beatles.  Neat, huh?”

They were quickly signed by Warner Bros. and began working on the first of twelve albums with that venerable company.  The first album, Little Feat, featured the instant-classic tune “Willin’,” and the follow-up Sailin’ Shoes added “Easy to Slip,” “Trouble,” “Tripe Face Boogie,” “Cold Cold Cold” and the title track to their repertoire, as well as a new version of “Willin’” that took it from pure Lowell to a fully-developed band tune.  Estrada departed, and the band signed up (on guitar!) Paul Barrére, Kenny Gradney (bass), and Sam Clayton (percussion), and the latter remain rock-solid members of Little Feat’s rhythm section.   

1973’s Dixie Chicken gave them the title track and “Fat Man in the Bathtub,” as good a blues as any rock band has ever written.  The hits kept coming: the title track from Feats Don’t Fail Me Now (1974), which also gave us “Rock and Roll Doctor,” “Spanish Moon,” and “Oh, Atlanta,” another Southern-based winner (pretty good for a bunch of guys from L.A.!).  1975 saw The Last Record Album and “All That You Dream.”   In 1977, Time Loves a Hero delivered the classic title song, and their career to that point was summed up with the live Waiting for Columbus, truly one of the best live albums rock has ever heard.

Success is hard.  It cost Feat their founder, Lowell George, who in 1979 took a break from working on Down on the Farm to do some solo dates and was struck down by a heart attack.  And it cost the band,  temporarily, their joy; shortly after, they disbanded.

In 1986, Barrere and Payne met up in a chance jam session and found that they could still find that inspiration.  What they had written in ”Hangin’ On To The Good Times Here“— ”…although we went our own ways, we couldn’t escape from where we came, so we find ourselves back at the table again, telling stories of survivors and friends”—was of course true, as with any righteous song.  In 1988 they returned to the road, where they’ve been ever since (excepting the pandemic), joined by Craig Fuller on vocals and Fred Tackett on guitar.  Let It Roll re-introduced them to the world and was followed by Representing the Mambo and then Shake Me Up.  Craig left and Shaun Murphy joined in 1993; early in 2009 she departed the band.    

Live from Neon Park—the name choice was a tribute to the album cover artist most often associated with Feat— was a two-CD set taken from shows at legendary venues like San Francisco’s Fillmore Auditorium and Portland (Oregon)’s Roseland Ballroom.  The studio albums Under The Radar and Chinese Work Songs added new favorite songs, especially “Calling The Children Home” and “Just Another Sunday,” along with creative covers of Dylan, The Band, and Phish songs.

In the early part of the new millennium, Feat started their own Hot Tomato Records and began to share their rich archives with their fans, producing the double CD collections of rarities Raw Tomatos and Ripe Tomatos from both fan and band tapes.  2002 also yielded Live From the Ram’s Head, a two-CD acoustic show, and in ’03 came Down Upon the Suwannee, a live show recorded on the banks of the river at the Magnolia Festival in northern Florida.  Hot Tomato also gave the musicians the freedom to deliver solo work, as well, first with Fred Tackett’s In A Town Like This, and then Bill Payne’s Cielo Norte, an intimate, lyrical marriage of keyboards.

Their studio album from 2003 was Kickin’ It At The Barn, produced by Paul Barrere, Bill Payne, and Fred Tackett. It’s named after the place it was recorded, Tackett’s barn-cum-studio in Topanga Canyon, which lent an invaluable ambience to the undertaking. In his liner notes, faithful Feat member Paul Barrere wrote, ”If music is a conversation between the players, then we are talking like never before…this has been truly one of the most memorable recording projects we’ve done. We started with an idea to write songs on acoustic guitar and piano, like the old days before computers and samples, and then let the band interpret the music.“

Little Feat’s rich legacy was acknowledged at the 25th anniversary of the monumental live album Waiting for Columbus when Rhino Records put out a special two CD edition of the original concert, plus outtakes, along with Hotcakes and Outtakes:  30 Years of Little Feat, a four-CD, 83 track boxed set featuring hits from all of Feat’s albums as well as alternate takes and rarities from a rich past, which has included playing with everybody from Bob Dylan to Beck, Willie Nelson to Bonnie Raitt, Robert Plant, John Lee Hooker, and…you name it.

Join the Band, in many ways a summing up of all that’s preceded it, came in 2009, with re-recordings of their classic songs bringing together a vast slew of musical friends on vocals backed by Feat—Dave Matthews on “Fat Man,” Jimmy Buffett on “Champion of the World,” Emmylou Harris on “Sailin’ Shoes.”  Bill Payne said it was about locating their influences.  In some ways, it documents the way they’ve influenced the musicians who listen to them.  And it certainly documents a musical career.

Fred Tackett | Little Feat

Their latest studio work is Rooster Rag, by critical consensus their best studio album in twenty years, featuring four songs co-written by Payne and the Grateful Dead’s legendary lyricist Robert Hunter, four breakout songs by Fred Tackett, and a superb collaboration between Paul Barrere and the late Stephen Bruton.

If you play long enough—and Little Feat has—you have to face everything.  Richie Hayward, the sterling drummer who’d held down the beat for nearly forty years, was finally taken down by liver cancer in 2010.  The same grim pursuer caught up with Paul Barrere in 2019.  Paul will always be missed, yet paradoxically his absence also confirmed the stunning power of the music that Little Feat has made for so very long.

Paul’s health was precarious, and so the band needed a substitute for the last two shows in a three-week run in October, 2019, with Larry Campbell and Teresa Williams.  They found their sub in Scott Sharrard, a frequent sit-in with Bill Payne’s other band, the Doobie Brothers. Scott is best known for his role as guitarist and musical director with the late Gregg Allman, but he’s had a long and successful career in addition to that.  Born in Michigan in 1976 on the day his hero Freddie King died, he came up in the bar band culture of Milwaukee in the ‘90s, where on a given night you could hear Buddy Miles, Hubert Sumlin, Luther Allison, and Clyde Stubblefield.  Soon he was catching on with dates in Chicago, where he jammed with two legendary Muddy Waters sidemen, drummer Willie “Big Eyes” Smith and pianist Pinetop Perkins.

Scott’s band The Chesterfields put out three albums and toured nationally, and then he went out on his own, releasing Dawnbreaker (2005), Analog/Monolog (2008), Ante Up (2009), and most recently, Saving Grace, recorded in Muscle Shoals at FAME studio with members of the legendary Swampers and Bernard “Pretty” Purdie.

His time with Gregg Allman was rich, peaking when they co-wrote “My Only True Friend” for Gregg’s last solo album, Southern Blood.  The song earned a Grammy nomination for Americana Song of the Year.

His relationship with Little Feat goes surprisingly far back.  At the age of 12 he stayed up late to watch Feat play “Let It Roll” on “Saturday Night Live, what he called “one of my big bang moments.”  He went on, “I grew up with the lifestyle of the way Little Feat music was crafted and Lowell George was a key influence of mine.  I was an overweight, Midwestern middle class white kid and when I heard Lowell sing and play—he kind of proved to me what might be possible for who I was.  It was that deep for me as a kid.”

So when he got a call from Bill Payne in the fall of 2019 to fill in for Paul on two gigs (Long Island and Pennsylvania), “I took it as seriously as a heart attack.  See, the Doobie Brothers guys have been big supporters of mine and when Gregg Allman passed they adopted (Gregg Allman Band percussionist) Marc Quiñones and our road manager Vid Sutherland  and a bunch of other people.  So when Bill was looking for someone, he was on tour with the Doobies and everyone was like Scott Sharrard.  And Bill had played with me—I’d sat in with the Doobies dozens of times, just playing guitar, but I never sang with them.  So his concern was that, checking out my vocals.”

“I got the catalogue together, came to do the first gig.  It was on Long Island, and I had never met Kenny, Sam or Fred before.  I knew the horns because one of them, Jay Collins, was with Gregg Allman and the other guys I knew from when I used to work at Levon Helm’s Studio. And as I was checking out my rig and getting to meet the crew, the word came that Paul had passed away.   When I met Kenny and Fred and Sam for the first time, the first thing I had to do was give my condolences.  And then the announcement of his passing was the first thing that happened when I went on stage with Little Feat to hit the first note with them.  The fans didn't even know he passed away.”

 

“Those two gigs became kind of a very spiritual moment for the band, and I just brought whatever I had to the table as a fan first and then as a musician and it worked, it just worked.  I haven't had a lot of coincidences in my life and this was definitely one of the more powerful spaces I've ever been in where I feel like I was in the right place at the right time for the right reasons.”

Scott Sharrard | Photo: Danny Clinch

Tony Leone was announced as the new drummer during the pandemic.  Best known for his 2002 collaboration with Amy Helm, Olabelle, his work in the Chris Robinson Band, Phil Lesh and Friends, and as a member of Levon Helm’s Midnight Ramble Band, Tony actually moved through Little Feat orbits several times over the years.  Paul and Fred played on Levon’s Ramble show, which led to the Midnight Ramble Band playing with Feat in Jamaica at least four times.  Tony was also twice a member of Anders Osborne’s Jazzfest spinoff band Dead Feat.

Tony recalled “fanboying” out on Richie when they first met, and assuming his seat is an honor he takes seriously.  “I can honestly say that almost every time I sit down behind the drums, there are a few guys that I always think of.  One of them is Levon Helm. And another one is Richie Hayward.  The thing that both of them had in common was their feel.  It wasn't necessarily their pyrotechnical abilities to astound the audience with their virtuosity or anything like that. It was like, no, when they sat down to play a song, immediately that thing had a groove that made the music dance, and made the people want to dance…The first tune I remember hearing that I knew it was Levon was “Up on Cripple Creek” and then the first Little Feat tune that I remember hearing was “Dixie Chicken” and they’ve both got that swampy backbeat shuffle thing going on.”

Tony Leone | Little Feat

“Whenever I'm going to play those tunes, I'm always going to consult what Richie played first and I'm always going to try to play those parts with integrity.  And not to be a clone, but to try and give them a certain feel that he had.”

You can go a number of ways when you spend your life on the road.  You can get eaten up by the stresses and quit, or you can hold on to your music and your friends and the joy of the people out front and keep the priorities straight the way the Featsters have.

Fifty years on, they’ve been up and they’ve been down and they know where they belong—standing or sitting behind their instruments, playing for you.  And anything’s possible, because the end is not in sight.

Hearing it again is something every Feat Fan looks forward to.  It’s time to lace up your dancing shoes.

Little Feat 2021-22 features Bill Payne (keyboards, vocals), Kenny Gradney (bass), Sam Clayton (percussion and vocals), Fred Tackett (guitars and vocals), Scott Sharrard (guitars and vocals), and Tony Leone (drums).

V.I.P. pre-sales begin October 20th.  General sales kick off Friday, October 22nd.  For more information, go to www.littlefeat.net.

Tour Dates:

March 4 – Columbus, OH – The Southern Theatre*

March 5 – Kalamazoo, MI – Kalamazoo State Theatre*

March 7 – Milwaukee, WI – The Pabst Theater*

March 8 – Des Moines, IA – Hoyt Sherman Place*

March 10 – Chicago, IL – The Chicago Theatre*

March 11 – Chesterfield, MO – The Factory at the District*

March 13 – Nashville, IN – Brown County Music Center*

March 14 – Cincinnati, OH – Taft Theatre*

March 16 – Nashville, TN – Ryman Auditorium*

March 17 – Nashville, TN – Ryman Auditorium#

March 19 – Knoxville, TN – Tennessee Theatre#

March 20 – Birmingham, AL – Alabama Theatre#

March 22 – Atlanta, GA – Atlanta Symphony Hall#

March 23 – Mobile, AL – Mobile Saenger Theatre#

March 25 – New Orleans, LA - Saenger Theatre#

March 26 – Houston, TX – 713 Music Hall#

March 27 – Dallas, TX – Majestic Theater#

April 9 –    Akron, OH – Akron Civic Theatre>

April 10 – Rochester, NY – Kodak Center>

April 19 – Richmond, VA – Dominion Energy Center#

April 20 – Virginia Beach, VA – Sandler Center for the Performing Arts#

April 21 – Durham, NC – Carolina Theatre of Durham#

*Ida Mae is support

#Amy Helm is support

>Raye Zaragoza is support

Wed, 10/27/2021 - 11:07 am

Early in 1980, Steve Kimock joined former Grateful Dead members Keith and Donna Jean Godchaux’s Heart of Gold Band, which already happened to have Greg Anton as its drummer.  Keith fell victim to a car accident and the Heart of Gold Band went away, but the connection that Greg and Steve shared has endured.  The duo immediately recorded an album of new music which would be released decades later, then started a band.  Having gone through many, many names, Greg asked Steve how many were left on the list to consider: “Zero” was the answer, and Zero became the quintessential jazz/rock psychedelic band, a pioneer of the “jam” band scene.

They went years without vocals, creating such instrumental-only gems as Here Goes Nothin (1987) and Nothin’ Goes Here (1990), albums so good that Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab re-released them, and then Go Hear Nothin’ (1991).  Along the way they played with some of the Bay Area’s greatest talent:  John Cipollina, John Kahn, Banana, Martin Fierro, Hadi Al Saadoon, Bobby Vega, Nicky Hopkins, John Farey, Vince Welnick, Merl Saunders, Tony Saunders, Liam Hanrahan, Chip Roland, and Steve Wolf.

A casual conversation with Grateful Dead lyricist Robert Hunter in the early ‘90s sent the band in a new direction, and they added vocalist Judge Murphy.  In 1992, when Zero gathered for three nights at the Great American Music Hall to perform their new songs with Hunter lyrics, they had Grateful Dead sound director Dan Healy on board to record them, and the result was the brilliant and beloved Chance in a Million.

As bands will, Zero came and went—and always came back, to the extent of 1,300 shows and eight albums.  After their incendiary set at the 1999 30th anniversary Oregon Country Fair, the Fair manager said, “You guys want to be on the 50th anniversary bill?”  “Sure,” and they shook hands….20 years later, In July 2019, Zero returned to headline the Country Fair stage.

“People,” said Anton, “used the word magic to describe it.  We worked, as Zero does. One thing Steve and I have is a shared work ethic.  We played for many hours before each show‚ because the songs needed to be honored.”

Magic is hard to catch but impossible to forget, so Zero flies again.

In February 2022 they will celebrate a record release of more material from those Chance In a Million shows in San Francisco, this time at the Fillmore.   Nothing beats Zero.

2/3 Thu The Fillmore, SF

Tue, 11/09/2021 - 11:35 am

With Little Feat returning to the stage this Thursday the 11th in Port Chester, New York, the band wanted to share even more widely Bill Payne’s letter to Feat Fans.  It goes a long way to explain the music and the magical bond among them that has allowed them to overcome losing Lowell (George), then Richie (Hayward), then Paul (Barrere): the music, and the pleasure of sharing it with audiences, is more than enough to keep them playing on.

