Category Archives: News

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The Amex presale was fun! Somebody, somewhere got something. It wasn’t me. We’re off again on the incredible journey that has been the resurrection of All Things Dead! The strategies employed by those in charge of strategies are always brilliant. First create and build a frenzy, then release some food a little at a time. In the case of Dead & Co, what better place to unleash the marketing machine than NYC? One show announced in the most visible city in the world to kick off the hysteria of this new adventure. We’re all sucked back into the vortex we escaped from 20 years ago.

I had some interesting conversations that came from unlikely sources located in unlikely places over the weekend. “Once in a while…” You know how it goes. I was told that Dead & Co have scheduled 21 shows across the country that wouldn’t be announced until after the on sales for MSG shows are completed. Maybe get ready for Hampton once again! Don’t hate on anybody for their strategies, just learn how to read them and don’t get too sucked into the madness that ensues. I was even told that Trey would be part of the Company for some of it. Not too hard to believe since his schedule is pretty open this Fall and he spent 6 months learning a ton of material recently. Trey obviously won’t be at Halloween since he’s playing at Brooklyn Bowl Las Vegas but we might see him again real soon. Phish is KILLIN IT on their Summer Tour! Trey is obviously having the Summer of his life. Only time will tell if the info is legit.

The interviews released regarding the upcoming shows have been great and it’s hard not to get excited about the renewal of the bonds between our favorite musicians minus Phil. I don’t blame our favorite bassist for having no desire to live on the road at this time in his life. He’s got his own thing happening and that’s just fine by me. While you’re coming to NYC anyway, you can catch Phil and Friends at the Cap on the 30th or the 1st of November. While some shows are sold out, I’ve never had a big problem securing tix and with the announcement of Dead & Co I’d imagine tickets will loosen up a bunch. He’s there the following weekend as well and the Cap is a great place to visit if you’ve never been.

Billboard’s interviews with the guys that make up Dead & Company were great. It’s great to think of how little things in life make such a huge difference. John Mayer is swimming in his pool and catches Garcia’s lick on Althea. That’s all it took… One lick from the Master was powerful enough to cause the brother to get out of the pool and investigate what he was hearing. Not only investigate, but go full blown obsession. A hundred other things could’ve distracted him from that moment but nothing did. That’s the kind of shit that may have passed right by someone else that simply wasn’t called by the universe for the duty. He heard the call and answered it in a BIG way. We can all learn from that. It made me wonder how many times in life I may have received a similar call and did nothing about it. It’s probably happened for you as well. Not that our calls involved being part of The Dead but the calls that are made throughout our lives in an attempt to guide our actions if we only could get quiet enough internally and listen then have the presence of mind to act accordingly. Interesting thought… Some folks seemed upset by Mayer because he’s said some dumbass things through the media in the past. I have a question. At this point in our lives, who hasn’t said some dumbass things? Some of y’all do that every damn day on Facebook or Twitter. We all know how guilty I am… Regardless, JM answered questions in his interview with statements that came from a much deeper place. Be sure to read that if you haven’t already.

Mickey’s comments amused me the most by far. While legions of fans call for Garcia clones to step into the role of guitarist, Mickey said he’d rather drink 5 gallons of Clorox than play with them. That was some funny shit! Our favorite musicians are well acquainted with selecting talent and judging the type of characters they’ll choose to associate with. They’ve been through enough the past 50 years to make wise choices in the present as well as the future. We should all know that by now. I absolutely trust the judgement of this community’s leadership at this point. Weir’s comments about it being a little late but they’ll “try to put something together” were just as funny. What a Poker face! This stuff has been booked for a long time. I couldn’t be more excited to have a home town show with all of our favorite Music Makers throughout the NYC area this Fall as well as revisiting many of our old stomping grounds!

