Grateful Dean

Anybody participating in this weekend’s Peach Music Festival in Scranton, PA, was treated to perfect weather all weekend as well as some tremendous jams from our favorite musicians. The Pinnacle of Power at Peach was put out by Billy and his collection of kids, all born from different mothers. The most exciting and vibrant band of brothers, along with their father Bill, are clearly the freshest configuration of creators that have branched off of our Dead Family Tree.

Before I continue, there’s no need to correct me by writing to me and telling me “The Kids” aren’t really Billy’s children. In all reality, they very well could be and it makes a much better story. Why sacrifice the possibility and excitement due to facts? Facts, all too often, interfere with what could be a much better story. In my own mind, I’ll choose to imagine this group as a Psychedelic Partridge Family all created during Bill’s years on Dead Tour, all with different women. Not that far fetched of a concept really…

I’m kind of a purist when it comes to my music. I’m not a big fan of special effects and gadgets and never cared for the MIDI stuff too much. The first time I was waiting to hear the sweet sound of Garcia’s pick hitting the strings and a damn flute sound came out, I wasn’t all that thrilled. It was definitely another example of Robert Hunter’s lyrics from the past telling us about the future and that was pretty ingenious. “Someone plays guitar that sounds like clarinet”! In much the same way, I prefer drummers to use sticks instead of kitchen utensils. That’s not to say I don’t Love Mickey and all of his crazy shit because, I do! Given the choice, I’ll always lean towards the more classic approach to things. The center of this incredible band being Billy, there’s this purist approach to the music and he is the Monster of a Heartbeat within this animal. When you watch somebody do what they were born to be doing, you get this feeling that it looks so easy, you could probably do it yourself. I feel that way watching Billy play. Then I pick up some sticks… Then I think, “Maybe not” and I opt for kitchen utensils instead…

Billy’s Kids include Aron “Mofo” Magner on keys, Reed “Mayhem” Mathis on bass, and Tom “The Hat” Hamilton on guitar. While all great artists in their own right, there’s something really special that happens when these guys get together. Something that goes a little beyond what I hear from them otherwise. Sound familiar? In recent years I think it’s become extremely apparent that Billy holds a MUCH bigger part of the Holy Grail than may have been attributed to him previously. His key most definitely unlocks the door that separates songs from life enhancing experiences. When he’s plugged in, he has the voltage required to power all of those that surround him. With this group of guys, he’s obviously staying plugged in! The jams are tight and inspired. Tom gives new life to old songs brilliantly and comes off as unique and organic. Reed is full of Life and the energy among these guys is undeniably contagious. Aron lays down a soulful texture of sounds that adds rich dimensions to it all. Together this bunch has the chemistry that can’t be created through human effort alone but is found spontaneously during the creation of something special.

The thing I personally appreciate most about this group is their interpretation and the delivery of the lyric. They’re able to take liberties on the delivery while maintaining the integrity and structure of the song. All too often, while attempting to uniquely phrase Garcia’s tunes, singers not named Garcia, awkwardly create bumpy spots and rough patches where only silky smooth terrain previously existed. I haven’t seen this too much from Billy and The Kids. Their take on the songs consistently preserve and, at the same time, still bring a certain freshness to our favorites that’s often attempted but seldomly accomplished. “He’s Gone” was much better than what we heard in Santa Clara. In my opinion, Billy and The Kids are the very best of the Dead Family offshoots. Go see them as soon as you can if you haven’t already!

In order to have Peaches and Cream, you have to add Cream to the Peaches. That’s exactly what happened when Weir joined Billy and The Kids. Weir’s time off last year seems to have been spent at The Fountain of Youth. Bob is back to consistently showing up with The Nectar in a way that I haven’t recalled since the Jerry years. There seems to be yet another amazing renaissance within the guys we’ve followed for decades. There’s something that has made it all seem so fresh and alive again to the guys making the music. Bob’s presence added additional fuel to an already blazing inferno. Bob’s innate ability to draw all eyes towards himself at will was on full display. He rode the machine deep during Stranger and gave everybody the absolute best version of himself all the way through Sugar Mags as he reared back while accumulating massive energy before leaping forward and showering the universe with those familiar chords while hurling them into the skies above The Peach. Weir’s swagger is back at full throttle and it’s a blessing to be witnessing it this year. For song by song coverage, go to jambands.com.

At the same time, there’s another group that seems to be experiencing a renaissance of the same magnitude. That group is US! I can’t remember how long its been since I was so excited to hear every note played by our favorites. Whether live or by streams, The anticipation for upcoming gigs hasn’t been at this level in a long time. I know this same feeling is shared by the majority of The Faithful and magnified tremendously since the Fare Thee Well Shows. There is a bunch of magic left in our favorite artists but more importantly, I think the best revelation of ALL is the revelation of ALL of the magic that’s still left in US! As a group, WE seem just as renewed and hungry as we were decades ago. WE are rediscovering the incredible power that still resides within US. While many have become cynics, critics and casualties of the war on Out Of The Box thinking and living, many more of us have been born again and are as refreshed and renewed as those we’ve been following. By Fall, record numbers will once again be refusing haircuts, shaves, deodorant, jobs and everything else they participated in since Garcia died. The most profound thing that has been awakened in the past year is US! In the 20 years that have gone by since The Grateful Dead last took the stage, WE were supposed to grow in life, love, experience and wisdom. May all those qualities be dramatically evident as we collectively move forward together. I look forward to seeing all of US together more and more in the days ahead! Love y’all!!!

Dead To The Core,

Dean Sottile (pronounced So Tilly)