"I just completed the Doobie Brothers’ 50th Anniversary Tour on October 29th. A few weeks ago I let them know I would be committing 100% to Little Feat from here on. I came to that decision not least because Little Feat has been brought into a relationship with Vector Management in Nashville, headed by Ken Levitan, and our day-to-day manager, Brian Penix. Ken has assembled a team of folks that will work with our team, including Dick and Linda Bangham, Seth Rappaport, and Dennis McNally, along with our friends and family. It is an extraordinary opportunity for all of us. We could not be in more capable hands.

"I leave the Doobies with some great memories, and, most importantly, lasting friendships. Both bands go back a long way. They could not have been more supportive of my return full time to Little Feat. My wife, Polly, and I are forever grateful to them for allowing us a safe haven over the years, along with their unwavering kindness. I truly enjoyed playing music with the gang. I congratulate them on being admitted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. They are unquestionably deserving of that honor.

Bill Payne | Little Feat | Photo: Alan Sheckter

"Little Feat is now officially back and ready to tour. We can’t wait. We are excited about a world of music that is open to us to explore, perform, and share. That said, I need to let everyone know that while we look forward to seeing everyone, we will have to do it from the stage. Like the Doobies tour, Little Feat will be in a Covid-free bubble. We won’t be able to visit with anyone on this tour. We simply can’t afford to bring things to a halt by anyone in the band or crew testing positive. I know most of you will understand this position. My hope is next year will allow us the chance to share a round of hugs. Until then, we’ll give you everything we have from the stage. We love you and want us all to be safe.

"The future for Little Feat looks, and is, indeed, bright. Look for reissues of our catalogue, previously unreleased historical recordings, and new music from the band."

 Bill Payne, November 2021

Tue, 12/07/2021 - 10:09 am

It turns out that Feat Fans were as excited about the return of Little Feat as the band members.  After the warm reception they gave the “By Request Tour” in November, we added more shows in the South in January, leading to Feat Camp in Jamaica.  Then we announced the “Waiting for Columbus Tour,” which will start March 4th in Columbus, Ohio.  And that was clearly not enough.

So put on your dancing shoes, because Feat is adding more shows.

Little Feat returns to New York City in April, with a show at the Beacon Theatre on April 12, 2022.  The David Bromberg Band will open.  They will also play the F. M. Kirby Center in Wilkes Barre on the 15th and DAR Constitution Hall in Washington, DC, on the 16th, with Hot Tuna acoustic opening.

The first leg of “Waiting for Columbus” will end on April 21 in Durham, and the band will take a break.

Waiting for Columbus tour!

And briefly resume, still under the “Waiting for Columbus” banner, on May 26th in Asheville, NC.  Asheville will be followed by two festivals, Rooster Walk (Martinsville, VA) and the Summer Camp Festival in Chillicothe, IL, in the last week of May – check dates at www.littlefeat.net.

And then a decent-sized break, to get ready for a serious summer tour starting July 26 in Missouri and running to mid-August in Arizona, mostly accompanied by Hot Tuna acoustic.  What’s not to like?

But wait, there’s more!  As part of coming back together, the band re-recorded the classic “Fat Man in a Bathtub.”  It will premiere on December 9 at Jambands.com, and it’s smoking.

Camp Feat in Jamaica

Jan 29, Sat to February 4th, Friday.  Jewel Paradise Cove Resort, Runaway Bay, Jamaica!

Please note that all new shows except San Diego and Savannah will have a presale that begins on Wednesday, December 8, at 10 a.m. local time.  Public on-sale will be on Friday, December 10, at 10 a.m. local time.

New Shows

April 12, Tu      Beacon Theatre, New York, NY (David Bromberg Band)

April 15, Fri       F.M. Kirby Center for the Performing Arts, Wilkes-Barre, PA (Hot Tuna acoustic)

April 16, Sat     DAR Constitution Hall, Washington, DC (Hot Tuna acoustic)

April 23, Sat     Johnny Mercer Theatre, Savannah, GA (Support TBD)

April 24, Sun     Knight Theater, Charlotte, NC (Support TBD)

May 26, Thu     Harrah's Cherokee Center Asheville, Asheville, NC   

May 26-29        Rooster Walk, Martinsville, VA

May 27-29        Summer Camp Festival, Chillicothe, IL

July 26, Tu       Gillioz Theatre, Springfield, MO (Andy McKee)

July 27, Wed     Uptown Theater, Kansas City, MO

July 29, Fri       Fiddler's Green Amphitheatre, Greenwood Village, CO (Hot Tuna acoustic)

Aug 1, Mon       Sandy Amphitheater, Salt Lake City, UT (Hot Tuna acoustic)

Aug 3, Wed      The ELM, Bozeman, MT (Hot Tuna acoustic)

Aug 4, Th          KettleHouse Amphitheater, Bozeman, MT (Hot Tuna acoustic)

Aug 6, Sat        Moore Theatre, Seattle, WA (Hot Tuna acoustic)

Aug 7, Sun        Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall, Portland, OR (Hot Tuna acoustic)     

Aug 9, Tu          Fox Theater, Oakland, CA

Aug 10, Wed    Crest Theatre, Sacramento, CA

Aug12, Fri        Theatre at Ace Hotel, Los Angeles, CA (Hot Tuna acoustic)

Aug 14, Su       Humphrey’s Concerts by the Bay, San Diego, CA (Hot Tuna acoustic)   

Aug15, Mon      Celebrity Theatre, Phoenix, AZ (Hot Tuna acoustic)

Late August      Big Blues Bender, Las Vegas, NV (exact date tbd).

For a list of ALL tour dates, links to purchase tickets and more information: www.littlefeat.net

Fri, 01/07/2022 - 11:19 am

On January 11th, Tsunami Books in Eugene will publish Merry Prankster Ken Babbs’ memoir Cronies, a tale of his time with the LSD avatar and literary genius Ken Kesey, his young friends the Grateful Dead, and the Merry Prankster’s trip across America in the bus Furthur, as immortalized by Tom Wolfe’s The Electric Koolaid Acid Test.

On January 14th at 5 pm pacific, Ken will share his stories with his friend, the Grateful Dead’s possibly tallest and definitely most enthusiastic fan, retired NBA superstar Bill Walton, on behalf of Portland (Oregon)’s legendary Powell Books at https://bit.ly/3drGEQD.

Bill Walton  photo credit: Ram Rod

There are many possibilities here; the harmonic convergence may be completed…complete societal understanding may be achieved.  Or astounding hilarity may break out.  In any case, you need to see and hear this.

How to order the book: go to http://www.tsunamibooks.org/shop/cronies-a-burlesque

Tue, 03/08/2022 - 11:36 am

Few instruments in the history of rock music can rival Phil Lesh’s “Mission Control” bass as an example of technical advance and as a medium for musical virtuosity.  Jason Scheuner, its owner, is a Board member of the Grateful Guitars Foundation (GGF), which seeks to make sophisticated instruments available to the very best of jam band musicians.

In pursuit of that goal, he has chosen the world-class luthier Leo Elliott of Scarlet Fire Guitars, already well-known for his stunning reproductions of Jerry Garcia style guitars, to “be the first person to evaluate ‘Mission Control’ for the purpose of making another one,” said Schuener.  “He’ll be using laser-driven 3D imaging to create a “Reference Example” that is so accurate that the Scarlet Fire Mission Control could be used as a prototype in the future.”

Andy Logan, President of the GGF, added: “We are immensely grateful to Jason Scheuner for allowing Leo the necessary access to the bass and we so appreciate the technical assistance of its original luthier, Rick Turner. Grateful Guitars exists to get world-class instruments into the hands of jam band players and there is no bass in the world that is more iconic than Phil Lesh’s Mission Control.”

Lost for over 40 years, the visually stunning bass, hand-built at Alembic by luthier Rick Turner, was initially created as part of the Grateful Dead’s legendary Wall of Sound. This groundbreaking instrument was played by Phil Lesh at some of the Grateful Dead's most legendary shows between 1974 and 1979 and will be lovingly reproduced to the exact style and sound of the original masterpiece.

Originally named Osiris, it has a Rick Turner laminated neck-through body design. Doug Irwin designed the original pick-up ring. It has unique details, featuring exotic materials and electronics. Osage orange wood, Koa, Brazilian rosewood, Abalone mother of pearl, brass, opal, and lapis lazuli are some of the materials woven into the visually extraordinary treasure.

Scarlet Fire guitars is a company based out of Dallas, Texas, that produces high quality custom instruments. SFG has been working closely with Grateful Guitars Foundation since 2012 to provide quality instruments to working musicians.   The Foundation is a 501c3 nonprofit.

Mon, 03/14/2022 - 12:33 pm

Beginning in 1960, Arhoolie Records gathered and shared a wide swath of one of America’s most precious artifacts, its roots music.  The Arhoolie Foundation continues to steward this great legacy, and on March 26th at 6 pm (Pacific) will celebrate with a streaming 75-minute video, “The Arhoolie Awards,” which will feature archival footage, contemporary performances by some wonderful newcomers, the warm presence of host Charlie Musselwhite, and awards to groups and individuals who help nurture the tradition and ensure that it stays vital and rewarding.

The show is an extraordinary kaleidoscope of performers and styles, from the pioneering country vocalist Rose Maddox to the incredible work of Miko Marks (and the Resurrectors), a young Black woman ripping up Hank Williams’ “Move It On Over.”  One of Arhoolie’s favored musical realms is mariachi music, and we get to see Lalo Guerrero, the musical conscience of Mexican America, backed by Mariachi Los Gavilanes of Oakland, and then the delightful young women of Dueto Dos Rosas, who are enjoying amazing success on the internet.  The story includes a trip to the bayou country west of New Orleans and the Cajun music of the Savoy family.

The awards go to the venerable, like Bobby Black, one of the first generation of pedal steel players in America, and to the youth-centric Jalopy Theatre and School of Music in Brooklyn, with a special thank you to the legendary blues harp player and vocalist Charlie Musselwhite.

Music is the expressed heart of the American experience, and comes in a wide array of forms, each a floor, as Leonard Cohen put it, in the Tower of Song.  Arhoolie seemingly has an office on every floor:  just look.

“The Arhoolie Awards” will be available on nugs.net, the Arhoolie Foundation websites, and many of the performers’ websites.

Segment one: Old Time/Folk music

Archive: Maria Muldaur with Eric and Suzy Thompson – “In My Girlish Days” (2010)

New filmed performance: Nora Brown - “Cold Creek March” (using legendary New Lost City Rambler founder John Cohen’s banjo)

Arhoolie Award Winner – Jalopy Theatre and School of Music, Brooklyn

Segment Two: Country

Archive: Rose Maddox (with C&W Band): “Mule Skinner Blues” (1990)

New Filmed performance: Miko Marks and the Resurrectors – “Move It On Over”

Arhoolie Award Winner – Bobby Black

Segment Three: Sacred Steel

Archive: Campbell Brothers – “Amazing Grace” (2010)

New Filmed Performance: Alvin Lee (Lee Boys) and Dontrail Wright – “Don’t Let The Devil Ride”

Arhoolie Award Winner: Chuck Campbell

Segment Four: Mexican American Music

Archive: Mariachi Los Gavilanes de Oakland with Lalo Guerrero – “La Canción Mexicana” (1995)

New filmed performance: Las Dos Rosas – “Tu Conciencia”

Arhoolie Award Winner: Ruben Castillo Juarez, Los Pingüinos del Norte

Segment Five: Cajun Music

Savoy Smith Band (with Ed Littlefield) – “Amede Two Step” (1995)

New Filmed performance: Joel Savoy/Wilson Savoy – “Poor Hobo”

Arhoolie Award Winner (Patron of Traditional Music): Ed Littlefield

Chris Strachwitz Legacy Award:  Charlie Musselwhite

Thu, 03/31/2022 - 4:03 pm

But wait, there’s more.

Little Feat exploded out of its Covid hiatus with a fan-favorite “By Request Tour,” then began their tribute to the legendary live recording Waiting for Columbus, playing the song suite at every show.  It culminated in two recent shows in Nashville shot for PBS that featured multiple guests; the show will broadcast later this year.

The shows were volcanic, with band and guests throwing down their A games.  They all had so much fun that a number of the guests decided they wanted more.  So on April 12th at the Beacon Theatre in New York City, the audience will see and hear not only Little Feat, complete with horn section, but also:

Rosanne Cash, musical heir to America’s first family of song, the Carters and the Cashes.

Tommy Emmanuel, fingerpicking acoustic guitar master.

Steve Kimock, guitar wizard and sublime jam-band maestro.

Bettye Lavette, whose unique blend of blues, gospel, funk and soul placed her in the Blues Hall of Fame and onstage at President Obama’s inaugural.

John Leventhal, multiple Grammy winning singer, songwriter, producer, and multi-instrumentalist monster.

Oh by the way, the David Bromberg Quintet will open.  Be there or be….you know.

Tickets:  https://www.ticketmaster.com/little-feat-new-york-new-york-04-12-2022/event/3B005B8426233321?camefrom=CFC_MSG

Fri, 05/20/2022 - 9:30 am

Zero, one of the creators of improvisational jam band music and a band that became a San Francisco musical institution, is pleased to release a new live double album, Naught Again. It is a super-high-fidelity recording of previously unreleased tracks from an epic three-night-run at the Great American Music Hall in 1992. 

Music by guitarist Steve Kimock and drummer Greg Anton, with lyrics by Robert Hunter; it’s Zero music at its best with masterful playing by an all-star cast: Nicky Hopkins (Rolling Stones), Vince Welnick (Grateful Dead), John Kahn (Jerry Garcia Band), Bobby Vega, Pete Sears, Martin Fierro, Liam Hanrahan, Judge Murphy, with spoken-word prologues and epilogues by Robert Hunter himself.

On top of sublime performances from all on hand, what makes it remarkable is how stunningly good it sounds—the combination of recording by Dan Healy (creator of The Grateful Dead’s live concert sound), with the magical mixing of Brian Risner (Weather Report), has resulted in a truly pristine live record.

Digital and Double-CD versions are available now at www.thebandzero.com

A Double Vinyl edition will be out October 14, the thirtieth anniversary of the Chance in a Million sessions that produced this album.

And here’s a short video trailer for the release:  https://youtu.be/jW9GIfBktd4 

Wed, 05/25/2022 - 8:29 am

It’s fitting that Little Feat is on the road this summer as the group celebrates the upcoming 45th anniversary of Waiting For Columbus, one of the greatest live albums ever made. Released in 1978, the live double album featured memorable performances of songs (“Dixie Chicken,” “Willin’” and “Time Loves A Hero”) that spanned the group’s fantastic career. The first song from the new set, “Fat Man In The Bathtub,” recorded at The Rainbow in London, is available now.

