Deadhead Cannabis Show

Deadhead Cannabis Show - https://podconx.com/podcasts/deadhead-cannabis-show

Larry Mishkin - https://podconx.com/guests/larry-mishkin

Rob Hunt - https://podconx.com/guests/rob-hunt

Jay Blakesberg - https://podconx.com/guests/jay-blakesberg

Sound Designed by Jamie Humiston - https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamie-humiston-91718b1b3/

Rob Bleetstein joins Larry to talk NRPS and their new live album, Hempsteader. The DEA approves rescheduling Marijuana to Schedule III: The good and the bad. May 06, 2024

Show notes

"Behind the Scenes with Rob Bleetstein: Archiving the Legacy of the NRPS"Larry's guest, Rob Bleetstein, is known for his role as the host of the live concerts on the Sirius XM Grateful Dead station and as the voice of Pearl Jam Radio. In today's episode, he discusses the recently released live album "Hempsteader" by the New Riders Of The Purple Sage (NRPS), where he serves as the archivist and producer.The New Riders of the Purple Sage is an American country rock band that emerged from the psychedelic rock scene in San Francisco in 1969, with original members including some from the Grateful Dead. Their roots trace back to the early 1960s folk and beatnik scene around Stanford University, where Jerry Garcia and David Nelson played gigs together. Influenced by American folk music and rock and roll, the band formed, including Garcia on pedal steel guitar initially.The discussion delves into the background of the NRPS, their albums, and notable tracks like "Panama Red," written by Peter Rowan and popularized by the band. The album "New Riders of the Purple Sage" features Garcia on pedal steel guitar and includes tracks like "Henry," a humorous tale of marijuana smuggling.Throughout the show, various NRPS tracks are highlighted, showcasing the band's eclectic style and songwriting. Additionally, news segments cover topics such as the DEA's agreement to reschedule marijuana and updates from the music industry, including rare concert appearances and tour plans.Overall, the episode provides insights into the NRPS's music, their influence on the country rock genre, and relevant news in the marijuana and music industries.Larry's Notes Rob Bleetstein who many folks know as the host of the three live concerts played every day on the Sirius XM Grateful Dead station. Also the voice of Pearl Jam Radio. And, most importantly for today’s episode, the archivist for the New Riders Of The Purple Sage and the producer of the Hempsteader album. Today, featuring recently released NRPS live album, “Hempsteader” from the band’s performance at the Calderone Concert Hall in Hempstead, NY on June 25, 1976, just shy of 48 years ago.New Riders of the Purple Sage is an American country rock band. The group emerged from the psychedelic rock scene in San Francisco in 1969 and its original lineup included several members of the Grateful Dead.[2] The band is sometimes referred to as the New Riders or as NRPS.The roots of the New Riders can be traced back to the early 1960s Peninsulafolk/beatnikscene centered on Stanford University's now-defunct Perry Lane housing complex in Menlo Park, California where future Grateful Dead guitarist Jerry Garcia often played gigs with like-minded guitarist David Nelson. The young John Dawson (also known as "Marmaduke") also played some concerts with Garcia, Nelson, and their compatriots while visiting relatives on summer vacation. Enamored of the sounds of Bakersfield-style country music, Dawson would turn his older friends on to the work of Merle Haggard and Buck Owens and provided a vital link between Timothy Leary's International Federation for Internal Freedom in Millbrook, New York (Dawson having boarded at the Millbrook School) and the Menlo Park bohemian coterie nurtured by Ken Kesey.Inspired by American folk music, rock and roll, and blues, Garcia formed the Grateful Dead (initially known as The Warlocks) with blues singer Ron "Pigpen" McKernan, while Nelson joined the similarly inclined New Delhi River Band (which would eventually come to include bassist Dave Torbert) shortly thereafter. The group came to enjoy a cult following in Santa Clara and Santa Cruz Counties through the Summer of Love until their dissolution in early 1968.In 1969, Nelson contributed to the Dead’s Aoxomoxoa album in 1969. During this period Nelson and Garcia played intermittently in an early iteration of High Country, a traditional bluegrass ensemble formed by the remnants of the Peninsula folk scene.By early 1969, Dawson had returned to Los Altos Hills and also contributed to Aoxomoxoa. After a mescaline experience at Pinnacles National Park with Torbert and Matthew Kelly, he began to compose songs on a regular basis working in a psychedelic country fusion genre not unlike Gram Parsons’ Flying Burrito Brothers.Dawson's vision was prescient, as 1969 marked the emergence of country rock via Bob Dylan, The Band, The Flying Burrito Brothers, Poco, the Dillard & Clark Band, and the Clarence White-era Byrds. Around this time, Garcia was similarly inspired to take up the pedal steel guitar, and an informal line-up including Dawson, Garcia, and Peninsula folk veteran Peter Grant (on banjo) began playing coffeehouse and hofbrau concerts together when the Grateful Dead were not touring. Their repertoire included country standards, traditional bluegrass, Dawson originals, and a few Dylan covers ("Lay Lady Lay", "You Ain't Goin' Nowhere", "Mighty Quinn"). By the summer of 1969 it was decided that a full band would be formed and David Nelson was recruited to play lead guitar.In addition to Nelson, Dawson (on acoustic guitar), and Garcia (continuing to play pedal steel), the original line-up of the band that came to be known as the New Riders of the Purple Sage (a nod to the Foy Willing-led Western swing combo from the 1940s, Riders of the Purple Sage, which borrowed its name from the Zane Grey novel) consisted of Alembic Studio engineer Bob Matthews on electric bass and Mickey Hart of the Grateful Dead on drums; bassist Phil Lesh also played sporadically with the ensemble in lieu of Matthews through the end of the year, as documented by the late 1969 demos later included on the Before Time Began archival release. Lyricist Robert Hunter briefly rehearsed with the band on bass in early 1970 before the permanent hiring of Torbert in April of that year.[8] The most commercially successful configuration of the New Riders would come to encompass Dawson, Nelson, Torbert, Spencer Dryden (of Jefferson Airplane fame), and Buddy Cage.After a few warmup gigs throughout the Bay Area in 1969, Dawson, Nelson, and Torbert began to tour in May 1970 as part of a tripartite bill advertised as "An Evening with the Grateful Dead". An acoustic Grateful Dead set that often included contributions from Dawson and Nelson would then segue into New Riders and electric Dead sets, obviating the need to hire external opening acts.With the New Riders desiring to become more of a self-sufficient group and Garcia needing to focus on his other responsibilities, the musician parted ways with the group in November 1971. Seasoned pedal steel player Buddy Cage was recruited from Ian and Sylvia's Great Speckled Bird to replace Garcia.In 1977 and 1978, NRPS did open several Dead and JGB shows, including the final concert preceding the closure of Winterland on December 31, 1978.In 1974, Torbert left NRPS; he and Matthew Kelly co-founded the band Kingfish (best known for Bob Weir's membership during the Grateful Dead's late-1974 to mid-1976 touring hiatus) the year before. In 1997, the New Riders of the Purple Sage split up. Dawson retired from music and moved to Mexico to become an English teacher. By this time, Nelson had started his own David Nelson Band. There was a reunion performance in 2001. In 2002, the New Riders accepted a Lifetime Achievement Award from High Times magazine. Allen Kemp died on June 25, 2009.[13][14] John "Marmaduke" Dawson died in Mexico on July 21, 2009, at the age of 64.