Here is the latest news from David Gans, producer and host of the Grateful Dead Hour.
Grateful Dead Hour no. 1478
Support for the Grateful Dead Hour comes this week from: Love Some Tea – grown and harvested naturally in Northern Thailand by the Hmong Hilltribe people. These plantation-free teas are flavored by hand, with all natural ingredients. Love Some Tea is sustainable hand-grown tea, and all the founders are Deadheads. Rob Catterton, announcing A Grand Piano Tribute to the Grateful Dead, an album of thoughtful and unique solo-piano interpretations of ten Grateful Dead favorites. A Grand Piano Tribute to the Grateful Dead by Rob Catterton is available on iTunes, Amazon, and CDBaby. Dead and Company – Bob Weir, Bill Kreutzmann, Mickey Hart, John Mayer, Jeff Chimenti and Oteil Burbridge – on tour from coast to coast May 27 through July 1. Complete details and ticketing at www.deadandcompany.com. That’s Dead and Company, on tour from May 27 through July 1. Garcia’s at The Capitol Theatre in Port Chester, New York. On Wednesday, January 25, Dave Hebert of Melvin Seals and JGB and Greg Koerner of Vince Welnick, DSO, and Gent Treadly are Bear Tread, an exciting new tribute to the music of the Grateful Dead. Events, information, and ticketing at thecapitoltheatre.com.
TIAAD “outtake” re 3/17/70 with the Buffalo Philharmonic
Have you seen that thing going around about a $500 reward for the lost recording of 3/17/70, Grateful Dead with the Buffalo Philharmonic?
Here’s a bit of info about that event, deleted from our final manuscript due to space issues:
Peter Case (musician): They were playing in Buffalo [March 17, 1970], at the Kleinhans Music Hall. It was a very strange gig, because the billing was the Grateful Dead, the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Lukas Foss. The opening act was a top-40 band that was starting to kind of freak out. They were called the Mellow Brick Road at one point, but I think they just changed their name at the gig to The Road.
The Grateful Dead was fantastic, and they were full-on into that “Dark Star” period. They were great. Then the orchestra came out. I guess they said it was going to be a battle of the bands. The Dead was playing their music, but the leader of the orchestra would yell “Attack!” They’re not improvisers, particularly, the guys in the orchestra, but they were coached to attack the Grateful Dead musically. And they did, with their tympanis, their blasts of drums and horns and cacophony. The Grateful Dead were playing, doing one of their improvs, that loping boogie beat that Lesh and the drummers would be playing, the thing was just rolling along, and Jerry would be soloing. Then for a second there, the orchestra would sort of drown it out, and then the orchestra would stop and [the Dead] would sort of emerge out of the clouds of the attack, still doing their thing. It was pretty funny. The Grateful Dead never blinked. They just kept playing. [Laughs] It was really really funny and great.
Another strange thing about the show: The very opening act was a John Cage piece. You’re in whatever state you’re in when you go see the Grateful Dead in 1970… The way this piece went was, there were violinists and they walked out into the theater and they played their part as they walked through your aisle. You would have to stand up and let them pass. They went right through every aisle in the place, playing their violins. It was incredible, but the best part, of course was the Dead.
It was a great-sounding place, so the Dead sounded great in there. Everybody walked out saying that that was just completely insane, that the orchestra had topped themselves by acting completely nuts.
Bob Weir: I remember we brought our smallest amplifiers and we were still three or four times too loud. We had to turn them down to the point where we couldn’t really get tone out of them in order to not drown out the orchestra. A rock’n’roll trap drum kit acoustically is at least twice as loud as a symphony orchestra.
Grateful Dead Hour no. 1477
Week of January 9, 2017
Part 1 21:12
Rob Catterton, Grateful Dead on the Grand Piano
BIRD SONG
The Joan Baez Ballad Book (Vanguard)
FENNARIO
Talk
Interview: Robert Hunter 11/15/77
Robert Hunter 11/15/77 (unreleased)
CHINA CAT SUNFLOWER
Grateful Dead, Aoxomoxoa (Warner Bros)
CHINA CAT SUNFLOWER
Part 2 34:59
Grateful Dead 7/1/73 Universal Amphitheatre, Universal City CA
TRUCKIN’->
DRUMS->
THE OTHER ONE
Support for the Grateful Dead Hour comes this week from:
Garcia’s at The Capitol Theatre in Port Chester, New York. Wednesday, January 18, Garcia’s DeadCenter presents Finders Keepers, honoring the music of Jerry Garcia. Advance ticket buyers are entered to win tickets to Phil Lesh & Friends at The Capitol Theatre on March 15, 16, and 17. Events, information, and ticketing at thecapitoltheatre.com.