To make the album, Little Feat (backed by the Tower of Power horn section) recorded several shows in the U.K. and U.S. during the band’s 1977 summer tour. Rhino will include three of those performances, which have never been released, in a new boxed set for the album’s 45th anniversary. The unreleased concerts were recorded in Manchester at Manchester City Hall (7/29/77), London at The Rainbow (8/2/77), and Washington D.C. at Lisner Auditorium (8/10/77).

WAITING FOR COLUMBUS: SUPER DELUXE EDITION is an 8-CD boxed set that will be released on July 29 for $99.98. It includes a newly remastered version of the original double album on CD and three unreleased concerts. In addition, all the music will be available on the same day from digital and streaming services and is available for pre-order now.

Rhino.com is offering multiple bundles of the new collection that will be released the same day, including the Super Deluxe Edition ($139.98) bundled a with a newly remastered 2LP edition of the original album and a reissue of the Japanese 7” single for “Oh Atlanta” b/w “Willin’.”

Little Feat originally released Waiting For Columbus on February 10, 1978. The platinum-certified double album cemented the band’s reputation as one of the premier live bands of the 1970s. When it was recorded, the group included: Lowell George (vocals, guitar), Paul Barrere (guitar, vocals), Bill Payne (keyboard, vocals), Richie Hayward (drums, vocals), Sam Clayton (percussion, vocals), and Kenny Gradney (bass).

Waiting For Columbus touches on songs from all six of the studio albums Little Feat released between 1971 and 1977. The dynamic performances showcase the sextet’s inimitable fusion of blues, country, jazz, and New Orleans R&B on signature tracks like “Fat Man In The Bathtub,” “Oh Atlanta,” and “Sailin’ Shoes.”

WAITING FOR COLUMBUS: SUPER DELUXE EDITION is the definitive edition of this classic. It includes unreleased live versions of songs that appeared on the original (“Rocket In My Pocket” and “Spanish Moon”), along with several that didn’t, like “Cold, Cold, Cold,” “Rock And Roll Doctor,” “Skin It Back” and a cover of Allen Toussaint’s “On Your Way Down.”

WAITING FOR COLUMBUS: SUPER DELUXE EDITION
CD/LP Track Listing:

CD/LP One: Original Album
“Join The Band”
“Fat Man In The Bathtub”
“All That You Dream”
“Oh Atlanta”
“Old Folks Boogie”
“Time Loves A Hero”
“Day Or Night”
“Mercenary Territory”
“Spanish Moon”
 
CD/LP Two: Original Album
“Dixie Chicken”
“Tripe Face Boogie”
“Rocket In My Pocket”
“Willin’”
“Don’t Bogart That Joint”
“A Apolitical Blues”
“Sailin’ Shoes”
“Feats Don’t Fail Me Now”

CD Three: Live at Manchester City Hall (7/29/77)
“Walkin’ All Night” *
“Skin It Back” *
“Fat Man In The Bathtub” *
“Red Streamliner” *
“Oh Atlanta” *
“Day At The Dog Races” *
“All That You Dream” *
“On Your Way Down” *
“Time Loves A Hero” *
“Day Or Night” *
 
CD Four: Live at Manchester City Hall (7/29/77)
“Rock And Roll Doctor” *
“Old Folks Boogie” *
“Dixie Chicken” *
“Tripe Face Boogie” *
“Willin’/Don’t Bogart That Joint” *
“Feats Don’t Fail Me Now” *
“Rocket In My Pocket” *
“Sailin’ Shoes” *
“Teenage Nervous Breakdown” *

CD Five: Live at The Rainbow, London, (8/2/77)
“Walkin’ All Night” *
“Fat Man In The Bathtub” *
“Red Streamliner” *
“Oh Atlanta” *
“Day At The Dog Races” *
“All That You Dream” *
“Mercenary Territory”
“On Your Way Down” *
“Skin It Back”
“Old Folks Boogie” *
 
CD Six: Live at The Rainbow, London, (8/2/77)
“Rock And Roll Doctor” *
“Cold Cold Cold” *
“Dixie Chicken” *
“Tripe Face Boogie” *
“Willin’/Don’t Bogart That Joint” *
“Feats Don’t Fail Me Now” *
“Rocket In My Pocket”
“Spanish Moon” *
“A Apolitical Blues” *
“Teenage Nervous Breakdown” *

CD Seven: Live at Lisner Auditorium, Washington, D.C. (8/10/77)
“Walkin’ All Night” *
“Red Streamliner” *
“Fat Man In The Bathtub” *
“Day At The Dog Races” *
“All That You Dream” *
“On Your Way Down”
“Time Loves A Hero” *
“Day Or Night” *
“Skin It Back” *

CD Eight: Live at Lisner Auditorium, Washington, D.C. (8/10/77)
“Oh Atlanta” *
“Old Folks Boogie” *
“Dixie Chicken” *
“Tripe Face Boogie” *
“Feats Don’t Fail Me Now” *
“Rocket In My Pocket” *
“Sailin’ Shoes” *
“Teenage Nervous Breakdown” *
 
* Previously Unreleased

WAITING FOR COLUMBUS 45TH ANNIVERSARY TOUR
Tour Dates

JUNE
2-4    Camp Greensky Music Festival 2022    Caledonia, MI

JULY
21    Taft Theatre                 Cincinnati, OH
23    Brown County Music Center         Nashville, IN
24    The Factory At The District         Chesterfield, MO
26    Gillioz Theatre                Springfield, MO
27    Uptown Theater                 Kansas City, MO
29    Fiddler's Green Amphitheatre         Englewood, CO

AUGUST
1    Sandy Amphitheater             Sandy, UT
3    The Elm                     Bozeman, MT
4    Kettlehouse Amphitheater         Bonner, MT
6    Moore Theatre                 Seattle, WA
7    Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall         Portland, OR
9    Fox Theater                 Oakland, CA
10    Crest Theatre                 Sacramento, CA
12    Theatre At Ace Hotel             Los Angeles, CA
14    Humphreys Concerts By The Bay     San Diego, CA
15    Celebrity Theatre             Phoenix, AZ
26    The Big Blues Bender 2022        Las Vegas, NV

SEPTEMBER
16    Knight Theater                 Charlotte, NC
17    Watermelon Pickers Festival 2022    Berryville, VA
25    Point Of The Bluff Vineyards        Hammondsport, NY

Tue, 05/31/2022 - 1:08 pm

The Phantom Blues Band has backed Taj Mahal for about forever, and as first-call L.A. session cats, played behind lots of other greats, from Bonnie Raitt and Etta James to Joe Cocker and Bob Marley.  After years behind Taj, they began to release their own albums, and that’s told below.

The kicker is that their new release Blues for Breakfast is on Little Village, a unique non-profit record company that seeks out music that might not otherwise be heard—which is not a problem for the Phantoms.  The real reason that Little Village is presenting this collection is that all proceeds will go to a music school named for the Phantom’s late keyboardist, a much-beloved man named Mike Finnigan.

The band asked veteran Los Angeles music maven Bill Bentley to tell the story:

For all his considerable musical talents, Taj Mahal has always been shrewd. And smart.  In the early 1990s he knew he’d assembled something special in his backing band. He dubbed his secret weapon the Phantom Blues Band.

After helping Taj win two Grammys and gain three other nominations, the band members realized they could stand on their own. The Phantom Blues Band began assembling what would become Out Of The Shadows in 2006, an album that stretched the band and won raves at every turn.

The Phantom Blues Band - drummer Tony Braunagel, bassist/singer Larry Fulcher, guitarist/singer Johnny Lee Schell, saxophonists Joe Sublett, trumpeter Darrell Leonard and keyboardist/singer Mike Finnigan – has been a resilient unit. At various times, its members have backed just about every marquis band you can name, but they continued to support Taj when he needed them.

On its own, Phantom has recorded Out Of The Shadows and Footprints in 2007 for Delta Groove and Inside Out in 2012 and Still Cookin’ in 2020, both for VizzTone.  Album after album featured the same musicians, although at one point Les Lovitt replaced Leonard on trumpet.

It’s a rather remarkable testimonial that these guys who are first-call sidemen for people such as Bonnie Raitt, Etta James, Joe Cocker, Robert Cray, Eric Burdon, Bob Marley among others always seem to come back to their nest with the Phantom Blues Band.  Unusual allegiance and true camaraderie come to mind as character traits.

So it was especially painful during the pandemic shadow in 2020 when Finnigan was diagnosed with cancer. Finnigan held his own place in the music industry. Through the years, he played on hundreds of records and thousands of shows with artists as varied as Janis Joplin, Jimi Hendrix and Crosby, Stills & Nash. He made it through the Still Cookin’ album, but succumbed to his illness in August 2021.

The Phantom Blues Band wasn’t going to let that knock them out. They recruited veteran Jim Pugh on keyboards (Etta James, Robert Cray, Chris Isaak) and immediately set about to produce an album in tribute to the fallen Finnigan.

Schell and Fulcher handle most of the vocals on the new album, which is scheduled for a July 4th release on Pugh’s Little Village record label.  The band invited two of its long-time musical companions – Bonnie Raitt and Curtis Salgado – to pitch in on the effort.

As a tribute to Finnigan, proceeds from the new CD will be donated to the Mike Finnigan School of Music at the Stiefel Theater in Salina, Kansas.  It is surely an honor Finnigan, a native of Kansas, would smile at.

The members of the Phantom Blues Band can take plenty of pride from their aggregated musical experiences, but they know this project is something special.

Of course, Taj Mahal could have probably told you that they could do this long ago.  He believed in them first.

Information on the music school: https://www.stiefeltheatre.org/school-of-music

Little Village: www.littlevillagefoundation.com

Tue, 05/31/2022 - 10:47 am

Zero returns to the stage this summer and fall, and that’s very good news for fans of improvisational music.  The list of shows is below.

The background:  Early in 1980, Steve Kimock joined former Grateful Dead members Keith and Donna Jean Godchaux’s Heart of Gold Band, which already happened to have Greg Anton as its drummer. Keith fell victim to a car accident and the Heart of Gold Band went away, but the connection that Greg and Steve shared has endured.  The duo immediately recorded an album of new music which would be released decades later, then started a band.  Having gone through many, many names, Greg asked Steve how many were left on the list to consider: “Zero” was the answer, and Zero became the quintessential jazz/rock psychedelic band, a pioneer of the “jam” band scene.

They went years without vocals, creating such instrumental-only gems as Here Goes Nothin (1987) and Nothin’ Goes Here (1990), albums so good that Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab re-released them, and then Go Hear Nothin’ (1991).  Along the way they played with some of the Bay Area’s greatest talent:  John Cipollina, John Kahn, Banana, Martin Fierro, Hadi Al Saadoon, Bobby Vega, Nicky Hopkins, John Farey, Vince Welnick, Merl Saunders, Tony Saunders, Liam Hanrahan, Chip Roland, and Steve Wolf.

A casual conversation with Grateful Dead lyricist Robert Hunter in the early ‘90s sent the band in a new direction, and they added vocalist Judge Murphy.  In 1992, when Zero gathered for three nights at the Great American Music Hall to perform their new songs with Hunter lyrics, they had Grateful Dead sound director Dan Healy on board to record them, and the result was the brilliant and beloved Chance in a Million.  In February, they released more tracks from the run, Naught Again.  Beautifully mixed by Brian Risner, it has earned cheers from critics and fans alike.

Magic is hard to catch but impossible to forget, so Zero flies again:  after 1,300 shows and eight albums, Zero resumes live performance to support their ninth and latest album, Naught Again – and because it’s what they love to do.  Nothing beats Zero.

To keep up with Zero, go to www.thebandzero.com.

The Tour:  

7.28.22    Neptune Theatre - Seattle
https://www.ticketmaster.com/event/0F005C6B9D1D678B

7.29.22    Aladdin Theater – Portland
bit.ly/Zero2022

7.20.22    WOW Hall – Eugene
https://www.ticketweb.com/event/zero-wow-hall-tickets/11589255

10.15.22    Fillmore Auditorium – San Francisco
https://www.ticketmaster.com/event/1C005B4F2193988A

10.27.22 Brooklyn Bowl - Brooklyn
https://aftontickets.com/event/buyticket/38jydrzj71

10.28.22 Ardmore Music Hall
https://aftontickets.com/event/buyticket/7pj62lk9r0

10.29.22 Sherman Theater - Stroudsburg, PA
https://aftontickets.com/event/buyticket/p79pzgkjky

10.30.22 Baltimore Soundstage - Baltimore, MD
https://aftontickets.com/event/buyticket/om9oz52xg7

11.2.22     Bearsville Theater - Woodstock, NY
https://aftontickets.com/event/buyticket/3rx7lyrj1y

11.3.22 Infinity Hall Hartford - Hartford, CT
https://aftontickets.com/event/buyticket/l3x3v519dv

11.4.22 The Cabot - Beverly, MA
https://aftontickets.com/event/buyticket/z59rnlyxql

11.5.22     The Flying Monkey - Plymouth, NH
https://aftontickets.com/event/buyticket/zp9kn4495v

11.6.22     T Rex Theater @ Double E Performance Center - Essex Junction, VT    
https://aftontickets.com/event/buyticket/nvjq8d7jop

Dec 2,3 & 4 George’s Majestic - Fayetteville AR
https://aftontickets.com/event/buyticket/3px8y6nj1k

A brief taste of what you can expect, from a show earlier this year:  “Gregg’s Eggs.”  
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=94rZ4h9Ps-Y

Tue, 05/31/2022 - 10:56 am

Little Feat is back where it belongs, which is on a stage somewhere near you.  From the reaction of audience and critics alike, they’re back on top of the musical mountain.

When you reach the top of the mountain, the Zen saying goes, all you can do is keep climbing.

Little Feat is pleased to announce that their “Waiting for Columbus” tour, which features a complete performance of the “WFC” suite, will resume in September.

Feats don’t fail me now, indeed.  