[15][16]Pedal steel guitarist Buddy Cage died on February 5, 2020, at age 73.(Rob – this is mostly notes for me today so I can sound like I know what I’m talking about. I’ll go through some of it to set some background for the band, but feel free to take the lead on talking about those aspects of the band, and its musicians, that you enjoy most or find most interesting – keeping in mind that our target audience presumably are fans of marijuana and the Dead.)INTRO: Panama Red Track #1 Start – 1:49Written by Peter Rowan“Panama Red” is well known in the jam-grass scene, but it’s perhaps not as widely known that Peter Rowan wrote the song.It was originally a 1973 hit for the New Riders of the Purple Sage, and the first popular version with Rowan singing and playing it came when the supergroup Old & In the Way, released their eponymous album in 1975, two years after their seminal time, in 1973, and a year after they disbanded.Jerry Garcia was the connective tissue between the two projects, playing pedal steel in the early New Riders and banjo in Old & In the Way.“I wrote ‘Panama Red’ after leaving my first project with David Grisman, Earth Opera, around the summer of the Woodstock music festival [1969],” Rowan explains.“It’s a fun song because it captures the vibe of the time. I was from the East Coast, but I found there to be more creativity on the West Coast during that time period.“Nobody wanted to do ‘Panama Red’ on the East Coast. I took it to Seatrain [the roots fusion band in which Rowan played from 1969 to 1972], and when it eventually became a hit, the manager of Seatrain claimed it. I never saw any money, even though it became the title of an album for the New Riders of the Purple Sage [1973’s The Adventures of Panama Red].“The subject was "taboo" in those days. You did jail time for pot. So that might have scared commercial interests. But Garcia was a green light all the way! "Oh sure" was his motto, both ironically and straight but always with a twinkle in his eye! After Seatrain management kept all the money, Jerry suggested I bring the song to Marmaduke and Nelson!"“When David Grisman and I got back together for Old & In the Way in 1973 with Jerry Garcia, Vassar Clements and John Khan, we started playing it.”From the NRPS album “The Adventures of Panama Red”, their fourth country rock album released in October 1973. It is widely regarded as one of the group's best efforts, and reached number 55 on the Billboard charts.The album includes two songs written by Peter Rowan — "Panama Red", which became a radio hit, and "Lonesome L.A. Cowboy". Another song, "Kick in the Head", was written by Robert Hunter. Donna Jean Godchaux and Buffy Sainte-Marie contribute background vocals on several tracks.SHOW No. 1: Fifteen Days Under The Hood Track #41:55 – 3:13Written by Jack Tempchin and Warren Hughey. Jack Tempchin is an American musician and singer-songwriter who wrote the Eagles song "Peaceful Easy Feeling"[1] and co-wrote "Already Gone",[2] "The Girl from Yesterday",[3]"Somebody"[4]and "It's Your World Now".[5]Released as the opening song on the NRPS album, “New Riders”, their seventh studio album, released in 1976SHOW No. 2: Henry Track #6 1:19 – 3:05"Henry", written by John Dawson, a traditional shuffle with contemporary lyrics about marijuana smuggling. From the band’s debut album, “New Riders of the Purple Sage”, released by Columbia Records in August, 1971. New Riders of the Purple Sage is the only studio album by the New Riders to feature co-founder Jerry Garcia of the Grateful Dead on pedal steel guitar. He is also featured on the live albums Vintage NRPS and Bear's Sonic Journals: Dawn of the New Riders of the Purple Sage.Mickey Hart and Commander Cody play drums and piano, respectively, on two tracks—"Dirty Business" and "Last Lonely Eagle".Then, there’s a swerving left turn away from romance tunes on this album with ‘Henry‘, whose titular hero has stepped right out of a Gilbert Shelton underground comic. At a frenetic pace the story of Henry’s run to Mexico to fetch twenty kilos of (Acapulco?) gold unravels, with Henry driving home after sampling the wares “Henry tasted, he got wasted couldn’t even see – how he’s going to drive like that is not too clear to me.” It’s a joke, but a joke that sounds pretty good even after repeat listens.SHOW No. 3: Portland Woman Track #9 :34 – 2:00Another Marmaduke tune from the NRPS album released in August, 1971.A bittersweet love song progressing from touring boredom to be relieved by a casual hook-up with the pay-off with the realization that the Portland Woman who “treats you right” has actually made a deeper connection “I’m going back to my Portland woman, I don’t want to be alone tonight.” SHOW No. 4: You Never Can Tell Track #15 :51 – 2:26You Never Can Tell", also known as "C'est La Vie" or "Teenage Wedding", is a song written by Chuck Berry. It was composed in the early 1960s while Berry was in federal prison for violating the Mann Act.[2] Released in 1964 on the album St. Louis to Liverpool and the follow-up single to Berry's final Top Ten hit of the 1960s: "No Particular Place to Go", "You Never Can Tell" reached number 14, becoming Berry's final Top 40 hit until "My Ding-a-Ling", a number 1 in October 1972. Berry's recording features an iconic piano hook played by Johnnie Johnson. The piano melody was influenced by Mitchell Torok's 1953 hit "Caribbean".The song has also been recorded or performed by Chely Wright, New Riders of the Purple Sage, the Jerry Garcia Band, Bruce Springsteen, the Mavericks, and Buster Shuffle. JGB performed it almost 40 times in the early ‘90’s.The song became popular again after the 1994 release of the film Pulp Fiction, directed and co-written by Quentin Tarantino. The music was played for a "Twist contest" in which Vincent Vega (John Travolta) and Mia Wallace (Uma Thurman) competed (and were the only contestants shown in the film). The music added an evocative element of sound to the narrative and Tarantino said that the song's lyrics of "Pierre" and "Mademoiselle" gave the scene a "uniquely '50s French New Wave dance sequence feel".OUTRO: Glendale Train Track #17 1:30 – 3:14Still another Marmaduke tune from the “New Riders of the Purple Sage” album released in late summer 1971. MJ News:Just one MJ News story today important enough to take a few minutes to talk MJ: DEA’s agreement to reschedule MJ to Schedule 3 from Schedule 1.DEA Agrees To Reschedule Marijuana Under Federal Law In Historic Move Following Biden-Directed Health Agency's Recommendation - Marijuana MomentBenefits: banking services, no 280(e) restrictions on what expenses retailers can deduct and allows for full medical research of MJ.Negatives: Still illegal, all drugs on Schedules I, II and III must be prescribed by a licensed health care provider with prescription privileges and can only be dispenses by licensed pharmacists. Music News:A few quick hits re Music (no real need to get into any of these but I like to see what’s going on so I don’t miss anything interesting, these are the first things that get cut when we decide we want to keep talking):Jaimoe makes rare public concert appearance with Friends of the Brothers in Fairfield CN, plays ABB hitsJaimoe Takes Part in Rare Public Concert Appearance, Revisits Allman Brothers Band Classics (relix.com)Mike Gordon sits in at the Dodd’s Dead Residency at Nectar’s in Burlingtron, VT as part of “Grateful Dead Tuesday”. Plays He’s Gone and Scarlet (we have some Phish fans as listeners so try to toss a few bones to them)Listen: Mike Gordon Offers Grateful Dead Classics at Nectar's (A Gallery + Recap) (relix.com)David Gilmour may be planning first tour since 2016, won’t play any Pink Floyd songs from the ‘70’s – like the old Doonesbury strip where Elvis comes back from the Dead, Trump hires him to play in one of his casinos and at the start of the show, Elvis announces that he is only playing the songs of the late great John Denver.David Gilmour Plots First Tour Since 2016 (relix.c…

