NYS Music 20​19

Tag: grateful dead

  • Grateful Shred Opens East West Tour With Three Night Run at Brooklyn Bowl

    With no shortage of bands playing homage to the Grateful Dead catalog, Los Angeles based Grateful Shred is quickly distinguishing themselves in this crowded space. The band welcomed Adam MacDougall, formerly of the Chris Robinson Brotherhood and bandmate of bassist Dan Horne with Circles Around the Sun, on B3 and keyboards to kick off their East West tour last night at the Brooklyn Bowl. This was the first of three consecutive shows at the Bowl and second such run this calendar year after an earlier run this past March. Joining MacDougall were founding members Horne and guitar trio Austin McCutchen, Sam Blasucci, and Clay Finch, along with a pair of drummers.

    Grateful Shred

    The three guitar format is largely responsible for what gives Grateful Shred their signature sound, and likely their name as well, though Horne’s bass is also a driving force. MacDougall made his presence known early and often, treating the crowd to some masterful work on the Hammond and Moog. “Let’s Spend the Night Together,” a Rolling Stones tune from the JGB catalog, got the crowd into an early groove, Sam Blasucci on lead vocals. Like one of those old what’s wrong with this picture cartoons, it might take the casual observer a minute to notice that southpaw Blasucci is shredding his lefty solos on a righty guitar played upside down, a la Jimi Hendrix. “New Minglewood Blues” was next with a fierce solo from MacDougall before a return to the JGB catalog with Jimmy Cliff’s “Harder They Come.” “Scarlet Begonias” > “Fire on the Mountain” preceded the set, closing with “Deal.”

    Grateful Shred

    The second set got underway with a frenzied “Cumberland Blues” featuring gorgeous harmonies from the three guitarists on top of a sweltering bass line from Horne. “Mexicali Blues” was next, the third song of the night with blues in the title. “Reuben and Cerise” was the first JGB cover actually written by Garcia with lyrics by Robert Hunter, though the Grateful Dead did play it four times, as well. A lovely “Mississippi Half-Step” sung by Clay with piercing solos to match was up next before a “Playing in the Band” > “Mountains of the Moon” > “Playing in the Band” combination that went deep and got a little spacey, sans drum solo.

    The set closed with a final offering from the JGB catalog, Allen Toussaint’s “Get Out of My Life Woman” before a fiery “Jack Straw” closed. After a brief respite, “US Blues” took the encore slot and wrapped up the 90-minute set.

    Grateful Shred

    Grateful Shred returns to Brooklyn Bowl to finish their run Friday and Saturday before heading back to California to finish the East West tour. All three Brooklyn Bowl shows have free webcasts on the Relix channel. Check out last night’s stream below.

    Set One: Let’s Spend the Night Together, New Minglewood Blues, Harder They Come, Scarlet Begonias > Fire on the Mountain, Deal.

    Set Two: Cumberland Blues, Mexicali Blues, Reuben and Cerise, Mississippi Half-Step, Playin’ in the Band > Mountains of the Moon > Playing in the Band, Get Out of My Life Woman, Jack Straw.

    Encore: U.S. Blues.

  • LOCKN’ Changes Dates, Moves to Three Days – 8th Annual Event to Celebrate Phil Lesh’s 80th

    LOCKN’ returns for its eighth year at Infinity Downs and Oak Ridge Farm in Arrington, VA on June 19-21, a shift from it’s usual dates in late August. This year’s festival will be extra special as LOCKN’ has put together a star-studded celebration of Phil Lesh’s 80th birthday. Lesh is best known as a founding member and bass player for the Grateful Dead.

    “I am honored that Peter and the LOCKN’ family are throwing me the most special kind of birthday bash this year!” says Lesh. “It’s perfect because I’ve had so much fun there over the years — not just playing, but also getting to hang out and spend time with good friends and collaborators, some of whom I have just met and others whom I have been playing with since this all began. We are going to have a lot of fun.”

    Lesh at 2016’s LOCKN’

    Festival co-founder Peter Shapiro stated, “We’re going to celebrate Phil’s 80th the LOCKN’ way.” He continued, “He means so much to all of us, and we really are determined to give him the best party he’s ever had. We want to celebrate the man and his music in the best way possible. No better way than on our farm in that setting.”

    LOCKN’ 2020 has pulled out all the stops for the celebration. Attendees will be able to experience for the first time ever at the three-day event the option of adding the Thursday before. Dubbed as “Steal Your Thursday” attendees can start the party early with a “Jerry Dance Party” on June 18. Expect a psychedelic audio/visual experience that celebrates the music of Jerry Garcia and the Grateful Dead. If that is not enough LOCKN’ for you, there is an option to come on Wednesday that gives you early access to the farm.