9/19Mon        Count Basie Center for the Arts, Red Bank, NJ*
9/20Tu        Capitol Theatre, Port Chester, NY*
9/21Wed        The Wilbur, Boston, MA*
9/23Fri        Ulster P.A.C., Kingston, NY#
9/24Sat        The Flynn, Burlington, VT*
9/27Tu        Buffalo State P.A.C., Buffalo, NY*
9/28Wed        Carnegie of Homestead Music Hall, Munhall, PA*
9/30Fri        Clyde Theatre, Fort Wayne, IN*
10/1Sat        Englert Theatre, Iowa City, IA*
10/2Sun        Fitzgerald Theater, St. Paul, MN*
10/4Tu        Barrymore Theatre, Madison, WI*
10/5Wed        Royal Oak Music Theatre, Royal Oak, MI*
10/8Sat        Mark C. Smith Concert Hall -Von Braun Center, Huntsville, AL*
11/28Mon        The Cotillion, Wichita, KS^
11/29Tu        Tulsa Theater, Tulsa, OK^
12/1Thur        Temple Live, Fort Smith, AR^
12/2Fri        Tunica’s Horseshoe Casino, Robinsonville, MS
12/4Sun        The Paramount Theatre, Austin, TX^
12/5Mon        Wagner Noël P.A.C., Midland, TX^
12/7Wed        Rialto Theatre, Tucson, AZ^
12/13Tu        Bing Crosby Theater, Spokane, WA^
12/15Thur        Egyptian Theatre, Boise, ID^

*With Special Guest Miko Marks
#With Special Guest James Maddock
^With Special Guest Nicki Bluhm

Pre Sales begin June 1
Public On Sales begin June 17 in select cities

For more information and a listing of ALL tour dates, please visit: https://www.littlefeat.net/tour

Mon, 06/20/2022 - 11:01 am

Starfire beautifully captures a night of musical tribute to the passing of Greg Anton’s closest friend from childhood, Marty Levine, who in the 1990s created the Blue Star Cafe, a music venue in Hartford, Connecticut, which presented Anton (and Steve Kimock’s) band Zero as well as acts like Taj Mahal and the Duke Ellington Orchestra. When Zero came to town in 1993, Marty hired Toni Fishman to record the shows, and the duo became a trio of friends.

By 2001, Toni’s interest in vintage microphones and recording live music led him to found TELEFUNKEN Elektroakustik, producing some of the world’s best microphones. The company’s manufacturing facility in South Windsor, CT, also features a recording studio and a 242-person capacity Soundstage for live concert events, complete with 30’ ceilings and superb sound quality.

Marty passed in 2019, and Toni invited Greg to come back to Connecticut to celebrate Marty’s life with music. Toni assembled a truly stellar lineup of some of the region’s best players, featuring electric guitar maestro Tim Palmieri (Lotus), tenor saxophonist Rob Somerville (Kung Fu), keyboardist Beau Sasser (Kung Fu), bass/vocalist Dave Livolsi (John Scofield) and Greg on drums.

They exchanged song ideas by email, rehearsed for one day, and that night entered the Soundstage and blew their audience’s collective mind with gorgeous psychedelic versions of classics like “In Memory of Elizabeth Reed,” “Little Wing,” Anton’s own “Gregg’s Eggs,” and tunes by Freddie Hubbard, Grant Green, and the Bar-Kays, among others.. There’s a reason it’s called improvisational music.

“Working with Greg to produce this show was a joy and an honor,” said Fishman. “We’re all about good vibes at TELEFUNKEN, and we’re thrilled that others can now experience the live show with the launch of this album.”

As Greg recalled, “For me, it was an alchemy of liquid musicianship and pristine sound quality that flowed together like magic. Tim Palmieri (Lotus) is one of the best electric guitar improvisors in the country; Rob Somerville (Kung Fu) gets a soulful tenor sax sound made in heaven, Beau Sasser (Kung Fu) created a king-size organ bed for us all to bounce on, and me and bassist Dave Livolsi (John Scofield) locked in the rhythm section like we’d played together our whole lives. Live improvisational music can at times be sublime...once in a while the recording/mixing/mastering engage like a Rubik’s Cube...and on that rare occasion when everything clicks synchronistically...voila!....STARFIRE.”

Greg has played thousands of concerts worldwide, including over 1,300 shows with Zero, the band he co-founded with guitarist Steve Kimock. Greg has played on 40+ albums and performed or recorded with artists such as John Cipollina, John Lee Hooker, Otis Taylor, members of the Grateful Dead, Nicky Hopkins, Perry Farrel, Stanley Jordan, and many others. He’s produced music for film, TV and theater and co-written 27 songs with Grateful Dead lyricist Robert Hunter. Greg is also the author of the critically acclaimed Rock ‘n Roll novel Face the Music.

One of Marty’s favorite things was a 1956 Oldsmobile Starfire, which gave the album its name.   Stanley “Mouse” Miller, who got his start as an artist in Detroit’s car culture, contributed a cover as beautiful as the music, digitized a large mural for the inside gatefold, and was responsible for the overall design. The stellar musicianship and sonic depth of this recording (they played in headphones inside the studio-quality room) is a perfect example of TELEFUNKEN Elektroakustik’s world leadership in capturing great music with uncompromising quality.

The music of Starfire will be available for digital download but physically available only on vinyl (and in your choice of five colors - red, black, clear, white, and blue). The records will come with a complimentary digital download that will include four bonus songs.  It’s a limited release set for June 24 (pre-orders are now being taken). It will undoubtedly be a collector’s item; get it at >> https://gregantonandfriends.bandcamp.com/album/starfire

Thu, 06/23/2022 - 10:25 am

Though Relix once described him as the “guitar monk,” Steve Kimock also has quite a number of friends, and Steve Kimock & Friends, it turns out, makes great music.  Joined by Billy Goodman (guitars, vocals), John Morgan Kimock (drums, electronica), Andy Hess (bass) and brilliant newcomer Jeff Kazee on B3/keys and vocals (Bon Jovi, Southside Johnny & the Jukes, Roger Waters), they’ll be roaming America in 2022, with west coast dates in August, and then on the East Coast in mid-August and then late September into October they hit the road to the Midwest and Mid-Atlantic states.

SK&F melts every genre of music into an infinite ribbon of melody, harmony, and rhythm that make you see and feel magic.  Promise.

8/4 Thu               Felton Music Hall, Felton, CA

8/5 Fri                 The Days Between, Laytonville, CA

8/6 Sat                The Days Between, Laytonville, CA

(these with Mookie Siegel on keys)

8/12 Fri               City Winery, NYC

8/13 Sat              Yasgur Road Woodstock Reunion, Yasgur’s Farm, Bethel, NY

8/13 Su               The Homestead, Morristown, NJ

 

9/22 Thur            The Parliament Room at Otus Supply, Ferndale, MI

9/23 Fri               Kent Stage, Kent, OH

9/24 Sat              Woodlands Tavern, Columbus, OH

9/25 Sun             Jergel’s, Warrendale, PA

10/4 Tu               Tin Pan, Richmond, VA

10/5 Wed            The Grey Eagle, Asheville, NC

10/6 Thur            Neighborhood Theatre, Charlotte, NC

10/7 Fri               Cat’s Cradle, Carrboro, NC

10/8 Sat              Vinyl, Atlanta, GA

10/9 Sun             Charleston Pour House, Charleston, SC

For tickets and info visit www.kimock.com

Tue, 07/26/2022 - 11:50 am

The Owsley Stanley Foundation, in partnership with Claddagh Records and Universal Music Ireland, is pleased to announce the ninth release from Owsley’s storied archive of live concert recordings – Bear’s Sonic Journals: The Fox Hunt — The Chieftains Live in San Francisco, 1973 & 1976. These previously unreleased live concerts showcase the Irish band The Chieftains in 1973 on their first US tour, playing at the Boarding House in San Francisco on October 1 as the opener for Old and In the Way at the invitation of the Grateful Dead’s Jerry Garcia, and then on their triumphant return in 1976, at the Great American Music Hall on May 5. A two-CD set and digital downloads of both the 1973 & 1976 shows, as well as a Vinyl edition of the full 1973 show will be available in stores and the usual digital platforms on September 2nd, but pre-sales begin today on OSF’s website (www.owsleystanleyfoundation.org).

"I love them both! They contain lovely subtleties that don't normally happen. They’re wild, with fire and personal touch,” said Chieftains founder Paddy Moloney in August 2021, after auditioning Bear’s complete Chieftains tapes. Maloney had long wanted to release Chieftains archival material from the early ‘70s, but hadn’t found tapes from that era that captured their full live sound -- until these. Paddy Maloney passed away on October 12th, 2021; this was the final album of previously unreleased live material he collaborated on.

Recorded by the Grateful Dead’s legendary soundman Owsley “Bear” Stanley, the infamous LSD chemist, Owsley’s tapes have an uncanny ability to transport the listener to the room that night. Owsley’s tapes have long been considered some of the highest quality live concert recordings of his era; in particular, Bear’s 1973 recording of Old & In The Way is hailed as a benchmark, and this new Chieftains record from 1973 was recorded in the same venue just the week before, making it a must-listen for audiophiles.

This is the ninth chapter of the nonprofit OSF’s critically acclaimed Bear’s Sonic Journals.  Previous titles feature Doc & Merle Watson, the Allman Brothers, Jorma Kaukonen & Jack Casady (Hot Tuna), New Riders of the Purple Sage, Commander Cody & His Lost Planet Airmen, Ali Akbar Khan and Zakir Hussain, Tim Buckley, and Johnny Cash.

The LP edition features the entire performance from October 1, 1973 at the Boarding House, while the 2-CD set contains two complete concerts -- nearly 2.5 hours of music -- from the 1973 show as well as the Great American Music Hall on May 5, 1976. CD Bonus tracks include Jerry Garcia discussing the Irish roots of American bluegrass music during a radio show he did with The Chieftains in 1973, and excerpts from OSF's extensive, in-person interview with Paddy Moloney from August 2021 -- sadly, his last major interview.

Both vinyl and CD formats feature a lavish booklet, including intricate original cover art by Dublin native Conor Campbell, calligraphy by Alembic's Mica Wickersham, previously unpublished photographs, and extensive liner notes featuring new interviews with Paddy Moloney, Ricky Skaggs, and legendary soundman Brian Masterson (of Windmill Lane Studios fame), and others.

“​The sound is beautifully wide and remarkably balanced. Take a bow, Mr. Owsley.” - Brian Masterson, founder, Windmill Lane Studios, Dublin

About the Owsley Stanley Foundation

The Owsley Stanley Foundation is a 501c(3) non-profit organization dedicated to the preservation of “Bear’s Sonic Journals,” Owsley’s archive of more than 1,300 live concert soundboard recordings from the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s, including recordings by Miles Davis, Johnny Cash, The Grateful Dead, Jefferson Airplane, Fleetwood Mac, Janis Joplin, and more than 80 other artists across nearly every musical idiom.

Sat, 09/03/2022 - 12:39 pm

The Chieftains are the superstars of traditional Celtic music, playing around the world and recording with everyone from Mick Jagger to Luciano Pavarotti. On September 2nd, the Owsley Stanley Foundation will release The Foxhunt, recorded in 1973 (and also 1976) on the Chieftains’ first tour of America.

If you wonder how the Chieftains, who are not associated with anything stronger than Guinness, connected to Owsley, the wizard of LSD (and sound recording), you are not alone.  It’s a very good story.  One member of the Grateful Dead’s wider circle, the very Irish Chesley Millikin, worked at the Dead’s booking agency, Out of Town Tours, and turned Jerry Garcia on to The Chieftains.

Garcia not only invited them to open for an Old and in the Way show at the Boarding House, he arranged for them to be interviewed on San Francisco’s hip community central radio station, KSAN—with Jerry doing some of the interviewing.

Since Owsley was recording OAIW (the session that produced the record was the following week), he was set up to capture the Chieftains too, and did so.

It’s a wonderful show, and the release even has some of the radio interplay between Jerry and the lads.

The Irish know how to celebrate, and so do Dead Heads.  Peri’s is the place to be.

OWSLEY STANLEY FOUNDATION

Presents an 

Album Launch Party and Benefit Concert

Featuring

 Wake the Dead

The World's Only Celtic All-Star Grateful Dead Jam Band

Celebrating Owsley's recordings of The Chieftains in San Francisco in 1973 & 1976

Saturday, October 8 at Peri's Tavern, Fairfax

Doors at 2 pm, Interactive Discussion with OSF about Bear's tapes at 4 pm, Wake the Dead at 7 pm, 

OSF Dance Party with unreleased Bear's Sonic Journals until 1:00 am

Come grab a pint and celebrate Owsley's legendary recordings!

$30 For Tickets visit peristavern.com

Wed, 09/21/2022 - 3:41 pm

In celebration of a triumphant retracing of the entire legendary Grateful Dead Europe ’72 tour, Waynard Scheller and Rainbow Full of Sound (RFoS), one of the East Coast’s premiere bands playing Grateful Dead songs, is taking a victory lap Fall Tour with “Double Feature” - Selections from Europe ’72 & Terrapin Station. These 50th and 45th anniversary shows take a lot of talent and a lot of practice—over 400 shows’ worth and counting, and select nights will include special guest performers Jake Wolf (Sages & Spirits, Rocky Mountain Grateful Dead Revue) and Charles Hedgepath (Shady Recruits).

Appropriately, RFoS began as a one-off experiment in 2012 when a gang of Dead Heads decided to play the entire 1980 Radio City Music Hall run. It was so much fun that it took on a life of its own, with a rotating cast that keeps it fresh.

The one consistent link is Waynard, and it makes sense—his commitment to music goes back to a ragtime-piano-playing grandfather, hippie babysitters who brought guitars with them, and then a mom who taught him classics like “Heart and Soul.” By the age of 10 he was playing guitar, and after lessons in voice and theory but almost none in piano, he became so consumed by the Grateful Dead’s Terrapin Station album that for close to a year he’d listen to it before going to school. Things were never quite the same afterward. Soon he switched to keyboards and joined his first Dead-oriented band, Changing Planes.

As a pianist, he was able to get solo work in restaurants, where he amused himself by jamming from American songbook standards like “Over the Rainbow” into, say, “Dark Star.” He took a hiatus from Dead music and spent a decade playing R & B and Motown at corporate gigs and private events with his vocalist sister Sudie, but eventually he happily returned to the jam band world. He fell in with one of the oldest Dead-oriented bands, the former Zen Tricksters of Long Island, and they toured for some time as Jam Stampede. He met John Kadlecik, formerly of Dark Star Orchestra and then Furthur and now JGB with Melvin Seals and worked on three tours with him.

One day he got a call to play a show in a crypt at the Church of the Intercession in Trinity Cemetery, New York City, in the process meeting Zach Nugent (then with Melvin Seals and JGB) and Kenny Brooks (formerly with Bob Weir in RatDog). His name spread around GD circles, and he played with Weir himself in an SF Bay-Area benefit for the Jerry Garcia Foundation called “Imagine There’s No Hunger,” and after they hit it off, on several other shows. Working with the Foundation brought him into
contact with Hot Tuna’s Jorma Kaukonen and Jack Casady, then another event connected him with Jason Crosby and Grahame Lesh of the Lesh Family Band…and the road goes on.

Bruce Hornsby once remarked that Grateful Dead songs had become “hymns” – in fact, they really are the new canon of traditional American music. Their appeal,  Waynard says, is two-fold; there’s the sheer eclectic gumbo of bluegrass, jazz, blues, R  & B and you-name-it that is fused into what they did, what the songs represent—but  “best of all is the improvisational nature of the music, the opportunity to explore the  unknown, to have no earthly idea what will come next, which is the most inspiring part of  it.”

It is a musical adventure, and Waynard and RFoS are the ideal boat to take on the ride.