Neil Young's 2024 Tour with Crazy Horse: A Legendary Performance Apr 29, 2024

Show notes

"Neil Young's 2024 Tour with Crazy Horse: A Legendary Performance"Larry Mishkin discusses the creation of the song "The Music Never Stopped" by Bob Weir and John Perry Barlow. Weir explains his collaborative process with Barlow, where they developed lyrics together over the phone, inspired by Barlow's description of a scene from Wyoming. Weir also reflects on the importance of lyrical and musical cohesion, and the song's debut and history of performances, including at venues like the Great American Music Hall and the Palladium. The discussion transitions to Neil Young's recent tour with Crazy Horse, highlighting the band's performance and Young's energy despite his age. He also mentions upcoming events and concludes with a focus on the Grateful Dead's performance of "St. Stephen" and other songs from 47 years ago.Grateful DeadApril 30, 1977 (47 years ago, tomorrow)PalladiumNYCGrateful Dead Live at The Palladium on 1977-04-30 : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet ArchiveAudience TapeThis is another good show from 1977, but the recording quality is actually not bad considering this is an audience recording. Since then the show has been commercially released as the first volume of the Grateful Dead Download Series if you want to hear the crisper soundboard recording.Highlights from this show are the first set Mississippi Half Step and even Looks Like Rain is played with a passion that is moving even if the song always is not. In the second set, the Dead start off with a Scarlet Begonias>Fire on the Mountain (pretty good), swing into a fun mid-set Good Lovin (common for that time, but for the last 15 years, it was almost always a set closer as an alternative to Sugar Mag) or an encore tune (send everyone home with a smile), Friend of the Devil , Estimated Prophet. And then they blow the doors off the place with a St. Stephen>Not Fade Away>Stella Blue>St. Stephen sandwich that must be heard in full to be truly appreciated. It’s pretty awesome to hear Stella Blue transition back into the St. Stephen, an unusual pairing to say the least. Close with a Saturday Night and then yet another 1977 Terrapin Stationencore.INTRO: Music Never StoppedTrack #2 0:00 – 1:26 Hunter Weir tune, released on Blues For Allah (Sept. 1,1975).Bob: As a lyricist I’m glacially slow. I can generally get the job done, but it takes too damned long. So I like to work with people who have a little more facility with that—you know, John Barlow, Garrett Grant, Robert Hunter.Or I may have a general notion of the color of the rhythm and the harmonic or melodic development, and I’ll sit with a guy and we just fire blank verse at each other until we start to corner that color—and then often the song will fall right out of the sky. Other times, I may have no notion of where the song wants to go, in which case I’ll let whoever I’m working with surprise me. . . .“The Music Never Stopped” is a song that we wrote over the telephone. I had this business going [plays opening guitar riff, Example 13 below]. So I played this over the phone to John, and he just started spitting stuff at me. The first line came out, “There’s mosquitoes on the river / Fish are rising up like birds.” He was living in Wyoming at the time on a ranch, and he started describing a situation that I’d seen with him, where it was late summer on a dry year and things were hot and kind of dull and dead.So where are we going to take this? Well, first I figured the verse is going to have to be twice as long as I originally figured, because if you’re starting with an image that thick, you have to get into some detail about it. “It’s been hot for seven weeks now / Too hot to even speak now / Did you hear what I just heard?” That last line came after some deliberation. It’s a pregnant line, sort of like a leading tone in a harmonic development.The success of the endeavor, if you’re working with a lyricist, depends on how closely the lyric marries the music. With Barlow or Gerrit Graham or whoever, there’s a lot of back and forth. I guess I get to be the decider, because the words are going to have to come from my lips. And so I have to be able to tell the story.I have to be that character, because my job is to get the hell out of the way and let the character tell the story, musically and lyrically. When I’m standing in front of the microphone, I may look like me, but I’m not.If the character arrives with a really defined face and features, then it’s easy for me to do my job.Fun version because almost always a first set closer and here it is opening the show. Love that. 236 times First: August 13, 1975 at Great American Music Hall, San Francisco, CA, USA Last: June 28, 1995 at The Palace of Auburn HillsThe Palladium: The Palladium (originally called the Academy of Music) was a movie theatre, concert hall, and finally nightclub in New York City. It was located on the south side of East 14th Street, between Irving Place and Third Avenue.Designed by Thomas W. Lamb, it was built in 1927 across the street from the site of the original Academy of Music established by financier Moses H. Grinnell in 1852. Opened as a deluxe movie palace by movie mogul William Fox, the academy operated as a cinema through the early 1970s.Beginning in the 1960s, it was also utilized as a rock concert venue, particularly following the June 1971 closure of the Fillmore East. It was rechristened the Palladium on September 18, 1976, with the Band live radio broadcast,[1] and continued to serve as a concert hall into the following decade.In 1985, the Palladium was converted into a nightclub by Steve Rubell and Ian Schrager, after their success with Studio 54. Japanese architect Arata Isozaki redesigned the building's interior for the club.[2]Peter Gatien owned and operated the club from 1992 until 1997.The Palladium closed in August 1997 following its purchase by New York University.[3] In August 1998, the building was demolished in order to build a twelve-story residence hall that students affectionately referred to as Palladium HalThe Dead also played there when it was called the Academy of Music in a series of seven shows on their way to Europe for the ’72 tour. One of the those shows, the entire March 28, 1972 performance plus selections from March 25, 1972 and March 27, 1972 were released as Dick’s Picks Vol. 30This five night Palladium run, of which today’s show was the second, is famous for a lot of reasons including the part of 1977 when the Dead put together a string of some of their best shows ever, peaking on May 8, 1977, just over one week later, at Barton Hall in Ithaca, NY. All five of these shows are well played, great tunes, and a very grooving feel that you can still pick up off of the CD or down load 47 years later. I had most of these shows on tape and wore them out from so much playing. Love that they previously released this show as Download Series Vol. 1 and the new Dave’s Picks release, No. 50!!, is the May 3, 1977 show including some extra songs from the next night as well as the annual Dave’s Picks Bonus Disc that is even more songs from the May 4th show). If you are not listening to Dave’s Picks, you are missing out on quality recordings of some of the best shows ever.How hot was the band, check out this extended jam at the end of ½ Step, the second to last song of the first set (ending with a great Promised Land) and be sure to listen for Jerry and Keith going back and forth throughout this clip: SHOW No. 1: Mississippi ½ StepTrack #11 7:06 – 9:29Garcia/Huner tune released on Wake of the Flood in 1973. Also live versions included on Steal Your Face, Dick’s Picks Vol. 1, Without a Net and who knows how many other Dick’s/Dave’s Picks releases, etc. If you want to hear it, you can find it, easily.First performed July 16, 1972 at Dillon Stadium in Hartford, Connecticut. Followed "Me and My Uncle" and led into "Sing Me Back Home," which closed out the first set. A staple of the repertoire ever since.236 times (exact same as Music Never stopped!)First: July 16, 1972 at Dillon Stadium, Hartford, CT, USALast: July 6, 1995 at Riverport Amphitheater Maryland Heights, MOMusic News:Neil Young TourSHOW No. 2: St. StephenTrack #1 0:00 – 1:49Blah Blah Blah, everyone knows about St. Stephen. Dead’s Fluffhead apparently. Because of its true melodic nature and strong lyrics, it existed long outside and after the end of Primal Dead. Still only played a total of 187 times: First: May 24, 1968 at National Guard Armory, St. Louis, MO, USA Last: October 31, 1983 at Marin Veteran’s Memorial Auditorium, San RafaelBut post Dead hiatus year, they started making song sandwiches often based around this song. This four song sandwich at the end of the show is so good that I had to feature all of it at the expense of some other really great tunes like Bertha, Peggy O, Looks Like Rain, Promised Land, and any tune in the second set. This sandwich is just too cool to ignore or not give it proper due. Here is the first layer change:SHOW No. 3: St. Stephen>Not Fade Away St. StephenTrack #19 4:10 – end INTO Not Fade Away Track #20 0:00 – 1:15Great switch out of St. Stephen and into an amazing opening jam of NFA. I wanted to try and catch the opening lyrics but the jam went on for almost 4 minutes which is too long even for these extended clips.MJ NewsCheck out this next transition that they pull off seamlessly:SHOW No. 4: Not Fade Away>Stella Blue Not Fade Away Track #20 14:15 – end INTO Stella BlueTrack #21 0:00 – 1:30Beautiful how they downshift on cue from the raucous NFA into the gentle and beautiful ballad mode required for Stella Blue. Jerry’s voice is so strong and clear. Really a treat.Not even getting to the last tune of the encore today. Not enough time but had to close out the episode with the final sandwich transition, from Stella back into an immediate upbeat St. Stephen that is so strong I told Dan we could not edit out any of it! What a great (almost ending) to such a great show. Deadheads walked out knowing there were still 3 more to go! Like going to bed and already being told the next day is a snow day!Thank you all for listening. Please be sure to join us next week when I am joined by Rob Bleetstein of Grateful Dead Radio (show host), Pearl Jam radio and he is also the Curator for the New Riders of the Purple Sage. He is joining us to discuss, among other things, the newly released NRPS live album “Hempsteader”. If you haven’t heard it yet, check it out. I’m looking forward to hearing from Rob how this was all put together and what the NRSP are up to these days.Also, a Birthday shoutout to very good buddy, Sam who is turning old tomorrow. At his age, the actual number doesn’t matter but we love him anyway.ENCORE: Stella Blue>St Stephen Stella Blue Track #21 7:50 – end INTO St. StephenTrack #22 Start - end .Produced by PodConx Deadhead Cannabis Show - https://podconx.com/podcasts/deadhead-cannabis-showLarry Mishkin - https://podconx.com/guests/larry-mishkinRob Hunt - https://podconx.com/guests/rob-huntJay Blakesberg - https://podconx.com/guests/jay-blakesbergSound Designed by Jamie Humiston - https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamie-humiston-91718b1b3/Recorded on Squadcast

