Summer's here and the time is right.......to go see a show

[laughingwillow]

You could be right. I lost interest before the second set.

lw

[laughingwillow]

SO I just read an interview with a couple of DSO members. They said they don't attempt to reproduce songs note for note. However they do try to reproduce the "sound" and stage set up of a particular era. For me an example of that would be Rob B's keyboard contributions to the set I caught. The effects that he employed were recognizable as those used by B Midland during the original dead show in question. The notes may have been of Rob B's choosing, but that jangle belonged to Brent Midland.

 I'll give a listen to any dead cover band that uses the material in question to explore novel musical possibilities, just as the Dead/Further continue to do. Imo, DSO is a band that draws many folks interested in minutia of a past era. And that's not what the dead were about.

I can get behind most any band that takes that material and makes it their own.  

lw

[JRL]

I remember being on a show with the New Riders in 95 and they did I think Brokedown Palace, Friend of the Devil(Marmaduke co-wrote)
and realizing that the  GD legacy of tunes was too good not to be played and the tunes would live for ever even if Garcia didn't.

Lot of good cover versions. I was gifted with Vassars Clements Deadgrass and there is a bunch of good stuff on Deadicated.
Only one on there I hate is Janes Addiction's Ripple, if I ever meet Perry Farell I would be tempted to smack him. I really like Elvis Costello/James Burton's Ship of Fool's. James' solos seem like loving tribute to guy that James was probably an influence on.
Burton's work with Ricky Nelson on Ozzie and Harriet certainly pointed a lot of people towards electric guitaring and then he was a SHINDOG!!!!! Shindig was the cream of rock shows from that era and the Shindogs a most rocking house band. Other Shindogs included Leon Russell and Delany Bramlett.

[laughingwillow]

George Clinton is coming to town next Saturday. We're getting pumped up for this one.

SO, I've been trying to get my head around this DSO bidness a bit.

One thing that I don't think has been mentioned in the above conversation is the role of bass guitar in the sonic mix. ANY attempt to recreate a dead show goes nowhere with me if there isn't a bassie playing counterpoint to the lead. Phil was the musician who captured my attention from the first dead show I caught. And that hasn't changed for me in over 26 years.

Phil's bands have consistently put on great shows with musicians who have added their own styles to the mix. And for that reason, most of the heads that we know have moved on since jerry died from needing to hear his familiar licks to embracing the various interpretations of old favorites. As long as the musical conversations continue on stage, the evolution of the sound moves further.....

lw

[JRL]

I agree about Phil, but Kevin Rosen is a hella good bassie(is the name right?) in his own right IMHO. Seems to be the least slavish in reinterpreting the GD.
He uses the same Eden set up every gig, similiar to what Phil uses now,but nothing like Phils classic Fender/MacIntosh/JBL rigs from the GD days. but often plays a 4 string Fender which is about as far from Phils Modulus and Ritter 6 strings as you can get. (Question: does he use the 4 on shows that Phil used his 4 stringers on?)

Good point about moving the music on, though Phil has used some pretty Jerry sounding  guys over the years like Jimmy Herring, Steve Kimock and Jeff Mattson (name right?)  Hard for a guitar player in that vein not to sound like Garcia, just like tenor men can't escape Trane, alto players all sound like Bird and bass player all  channel Jamerson. I always dug it when Phil used unique stylists like John Scofield and Warren Haynes.

George Clinton?? How cool is that? Enjoy!!!

[laughingwillow]

I really like Jimmy Herring's playing. Steve Kimock's, too. But neither remind me of Jerry much,

Jeff Mattson? Doesn't he play for DSO? Never saw him with Phil or Bobby.

I think you said the current gat player for Phil came from DSO? He didn't do much for me when Phil and Bobbby came to town awhil back but he didn't sound like a jerry clone, either.

kw

[JRL]

I guess I got em confused with John Kadelik.

Have you heard Merle's Rainforest side?  I thought Kimock was Garcia for sure when I heard it.

I love both those guys playin. Kimock is a force of nature. I got a recording of the Alan Hertz Marijuana Jazz Band with Kimock, Terry Haggerty and Bobby Vega from the Great American Music Hall, want a copy? Great jazz/funk inflected jam band ecstasy!!!