RFoS will include a rotating cast:

Waynard Scheller / Piano & Organ, Charles Hedgepath / Guitar, Kevin Griffin / Guitar, Paul Murin / Guitar, Mike Kennedy / Guitar, Colin Lennox / Guitar, Jim McGuigan /  Guitar, Jair-Rohm Parker Wells / Bass, Jason Ferguson / Bass, Jake Wolf / Drums,  Russell Stedman / Drums, Alan Lerner / Drums

Tour Dates:
September 30 Fri 89 North, Patchogue, NY*  
October 13 Th 830 North, Ft. Collins, CO*  
October 14-16. Fri-Sun So Many Roads, Denver, CO*  
October 21 Fri 8x10, Baltimore, MD  
October 22 Sa Colony Woodstock, Woodstock, NY  
October 28 Fri River St. Jazz Cafe, Wilkes Barre, PA  
October 29 Sa The Beer Garden Indoor Stage, Trenton/Hamilton, NJ  November 4 Fri The Floridian, St. Petersburg, FL*  
November 5 Sa Terrafermata, Stuart, FL*  
November 6 Su Archetype, Jacksonville, FL* - Grateful Brunch  November 8-9 Tu-Wed Green Parrot, Key West, FL*  
November 11 Fri Islamorada (TBA)  
November 12 Sat Funky Biscuit, Boca Raton, FL*  
November 18 Fri TBA  
November 19 Sat Pour House, Charleston, SC*#  
November 20 Sun Asheville Music Hall, Asheville, NC*#

* with Jake Wolf; # with Charles Hedgepath

Fri, 09/23/2022 - 12:41 pm

The Chieftains are the superstars of traditional Celtic music, playing around the world and recording with everyone from Mick Jagger to Luciano Pavarotti.  On September 2nd, the Owsley Stanley Foundation released The Foxhunt, recorded in 1973 (and also 1976) on the Chieftains’ first tour of America.

If you wonder how the Chieftains, who are not associated with anything stronger than Guinness, connected to Owsley, the wizard of LSD (and sound recording), you are not alone.  It’s a very good story.  One member of the Grateful Dead’s wider circle, the very Irish Chesley Millikin, worked at the Dead’s booking agency, Out of Town Tours, and turned Jerry Garcia on to The Chieftains.

Garcia not only invited them to open for an Old and in the Way show at the Boarding House, he arranged for them to be interviewed on San Francisco’s hip community central radio station, KSAN—with Jerry doing some of the interviewing. 

Since Owsley was recording OAIW (the session that produced the record was the following week), he was set up to capture the Chieftains too, and did so. It’s a wonderful show, and the release even has some of the radio interplay between Jerry and the lads.

The Irish know how to celebrate, and so do Dead Heads.  Peri’s is the place to be.

           OWSLEY STANLEY FOUNDATION

Presents an 

Album Launch Party and Benefit Concert

Featuring

 Wake the Dead

The World's Only Celtic All-Star Grateful Dead Jam Band

Celebrating Owsley's recordings of The Chieftains in San Francisco in 1973 & 1976

Saturday, October 8 at Peri's Tavern, Fairfax

Doors at 2 pm, Interactive Discussion with OSF about Bear's tapes at 4 pm, Wake the Dead at 7 pm

OSF Dance Party with unreleased Bear's Sonic Journals until 1:00 am

Come grab a pint and celebrate Owsley's legendary recordings!

Fri, 10/14/2022 - 11:23 pm

After a solid life as a working pro in large, touring dance bands, preceded by a long stint in the indie rock world with Flamin’ Groovies front man Roy Loney, Maurice Tani wanted to play his own music.  As a composer who liked songs with linear stories, plot lines, and character development, he landed on country music with a twist, what one writer called “Hillbilly Noir’: he put on a cowboy hat and began to write and play, as one headline put it, “Americana without limits.”

In his new release from Little Village (LV), All In!, he’s gone even further.  A few years of being part of Little Village gave him the feeling of being part of a musical family, in which the label is committed to building “a more empathetic world through the commonality of music.”

“It’s like Jimmy (Pugh, LV’s executive director) has set up this sandbox everyone, regardless of their background, can play in.”

So he created wonderful narrative songs that really do cover pretty much all of the flavors of American music.  One by one, he approached his Little Village friends and asked them to contribute to what he called the roux, the mix of musical influences, that you hear.  By giving them only the sketchiest depictions of the songs and then saying as little as possible during the sessions, he asked each musician to contribute from their musical heart….and it worked.  Over three sessions at Kid Andersen’s Greaseland Studios, with Kid on guitar and Jim Pugh on keys, they cooked up a very special and supremely tasty set of songs.  

Some of the Songs:

The set starts with “Another Part of Me,” where verses begin with a multi-syllabic word...and becomes straight-up rock and roll, graced by a beautiful harmonica solo from Little Village’s Nic Clark.

“Soap & Water” is the story, he tells us, of a beat-up veteran of the R & B stage who’s now a hotel lounge pianist in love with a blonde at the bar.  The fabulous, elegant accompaniment from Chris Cain’s guitar—it’s “touched by the divine,” said Maurice—lends a faint echo of Steely Dan to the proceedings.  Listen for the Curtis Mayfield and Fender Rhodes references.

“Go In For Me Slim” is the tale of an everyman, beaten down and in need of a break, pleading for a bit of help getting back on his feet.  Starting life as a folk ballad, the stacked wall of guitars that turn the song into an all-out rocker were Kid’s contribution.

More contemporarily, Maurice contemplated the Me Too movement and speculated on how some of those caught in the cross-hairs—Harvey Weinstein, for example—might feel watching their contemporaries fall around them.  Oh, they’d swear they’d cleaned up their act…but there would be these “Monsters in the Dark” left over.  And they never quite go away…

“Halo Above Her” is a terrifying song about a fragile woman written by songwriter Jay Clemens (with Rachel Ephron), who hired Maurice to do the singing on his own album.  Little Village’s DeShawn Hickman drives it with haunting pedal steel licks, aided by Jim Pugh’s mournful keyboard.  Brilliant stuff.

Of “The Truth,” Tani says his vision was a “grainy 1970s black and white Ingmar Bergman noir film—adult relationships, unrequited love and that sort of thing.”  Faintly bossa-nova in flavor, it features Lisa Leuschner-Andersen on vocals and a superb alto flute solo by Dr. Aaron Lington—and an absolutely jumping bass line (doubled by Jim Pugh’s left hand) from Jerry Jemmott, part of the Greaseland scene and the legendary heart of Atlantic Records’ house band at its height.

“Love is a lender / Love you never own / When love breaks / It calls in the loan.”  “The Loan” is an exquisite duet with Aireene Espiritu.  It makes you willing to fall in love again…even knowing that payment will be due.

In “How Deep Is The Water In Your Well,” he bravely trades lines with the marvelous gospel trio the Sons of the Soul Revivers on a righteous gospel song that doesn’t actually mention god or Jesus but is, he noted, “wrapped in enough metaphor that it spoke to them.   Let’s call it a secular spiritual.”  As Maurice noted, it could never have happened without doing Little Village revues with the Sons and developing a genuine personal relationship with them.

True for all the other musicians here, too.  

As of 10/15, “All In!” will be available on all the usual digital download platforms, with CDs available from Little Village Foundation.

Fri, 11/18/2022 - 10:29 am

In the words of “Tripe Face Boogie,” Little Feat has been inviting folks to boogie their sneakers away for a good long while….and the sneakers haven’t worn out yet.  The band is pleased to announce their Spring 2023 tour…and we guarantee the shows will generate all the boogie you can stand.

Having resumed touring post-Covid, they started with the “By Request” tour, followed by a celebration of their masterpiece live release, Waiting for Columbus.  The “Boogie” tour will mix things up, taking songs from all corners of their enormous repertoire, from hits to rarities, and Feat Fans will soon resume boogie-ing.

Little Feat now features Bill Payne (keyboards, vocals), Kenny Gradney (bass), Sam Clayton (percussion and vocals), Fred Tackett (guitars and vocals), Scott Sharrard (guitars and vocals), and Tony Leone (drums).

Miko Marks will open the shows.

2023 Spring Tour Dates

April 12 Weds.               Maryland Hall, Annapolis, MD

April 13 Thur.                Warner Theatre, Erie, PA

April 14 Fri.                   Lorain Palace, Lorain, OH

April 17 Mon.                 Oncenter, Syracuse, NY

April 18 Tues.                Troy Savings Bank Music Hall, Troy, NY

April 20 Thur.                State Theatre, NJ, New Brunswick, NJ

April 21 Fri.                   College Street Music Hall, New Haven, CT

April 23 Sun.                 Penn’s Peak, Jim Thorpe, PA

April 24 Mon.                 Sandler Center, Virginia Beach, VA

April 26 Weds.               Berglund Center, Roanoke, VA

April 29 Sat.                  Kenan Auditorium, Wilmington, NC.   

April 30 Sun.                 Charleston Music Hall, Charleston, SC.  

Tue, 11/29/2022 - 2:24 pm

Memory is the latest documentation of the always-fascinating ongoing encounter of two remarkable musical minds, keyboardists Bob Bralove and Tom “T.C.” Constanten, also known as Dose Hermanos.  Though both came to prominence associated with the Grateful Dead, Tom as keyboard player from 1968 to 1970, and Bob as an engineer, programmer, and occasional performer from 1987 to 1995, this music is Dead-like only in its wide-open, wholly improvisational exploration of a vast musical universe with only one rule:  does the result, said Bralove, “feel like Dose?”

Tom Constanten - photo by David Gans

Their playing, thought Tom, felt as though they were Sinbad the Sailor going out to explore the seven seas of music.  “And we found a lot of sea creatures to consort with.”  “The history of most musical cultures,” he continued, “is the story of the emergence and evolution of a code, a ‘way it’s done,’ pointing the way to successful outcomes. From time to time someone would come along with an inspired vision, usually requiring a rewriting of the rules.  From the start, the Dose Hermanos approach has been to get as close as possible to 100% improvisation all the time. To interact musically, and then see where it leads.” The result is, to quote Earle Brown, “not a composition that is performed, but a performance that is composed.”

The amazing thing, Bob added, is “how willing listeners have been to come along for the ride.”  

Bob Bralove - photo by David Gans

Though they’d run into each other before, they only connected when their mutual friend Henry Kaiser suggested that T.C. sit in at a show of Bob’s band “Second Sight.”  They sat down at two pianos to review material, and found that they couldn’t stop playing—improvisations simply kept unfolding and revealed an inexhaustible musical connection.  It was reinforced after Jerry Garcia’s death, when T.C., seeing Bralove’s despair, leaned over and said, “You know how to get through this, don’t you?”  “No.”  “You play through this.”

And so Dose Hermanos was born.

Dose Hermanos

Their most recent studio album, Batique, leaned to acoustic pianos; Memory employs the full range of digital sound to create literally infinite possibilities.

Comments on a few of the songs:

Bralove’s part in the title song, he says, is essentially one note that is manipulated by digital filters.  T.C. commented that it was the same principle as a Jew’s Harp—“you hear the same tone, but the melody and everything else dances around it.”  That dance came from T.C., coming across as a string orchestra, which he thought represented “the radiance of a galaxy to me.”

Dose Hermanos: Persistence of Memory

“Inside the Ancient Tetrahedron” suggests to many the sound of a gamelan, with T.C. playing percussion lines.  As he put it, “In ‘60s music, drums were about being a person, not just a part.”  And this percussion definitely has personality.

“Garden of Delights” came about when they listened to a Morton Feldman piece that they thought was interesting, said Bob, “and let’s see where we can take it,” wandering in the garden and visiting various flowers.  Feldman’s approach would be more static, but T.C. points out, “We’re not content to stay static for long….We’re coherent but not congruent, so that each of us brings something to the table.  And it’s a nice table.”

“Cirque des Etoiles”:  Nino Rota meets Jimmy Smith, per T.C.   Horn sounds that emerge from the recorded MIDI systems, which allowed for orchestration after the fact…and kept Bob as producer busy for quite a while.

“IRT,” which TC describes as “an elegant exuberance to motion for its own sake.”  Bob adds that their playing “just completely transcends that sense of notes and these shapes and gestures appear and are folded into each other and back and forth, it’s just another level of consciousness about the music.  And I’m always quite stunned at how well it conveys what we want – because when we do it, it works.”

Phil Lesh, Bralove recalled, “once said that the first thing you have to decide when you’re playing in this free-form environment is whether you’re going to play with the other person or against them.” (laughter) There’s a certain level of tension required, and “after all these years of us (Dose Hermanos) playing together, we know how to resolve all tensions, and how to create them.”  

Dose Hermanos' first shows at the Knitting Factory

In sum, he concludes, “If you have to think too much about it or work it too hard, it’s not really Dose.  It has to work on the cosmic level and then work down to the notes.  It doesn’t work from the notes up…We’re consistently doing us.  It’s inevitable that we will do us, and not an imitation.”     

Tom concludes: “Our faith is rewarded every time we jump into it…it’s like stumbling through a dream and knowing that goodies will show up.”

Here’s a live video of “Waltz of the Autumn Moon”:

Download link: All of the usual platforms, including Apple

CD purchase:  Amazon

Tue, 01/17/2023 - 5:24 pm

Omaha Perez is a gifted artist with a considerable reputation in the world of comic books, illustration, and graphics for the entertainment industry. He spoofed Sherlock with a Victorian drug comedy called Holmes, created The Drude Series, and recently launched his first Kickstarter project - a psychedelic suspense thriller, Bodhisattva: Instant Karma, which mixes a lunatic who can see into other dimensions, an immigrant from India who falls apart with a guilty secret, and a deep survey of Hindu mythology. It’s beautiful and mysterious, and it ends with a terrifying encounter that is in fact a collaboration between Omaha and Robert Hunter. Yes, that Robert Hunter.

As it happens, Omaha’s mother, Lauretta Walkup, was part of the Grateful Dead family, often as a nanny, later in the ticket office. So Omaha did not have a conventional upbringing, and grew up with people like Hunter as surrogate Uncles.

Omaha:

My earliest memories are of the Grateful Dead. My mom babysat Donna Jean’s son Zion, so by age three I remember Donna walking me on stage, sitting me down off to the side. I remember watching her long hair sway as she sang next to Bobby. That probably only happened a couple times, but that memory is so vivid it seems like it was a regular occurrence. Running around backstage and going from the stage to the kids’ room, and seeing all the other kids—it really didn’t strike me as unusual.

We spent a couple years living up in the hills and when we moved back to Marin I was in the fourth grade, and that’s when it really hit me. I was in the midst of all these regular suburban families, on the outside looking in. This was late ‘70s, early ‘80s, and the Dead were not hip by mass standards. Deadheads were kind of looked down upon. Then in high school “Touch of Grey” hit and I was like, ‘you got to be kidding, they’ve been playing this for years, and you think they’re cool now…” The same kids who previously gave me shit about my association with the band were now hitting me up for tickets.