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"Deadhead Diplomacy: Tucker Carlson's Musical Paradox" Apr 22, 2024

Show notes

Brent Midland's First Show 45 Years Ago Today RIP: Dickey Betts, A True Brother

Larry Mishkin begins with a discussion about the significance of April 20th (420 Day) and reminisces about a Grateful Dead concert from 45 years ago on April 22nd, 1979, which marked Brent Midland's first show with the band. He delves into Brent Midland's impact on the band and his musical contributions. He also touches on recent concerts by Phish and the Sam Grisman Project.

Later, there's a surprising revelation that Tucker Carlson is a Grateful Dead fan, and it reflects on the diverse fanbase of the band. Larry also mourns the passing of Dicky Betts, a founding member of the Allman Brothers Band, highlighting his musical legacy and contributions to Southern Rock. Additionally, he mentions Betts' collaborations with the Grateful Dead and concludes with a tribute to him.

Grateful Dead

Spartan Stadium

San Jose CA

April 22, 1979 (45 years ago)

Grateful Dead Live at Spartan Stadium, San Jose State U on 1979-04-22 : Free Borrow & Streaming : Internet Archive

Brent Mydland’s first show

INTRO: Jack Straw

Track #1

0:07 – 1:41

Brent in on the harmonizing from the first song

SHOW No. 1: Minglewood Blues

Track #6

2:14 – 3:57

Brent’s first solo!

Music News:

Phish

Sam Grisman

Dickey Betts

SHOW No. 2: Promised Land

Grateful Dead w.Dickey Betts and Butch Trucks

June 10, 1973

RFK Stadium

Track No. 26

2:28 - end

Grateful Dead Live at Robert F. Kennedy Stadium on 1973-06-10 : Free Borrow & Streaming : Internet Archive

SHOW No. 3: Passenger (Back to April 22, 1979 show)

Track #10

Start – 1:34

Brent joining in on the vocals

There are several original songs in the Grateful Dead repertoire with a one-time-only lyricist. In the case of “Passenger,” the added quirk is thrown in of someone other than the composer singing the song. So we have a song written by Peter Monk, with music by Phil Lesh, and sung by Bob Weir and Donna Jean Godcheaux on Terrapin Station.

Lesh wrote the song, admittedly based on Fleetwood Mac’s riff for their song “Station Man.” Lesh said, in an interview in Dupree’s Diamond News, “What's weird about that song is I sort of did it as a joke. It's a take on a Fleetwood Mac tune called ‘Station Man.’ I just sort of sped it up and put some different chord changes in there..."

Monk’s lyrics for the song have been the source of quite a bit of debate. There are quite a few alternate hearings, especially around the line: “Terrible, the only game in town,” which many, including myself, hear as “Parable, the only game in town.”

“Passenger” was first performed on May 15, 1977, at the St. Louis Arena in St. Louis (released on the May 1977 box set). It was performed regularly through1981, with its final performance on December 27, 1981, at the Oakland Auditorium.

Terrapin Station, which included the studio version of the song, was released on July 27, 1977. “Passenger” was released as a single, with “Terrapin Station” on the B side.

Great tune. I’m sorry I never got to hear it live.

Bootleg album: Live at Moe’s Place – open with it, used to listen to it at good friends’ Dinie and Janet’s place in Ann Arbor. Really jams.

Played 99 times

First: May 15, 1977 at St. Louis Arena, St. Louis, MO, USA

Last: December 27, 1981 at Oakland Civic Auditorium, Oakland, CA

MJ News

SHOW No. 4: Shakedown Street

Track #24

5:00 – 6:41

Brent with music fills and vocals

ENCORE: Blue Sky

Eat A Peach

Blue Sky (youtube.com)

3:00 – end

College acquaintance and fellow Deadhead used to say that whenever she listened to this album, she would play Blue Sky twice and THEN play the album all the way through picking up a third Blue Sky. I tried it and discovered she was right on about that.

Deadhead Cannabis Show - https://podconx.com/podcasts/deadhead-cannabis-show

Larry Mishkin - https://podconx.com/guests/larry-mishkin

Rob Hunt - https://podconx.com/guests/rob-hunt

Jay Blakesberg - https://podconx.com/guests/jay-blakesberg

Sound Designed by Jamie Humiston - https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamie-humiston-91718b1b3/

1999 - Phil Lesh Returns to the Stage for the First Phil & Friends Show Ever Joined By Some Phriends Phrom Phish Apr 15, 2024