    LOCKN’ LUMNI tickets will be available beginning Friday, Nov. 8 at 8:08 a.m. For complete ticket information and much more, please visit the LOCKN’ website here.

  • Halloween Jerry Dance Party offers Immersive, Psychedelic, Audio/Visual experience

    Following Dead and Company’s Halloween performances at Madison Square Garden on October 31 and November 1, Jerry Dance Party will take place at ZeroSpace, giving Deadheads a chance to keep the dancin late into the night.

    “This is a rare opportunity to bring one of the most inspiring musicians of all-time into New York’s newest, visionary venue on the most creative holiday of year,” said event creator DJ JerrBrother. “Past will meet future when the music of Jerry Garcia plays at ZeroSpace!”

    Inspired by psychedelic late-nights at the LOCKN’, The Jerry Dance Party will take place at New York’s Burning Man-inspired art-tech space ZeroSpace and include thousands of square feet of multi-sensory video mapping, projection and lasers.

    Each Jerry Party room at ZeroSpace will be dedicated to a specific decade of The Dead, providing unique experiences that stretch into the early morning hours. For those Rhythm Devil fans, there will also be a 3D mapped, 30-foot geodesic dome synchronized to “Drums & Space” all night long.

    ZeroSpace is located at 136 W. 33rd St, just steps away from Madison Square Garden. It features custom projections, interactive LED screens, projection mapped floors, synchronized illuminations, the largest augmented reality sandbox in the world and more, all tuned to the magical sounds of The Dead for this exclusive two-night event.

    Tickets for the post-Dead & Company Halloween Jerry Dance Party are $25 and on sale now. This event is 18+. Visit Relix for more information.

  • New exhibit at Morrison Hotel Gallery celebrates the Long, Strange Trip of Rock’s Legendary Jambands

    Morrison Hotel Gallery in Manhattan will pay homage to the world’s greatest jambands and the many talented photographers who have worked with these legendary performers with a new exhibition opeing on Thursday, October 17 at 7PM. From the Grateful Dead to Widespread Panic: Morrison Hotel Gallery Celebrates the Long, Strange Trip of Rock’s Legendary Jambands will take music lovers from Jerry Garcia and the gang backstage at the Fillmore East to Greg Allman posing next to a portrait of his brother as well as rehearsing with the band. The exhibit examines the forefathers of the jamband movement and takes visitors on an exploration of many of the like-minded bands that have followed, including The Band, Dave Matthews Band, Gov’t Mule, Grace Potter, Pigeons Playing Ping Pong, Tedeschi Trucks, and more. 

    The Jambands exhibition will feature images by photographer Jay Blakesberg, known for his iconic shots of the Grateful Dead captured over 41 years of working closely with the band. Blakesberg will also be the featured artist for Morrison Hotel Gallery’s November 3rd Close Up Artist Talk, co-hosted by the ACE Hotel New York. The Artist Talk will be in celebration of the release of Blakesberg’s new book, Jerry Garcia: Secret Space of Dreams, which was released on October 11. 

    In addition to Blakesberg, the Jambands exhibition will also feature extraordinary images by photographers Danny Clinch, C. Taylor Crothers, Sam Erickson, Herb Greene, Brantley Gutierrez, Lynn Goldsmith, Patrick Harbron, Rene Huemer, Elliot Landy, Gilbert Lee, Catherine McGann, Patricia O’Driscoll, Ken Regan, Amalie R. Rothschild, Norman Seeff, Allan Tannenbaum, Peter Tarnoff, Dave Vann, and Baron Wolman. This exhibition will show many of the musicians in this vibrant scene both on and off stage, over the course of the last 50 years. 

    The October 17 event is open to the public but an RSVP is required to attend. Email RSVPNYC@thepresshouse.com if interested. Morrison Hotel Gallery is located in Soho at 116 Prince Street.

  • Watch “Loose Lucy” and “Uncle John’s Band” from Grateful Dead Giants Stadium Box Set

    “The Swamp,” as Giants Stadium was affectionately known, hosted Grateful Dead shows in 1987, 1989 and 1991. In 1987, the band saw their hit “Touch of Grey” reach the Top 10 and the band’s stadium rock years hitting their peak. The latest box set from the godfather of jam bands, GIANTS STADIUM: 1987, 1989, 1991 features five previously unreleased Grateful Dead shows from Big Blue’s home in East Rutherford, NJ: July 12, 1987; July 9 and 10, 1989; and June 16 and 17, 1991.

