Happy Birthday, Jerry Garcia. Not sure how I can describe my reverence for the man but scarcely a day goes by when I don’t think about him. Bob Dylan’s press release shortly after Jerry’s death says it all:
“There’s no way to measure his greatness or magnitude as a person or as a player. I don’t think any eulogizing will do him justice. He was that great, much more than a superb musician, with an uncanny ear and dexterity. He’s the very spirit personified of whatever is Muddy River country at its core and screams up into the spheres. He really had no equal. To me he wasn’t only a musician and friend, he was more like a big brother who taught and showed me more than he’ll ever know. There’s a lot of spaces and advances between The Carter Family, Buddy Holly and, say, Ornette Coleman, a lot of universes, but he filled them all without being a member of any school. His playing was moody, awesome, sophisticated, hypnotic and subtle. There’s no way to convey the loss. It just digs down really deep.”
He was reluctant and humble about the position he was in, but the man truly bridges so many gaps, from the Beats to the Pranksters and the Hippies, and take it or leave it, was (and still is) a significant cultural icon.
My update today comes from I-84 in central PA, just outside of Scranton (my father’s land!). We are a week in to a three week run and today is the first day off. We are making a 12 hour drive from Pittsburgh to Exeter, NH. The first week of this tour has been a blast–KC, St. Lou, Chicago, Cincinnati, Cleveland, and Pittsburgh all were killer shows. We had a sell out crowd at Shuba’s in Chicago. The Beachland Ballroom in Cleveland we were support for the Chris Robinson Brotherhood. We had a helluva good time with those guys. They are all incredible musicians and their sound is very much in the Grateful Dead vein. Different than the Black Crowes for sure, although they did extremely soulful renditions of “Appaloosa” and “I Ain’t Hidin'”. They are on the road for the rest of 2011, don’t miss an opportunity to see them. Adam MacDougall is one of the best keyboardists around in my opinion.
My recommendation this week is Gillian Welch’s latest record, The Harrow And The Harvest, which came out a few months ago. We have been giving this a lot of spins in the van all week. The songs and performances are absolutely brilliant. Gillian is a national treasure, an incredible voice. David Rawlings’ harmonies and guitar playing are pure gold. Check it out!
Peace
TN