Show notes

Phil Lesh's Triumphant Return: A Musical Journey 25 Years Ago TodayLarry Mishkin provides a retrospective analysis of a significant musical event from April 15th, 1999, focusing on Phil Lesh's return to the stage after surgery, marking the first Phil and Friends show. He discusses the lineup, including Trey Anastasio and Paige McConnell from Phish, and highlights their performance of various songs, notably "Viola Lee Blues" and "Hello Old Friend." The discussion also touches on recent music news, including the cancellation of the Skull and Roses festival and a tribute event for Jimmy Buffett featuring Paul McCartney and the Eagles. Additionally, it anticipates Fish's upcoming performances at the Las Vegas Sphere venue.Phil Lesh & FriendsApril 15, 1999 (25 years ago)Warfield Theater, S.F.Phil Lesh and Friends Live at Warfield Theater on 1999-04-15 : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet ArchiveLineup:Phil Lesh - BassSteve Kimock - GuitarsJohn Molo - DrumsTrey Anastasio - GuitarPage McConnell – KeysINTRO: Hello Old FriendTrack # 1 0:10 – 1:4725 years ago, Phil Lesh & Friends featuring guitarist Trey Anastasio and keyboardist Page McConnell of Phish kicked off their landmark three-night run at The Warfield in San Francisco on this date in 1999. Guitarist Steve Kimock and drummer John Molo rounded out the lineup of one of the most memorable collaborations the jam world has seen.This was the first ever performance of Phil & Friends and quite a memorable group of Friends to be playing with at a storied S.F. music venue.The shows also marked Lesh’s return after undergoing liver transplant surgery at the age of 58 due to chronic hepatitis C infection. The April 15 concert kicked off with Phil and his sons Brian (??) And Grahame Lesh (12), backed by guitarist Steve Kimmock, in front of the curtain, performing Eric Clapton’s “Hello Old Friend” as a fitting first song back for Phil. Both boys are strong musicians and Grahame, who graduated from Stanford in 2010 with a music degree, is a regular touring member of Phil and Friends in addition to playing with his own band, Midnight North.Phil Lesh’s surgery took place at the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Florida on December 17, 1998, barely 4 months earlier. Lesh, who was 58 at the time, had been suffering from internal bleeding caused by hepatitis C, which he was diagnosed with in 1992. He received the liver of a young man named Cody and his since started encores of his concerts by preaching the importance of becoming an organ donor."Hello Old Friend" is a country rock song, written and recorded by the British rock musician Eric Clapton. The track was released in October 1976 as the first of two singles from Clapton's 1976 studio album entitled No Reason to Cry.the AllMusic critic William Ruhlmann notes, "Hello Old Friend" is the best pop/rock song on the album. He goes on describe the title as a "identifiable" Clapton piece of music.[2]Rolling Stone journalist Dave Marsh called the song "a whimsical and silly slice of attempted innocence".[3]Billboard said that it has a reggae feel similar to that of "I Shot the Sheriff."[4]Record World called it "a midtempo number constructed around a network of acoustic and slide guitars.”The Grateful Dead never played the song in concert. The five-piece then showed off its firepower with a 34-minute “Viola Lee Blues.”SHOW No. 1: Viola Lee BluesTrack # 2 31:30 – 33:01In a 1999 interview with Jambands.com, Lesh revealed that it was Anastasio’s idea to do “Viola Lee” and talked about how he started listening to Phish and also how the collaboration came about. Read an excerpt below:“[Phish’s music]…was absolutely entrancing, it was just gorgeous…but I couldn’t hear the piano well on the live tapes, so I went back to the CD’s and started listening to Page and what he was doing, and so I said “Well…” and my wife said “Come on, Come on, give them a call.” Somehow I got their phone numbers, and I gave them both a call. We talked about it, and they said we’d love to do it, and so we set a date, and we started calling back and forth, and like I said earlier they brought in a dozen Grateful Dead tunes I never would have thought of doing, but they wanted to [do] them. And we got together at rehearsal and the first thing we did together was “Viola Lee Blues,” and from there on out it was like now let’s do this one, and let’s do this one. It was real rehearsal in the sense that the Grateful Dead rarely was. Grateful Dead rehearsals were kind of comical. We believed in public rehearsals.”A long time favorite of Phil’s, he picked it as one of the live tunes for the GD album, Fallout From The Phil Zone – a collection of some of Phil’s favorite live tracks of various Dead tunes released on June 17, 1997. In the liner notes he said this of the song: “The definitive early Grateful Dead jammin’ tune, the first one we ever really stretched out beyond all recognition, by using what we called then “shifting gears” – which is really nothing but a twenty minute accelerando, influenced by the North Indian music that we were listening to a lot at that time.”Played only 44 times by the BandFirst: March 19, 1966 at Carthay Studios, Los Angeles, CA,Last: October 31, 1970 at Stony Brook Gymnasium in Stony Brook, NYAlso played June 27, 2015 at Levi's Stadium, Santa Clara, CA, USA 50th Anniversary showsMUSIC NEWS:Skull and Roses called off, no refundsAfter the exploratory, bar-setting, “Viola Lee,” the quintet would run through more material from the Dead canon with Trey and Page harmonizing on “Big Railroad Blues,” Phil singing “Jack-a-Roe” and Phil, Trey and Page harmonizing on “Cosmic Charley” SHOW No. 2: Cosmic CharlieTrack #5 3:25 – 5:12Old Time Music and Hope Barnett:Grateful Dead was known for their unique and poetic songwriting style, and “Cosmic Charlie” is no exception. Released in 1969 on their album “Aoxomoxoa,” this song has captivated fans for decades with its enigmatic lyrics and psychedelic sound. Exploring themes of spirituality, love, and the human experience, “Cosmic Charlie” takes listeners on a sonic journey unlike any other.The meaning behind “Cosmic Charlie” is open to interpretation, as with many of the band’s songs. Some believe it was inspired by the vision of a fictional character named Cosmic Charlie, who travels through different dimensions, spreading joy and love. Others see it as a metaphor for the human longing for connection and transcendence. The lyrics, although cryptic at times, convey a sense of wonder and mystery that invites listeners to delve deeper into their own consciousness.The overall message of “Cosmic Charlie” seems to be one of embracing the cosmic and spiritual aspects of life. It encourages listeners to let go of their inhibitions, explore the unknown, and seek connection with the universe. The song invites individuals to tap into their inner selves and discover the hidden realms of existence.While “Cosmic Charlie” was never released as a single and did not enjoy mainstream success, it holds a special place in the Grateful Dead’s discography and the hearts of their fans. Its eclectic and unique style showcased the band’s experimental tendencies and cemented their reputation as pioneers of the psychedelic rock genre.Love hearing Trey and Page singing along on this old timey Dead gem.Played 45 times by the Dead (38 in 1969 and 1970, 1 in 1971 and, inexplicably, 6 in 1976.First: January 17, 1969 at Robertson Gymnasium, University of California Santa Barbara Campus, CA, USALast: September 25, 1976 at Capital Centre, Landover, MD, USA1984 Deadheads would pass around a petition asking the band to play the song again and also pass out cards before the show with the lyrics just in case they played it.Finally, for the Phish fans in the crowded Warfield, the first Phish tune of the run (and only one that night), “Wolfman’s Brother.”SHOW No. 3: Wolfman’s BrotherTrack # 6 1:30 – 2:58On this one, writing credit goes to the entire band plus long time Phish lyricist, Tom Marshall.Released on Hoist (stylized as (HOIST)) is the fifth studio album by the American rock band Phish, released on March 29, 1994, by Elektra Records. At the time of its release, Hoist was Phish's best selling album to date, peaking at No. 34 on the Billboard 200 albums chart. The album was certified gold by the RIAA on August 19, 1996, and remains the band's best-selling studio release, outsold in their discography only by the platinum-certified A Live One.Old Time Music: Mike WellsMusic has a unique way of connecting with our emotions, memories, and experiences. It has the power to transport us to a different time and place, evoking feelings we may have long forgotten. One song that has always resonated deeply with me is “Wolfman’s Brother” by Phish. This track, featured in their 1994 album “Hoist,” holds a special meaning and significance for both the band and their dedicated fanbase. the lyrics of “Wolfman’s Brother” have a universal appeal. They invite listeners to reflect upon their own encounters with enigmatic figures or forces that have left a lasting impact. It encourages us to confront the demons that haunt us and search for understanding and resolution.Listening to “Wolfman’s Brother” live is an entirely different experience. The band’s extended jams and improvisations add a new layer of depth and intensity to the song. It becomes a collective experience, with the audience joining in as the lyrics are chanted by thousands of voices.Phil spoke with Jambands.com about wadding into the Phish catalog:I had thought maybe we would do this tune or that tune, and in the end, we only ended up doing one tune that I thought we would do, and that was “Prince Caspian,” and then they brought up those other three, “Wolfman’s Brother,” which I had never heard, and “Down With Disease” and “Chalkdust Torture,” which I hadn’t heard either until we played them at the rehearsal, and then I went and got the CD’s and checked them out. But then I started listening to their other stuff, their other stuff is real interesting, but you can tell by listening to that that they need their forty hour weeks, because they really need to get that shit down.Never played by the Dead.MJ NEWS – One Toke Over The Line!!!STRAINS:Strawberry Shortcake – a wonderful nighttime indica strain that that has a tart strawberry taste and leaves you with a good face melt and some couch lock. Wait until you get home before diving in. No great if you are with a group of people who are looking for your active participation in whatever they are doing! But wonderful to relax and get ready for a good night’s sleep.Blue Dream – every now and then I swing back to one of the all time greats. Nice for daytime and early evening use. Just have to be sure that whatever they are calling Blue Dream is really Blue Dream. It does have a fairly distinctive taste and smell so if you are familiar with the strain, you should be able to tell if you have the real stuff.Tang – a wonderful sativa that is energetic without providing the standard “sativa crash” as it wears off. Also nice because of it’s ability to “cut through” any buzz you may already have and provide a new uplifting effect.After a first set-closing “Uncle John’s Band,” the second frame got underway with Lesh leading on “Alabama Getaway” and “Sugaree,” the latter of which featured the band taking things out again and stretching the song to over 20 minutes. Phil once again stepped to the mic for a cover of the Bob Dylan classic “Like A Rolling Stone” that saw Trey and Page joining him on the chorus – I love that tune, the first Phil & Friends show I ever saw, featuring the Quintet, at the Riviera Theater in Chicago with good buddy Jimmy they opened with a 15 minute version of this tune into a 30 minutes cover of Low Spark of High Heeled Boys, just too many other good tunes from this show - and led into a spirited “I Know You Rider.” Anastasio then fronted the quintet on a sweet version of “Row Jimmy” SHOW No. 4: Row JimmyTrack #12 2:10 – 3:55Garcia/Huner tune, Wake of the Flood is the sixth studio album (and tenth album overall) by the rock band the Grateful Dead. Released on October 15, 1973, it was the first album on the band's own Grateful Dead Recordslabel. Their first studio album in nearly three years, it was also the first without founding member Ron "Pigpen" McKernan, who had recently died. His absence and keyboardist Keith Godchaux's penchants for bebop and modal jazz (rather than McKernan's tendencies toward the blues and rhythm and blues) contributed to the band's musical evolution. Godchaux's wife, vocalist Donna Jean Godchaux, also joined the group and appears on the album.[8]The release fared better on the pop charts than their previous studio album (1970's American Beauty), reaching No. 18.After three live albums in a row, the Grateful Dead wanted to record studio versions of songs written since Keith Godchaux had joined the band. At the time of recording, five of the songs on the album (and part of a 6th) had been in live rotation for up to a year and a half, as arrangements were road-tested and finalized. Referring to this period, bassist Phil Lesh explained, "We'd learned to break in the material at shows (under fire, as it were), rather than try to work it out at rehearsals, or in the studio at tremendous expense."Describing Godchaux's influence, drummer Bill Kreutzmann characterized the album as "Keith's coming out party." Remarking on the evolution in style, he remembered:Jerry brought "Row Jimmy" into us one day, and it was really difficult to get a grip on it at first. It has a slow tempo, which makes it seem like it would be easy, but it calls for a slight reggae groove layered over a ballad. Rhythmically, the lengths aren't traditional. They're not just twos and fours. It's deceiving. Basically, you have to play the song in half-time with a double-time bounce on top. It's trickier than it sounds. But once I locked into it, "Row Jimmy" became one of the best songs in our repertoire.Played 274 timesFirst: February 9, 1973 at Maples Pavilion, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA, a show we featured earlier this year.Last: June 21, 1991 at Knickerbocker Arena in AlbanyCannot say enough about Trey’s strong vocals on this tune. This is 16 years before the 50th reunion shows where Trey would play lead guitar for all five shows (2 in Santa Clara and 3 at Soldier Field). And at this point, Phish had only covered one Dead tune in concert: Terraping Station on August 9, 1998 at the Virginia Beach Amphitheater on the third anniversary of Jerry’s death. Since that point, it is still the only time Phish has covered a Dead tune in concert. Why only that one? Who knows. Trey is certainly more than qualified to cover any Dead tune and the other guys have all played with various Dead members from time to time. One of the great mysteries of the Phish world (at least for me).This was followed by a crowd-pleasing “Shakedown Street” which saw the band stretching their legs once again for a nearly 20-minute excursion. Next, “The Wheel” led into a 15 minute version of the classic closer “Not Fadeaway” to bring set two to a conclusion. After Phil’s donor rap and band intros, Phil & Phriends closed out Night One of the run with Phil singing lead Dylan’s “Mr. Tambourine Man,” which they did in the style of The Byrds.OUTRO: Mr. Tambourine ManTrack #18 0:00 – 1:28Leave you with one of my favorite Bob Dylan tunes. "Mr. Tambourine Man" is a song written by Bob Dylan, released as the first track of the acoustic side of his March 1965 album Bringing It All Back Home. The song's popularity led to Dylan recording it live many times, and it has been included in multiple compilation albums…