    Originally recorded by John Cutler, each show has been mixed from the multitrack master tapes by Jeffrey Norman at Bob Weir’s TRI Studios in San Rafael, CA and mastered in HDCD by David Glasser at Airshow Mastering. The first three shows are mixed from 24-track masters. The final two from 1991 are the only Grateful Dead shows ever recorded to 48-track masters.

    This release is limited to 10,000 individually numbered copies and available via Dead.net. Find more details on the Giants Stadium box set here.

    Grateful Dead archivist and legacy manager David Lemiuex says of the “Loose Lucy” from the June 17, 1991 show, “Gone from the repertoire for 16 years, 1974-1990, when it made its return at the Capital Center on 3/14/90, it was in its slower 1973 arrangement, and was incredibly well-received, with one of the most inadvertently self-referential choruses in the Dead’s canon. Were they thanking us for a real good time? Were we thanking them? Regardless, it was a blast to sing along with Jerry when he was clearly having fun singing this classic.”

  • In Memoriam: Grateful Dead lyricist Robert Hunter

    Robert Hunter, lyricist for the Grateful Dead and the pen behind some of the band’s most beloved songs passed away at his home in Marin County, CA, on Monday night. He was 78 years old. Hunter wrote numerous songs alongside Jerry Garcia, including “Ripple,” “China Cat Sunflower,” “Casey Jones,” “Sugar Magnolia,” “Mountains of the Moon,” “Althea,” “Dark Star,” “Stella Blue” among others. 

    Robert Hunter
    photo by Scott Harris/The Capitol Theatre

    A statement from Hunter’s family stated “It is with great sadness we confirm our beloved Robert passed away yesterday night. He died peacefully at home in his bed, surrounded by love. His wife Maureen was by his side holding his hand.”  For his fans that have loved and supported him all these years, take comfort in knowing that his words are all around us, and in that way his is never truly gone.  In this time of grief please celebrate him the way you all know how, by being together and listening to the music. Let there be songs to fill the air.”

    Grateful Dead guitarist and singer Bob Weir shared his condolences on Twitter

    Inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a non-performing member of the Grateful Dead, Hunter wrote with Bob Dylan, Bruce Hornsby, Cesar Rojas of Los Lobos, in addition to Garcia. Hunter also produced a number of books of poetry, as well as solo albums over the course of his life. 

    Grateful Dead archivist David Lemieux said in remembering Hunter

    For a man who provided us with so many meaningful words, the soundtrack to our lives, he’s left us a bit speechless with his passing. For more than 50 years, since his first lyrical contributions to the Grateful Dead in 1967, Robert Hunter has been just as integral a part of the legacy of the Grateful Dead as those who recorded the music to accompany his words, those who walked out on stage to bring his words to life. More than 2,000 times 1967-1995, these six (or five or seven) proud walkers on the jingle bell rainbow, plus countless thousands of times since then by other performers, the Grateful Dead have brought Hunter’s words to life in front of all of us as their witness. Not a single day has gone by since 1984 that Hunter’s words haven’t been a part of my world; I’ve heard Jerry, Bob and others sing his words literally every day for the past 35 years.

    When the final Fare Thee Well show ended in Chicago in 2015, Mickey Hart famously sent us on our way by asking us to “please, be kind,” and that lesson along with its lyrical brethren written by Hunter, “ain’t no time to hate,” and “are you kind?” are some of the truest words to live by. No matter what meaning, solace, lesson you find in Hunter’s lyrics, please go out and do some good with them.

    Listen to full show audio from Robert Hunter’s performance at The Capitol Theatre in Port Chester, NY on October 5, 2013. May the four winds blow you safely home.

  • Hearing Aide: Holly Bowling ‘Live at the Old Church’

    The mark of an incredible jam band performance is the groups’ ability to be relentlessly creative. When four or five members work in unison to create, explore and build, we are gifted with a sonic adventure filled with memorable moments that can last a lifetime. It’s something only a gifted few can accomplish together. But for one person to achieve this – a full bodied musical excursion with moving parts and emotion – is the mark of a true virtuoso. Holly Bowling does just this as she blesses us with one of the most exotic ideas of what a cover could be, cultivating years of music and experience into one instrument, one voice, in one night, on Live at the Old Church.

    Live at the old church

    She has finally released her first ever live album, which is odd considering her track record of live performances and the genre she has based herself in, but it was absolutely worth the wait. Read our past articles about Holly and her performances to get a better idea of her impressive background and experience.