Love Some Tea – grown and harvested naturally in Northern Thailand by the Hmong Hilltribe people. These plantation-free teas are flavored by hand, with all natural ingredients. Love Some Tea is sustainable hand-grown tea, and all the founders are Deadheads.
Airshow Mastering, putting the finishing touches on new and classic music, including recent releases by the Grateful Dead, Will Calhoun, Otis Taylor, David Gans, and The Earls of Leicester.
Grateful Dead Hour no. 1476
Week of January 2, 2017
Part 1 31:10
Holly Bowling, Better Left Unsung (Royal Potato Family)
EYES OF THE WORLD (6-18-74 Louisville KY)
interview: Holly Bowling
Holly Bowling, Better Left Unsung
CRAZY FINGERS
Part 2 23:59
Grateful Dead 7/1/73 Universal Amphitheatre, Universal City CA
ROW JIMMY
EL PASO
LOOSE LUCY
Support for the Grateful Dead Hour comes this week from:
Love Some Tea – grown and harvested naturally in Northern Thailand by the Hmong Hilltribe people. These plantation-free teas are flavored by hand, with all natural ingredients. Love Some Tea is sustainable hand-grown tea, and all the founders are Deadheads.
Dead and Company – Bob Weir, Bill Kreutzmann, Mickey Hart, John Mayer, Jeff Chimenti and Oteil Burbridge – on tour from coast to coast May 27 through July 1. Complete details and ticketing at deadandcompany.com.
Garcia’s at The Capitol Theatre in Port Chester, New York. On Wednesday, January 11, you can “Play Dead” at Grateful Dead Open Mic Night featuring members of Stella Blues Band. Events, information, and ticketing at thecapitoltheatre.com.
Airshow Mastering, putting the finishing touches on new and classic music, including recent releases by the Grateful Dead, Will Calhoun, Otis Taylor, David Gans, and The Earls of Leicester.
Grateful Dead Hour no. 1475
Week of December 26, 2016
Part 1 27:25
Grateful Dead 7/1/73 Universal Amphitheater, Universal City CA
CHINA CAT SUNFLOWER->
I KNOW YOU RIDER
AROUND AND AROUND
Bob Weir, Blue Mountain
KI-YI BOSSIE
Mickey Hart, Planet Drum
IYANU “Surprises”
Part 2 28:28
Grateful Dead 7/1/73 Universal Amphitheater, Universal City CA
PLAYING IN THE BAND
Support for the Grateful Dead Hour comes this week from:
Garcia’s at The Capitol Theatre in Port Chester, New York. Every Wednesday in January is DeadCenter, a nod to the weekly Grateful Dead tribute night at the legendary Wetlands Preserve. Events, information, and ticketing at thecapitoltheatre.com.
Love Some Tea – grown and harvested naturally in Northern Thailand by the Hmong Hilltribe people. These plantation-free teas are flavored by hand, with all natural ingredients. Love Some Tea is sustainable hand-grown tea, and all the founders are Deadheads.
The Jerry Garcia Family and Round Records, inviting you to visit jerrygarcia.com for a download of “Christmas Time’s A-Comin’” by the Jerry Garcia Acoustic Band and for information on the new release Folk Time by the Hart Valley Drifters. This is the earliest known studio recording of Jerry Garcia, showcasing his folk & bluegrass roots – also featuring Robert Hunter and David Nelson.
Royal Potato Family, announcing pianist Holly Bowling’s new album Better Left Unsung, a collection of solo piano interpretations of Grateful Dead songs on double CD, triple LP vinyl and digital download. It’s available in all the usual places and from royalpotatofamily.com and hollybowling.com. Holly Bowling will be on tour through the spring.