Grateful Dead Live at Wembley Empire Pool on 1972-04-08 : Free Borrow & Streaming : Internet Archive

Dark Star Illuminations: Uncovering Pigpen's Keyboard Magic Apr 08, 2024

Show notes

"From Europe 1972 to Las Vegas Residency: The Music World Buzz"

On today's show Larry Mishkin discusses various topics related to music, particularly focusing on the Grateful Dead and their Europe 1972 tour. He shares personal anecdotes, insights, and analysis of specific songs from the tour, such as "Bertha" and "Mr. Charlie." Additionally, the he covers upcoming events in the music world, including Fish's residency in Las Vegas and an upcoming album honoring Stanley Mouse, a renowned psychedelic poster artist. He also mentions the charitable aspect of the album's release, aiming to provide preschool scholarships to underprivileged children. Larry concludes with a discussion of a specific performance of "Dark Star" from the Europe 1972 tour, highlighting Pigpen's rare involvement with the keyboard during the song.

Grateful Dead

April 8, 1972

Wembley Empire Pool

London

Second show of Europe ’72 tour

INTRO: Bertha

Track # 1

0:00 – 1:22

SHOW No. 1: Mr. Charlie

Track # 3

:43 – 2:07

Pig/Hunter

"Charlie: white men regarded as oppressors of blacks.--used contemptuously. Also Mr. Charlie, Boss Charlie.

An article by John Cowley, "Shack Bullies and Levee Contractors: Bluesmen as Ethnographers," in The Journal of Folklore Research, vol. 28, nos. 2/3, pp. 135-162, recounts the story of the Lowrence family, a set of seven brothers, the oldest named Charley, who were notorious contractors of cheap labor, mostly African American, to build the levees alongside the Mississippi in the 1920's. A number of songs quoted in the article refer to "Mr Charley" specifically in this context, giving rise to speculation on the part of Alan Lomax that he may have "discovered the identity of the elusive "Mr. Charley." Cowley's article goes on, however, to quote a comment by Alan Dundes on Lomax' article that 'Mr. Charley' "would appear to date from antebellum times." But the repeated reference to a "Mr. Charley" by southern bluesmen was undoubtedly in reference to Charley Lowrence.

OR this is a song about heroin abuse. After McKernan died, the GD quit performing it. The "drums" apparently refer to a throbbing noise in the ears while in the throes of using heroin. The "shotgun" refers to a loaded syringe. Sad. Eurpoe '72 is, in my opinion, the quintessential GD album and McKernan really carries it. He died at the insanely early age of 23 or so.

Does not appear on any Dead studio album. Released on the original Europe ’72 album in 1972

Played 51 times

1st: July 31, 1971 at the Yale Bowl in New Haven CT

Last: May 26, 1972 at Lyceum Ballroom, London, England

SHOW No. 2: Dark Star

Track # 19

20:19 – 21:51

I love this clip. A very famous Dark Star, first on the tour, exchanged with The Other One each night as the long spacey and trippy tune in the midst of the mostly Americana Dead. Check out how pig’s organ makes an appearance. By that point, it was mostly Keith on the Grand piano, but this performance, and others on this tour, Pig jumps into the psychedelic mix with Keith. Very cool to hear that. After this tour, Pig was basically done.

When it comes to the early years of the Grateful Dead, it cannot be overstated just how important Ronald Charles McKernan - known as Pigpen to his friends and fans - was to the band.

In a perfect world, he would’ve been playing with them all the way up through the band’s conclusion after the death of Jerry Garcia, but instead things went a different way, with Pigpen’s unrelenting alcohol abuse resulting in hospitalization in August 1971, at which point doctors told him that he needed to stop touring, which he did...until he started again in December 1971. It didn’t last: Pigpen’s final show with the Grateful Dead took place on June 17, 1972 at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles, after which he’s quoted as having said, “I don’t want you around when I die,” at which point he cut off all ties with his fellow band members. Unfortunately, he got his wish: his landlady was the one who found him dead on March 8, 1973, of a gastrointestinal hemorrhage.

SHOW No. 3: Sugar Magnolia

Track # 20

1:18 – 2:52

SHOW No. 4: Caution

Track #21

15:00 – 16:35

The lyrics, although simple, carry a profound message. The protagonist seeks guidance from a gypsy woman, hoping to find answers to their internal struggles. Asking, “What’s wrong with me?”, they are seeking a solution or a way to alleviate their pain. The gypsy woman tells them that all they need is a “mojo hand,” implying that a physical object has the power to change their fortunes and bring about well-being.

In African American folklore, a mojo hand refers to a magical charm or amulet believed to bring luck, protection, or power. By singing about a mojo hand, The Grateful Dead taps into the rich tapestry of blues and folk traditions, adding a touch of mysticism to the song.

“Caution (Do Not Stop on Tracks)” is a timeless piece of music that captures the essence of The Grateful Dead’s exploratory spirit. The song’s meaning goes beyond its surface-level interpretation, delving into deeper human desires for guidance and personal transformation.

