Here is the latest news from David Gans, producer and host of the Grateful Dead Hour.
“Monkey and the Engineer” kids’ book
I just got a copy of a new kids’ book based on “Monkey and the Engineer,” with illustrations by David Opie. There’s biography of Fuller in the back of the book, along with the sheet music so you can play the song yourself.
The drawings are charming and warm. My wife, a kindergarten teacher and a graduate of the Philadelphia College of Art, approves of this book as both a teacher and an artist.
You can get the book from the publisher’s web site. Trips Festival documentary on DVD
I just watched Eric Christensen’s terrific documentary The Trips Festival Movie, and I’m here to give it an unqualified rave! It was shown at the Mill Valley Film Festival earlier this year, and then Eric hosted a panel discussion with several of the participants, including Bob Weir, Mountain Girl, Stewart Brand, and others. That talk is included on the DVD, along with Ben Van Meter’s original Trips Festival film.
Eric was a high school kid in San Francisco when all this interesting psychedelic stuff started happening, and he and his buddy (interviewed in the film) attended the festival. Eric went on to spend thirty-plus years as a filmmaker and television producer in the Bay Area, and along the way he interviewed many key figures in the counterculture and music scenes. He raided his own archive and many others while assembling this documentary; I’m pretty well-versed in the history and the available documentation, but I was impressed with a lot of the new material he has unearthed.
You can order it right now from TheTripsFestival.com.
I’ll be interviewing Eric Christensen on Dead to the World this Wednesday, December 5, from 8 to 10 pm PDT, and we’re going to see if we can get some of his talking heads to either come to the studio or call in. I’ll play audio excerpts from the film and the panel discussion, and we’ll probably take questions from the listeners. too.
Take a look at The Trips Festival Movie web site, and tune in Wednesday for what promises to be a very colorful and enlightening trip down memory lane.
(P.S. My name shows up in the credits because I assisted Eric in a very minor way with a music licensing matter.)
Wavy on the auction block
WAVY GRAVY ON THE eBay AUCTION BLOCK NOVEMBER 26th – DECEMBER 3rd
Legendary activist to host “Woodstock†party for winning bidder!
Auction also includes items from Jackson Browne, Graham Nash, Odetta and more!
He has been the MC for all three Woodstock Festivals, the official clown prince of the Grateful Dead, a popular Ben and Jerry’s Ice Cream Flavor. And for the winner of an upcoming eBay auction, he will be the host of your very own Woodstock party.
Wavy Gravy himself will host a “Woodstock†party for the winner of an eBay auction starting on November 26th and running though December 3rd. Proceeds from the auction will benefit the completion of the documentary film Saint Misbehavin’: The Life & Time of Wavy Gravy. All winning bidders will also be included in the film’s credits.
The auction can be found at eBay.com (search for “Wavy Gravyâ€) starting Monday November 26th. Direct link here.
For the winning bidder, it’s a night made in hippy heaven. Wavy will come to your party, Woodstock DVD in hand, as host and master of ceremonies. He’ll tell stories about Woodstock and his other legendary encounters, sing a song, read poetry, sign autographs, and bless the space in a way only Wavy Gravy can.
In addition to Wavy Gravy himself, the benefit auction also includes one of a kind items including handwritten lyrics and original photographs from artists including Jackson Browne, Graham Nash, Odetta, Barry Feinstein, Elliott Landy, DA Pennebaker and more.
About Saint Misbehavin’: The Life & Time of Wavy Gravy: Beginning with Woodstock ‘99, director Michelle Esrick has spent the past eight years documenting the life of Wavy Gravy. Saint Misbehavin’ journeys from the hills of California to the Himalayan Mountains to reveal the life of this one of a kind servant to humanity. The film blends Wavy’s own words with magical stories from an extraordinary array of fellow travelers, revealing the man behind the clown’s grin and the fool’s clothing. Wavy’s life is his message, serving as deeply needed inspiration that we can change the world and have fun doing it. Featuring: Wavy Gavy, Bob Weir, Bonnie Raitt, Jackson Browne, Steve Earle, Dr. Larry Brilliant, Mickey Hart, Phil Lesh, Ben Harper, Ken Kesey the Hog Farm & more!
ABP @ Amherst available for download
The American Beauty Project show from UMass Amherst 11/16 is now available for sale as MP3 downloads for $5 per set.
Performers: Ollabelle (Byron Isaacs, Tony Leone, Fiona McBain, Glen Patscha and Amy Helm), Larry Campbell, Jim Lauderdale, Catherine Russell, Theresa Williams, David Gans
Set 1
Friend Of The Devil
Sugar Magnolia
Brokedown Palace
New Speedway Boogie
Till The Morning Comes
Candyman
Box Of Rain
Casey Jones
Set 2
Dire Wolf
Black Peter
Ripple
Operator
Easy Wind
High Time
Cumberland Blues
Attics of My life
Truckin’
Encore:
Uncle John’s Band >
Goin’ Down the Road
Grateful Dead Hour #1001
Week of November 26, 2007
Part 1 28:20
Grateful Dead 6/30/74 Civic Center, Springfield MA
DON’T EASE ME IN
BLACK-THROATED WIND
FENNARIO
JACK STRAW
LOSER
Part 2 27:35
Interview: Blair Jackson
Grateful Dead, Road Trips vol. 1 no. 1
SHAKEDOWN STREET
PASSENGER
Road Trips is a new series of releases that seems pretty promising to me! The first one is a compilation of highlights from the fall of 1979; future issues will include complete shows, for those who thin that’s the most important thing. I’m a big fan of the fall 1979 tour – Brent Mydland had found his footing as the band’s keyboardist after 6 months, and the Dead were opening songs up in unexpected places for nice, expansive jams.
Blair Jackson and David Lemieux are the producers.
Support for the Grateful Dead hour this week comes from:
Grateful Dead Productions, announcing the first of a new series of Grateful Dead live concert releases titled Road Trips. Each CD set will include a historical essay and rare photos along with carefully remastered music from the original recordings. Volume 1 number 1 spotlights the Dead’s fall 1979 tour of the east coast, with highlights from half a dozen shows plus a limited-edition bonus disc. Information, cover art, reviews and message board are online at dead.net
The Jam in the Dam music festival in Amsterdam, Holland March 16 thru 19 at the legendary Melkweg music hall, where the Grateful Dead played in 1981. Dark Star Orchestra, Umphrey’s McGee, the Disco Biscuits, Tea Leaf Green, Perpetual Groove, and Lotus. It’s an intimate festival in one of the great cities of the world. Information, video clips, reviews, message board and tickets are available at jaminthedam.com
eDeadshop.com, an online store offering t-shirts, hats, stickers, tye dyes, gifts and other rock and roll holiday gifts from such acts as the Grateful Dead, Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan, Janis Joplin, Santana, & Pink Floyd. More information and complete product catalog can be found at eDeadshop.com.