Bodhisattva: Instant Karma

I learned to read from comic books, my mom and dad had stacks of old underground comix, R. Crumb and Gilbert Shelton. I was always drawing, and after high school I took some art classes at SF State and then transferred to the Academy of Art in San Francisco. I had a couple of amazing teachers but mostly it was just doing it. You learn by doing it, being in front of live models every week and painting them and drawing them, the repetition of doing that really developed my skills. As it does with almost everybody. I’ve taught drawing classes and I really believe that almost anybody can learn to draw if they stick with it. Like almost anything, it just takes practice.

My comics are self-generated. I develop the concepts until they’re ready to take to script. My writing always returns to the illusion of reality, the notion of Maya (Hindu term for illusion). That’s the theme that comes up in pretty much all of my writing. What is reality, after all?

Visually, my main influence was Jack Kirby, who’s one of the true founders of comic books, having created virtually the entire Marvel Universe. Stan Lee gets all the credit, but Jack was the creator. From a very young age I was struck by his work—you know, he had such a bold, graphic style. You always knew when it was a Kirby. And also Gilbert Shelton—I didn’t realize until after the fact how much my Holmes and Drude books (both drug comedies) were influenced by the Freak Brothers. In the ‘90s there was a fine art approach to graphic novels. There were a lot of painted comics at the time. David McKean and Kent Williams, those guys.

Q: What took you into Hindu Mythology?

Bodhisattva: Instant Karma

I was always fascinated by the culture—I particularly loved the Hindu sculptures and their gods, all those multi-limbed figures, and Ganesh with the elephant head. I love that kind of stuff. When I started Bodhisattva I wasn’t actually thinking along Hindu and Buddhist lines. The short piece I did with Bob (Hunter) was the seed of the character. I had this name - the Many Eyed Man, who had a third eye, and eyeballs in his hands, and the character just kept developing. He was a supernatural character and he would show up in strange spots. I didn’t really have a story yet. I just had this character I was developing.

I knew Bob growing up, but as a kid I didn’t spend a lot of time with him. When I was 20 or 21, the Leshes were going to Maui and they brought my mom and invited me to come. They were always really good to us. So I went, and it was great. There were the kids, who were little kids, and then all the other adults were… 20 - 30 years older than me. During the daytime I was often wandering the beach by myself but most evenings everybody would get together. I didn’t know they would all be there, but Jerry and Hunter and Bobby were there, too. So we would get together for dinners, which was how I was kind of reintroduced to Hunter, as an adult and not just this kid running around.

I spent a lot of time with Jerry as a kid, ‘cause I was friends with Annabelle, so I knew Jerry was a comics fan, but I was happily surprised talking with Hunter to find out he was a big comics fan also. We didn’t do the comic for a couple more years, but I guess that got it started. When I did send him stuff, he was up for collaborating.

Bodhisattva: Instant Karma

I sent him the visuals you see in the comic. There is not really a story there, I just had a sequence—a guy getting beaten up in the alley and the Many Eyed Man shows up and some weirdness happens. Just visuals. Bob wrote the captions over it, which I kind of felt were like lyrics. There’s not really a rhyme scheme to speak of, but after all, it’s Hunter. We both were happy with it, and I printed it originally in this comic book called Raw Periphery, which also featured a collaboration I did with a guy on the other end of the spectrum, punk rock star Richard Hell. A very cool clash of poet-types! I always wanted to do more with Hunter, but I moved to L. A. shortly after that to work at Disney Interactive. It was before email was common, so we exchanged letters in the mail. I’ve got a few of those from Hunter still.

I originally tried to get him to write the whole graphic novel, the script for it, the dialogue and captions. I sent him some thumbnails of scenes I was working on and I got a letter back from him saying you don’t need me for this, you got it all covered. We had vague plans to develop something else together - a full scale graphic novel, but it never happened.

I should also add that at a comic con I met a professor of Asian Studies, Richard Raleigh, and we really connected. I had attempted to draw the whole book out first, scripting it after the fact—and I wasn’t happy with the result. (Now I always begin with a tight script!) I was fortunate to have an expert in eastern mythology handy to clean up the script!

Bodhisattva: Instant Karma

I’m excited to work on the sequel finally. I did this one (Instant Karma) many years ago and the reason I’ve relaunched it in color is because I got excited when I went back to my notes for the sequel. I found almost a fully formed story—it’s like a gift from my younger self... The next one is called Shiva the Destroyer and it demanded to be in full color. I knew I couldn’t do the second one in color and leave the first one in black and white... and it’s been so many years... so it seemed a good idea to relaunch the first one in color and include the Ganesha short, and the short I did with Bob.

Bodhisattva: Instant Karma is funding on Kickstarter with 23 days to go:

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/omahaperez/bodhisattva-instant-karma-psychedelic-suspense-thriller

Tue, 02/21/2023 - 10:23 am

Summer’s here and the time is right / For dancing in the street” Martha & the Vandellas -- Or anywhere else you choose, including your neighborhood music venue, because Little Feat is planning to go out and Boogie Your Summer away with a cross-country jaunt starting on the east coast in Georgia, across the fruited plain, and all the way down the West Coast.   

Anyone who’s caught them since they returned from pandemic exile knows they’re monstrously hot and on their game.  From the veterans—Bill Payne, keys and vocals, Kenny Gradney, bass, Sam Clayton, congas, Fred Tackett, trumpet, vocals, and guitar—to the newer guys, Scott Sharrard, vocals and guitar, and Tony Leone, drums and vocals, this is a band riding the joyous wave of making “music, sweet music / There'll be music everywhere.”

And that’s the truth!

And there’s more:  Support for the tour will come from Leftover Salmon (7/13-7/22), The Dirty Dozen Brass Band (7/26-8/3), and Rob Ickes & Trey Hensley (7/12 and 8/18).

Shows:

7/12 Weds.          Atlanta Symphony Hall, Atlanta, GA

7/13 Thurs.         Iroquois Amphitheater, Louisville, KY

7/15 Sat.             Chesterfield Amphitheater, Chesterfield, MO

7/16 Sun.            Devon Lakeshore Amphitheater, Decatur, IL

7/18 Tues.           McGrath Amphitheatre, Cedar Rapids, IA

7/19 Weds.          Orpheum Theater, Omaha, NE

7/22 Sat.             Amphitheater at Las Colonias Park, Grand Junction, CO

7/26 Weds.          Moore Theatre, Seattle, WA

7/27 Thurs.         Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall, Portland, OR

7/29 Sat.             The Warfield, San Francisco, CA

7/30 Sun.            Grand Sierra Resort, Reno, NV

8/1 Tues.             Humphreys Concerts by the bay, San Diego, CA

8/2 Weds.            The Smith Center Las Vegas, NV

8/3 Thurs.           The Celebrity Theatre, Phoenix, AZ

8/18 Fri.              Carpenter Theatre at Dominion Energy Center, Richmond, VA

Tickets and exclusive VIP packages (Front Row Experience, Meet & Greet Experience and Ticket/Merch Packages) go on sale for most shows February 24th at venues, their ticket services, and through www.littlefeat.net

Mon, 03/27/2023 - 2:01 pm

The History of Diving Museum is hosting “Dive Into Art & Music” on March 31st, from 5:30-9:00 pm, under the stars at Safe Harbor Angler House in Islamorada.   Celebrating Jerry’s love of diving and protecting our oceans, the Jerry Garcia Foundation donated limited-edition museum quality giclees of his art to the History of Diving Museum. A JGF Edition Certificate of Authenticity is included with each piece of fine art, each hand-signed by Jerry's daughter, Keelin, and his wife, Manasha. We will be offering these fine art pieces for sale at the event.

Enjoy dancing to live music featuring Waynard Scheller and Rainbow Full of Sound, which will provide a special musical tribute experience with many of Jerry Garcia’s favorite tunes. The opening performance will feature the Schells & Vine Trio, with special music set by guests Tony Saunders and Jair-Rohm Parker Wells.  Dead fans will also a special appearance by Peter Agelasto, Jerry Garcia Archivist.

Seating will be limited, with several options available: Poolside access, dinner by Mona’s Reggae Catering, and admission to the History of Diving Museum is $100 per person. For $3,000, you will receive your very own signed giclee, VIP reserved seating, dinner for four, poolside access, and a family pass to the History of Diving Museum. Artworks include a Certificate of Authenticity hand-signed by Jerry's daughter, Keelin and his wife, Manasha.

There will be a limited number of general admission tickets available at $35 per person. You can purchase tickets by calling the museum at 305-664-9737, or on the website: https://divingmuseum.org/events-calendar. The event will be held, rain or shine, and if unable to attend, you can view remaining art available for purchase at the museum.

“Dive Into Art & Music” on March 31st, from 5:30-9:00 pm,

The History of Diving Museum is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit located in Islamorada (MM83). Divers and non-divers alike are amazed by over 4,000 years of “the quest to explore under the sea.” The Museum has 14 core exhibits plus two annual limited-time Featured Exhibits as well as a Museum Store with unique gifts. Check out DivingMuseum.org for more details, to become a member, or shop online.

Tue, 04/25/2023 - 11:15 am

Little Feat returned to the road from the pandemic with a vengeance and a tour that Feat fans could help define by making requests.  They followed up with a tour celebrating their masterpiece, Waiting for Columbus.  Presently they’ve gone back to song lists that mixes classics and more obscure items.

And now, something special.  Today Rhino Records will announce the June 23rd release of special deluxe vinyl and CD re-issues of two outstanding early Feat albums – Sailin’ Shoes and Dixie Chicken, each with special extras.  Shoes will include a live show from 1971, while Chicken includes never-before-heard early versions of the songs from Boston in 1973.  We should note that 2023 is Dixie Chicken’s 50th anniversary.

To celebrate, Feat announces the Albums Tour.  Seven stops each with two shows; on the first night they’ll play Sailin’ Shoes in full, and the second, Dixie Chicken—along with, of course, a full selection of Feat fan favorites.

The pandemic only made their return to the stage sweeter, and Feat has been playing at a stunning level ever since.  These shows will be worthy of legend – don’t miss ‘em.

Little Feat is:  Bill Payne (keyboards, vocals), Kenny Gradney (bass), Sam Clayton (percussion and vocals), Fred Tackett (guitars and vocals), Scott Sharrard (guitars and vocals), and Tony Leone (drums and vocals).

2023

Friday, 9/29              Nashville, TN      Ryman Auditorium. (Sailin’ Shoes)

Saturday, 9/30                    Nashville, TN      Ryman Auditorium (Dixie Chicken)

Tuesday, 10/3                     Washington, DC  Warner Theatre (Sailin’ Shoes)

Wednesday, 10/4                Washington, DC  Warner Theatre (Dixie Chicken)

Friday, 10/6                         New York, NY     Town Hall   (Sailin’ Shoes)

Saturday, 10/7                    New York, NY     Town Hall (Dixie Chicken)

Monday, 10/9                     Boston, MA        The Wilbur (Sailin’ Shoes)

Tuesday, 10/10                   Boston, MA         The Wilbur (Dixie Chicken)

Thursday, 10/12                  Collingswood, NJ     Scottish Rite Auditorium. (Sailin’ Shoes)

Friday, 10/13                       Collingswood, NJ       Scottish Rite Auditorium. (Dixie Chicken)

Sunday, 10/15                     Chicago, IL    Vic Theatre (Sailin’ Shoes)

Monday, 10/16                   Chicago, IL    Vic Theatre. (Dixie Chicken)

Friday, 10/20                       Los Angeles, CA            Theatre at Ace Hotel. (Sailin’ Shoes)

Saturday, 10/21                  Los Angeles, CA Theatre at Ace Hotel. (Dixie Chicken)

Tickets and exclusive VIP packages (Front Row Experience, Meet & Greet Experience and Ticket/Merch Packages) go on sale for most shows Friday, April   28th at that venues, their ticket services, and through www.littlefeat.net.

For a list of ALL Little Feat Tour dates, please visit www.littlefeat.net

Wed, 05/17/2023 - 2:22 am

From junior high school on, Jeff Otto had a guitar in his hand and a gig to go to, everything from power trios to cover bar bands to coffee house solo gigs and “anything in between.”  But when his first child was born, he stopped gigging and made up for it with a weekly jam session that began to yield songs.  “We were doing some gypsy music, an improvisational mixture of stuff.  It was really east meets west.  Boris sounded east and Garcia west and so we chose the name Boris Garcia.”

By the fourth song, one of the jammers suggested a guy who played “(Jerry) Garcia-ish type guitar.”  In came Bob Stirner, whose band Living Earth was a popular and respected early Grateful Dead tribute band in the Philadelphia area.  He listened to the songs and said, “This is great.  I’m not leaving.” 

He had songs, too, and Boris became a songwriting partnership between Jeff and Bob, with a major musical influence from Bud Burroughs—as Jeff put it, “If Bud wasn’t there it wouldn’t be Boris Garcia.”  Bud’s mandolin and keyboards—and a universe of side instruments from Marxophone (a hammered zither) to harp—add enormously to the music; “Bud makes our songs go.” 

The album also benefited from the many contributions of their producer, Railroad Earth’s Tim Carbone, Earth’s pedal steel player Mike Robinson, and drummer Dave Mattacks (once Fairport Convention, Jethro Tull).

From Boris Garcia’s Family Reunion through Mother’s Finest, Once More Into the Bliss, Today We Sail, Around Some Corner, and now It’s Time For Tea, Boris has grown ever more sophisticated as they fuse Celtic, Bluegrass, and improvisational rock to create acoustic-based, beautifully drawn song portraits that add up to an utterly distinctive sound.  Otto’s ukulele—after umpteen hand and wrist surgeries, he wanted a smaller instrument than a guitar—adds a particular luster to their tone.     

Boris Garcia

One of the interesting aspects of the partnership is that both practice an intuitive path.  “I believe it's as true for Bob as it is for me that songs come out 85 percent done, one shot, boom, there it is.  It's speaking in tongues, it is the muse is talking.  Then I will go back and tweak stuff.”

The new album:

“Tea Time” has a sound built on ukulele and synthesizer, with Jeff’s sweet-natured voice backed by lovely Beatle-esque harmonies (tea, right?).  Jeff describes his lyrics as “nonsensical,” but they’re also boldly impressionist – red boats and a blue guitar, “a sky filled with nuts and figs…and brie.”  A quiet reference to 4:20 at the end throws in at least one “tea” meaning to consider.

“Everybody Knows” is a big strong stack of power chords, a breakup song that faintly echoes early Springsteen.  “Well it’s not about the love we take, about the love we give./Yours is mine and mine is yours please come back home and say it ain’t so.” 

“Go Long” is driven by Bud’s synth licks—Jeff thinks Bud had an “ELP thing going”—but its heart might very well lie in the mirror, in Alice’s Wonderland.  It started being about a “sweet football game,” Jeff says, but then he calls for Baby to go long, “you said you want to see the other side / The other side where the other ones live.”   