For me, this song serves as a reminder that sometimes we must look beyond ourselves for answers or support. Whether it be through music, spirituality, or community, seeking solace in something greater can provide the strength and encouragement needed to navigate life’s challenges.

The Grateful Dead’s live rendition of “Caution (Do Not Stop on Tracks)” is a testament to the band’s unique ability to captivate and touch the souls of their listeners. It serves as a timeless reminder of the power of music to connect, inspire, and offer solace in all walks of life.

Anthem of the Sun is the second album by rock band the Grateful Dead, released in 1968 on Warner Bros/Seven Arts. It is the first album to feature second drummer Mickey Hart. The band was also joined by Tom Constanten, who contributed avant-gardeinstrumental and studio techniques influenced by composers John Cage and Karlheinz Stockhausen. The album was assembled through a collage-like editing approach helmed by members Jerry Garcia and Phil Lesh (along with soundman Dan Healy), in which disparate studio and live performance tapes were spliced together to create new hybrid recordings. The band also supplemented their performances with instruments such as prepared piano, kazoo, harpsichord, timpani, trumpet, and güiro. The result is an experimental studio amalgam that is neither a pure studio album nor a live album.

In 1972, a more commercial alternate mix of the album was officially released to capitalize on the band's recent success. A 2018 reissue on Rhino Records collects both the 1968 and 1972 mixes. The album was ranked number 288 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time, in both the 2003 and 2012 iterations of the list.[7][8] It was voted number 376 in Colin Larkin's All Time Top 1000 Albums.[9]

Played 71 times

1st:
November 3, 1965 at Mother's, San Francisco, CA, USA

Last: October 27, 1979 at Cape Cod Coliseum, South Yarmouth, MA, USA

OUTRO: Saturday Night

Track # 22

2:08 – 3:56

From ACE

Ace is an album by Grateful Dead singer and guitarist Bob Weir. His first solo album, it was released in 1972. Weir's fellow bandmates in the Grateful Dead back him on the album, and all but one of the songs became staples of the band's live shows

Great song. In later years, only on Saturdays, but in the beginning, it would be played whenever Bob was in the mood.

Usually an encore, but every now and then a second set closer or once as an opener. Since we knew on a Saturday they would play the song, the game was to guess when. Encore was almost always the sure winner, except when it wasn’t.

Deadhead Cannabis Show - https://podconx.com/podcasts/deadhead-cannabis-show

Larry Mishkin - https://podconx.com/guests/larry-mishkin

Rob Hunt - https://podconx.com/guests/rob-hunt

Jay Blakesberg - https://podconx.com/guests/jay-blakesberg

Sound Designed by Jamie Humiston - https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamie-humiston-91718b1b3/

Grateful Dead Live at Capitol Theater on 1980-04-01 : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive

April Fool's Prank: The Grateful Dead's Chuck Berry Surprise Apr 01, 2024

Show notes

"Exploring the Sweetness of 'Candyman': A Grateful Dead Classic"

Larry Mishkin reflects on a Grateful Dead show from 44 years ago on April 1st, 1980, where the band played a prank on April Fool's Day, starting with a Chuck Berry tune and then transitioning to their usual instruments to perform the song again. Larry also talks about the significance of the song "Candyman" and its role in the Grateful Dead's repertoire, as well as Billy Joel's milestone 100th residency concert at Madison Square Garden. Larry also talks about "Friend of the Devil" and its origins, penned by lyricist Robert Hunter in collaboration with Jerry Garcia and John Dawson.

Grateful Dead

April 1, 1980 (44 years ago)

Capitol Theater

Passaic, NJ

April Fool’s Day

Opener that’s keeping with the theme

INTRO: The Promised Land

Track # 2

1:14 – 3:18

Chuck Berry tune with the Boys having a bit of fun to celebrate April Fool’s Day:

Jerry and Brent on Drums

Bobby on keyboard

Billy on bass and background vocals

Mickey on rhythm guitar and singing lead vocals

Phil on lead guitar

Kind of plodded through the song, but the fans loved the idea and the effort

They then went back to normal instruments, played the tune again and killed it!

A fun opener with a good reality check for the dosed fans in the crowd.

SHOW No. 1: Candyman

Track #4

4:56 – 6:30

Garcia/Hunter masterpiece

The song Candyman is part of the album American Beauty, which found its way into the world in November 1970. American Beauty is an album that is cherished by many, as it brings stories and emotions that feel both personal and universal. Candyman, with its blend of sweetness and shadow, invites listeners to delve into a world that is rich, complex, and thoughtfully spun. The album, with its varied tales and emotions, continues to be a friend to listeners, offering stories that explore the many sides and shades of life’s journey.

The thought-provoking words of Candyman were penned by Robert Hunter, and the compelling music was created by Jerry Garcia. These two artists worked together to create many of the Grateful Dead’s memorable songs. Their collaboration in Candyman offers a rich story that allows listeners to explore and imagine a world that is sweet, slightly shadowed, and full of interesting adventures. The images and tales spun by the words and music invite people to think, feel, and maybe even find bits of their own stories within the tale of the Candyman.

Played a total of 273 times. Almost always a Jerry first set tune alternated with Loser, West LA, and a few others

First played on April 3, 1970 (10 years earlier than today’s show) at Armory Fieldhouse in Cincinnati, OH

Last played on June 30, 1995 at Three Rivers Stadium in Pittsburgh.

SHOW No. 3: Friend of the Devil

Track #8

3:36 – 5:20

Grateful Dead lyricist Robert Hunter told Relix that "Friend of the Devil" was the closest that the Grateful Dead ever came to creating "what may be called a classic song." Many Deadheads may disagree, but it's an interesting perspective from the man who penned the words for the majority of the Dead's most iconic pieces.
Whether or not "Friend of the Devil" is the sole "classic" Dead tune, it's hard to argue that the band tapped into the outlaw's zeitgeist to find a timeless song with this one. Dead chronicler extraordinaire David Dodd, for one, agrees. "No other Dead tune gets played quite so often," Dodd writes in Greatest Stories Ever Told.
Jerry Garcia and John Dawson of New Riders of the Purple Sage (NRPS) wrote the music for "Friend of the Devil." Hunter wrote the lyrics, but Dawson played a critical part in that area, as well.
In his online journal, Robert Hunter recounted writing the lyrics for "Friend of the Devil" in a single afternoon in Madrone Canyon. He actually created the song with the intent of playing it with NRPS, after the band had asked him to be their bassist. This is why he first unveiled the song to David Nelson and John Dawson in their home in Kentfield. At that point, Hunter explains, "The 'Sweet Anne Marie' verse which was later to become a bridge was only one of the verses, not yet a bridge."
Where things get really interesting in this story is where Hunter tells us that the chorus originally went:
I set out running but I take my time
It looks like water but it tastes like wine
If I get home before daylight
I just might get some sleep tonight
Notice how the line "A friend of the devil is a friend of mine" doesn't play into that chorus? This is where Dawson comes in.
After showing the guys the song, Hunter explains, the band went down to the kitchen for espresso. "We got to talking about the tune and John said the verses were nifty except for 'it looks like water but it tastes like wine,' which I had to admit fell flat. Suddenly Dawson's eyes lit up and he crowed "How about 'a friend of the devil is a friend of mine.' Bingo, not only the right line but a memorable title as well!
We ran back upstairs to Nelson's room and recorded the tune. I took the tape home and left it on the kitchen table. Next morning I heard earlybird Garcia (who hadn't been at the rehearsal - had a gig, you know) wanging away something familiar sounding on the peddle [sic] steel. Danged if it wasn't 'Friend of the Devil.' With a dandy bridge on the 'sweet Anne Marie' verse. He was not in the least apologetic about it. He'd played the tape, liked it, and faster than you can say dog my cats it was in the Grateful Dead repertoire."
It's interesting to wonder whether or not the song would still have become a staple if Dawson hadn't popped those lyrics. The line, "a friend of the devil is a friend of mine" isn't the only great thing about the song, but it's definitely a critical part.

Hunter dipped out of NRPS almost as fast he dipped in, and so the song became a Dead tune.