    Over the course of two and a half hours, we hear her interpretation of well known Grateful Dead and Phish songs, using nothing but her imagination and a stupendously recorded grand piano which was all complimented by the crisp acoustics of The Old Church Concert Hall in Portland, OR. Her ability to explore different emotions and attitudes is astounding.

    Bowling flows effortlessly through “Mountains in the Mist,” emulating Phish’s airy jam with appropriate flair, courtesy to her classical background. But counter to her upbringing, she absolutely nails energetic and experimental tracks like “Slipknot! / Franklin’s Tower” and “Let It Grow.” Her relentless builds and solos are infectious and memorable. 

    The album is hard to sum up. Everyone will take away something different from it, as is the case from any live show. What is arguably most impressive is her ability to catch the listeners ear from minute to minute and track to track. One instrument covering one style of music is bound to become monotonous, but Bowling does the impossible and tours audiences through her interpretation of these pivotal tracks. 

    Bowling will continue to share her prowess with fans in a number of upcoming shows including, The Linda WAMC’s Performing Arts Studio in Albany, on September 11, Le Poisson Rouge in Manhattan on September 14, and the Ghost Light: Borderland Music Festival in East Aurora on September 22. The album is available on Spotify and Apple Music.

    Key Tracks: Mountains in the Mist, Slipknot! / Franklin’s Tower, Let it Grow.

  • LOCKN’ 19 Marks Its Place in History

    Derek Trucks sits in with Trey Anastasio Band.

    Words By: Karina Verlan

    Images By: Filip Zalewski (Essence Photography)

    For the past seven years, LOCKN’ has been a true musical haven for improvisation, acting as a base for some of the most famous and remarkable collaborations. This year was no exception as some of this music scene’s most influential artists came together to share moments with festival patrons that won’t be forgotten any time soon. 

    The atmosphere at LOCKN’ this year was unique in that the festival felt smaller in scale compared to some of the past years when the grounds were overflowing with festivalgoers by virtue of acts like Phish, Disco Biscuits, The String Cheese Incident and Widespread Panic. In a way, the experience was more intimate and special as a result, with the performing artists’ music sweeping out into the crowd to bring their audience on a journey that was curated for their experience and their memories only. 

    It is always interesting to see the year-to-year tweaks that the festival implements to change the mood or improve the experience for patrons. This year, the thing that stood out was the late night shows in Garcia’s Forest, which included Circles Around the Sun, Soulive and Galactic.

    Never miss a LOCKN’ sunset. Oteil & Friends

    For those of us that have been six-to-seven year patrons of the festival, it is nostalgic to remember back to a widely favored and heralded set at LOCKN’ by the Tedeschi Trucks Band in 2014 in the Garcia Forest. What a trip, so many years later, to experience the powerhouse group headlining the festival, joined by superstar Trey Anastasio as the key acts of the weekend.

    R.I.P Neal Casal, pictured at his last performance with Oteil & Friends.

    Festivalgoers of this year’s LOCKN’ will forever evoke the memories of Neal Casal’s final performances, before our music community tragically lost him the Monday following the festival. This past weekend, Neal Casal performed late night on Thursday night with his outfit, Circles Around the Sun, which was orginially formed back in 2015 to record the interlude music for The Grateful Dead’s 50th Anniversary Fare Thee Well shows. Joe Russo performed a surprise sit-in with the group Thursday evening, in light of a collaborative EP that is due to release later this fall. Neal was seen again on stage with powerhouse group Oteil Burbridge & Friends, which also included Bob Weir and Duane Betts. Here is a clip of his solo on Thursday night with Circles Around the Sun:

    “Interlocking” sets was the theme of the weekend, as always, at LOCKN’. Bob Weir graced a number of sets as a guest, as usual, including Oteil & Friends’ set where he sat in for “Cassidy” and a “Happy Birthday” song to Oteil; he joined Twiddle with Eric Krasno and John Popper for “Eyes of the World;” Old Crow Medicine; and Edie Brickell and the New Bohemians for “Deep Elem Blues.” Bob Weir was also “sitting in” during Joe Russo’s Almost Dead set when the camera spanned to him sitting side stage on a couch listening to JRAD’s set that included cuts like “Ruben and Cherise,” “Peggy-O,” “The Other One,” “Casey Jones” and “Uncle John’s Band,” to name a few. 