In “Wasted,” Bob reflects on disillusionment and the end of relationships, ranging from the romantic to the political, that “nobody is pulling the wool over my eyes, and you can go fuck yourself, basically”—although as a song it’s a lot prettier. 

Bob’s “Breathe” unites memories of George Floyd with a lovely, beautifully picked  bluegrass tune and dreams of a happier time. 

“Love Me Only” is a flat-out love song from Bob to his wife Deb.  He says it’s “a really syrupy sad love song, and I’m really proud of it, I really am.” 

Jeff’s “It’s Time” is mysterious, and again Wonderland-ish, ““To fly among the dolphins on a magic carpet ride/Are you seeing things like Escher, living on the other side.”  Jeff doesn’t know what it’s about, but “it’s time to find the answer and the truth Its time to find the answer and the truth” gives us a hint.  It also rocks. 

And the entire package sounds gorgeous.

There are more songs, but that’s a good taste.  It’s Time for Tea is a very full package of complex, fascinating songs.  You can also dance to them.  The kids on Bandstand  would love this as much as persnickety critics.

Thu, 06/15/2023 - 9:39 am

There is something a little magical about musical instruments, with their ability to translate ideas into sound and move hearts.  Grateful Guitars Foundation founder Andy Logan began to collect the model and style of guitars that Jerry Garcia and Bob Weir played and for the past ten years and counting has loaned them out to bands seeking to recapture period-specific tones.  Eventually, he owned some of the instruments they’d actually played, including “Alligator” (a Fender Stratocaster Garcia played from 1971 to 1973 so-named because of a sticker on it) and the Martin D-28 with which he recorded “Ripple,” as well as Weir’s Modulus Blackknife (used 1983 to 1985) and a few more owned by Weir, as well as amps, speaker cabinets and keyboards all used by the Grateful Dead.

“These instruments should be played, not mounted on a wall.  I wanted to share them with the fans and players who have loved the Grateful Dead, so that the jam scene is enlivened by their unique tones and historical significance,” said Andy.

Andy has since been joined by Jason Scheuner, who owns several Phil Lesh played instruments, notably Mission Control (used 1974 to 1979) and Jason offers his basses to players to spread this same joy. Recently, David Meerman Scott and Nate Bidner joined the Grateful Guitars Foundation; they also own guitars formerly owned by Bob Weir and also loan them out for all to enjoy.

In addition to loaning out these legendary treasures, all work with the highly committed board on the Grateful Guitars Foundation, which commissions high-end custom guitars that go to the leading guitarists in the jam-band and Dead tribute band world.  These instruments inspire players to reach their full potential and bring the unique tones that fans crave with the intention of helping the jam scene last forever.

“Since the Grateful Dead’s legendary Blues for Allah record release in 1975, 8/13 is an important date for the Great American Music Hall. We are excited to honor this date by hosting this inaugural benefit for the Grateful Guitars Foundation, as we fully support their cause to get top instruments into the hands of these incredible players,” said Fred Barnes, Senior Talent Buyer and General Manager, Great American Music Hall.

Tickets:  https://wl.seetickets.us/event/Grateful-GuitarsFoundationAll-StarBenefitConcert/555886?afflky=GreatAmericanMusicHall

Confirmed artists

Alex Jordan (Cubensis)

Jeff Mattson (DSO)

Rob Eaton (DSO)

Skip Vangelas (DSO)

Rob Barraco (DSO)

Dino English (DSO)

John Kadlecik (Furthur)

Stu Allen (Phil & Friends)

Garrett Deloian (JMF)

Nate LaPointe (Cubensis)

Brad Rhodus.(Cubensis)

Scott Guberman (Phil & Friends)

Sunshine Becker (Furthur)

Elliott Peck (Midnight North)

Zach Nugent (Dead Set)

Danny Eisenberg (Mother Hips)

Brian Rashap (Mother Hips)

Jeremy Hoenig (Melvin Seals & JGB)

Roger Sideman (China Cats)

Mon, 08/21/2023 - 12:58 pm

On the 48th anniversary of the Grateful Dead’s legendary visit to San Francisco’s Great American Music Hall (8/13/75), Dead Heads recently returned to see an all-star lineup of jam band stars recreate the show – and more – to benefit the Grateful Guitars Foundation. Not only were there star players, but also star instruments. It took a spreadsheet for musical director Alex Jordan (Cubensis, Midnight North) to keep things straight—check it out.

GAMH | 8/13/23

Not surprisingly, it was a fabulous show, from song list to players. And you can still catch it on nugs.net. If you’re not a subscriber, sign up for a month at $12.99 – it’ll be available until August 26. Go to 2nu.gs/gratefulguitars

Stu Allen with "Alligator" | photo by Susana Millman

Some background: there is something a little magical about musical instruments, with their ability to translate ideas into sound and move hearts—our hearts. Grateful Guitars Foundation founder Andy Logan began to collect the model and style of guitars that Jerry Garcia and Bob Weir worked with. Eventually, he owned some of the instruments they’d actually played, including “Alligator” (a Fender Stratocaster Garcia played from 1971 to 1973 so-named because of a sticker on it) and the Martin D-28 with which he recorded “Ripple,” as well as Weir’s Modulus Blackknife (used 1983 to 1985) and a few more owned by Weir, as well as amps, speaker cabinets and keyboards all used by the Grateful Dead.

Great American Music Hall | photo by Bob Minkin

“These instruments should be played, not mounted on a wall. I wanted to share them with the fans and players who have loved the Grateful Dead, so that the jam scene is enlivened by their unique tones and historical significance,” said Andy. Other folks, including Jason Scheuner, David Meerman Scott, and Nate Bidner joined him on the board, which lends them out or gives newly commissioned guitars to outstanding players.

Grateful Guitars Foundation Celebration | photo by Susana Millman

As the Foundation has matured, it has expanded its activities into presenting guitars to music education programs, starting with Blue Bear in San Francisco…there will be many more to come.

Grateful Guitars Foundation Celebration | photo by Bob Minkin

Most of Dark Star Orchestra, John Kadlecik, Stu Allen, Nate LaPointe, Scott Guberman, Sunshine Becker, Zach Nugent, Elliott Peck, and more found their way to the Great American, and it was amazing.  Alex Jordan reflected on the show—“It was quite an honor to have been asked to be the music director for the show. With so many talented musicians involved, it was important to me to feature everyone adequately as well as craft combinations that were both fresh for players and interesting for the fans. Seeing it in action was incredibly fun.”  He went on, “The foundation has always been a shining light, supporting all levels of the Grateful Dead tribute scene and its expansion into supporting music schools is quite exciting. The core idea of bringing people together through music cannot be overstated nor overemphasized and we truly saw this in action at the Great American.”

DSO's Skip Vangelas | photo by Bob Minkin

DSO’s Skip Vangelas added, “Huge thanks to Andy Logan and the Grateful Guitars Foundation for their love and dedication to this music and culture.  Their generosity in providing assistance to musicians and music lovers is unmatched. It’s a great honor to be selected as the recipient of the first “Mission Control” replica bass guitar.  I’m excited to get her on the road and played with the love and respect this beautiful bass deserves.  Thank you to all who have made this possible and best wishes for the future success of this wonderful organization!!!”

Grateful Guitars Foundation | photo by Susana Millman

Let Andy Logan have the last words: “We are so thankful and blown away by the support for our inaugural benefit. We are especially grateful to the several players from DSO, John Kadlecik, Jeremy Hoenig, and Zach Nugent, who had shows back east on the 12th and still flew out early the next day to play for us. The music was exceptional and the entire evening was further proof that when we support each other, there is no limit to what we can accomplish in our loving community. With the sold out Great American Music Hall and successful silent auction, we will be able to arm more musicians from students to professionals with the gear they need to perform at the highest level and to kick off our newest program to inspire future generations of jamband players through support of regional music schools.”

And we’re grateful for that.

Tue, 09/12/2023 - 3:29 pm

If Covid had one positive result, it was to make musicians deeply aware of how precious being able to play for their audience is…certainly that’s the way the members of Little Feat have reacted.  Since their return to the stage, they’ve celebrated playing with a tour of Requests, a tour reprising their masterpiece live album Waiting for Columbus, and most recently The Albums tour, which involves playing, on successive nights, first Sailin’ Shoes and then Dixie Chicken, which Warner Bros. recently re-released as CDs stuffed with bonus live material and studio extras.

They may never have played better…which is why they can’t stop.  Little Feat is pleased to announce the “Rollin’ Into 2024 Tour,” which will close out the year 2023 with a swing through New Orleans and Texas.

Little Feat features Bill Payne (keyboards, vocals), Kenny Gradney (bass), Sam Clayton (percussion and vocals), Fred Tackett (guitars and vocals), Scott Sharrard (guitars and vocals), and Tony Leone (drums).

ROLLIN’ INTO 2024 TOUR DATES

Friday, 12/29, 2023        New Orleans, LA     Joy Theater

Saturday, 12/30, 2023     Austin, TX             The Paramount Theatre

Sunday, 12/31, 2023       Dallas, TX              Longhorn Ballroom

Tickets and exclusive VIP packages (Front Row Experience, Meet & Greet

Experience and Ticket/Merch Packages) go on sale for all shows Friday, September 15th at the venues, their ticket services, and through www.littlefeat.net.

2023 THE ALBUMS TOUR DATES

Friday, 9/29          Nashville, TN          Ryman Auditorium. (Sailin’ Shoes)

Saturday, 9/30       Nashville, TN           Ryman Auditorium (Dixie Chicken)

Tuesday, 10/3       Washington, DC      Warner Theatre (Sailin’ Shoes)

Wednesday, 10/4   Washington, DC      Warner Theatre (Dixie Chicken)

Friday, 10/6          New York, NY          Town Hall (Sailin’ Shoes)

Saturday, 10/7       New York, NY          Town Hall (Dixie Chicken)

Monday, 10/9        Boston, MA             The Wilbur (Sailin’ Shoes)

Tuesday, 10/10     Boston, MA             The Wilbur (Dixie Chicken)

Thursday, 10/12    Collingswood, NJ      Scottish Rite Auditorium (Sailin’ Shoes)

Friday, 10/13         Collingswood, NJ     Scottish Rite Auditorium (Dixie Chicken)

Sunday, 10/15       Chicago, IL             Vic Theatre (Sailin’ Shoes)

Monday, 10/16      Chicago, IL             Vic Theatre (Dixie Chicken)

Friday, 10/20         Los Angeles, CA      Theatre at Ace Hotel (Sailin’ Shoes)

Saturday, 10/21     Los Angeles, CA      Theatre at Ace Hotel (Dixie Chicken)

Tickets and exclusive VIP packages (Front Row Experience, Meet & Greet

Experience and Ticket/Merch Packages) are on sale now at the venues, their ticket services, and through www.littlefeat.net.

Tue, 09/19/2023 - 10:42 am

Jack Barton Entertainment is pleased to announce the signing of Andy Logan Productions to a management contract, involving a number of different artistic efforts.

Andy Logan started collecting Grateful Dead-influenced and played guitars and….things began to happen: he is now the Executive Producer of Alex Jordan’s forthcoming release Queen Kerosene, produced by four-time Grammy winner Steve Berlin, out in March 2024.

Andy is also the Executive Producer of a project with Mt. Mansfield Media, on a documentary about the Grateful Dead tribute band scene to be called Grateful, out in 2024.

Andy Logan | photo by Bob Minkin

Andy is the founder of the Grateful Guitars Foundation, which provides world-class guitars for jam band players and is working with music schools to support future players; the board lends Grateful Dead stage-used instruments.  Andy personally owns an example of every Garcia and Weir guitar that they played and lends these out to tribute bands seeking those tones.  He also owns Jerry Garcia’s “Alligator” guitar (played from 1971 to 1973) and the Martin D-28 which he used to record “Ripple,” and several of Bob Weir’s stage-used Modulus Blackknives and acoustic guitars.

In the course of time, Andy has worked with Tony Saunders’ Keystone Revisited on an instrumental recording of Merl Saunders and Jerry Garcia doing John Lennon’s “Imagine,” another upcoming endeavor.

At some point, it occurred to Andy that he needed help in managing all these efforts…and reached out to Jack Barton Entertainment, already managing  Alex Jordan’s career.

Grateful Guitar Foundation show - photo by Bob Minkin

Jack comments, “In the course of making Alex Jordan’s Queen Kerosene, it became obvious that Andy, Ellie (Sanders, JBE SVP), and I were developing a strong work synergy, as well as becoming fast friends in the process. As it is so rare to find someone that you not only work well and productively with, but also share both business and personal values, we jumped at the opportunity to expand our relationship when Andy asked. I’m looking forward to many productive years helping Andy grow Alex’s career, build the Grateful Guitars Foundation into a major charitable force – not just in the Grateful Dead world, but the world at large – and advancing the many other artistic initiatives that Andy is involved in. Both Ellie and I are very grateful to Andy for inviting us on his journey.”

Andy adds, “I am ecstatic to be deepening our relationship with Jack Barton and Ellie Sanders, two extremely intelligent, experienced, hard-working and genuinely kind people.  Jack and Ellie have already done tremendous work setting up Alex Jordan’s debut album, produced by the legendary Steve Berlin. They also put on a stunning inaugural benefit show for Grateful Guitars at the Great American Music Hall this summer that still has the jam world buzzing. And we have several exciting projects we plan to launch soon.

Jeff Mattson playing "Alligator" - photo by Bob Minkin

In a time of so much selfishness, greed and suffering, it is wonderful to work closely with people who embody the 1960’s ethos of selflessness, finding creative solutions where everybody wins and spreading kindness and positivity far and wide, and I cannot wait to see how our projects help this collective mindset endure and spread.”

Mon, 11/13/2023 - 4:31 pm

Cartoons are a joyful, essential part of the American experience. From the beloved Saturday morning antics of Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck in the ‘40s and ‘50s to today’s inspired anime, they express wild swings of energy and emotion, explosive triumphs, and deserved defeats. One element of the cartoons that we’ve recently recognized is the genius of the music that underscores them, a mash-up of classical, jazz, pop, folk, and everything in between.

This highly adventurous music has found a contemporary home in Jeff Sanford’s Cartoon Jazz Orchestra, a group of gifted, serious musicians who will celebrate their new Little Village album, Playland at the Beach, with two shows, one on November 8th at the Throckmorton Theatre in Mill Valley, and again on November 15th at the French Club in San Francisco. Their music is rich and complex, zany and funny, supremely well played – and it swings like crazy.

A New York City native, CJO founder and leader Sanford began on clarinet at age 9, and plays all the saxophones and flutes as well. His hero was Benny Goodman and he absorbed the “Great American Songbook” after hearing the classic Ella (Fitzgerald) Sings Cole Porter. He listened to the Beatles and other influential rock groups of the ‘60s. After backing up oldies groups like the Platters and the Crests, he joined a show band, Rainy Days, playing up and down the East Coast.