Don’t sweat the tickets my friends! They’ll be plenty out there and even more once the complete Tour is announced. Next stop will be Jazz Is Dead in NJ followed by Lockn that’s only a month away! This will probably be the greatest Lockn in history and will most likely be talked about for decades. I know I’m making the trip, Hope to see ya there!!! < That's for you Michael Dead To The Core, Dean

Trey

Announcements coming out of everywhere regarding who’s playing at Lockn in September are starting to raise a lot of eyebrows. I don’t know where folks get their info but I’d have to imagine they have some high level connections. Me, I don’t know anybody…(Total lie at this point) You’d think by now I’d get some inside information but I don’t get a damn thing. Since I’m still smarter than most however, I learned from “The Great One” that I don’t skate to where the puck is, I skate to where it’s going. I used the few folks I know to get me in touch with Trey. After digging him out of a pile of women in Texas, he came to the phone and I asked Trey if he had any plans for the weekend of September 10th-13th and he just said, “I don’t have jack shit going on that weekend”. I tried to ask him a few more questions but he said as kindly as one could say it, “I don’t have any idea who the fuck you are” and hung up. I think he really likes me. This caused me to start thinking… What’s developing over there in the middle of absolutely nowhere Virginia? Virginia has been home to some of life’s best Grateful Dead experiences. I wonder if they’ll have Hologram Chimenti again… You can see him but you sure as hell can’t hear him!

Rumors have been circulating around New York City that Peter Shapiro has been taking Tambourine lessons from none other than Stevie Nicks and plans to join several configurations of artists throughout the weekend of his event. While his dancing lessons from Snoop Dog never really “took” I’ve heard from inside sources that on Tambourine that brother is just like the one winged dove! Look for his debut as a performer at Lockn! Get ya Popcorn ready!!!

I went to see the Golden Gate Wingmen last night at The Watermark in NYC. I won some tickets through that contest they had. Apparently, I’m a pretty good promoter myself… I highly recommend that venue to any locals. It’s right on the East River with beautiful views of lower Manhattan and the Brooklyn Bridge. A great time was had by all in attendance.

The life of a musician can be an interesting one. My cousin, Bobby Messano, is in the Blues Hall of Fame. Sounds pretty impressive and it really is. He’s had some great gigs throughout the years. The lick that was a Hallmark of MTV for decades was his. We all heard that a million times growing up. He did several tours as Steve Winwood’s guitarist, was one of the guitarists for the Blues Brothers, played with Clapton… He’s had some great gigs. Nowadays, he’ll play a Blues Festival in the Midwest for 30,000 people on a Saturday and then play an Elks Lodge the next week. Crazy how that goes…

I thought about Jeff Chimenti the same way last night. A few weeks ago he was part of the biggest stage of the Summer and here he was barely a month later on a stage that was about the size of his keyboard platform at Levi’s and Soldier Field. What a dramatic difference playing for 70,000 last month and less than 700 now. That’s about the population of Arrington, VA, home of Lockn.

Regardless, the mind and make of a musician can find those moments of magic anywhere. The opportunity to connect to the music and people you’re making it with is available regardless of the size of the stage or audience. A group of people making music can come across the key that unlocks parts of the Soul previously undiscovered without any audience at all. I’ve watched my cousin create some incredible moments in church basements that have never before and will never again experience his level of talent. It’s all about connecting and that can happen anywhere, any time and any place.

The show was a lot of fun and I had a blast. Jeff and Reed both seem to have an undeniable X Factor. There’s a little more of that extra something within them. I have a tip however for anyone that plays Grateful Dead Music. Even if you think it’s a good idea to play something other than Franklin’s after Help On The Way and Slipknot, it just about never is. The jams that drove Help and Slip were great and provided this absolutely raging musical hard on that is always prepared for the first notes of Franklin’s like a breeding stud is prepared for his mare. Then all of a sudden… Touch of Grey instead… Total blue balls moment. Touch is a great tune but I’d wager to say that pretty much nobody was hoping to hear it in that space…

Regardless, I recommend you check out The Golden Gate Wingmen. They’re a great time and the tunes were excellent. While you’re at it, go check out Phish on their Summer Tour. Trey is in unbelievable form and is obviously having the Summer of his life. I may have to start an Official Home of Unofficial Phish News site to cover them because the coverage I find elsewhere is pretty awful. If somebody had some sense, they’d bring me on board to provide some material that isn’t boring as shit. Somebody that looks and listens to the music like a lot of US do. I might even be willing to stop swearing.

The next couple of weeks will obviously be devoted to the memory of the Teller of Tales and Singer of Song that no human as ever come close to… The ONCE in a lifetime artist that changed US forever…

Dead To The Core,

Dean