    Other notable moments of the weekend include one of the early sets of the weekend, when Trey played with the Thai-funk improv outfit Khruangbin, adding his legendary guitar licks to songs like, “Lady & Man” and “People Everywhere (Still Alive).” Moon Alice performed with the T Sisters and Lester Chambers and his son Dylan Chambers on Friday on classics such as “Uncle Johns Band” and “Attics Of My Life,” in addition to a few Moon Alice classics. Melvin Seals & JGB played a set together with John Kadlecik and the Pigeons Playing Ping Pong set had a sit-in from the Revivalist horns, to name a few more “Lockn’ Moments.”  Honorable mentions should go to Fruition, who brought a sizable crowd to an 11 a.m. Garcia’s Forest set, finishing their performance with a crowd-requested “The Meaning.” Free Union started off the main stage performances on Saturday by inviting members of the Audacity Brass Band to play with them after their set was cancelled due to the storm on Friday.

    Bob Weir and John Popper of Blues Traveler sit in with Twiddle.

    But the weekend recap wouldn’t be complete without mentioning the extraordinary delicacy of seeing Trey and Derek performing together. Trey and Derek, certainly not strangers to each other’s guitar licks as the first time they played together was 20 years ago, had no trouble showing their respect for each other’s craft by adding the perfect additions to their respective sets. Starting with Friday night, Derek sat in for the entire second set with Trey Anastasio Band for songs like “Set Your Soul Free,” “Ghost,” and “Blaze On” with an additional sit-in from Susan on “A Life Beyond a Dream” and “Rise/Come Together.”  On Saturday, Trey sat in with TTB for covers from the Derek and the Dominos’ classic album Layla And Other Assorted Love Songs while TTB proper followed with “Keep On Growing,” “Nobody Knows You When You’re Down and Out” and “I Am Yours.”

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PaJ4auxoI0E
    Derek Derek Derek Trey Trey Trey

    Once again, the spirit at LOCKN’ was alive and well this year, and is rooted deeply now for the tradition to continue next year all over again. 

  • In Focus: The Wolf Emerges with Dead and Company at Citi Field

    Dead and Company returned to play a mainstay of their tours, Citi Field, on June 23 for an all-around solid show with a seemingly near capacity crowd in tow and The Wolf

    Perfect weather ushered in the first set, filled with mellow jams and easy grooves. Since the band’s inaugural shows in 2015 at the Times Union Center in Albany and Madison Square Garden in Manhattan, fans have seen a partial core group of Grateful Dead members with a few guests grow into the new touring force in the wake of the Grateful Dead. John Mayer’s increasing share in vocals and frontman duties alongside Bob Weir manifested from the first refrain in the opening song “St. Stephen.” In a surprise to fans, Jerry Garcia’s famed Wolf guitar was played by Mayer for the entire show, which added a subtle accent to his imitation of Garcia’s style.

    The second set resembled the construction of a late 1970s Grateful Dead set anchored by two giant ballads, “Terrapin Station” to start the set and a post-Drums/Space “Morning Dew.” In contrast with these two more-scripted songs, the rest of the set took to a rather lengthy jam with “Truckin’” expanded well beyond its original form, teased upon in the outro of Space, including a few doodles from Mayer which briefly echoed a bit of David Gilmour’s guitar style. The set concluded after a rather short encore break and a melodious “Breakdown Palace” (the show was possibly running into a venue or local curfew).

    Set 1: St. Stephen -> Cold Rain and Snow, Samson and Delilah, High Time, They Love Each Other, Ramble On Rose, Sugaree, Jack Straw.

    Set 2: Terrapin Station, Althea, Scarlet Begonias -> Fire on the Mountain -> Drums -> Space -> The Wheel ->  The Other One -> Morning Dew.

    Encore: Brokedown Palace.

    https://www.instagram.com/p/BzFMfJFlUoG/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

  • In Focus: Bob Weir and Wolf Bros Shine at Count Basie Theatre

    Completing a stellar two night run at the historic Count Basie Theatre in Red Bank, New Jersey, Bob Weir and Wolf Bros continue to shine, expanding the Grateful Dead’s legacy to new heights. Bob Weir is in top form, and is supported by two amazing musicians; Don Was on bass and Jay Lane on drums, each bringing their own style to the performance. Highlights included “Blackbird,” “Deal” and “Eyes of The World,” but it was the extremely intimate and emotional rendition of “Standing On The Moon,” that didn’t leave a dry eye in the building and rounded out an amazing two nights for the band and deadheads alike.

    Set 1: Easy to Slip, Gonesville, Blackbird, K.C. Moan, Odessa, Hell in a Bucket, She Belongs to Me, Corrina, Deal

    Set 2: Me and My Uncle, Cassidy, Truckin’, Fever, Ashes and Glass, Don’t Let Go, Eyes of the World, Standing on the Moon, Going Down the Road Feelin’ BadEncore: U.S. Blues