Jeff Sanford’s Cartoon Jazz Orchestra - photo credit: Janet Roltz

Jeff arrived in San Francisco in 1976 and traveled the hard road of the working musician, playing everything from Top 40 to waltzes for dances to gigs with Clark Terry and Regina Carter. When he landed a gig with the Musician’s Union rehearsal band, he met many of the best musicians in the Bay Area.

When musician Tony Parinella passed on, he left Jeff 16 file cabinets of big band sheet music, including compositions by the brilliant, eccentric Raymond Scott. Warner Brothers Musical Director Carl Stalling adopted Scott’s strange, hyperactive compositions as scores for more than 120 Looney Tunes cartoons. The music is highly entertaining but very challenging to perform. When Jeff heard Don Byron’s album Bug Music, featuring works by Scott, the inspiration for his Cartoon Jazz Orchestra was born. The CJO premiered at the 2003 Stanford Jazz Festival.

The key players in the ensemble include Mark Rosengarden (Bette Midler, Herbie Mann, Darlene Love), Eric Wayne (Digital Victrola owner/producer, KALW announcer/operator ), Simon Planting (John Jorgenson Quintet, artistic director for two Djangofests), Hal Richards (Carol Channing, Terry Gibbs, Lenny Niehaus), Andy Ostwald (author of the book series ”Play Jazz, Blues, Rock Piano By Ear,” Mel Bay pub).

Lenny Carlson, the CJO in-house composer of original music since 2009, has brought the wild and woolly spirit of Raymond Scott into the 21st century. Lenny, a jazz guitarist, recording artist, and composer whose mother was a classical violinist and father was a composer who studied with Arnold Schoenberg, gives new meaning to the word “eclectic.”

Jeff Sanford’s Cartoon Jazz Orchestra

There’s plenty of humor in this music, some of it political, such as “The Commander of Cheese,” honoring a malapropism by Kellyanne Conway. The great Carl Johnson, chosen by Warner Bros. to compose for their Looney Tunes Revival, adapts Mendelssohn’s “Spring Song” into a loonier “Spring Thing.”  Carlson’s “Playland at the Beach” is a slightly scary roller coaster ride in the dark. Scott’s “Snake Woman”…you get the idea.

Where I come from, “weird” can be a big compliment. This is weird music at its finest.

Little Village is a nonprofit record company dedicated to presenting a wide variety of music that contributes to a more diverse and inclusive world.

Thu, 10/05/2023 - 6:48 pm

There’s a window of opportunity for us to congregate once again in an environment of ocean, sand, and lush surroundings. Playing music with friends, for friends, enjoying each other’s company. Simple, rewarding, and much needed.

Estoy listo (I’m ready)

Estamos listo (We’re ready)

Vamos a Mèxico. (Let’s go to Mexico)

Bill Payne

What’s not to love about Feat Camp?  Music, friends, Cancun and its beaches….sign me up!

Little Feat is very pleased to announce that from January 17 to 20, 2024, they’ll headline their annual Feat Camp at The Grand Oasis Resort in Cancun, Mexico.  Joining them will be Larry Campbell and Teresa Williams, Rob Ickes and Trey Hensley, and DJ Music Man Miles (Tackett).  Four days of fun in a tropical paradise…we can handle it!

Little Feat features Bill Payne (keyboards, vocals), Kenny Gradney (bass), Sam Clayton (percussion and vocals), Fred Tackett (guitars and vocals), Scott Sharrard (guitars and vocals), and Tony Leone (drums).

…and let’s not forget --

ROLLIN’ INTO 2024 TOUR DATES

Friday, 12/29, 2023      New Orleans, LA   Joy Theater

Saturday, 12/30, 2023  Austin, TX            The Paramount Theatre

Sunday, 12/31, 2023    Dallas, TX             Longhorn Ballroom

Tickets and exclusive VIP packages (Front Row Experience, Meet & Greet

Experience and Ticket/Merch Packages) are on sale now at the venues, their ticket services, and through www.littlefeat.net.

Tue, 10/10/2023 - 8:17 am

Grateful Guitars Foundation exists to serve the music, both with beautiful instruments for advanced players and to support great music programs that spread the gospel of music to younger folks.  Our latest effort has been to work with a long-time fixture of the San Francisco Bay Area scene, Blue Bear Music.

Aside from the fact that Blue Bear is a genuine gift to the community, our particular connection to it is that Jay Lane, one of our favorite drummers, is a proud graduate of Blue Bear.  He started at 13, and director Steve Savage, who taught him, tells us he was already very good – but we all know he got even better.

The Jay Lane Music Rooms will be at Blue Bear’s brand-new Mission Bay campus at 660 Mission Bay Blvd. North, opposite the Spark Food installation, very near Oracle Park.  It will house music lessons in keyboards, guitars, dj-ing, and voice for all ages, including the super-popular Little Bears programs for toddlers.

The rooms were celebrated on October 8th, 2023, with Jay performing ribbon-cutting duties, as you’ll see from this picture.

You can learn more about Blue Bear at www.bluebearmusic.org

Support music!

Thu, 10/19/2023 - 11:21 am

But wait, there’s more!  Little Feat is pleased to announce the addition of Craig Fuller and Shaun Murphy to Feat Camp, along with the previously announced guests Larry Campbell, Teresa Williams, Rob Ickes, Trey Hensley, and DJ Music Man Miles Tackett.  A very full musical plate.

When you go for 50 years plus, people can come and then move on.  Craig was a member of Feat from when they returned to the road in 1987 until 1993, and Shaun was in the band from 1993 to 2009.  Once you’re a part of Feat, you’re never entirely gone.  So Feat Camp will also be a family reunion onstage.

Feat Camp will rock, and it’s not to be missed.  After all, even Phish is playing Little Feat music these days (“Spanish Moon” was part of their recent tour finale.  Vamos a Mèxico! (Let’s go to Mexico!).

Little Feat features Bill Payne (keyboards, vocals), Kenny Gradney (bass), Sam Clayton (percussion and vocals), Fred Tackett (guitars and vocals), Scott Sharrard (guitars and vocals), and Tony Leone (drums and vocals).

…and let’s not forget --

ROLLIN’ INTO 2024 TOUR DATES

Friday, 12/29, 2023      New Orleans, LA   Joy Theater

Saturday, 12/30, 2023  Austin, TX            The Paramount Theatre

Sunday, 12/31, 2023    Dallas, TX             Longhorn Ballroom

Tickets and exclusive VIP packages (Front Row Experience, Meet & Greet

Experience and Ticket/Merch Packages) are on sale now at the venues, their ticket services, and through www.littlefeat.net.

Mon, 01/22/2024 - 12:58 pm

The opening weekend of "Jerry Garcia: A Bluegrass Journey" Exhibition at the Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame & Museum launches with an immersive experience of exhibition tours, live music, historic panel discussions, and more to celebrate the bluegrass career of music icon Jerry Garcia. The exhibition explores Garcia's early years as a banjo player, his deep connection to bluegrass, the influence it had on his legendary career, and will run for two years.

Before gaining fame as a psychedelic guitarist with the Grateful Dead, Garcia aspired to play banjo for bluegrass icons like Bill Monroe. His bluegrass roots shaped his musical journey, leading to exceptional guitar skills and a profound impact on the rock genre. He indeed became a truly first-rate banjo player, and ironically it was that personal training that led to the exceptional single-note guitar runs that made him a rock legend.

The exhibition traces Garcia's musical evolution from folk and bluegrass scenes in the '60s to forming bluegrass bands like the Black Mountain Boys. It delves into pivotal moments, such as his road trip to explore bluegrass in 1964, and highlights collaborations with influential bluegrass musicians like David Grisman, Tony Rice, and Peter Rowan.

There was a thriving folk scene in the San Francisco Bay Area, and there Garcia found other good players, creating bluegrass bands such as the Hart Valley Drifters, the Black Mountain Boys, and several others. But the audience and musician base in Northern California was limited. In 1964, Jerry and his friend Sandy Rothman got into Jerry’s Corvair and drove east, to seek out bluegrass legends and pioneers Bill Monroe, Jim & Jesse, and the Osborne Brothers. Homesick, Garcia returned to the Bay Area, having decided that that was where his heart was, and began playing in a jug band, Mother McCree’s Uptown Jug Champions. The band morphed into the Warlocks, which became the Grateful Dead, and the rest is history.

In 2021, the Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame & Museum embarked on a journey to capture Garcia's bluegrass legacy through interviews with family, contemporaries, and those influenced by him. The exhibition features 12 of Garcia's personal instruments, custom-made shirts from his early bluegrass era, recordings, and other artifacts, creating an immersive experience in a 1000-square-foot gallery.

The museum has conducted over 20 interviews to help tell this story, sitting down with David Nelson, Eric Thompson, Sandy Rothman, David Grisman, Peter Rowan, Sara Ruppenthal Katz, Carolyn “Mountain Girl” Garcia, Dennis McNally, Del McCoury, Billy Strings, Molly Tuttle, Sam Bush, Vince Herman, and more to capture their perspectives of Jerry Garcia and his love of bluegrass music.

Three days of concerts and artist panel discussions are slated for exhibition opening.

The museum's dedication to preserving bluegrass history, coupled with support from Daviess County Fiscal Court and Visit Owensboro, has brought this exhibition to life. Opening weekend festivities include three days of concerts featuring the Sam Grisman Project and house band Leftover Salmon. Throughout the weekend they will be joined by special guests including Peter Rowan, David Nelson, Jim Lauderdale, Ronnie McCoury, Eric Thompson, Pete Wernick, and Kyle Tuttle. Attendees can expect more artists to be announced at a later date.

Also included in the $295 ticket are documentary screenings, exhibition tours with interactive displays, artist panel discussions, and advance access to exclusive merch. Panelists include Sara Katz, Vince Herman, Rob Bleetstein, and more in addition to the weekend artists.

The opening celebration will be rounded out with pre-concert lounges and an overall intimate concert experience, with all live music and activities taking place in one location at the Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame & Museum, which overlooks the Ohio River in Owensboro, Kentucky.

Join us at the Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame & Museum for an unforgettable celebration of Jerry Garcia's enduring connection to bluegrass music. More information and tickets can be found at the Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame & Museum website.

Mon, 02/12/2024 - 10:59 am

The Grateful Dead performed at more benefits than they can count, to the point where they (amazingly!) got organized and created the Rex Foundation 40 years ago in 1984. Each year thereafter they would play shows for Rex, rendering unto the common good – small nonprofits that benefited society in the realms of the environment, arts, Native American issues, and education. This year they will celebrate grants that now total over ten million dollars given to over 1,400 grantees, a proud benchmark.

To honor this landmark anniversary, Dark Star Orchestra along with Melvin Seals and JGB will perform at the Greek Theatre at U.C. Berkeley, on July 13, 2024. It’s a particularly resonant date in the Dead’s history: not only did the Rex Foundation host its first benefit in 1984, but the band played the Greek on July 13, 1984, and something special happened that night.

The Grateful Dead experienced a number of extraordinary, almost unearthly synchronous moments connected to the planet, from performing “Fire on the Mountain” in Portland, Oregon, just as Mt. St. Helens exploded a few miles up the road to playing through a magnificent lunar eclipse on an outdoor stage at the Great Pyramid in Gizeh, Egypt.

But perhaps one of the sweetest of these phenomena took place at the Greek the night of July 13, 1984, when they brought out their legendary musical exploration of space, “Dark Star,” and the ecstatic audience observed a brilliant shooting star as it streaked across the horizon. Yet another Grateful Dead mystical occurrence that has never ceased to ignite the imaginations of Dead Heads everywhere!

An all-around excellent cause for celebration!

● Artist Presale tickets on sale Wednesday, February 14th, at 10 am PST, using code BERTHA at Ticketmaster: https://www.ticketmaster.com/event/1C006046FE5767C3?camefrom=CFC_ANOTHE…

● VIP Package on sale Wednesday, February 14th, at 10 am PST at www.rexfoundation.org Package includes premium reserved seating, a limited edition lithograph show poster, and a VIP reception on Friday, July 12th, at Comal Restaurant, Berkeley, CA

● General Public tickets on sale Friday, February 16th, at 10 am PST at Ticketmaster:

https://www.ticketmaster.com/event/1C006046FE5767C3?camefrom=CFC_ANOTHE… rplanet

Tue, 02/20/2024 - 10:19 am

Feat has spent some of its recent off time working on a blues album – more on that later – and so chose to name the new tour in honor of one of the legendary tunes in American history, “Can’t Be Satisfied.”  It is the song that began Muddy Waters’ legendary career, and it’s highly appropriate for a band that, after more than fifty years, is at the top of its game and hungry for more.

One show will have an especially poignant flavor.  In 1974 the band moved to Baltimore to record at a studio in Hunt Valley, producing Feats Don’t Fail Me Now.  The June 14 show in Baltimore will mark the 50th anniversary of Feats…and you can anticipate a suitable musical celebration. Expect a warm summer.

Little Feat features Bill Payne (keyboards, vocals), Kenny Gradney (bass), Sam Clayton (percussion and vocals), Fred Tackett (guitars and vocals), Scott Sharrard (guitars and vocals), and Tony Leone (drums).

June 13 Thur.       Koka Booth Amphitheater, Cary, NC. w/The Wood Brothers

June 14 Fri.          Pier Six Pavilion, Baltimore, MD. w/The Wood Brothers

June 17 Mon.        Carnegie Music Hall of Oakland, Pittsburgh, PA.  w/ Los Lobos

June 18 Tues.       PNC Pavilion, Cincinnati, OH. w/ Los Lobos

June 20 Thur.       Everwise Amphitheater at White River State Park, Indianapolis, IN.  w/ Los Lobos

June 21 Fri.          Venue TBA.    w/Los Lobos

June 22 Sat.         Ravinia Festival, Highland Park, IL.  w/ Los Lobos

June 24 Mon.        Victory Theatre, Evansville, IN.  w/ Marc Broussard

June 25 Tues.       The Factory, St. Louis, MO.  w/ Marc Broussard

June 26 Weds.      Uptown Theater, Kansas City, MO.  w/ Marc Broussard

June 28 Fri.          Washington Pavilion, Sioux Falls, SD.  w/ Duane Betts & Palmetto Motel

June 29 Sat.         Fitzgerald Theater, Saint Paul, MN.  w/ Duane Betts & Palmetto Motel

June 30 Sun.        Vetter Stone Amphitheater, Mankato, MN.  w/ Duane Betts & Palmetto Motel

July 2 Tues.          Hoyt Sherman Place, Des Moines, IA.  w/ Duane Betts & Palmetto Motel.  

July 3 Weds.         The Astro, Omaha, NE.  w/ Duane Betts & Palmetto Motel.

July 5 Fri.             Red Rocks Amphitheatre, Morrison, CO.  Supporting The Avett Brothers