Certainly a popular tune with the band and the Deadheads. Played 310X, almost always a first set tune.

First – March 20, 1970 at the Capitol Theatre in Port Chester

Last – June 2, 1995 at RFK Stadium in D.C.

SHOW No. 4: I Used To Love Her But It’s All Over Now

Track # 9

3:15 – 5:00

"It's All Over Now" is a song written by Bobby Womack and his sister-in-law Shirley Womack.[1] It was first released by The Valentinos, featuring Bobby Womack, in 1964. The Rolling Stones heard it on its release and quickly recorded a cover version, which became their first number-one hit in the United Kingdom, in July 1964.

The Valentinos recorded the song at United Recording in Hollywood on March 24, 1964,[2] and released it two months later.[3] It entered the Billboard Hot 100 on June 27, 1964, and stayed on the chart for two weeks, peaking at number 94.

The Rolling Stones landed in New York on June 1, 1964, for their first North American tour, around the time the Valentinos' recording was released. New York radio DJ Murray the K played the song to the Rolling Stones. He also played the Stones' "King Bee" (their Slim Harpo cover) the same night and remarked on their ability to achieve an authentic blues sound. After hearing "It's All Over Now" on that WINS show, the band recorded their version nine days later at Chess Studios in Chicago. Years later, Bobby Womack said in an interview that he had told Sam Cooke he did not want the Rolling Stones to record their version of the song, and that he had told Mick Jagger to get his own song. Cooke convinced him to let the Rolling Stones record the song. Six months later on, after receiving the royalty check for the song, Womack told Cooke that Mick Jagger could have any song he wanted.

The Rolling Stones' version of "It's All Over Now" is the most famous version of the song. It was first released as a single in the UK, where it peaked at number 1 on the UK Singles Chart, giving the Rolling Stones their first number one hit.[5] It was the band's third single released in America, and stayed in the Billboard Hot 100 for ten weeks, peaking at number 26. Months later it appeared on their second American album 12 X 5. The song was a big hit in Europe and was part of the band's live set in the 1960s. Cash Box described it as a "contagious cover of the Valentinos' click" and "an infectious thumper that should head right for chartsville."

Dead played it 160 times, always a first set Bobby tune.

First on Sept. 6, 1969 at Family Dog At The Great Highway in S.F.

Last on July 2, 1995 at Deer Creek in Indy/

This version is great with the Brent solo leading into the Jerry solo. Check out the entire clip.

SHOW No. 4: Shakedown Street

Track #19

4:30 – 5:57

When people think of the Grateful Dead, they often think of free-flowing improvisational music. However, the band was known for many things, including their ability to construct incredibly catchy songs with deep meanings. This is exemplified in one of their most iconic songs, “Shakedown Street.”

Shakedown Street, the title track of the Grateful Dead’s tenth studio album, released in 1978, has been interpreted in countless ways over the years.

According to Hunter in an interview with Rolling Stone magazine, “Shakedown Street” was a place where the underbelly of society came out and did its trading. “It was a place for freaks, weirdos, and people who didn’t fit in anywhere else. It was one of the only places where they could socialize and be themselves without fear of persecution.”

The lyrics of “Shakedown Street” talk about this place where everybody is welcome, regardless of who they are or where they come from. As the song says, “Don’t tell me this town ain’t got no heart. Just gotta poke around.”

The song is a reflection of the band’s values and the alternative society that they represented. It highlights the idea that people should be treated equally, without judgment, and that everyone should be able to express themselves.

Played 164X

Popular show opener, second set opener and occasionally, as here, an encore. Great way to end a show rocking out hard for 10+ minutes and then going home.

First: August 31, 1978 Red Rocks

Last: July 9, 1995 Soldier Field – played it right up until the end!

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https://fullmoonhumboldt.com/

Larry Talks Marijuana Cultivation and Music With Nik Erickson of Full Moon Farms in Humboldt. The Dead play “How Sweet It Is To Be Loved By You” for the one and only time on March 25, 1972 Mar 25, 2024

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"From Outlaw to Entrepreneur: The Evolution of Cannabis Farming"

Larry Mishkin is joined by Nick Erickson from Full Moon Farms in California. Nick shares his family's long history in California, dating back to the Gold Rush era. He discusses his introduction to cannabis cultivation, growing up around marijuana plants, and his experiences with law enforcement raids during the outlaw era of cannabis farming.

He explains the transition from illegal to legal cannabis cultivation in California after the state's legalization in 2016. He highlights the challenges and benefits of operating a legal cannabis farm, including the importance of testing for safety and quality control.

The conversation delves into the evolution of cannabis culture, the emergence of scientific understanding around terpenes, and the increasing focus on quality and sustainability in cannabis farming. Erickson emphasizes the significance of terroir, microclimates, and genetic diversity in producing unique cannabis strains with distinct flavors and effects.

Overall, the transcript provides insights into the experiences of a legacy cannabis grower navigating the transition to a regulated market while maintaining a commitment to craft cultivation practices.

Grateful Dead of the Day

March 25, 1972 (52 years ago)

New York Academy of Music

Grateful Dead Live at Academy of Music on 1972-03-25 : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive

Concert in NY immediately before their departure for Europe for the ’72 tour.

INTRO: How Sweet It Is

Track No. 12

2:30 – 4:00

MID-SHOW: Nobody’s Fault But Mine

Jimmy Page and Robert Plant

Slate Quarry U.K. 1994

Jimmy Page & Robert Plant - Nobody's Fault But Mine (Slate Quarry UK 1994) (youtube.com)

OUTRO: Next Time You See Me

Track #15

:30 – 2:06

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1977 Winterland: The Dead Bust Out Fire On The Mountain and Take Their One and Only Attempt At Terrapin Flyer Mar 18, 2024

Show notes

"Grateful Dead's Notable Tracks from 1977 plus a cure for Female Orgasmic Disorder"Larry Mishkin covers the Grateful Dead show from March 18th, 1977, at the Winterland arena in San Francisco, showcasing notable performances of songs like "Sugaree" and "Peggy-O." He delves into the history and significance of these songs within the Grateful Dead repertoire. Additionally, the discussion extends to the cannabis industry, highlighting the financial strategies of marijuana companies to minimize tax obligations under Section 280E of the IRS Code. He also touches on the opening of Nevada's first legal marijuana consumption lounge, signaling a shift in cannabis regulations in the state. Finally, Larry addresses the proposal to add Female Orgasmic Disorder (FOD) as a qualifying condition for medical marijuana use in Illinois, reflecting evolving perspectives on cannabis as a therapeutic option for various health conditions.Grateful DeadMarch 18, 1977 (47 years ago)Winterland, S.F.Grateful Dead Live at Winterland Arena on 1977-03-18 : Free Borrow & Streaming : Internet ArchiveTITLE: 1977 Winterland: The Dead Bust Out Fire On The Mountain and Take Their One and Only Attempt At Terrapin Flyer.Just a month after the Swing Auditorium show that we previewed a few weeks ago, Dead went home to Winterland for a string of shows. This one stands out for a few reasons that we will get to as the show goes on.INTRO: Sugaree Track #4 7:25 – 9:05 "Sugaree" is a song with lyrics by long-time Grateful Dead lyricist Robert Hunter and music by guitaristJerry Garcia.[1] It was written for Jerry Garcia's first solo album Garcia, which was released on January 20, 1972. As with the songs on the rest of the album, Garcia plays every instrument himself except drums, played by Bill Kreutzmann, including acoustic guitar, bass guitar, and an electric guitar played through a Leslie speaker. Released as a single from the Garcia album, "Sugaree" peaked at #94 on the Billboard Hot 100 in April 1972 and was Garcia's only single ever on that chart.Elizabeth Cotten, a North Carolinafolksinger, wrote and recorded a song called "Shake Sugaree" in 1966.[3] The chorus of Cotten's song is "Oh lordie me/Didn't I shake sugaree?" Hunter was aware of this song when he wrote "Sugaree."The song was first performed live by the Grateful Dead on July 31, 1971, at the Yale Bowl at Yale University, as was the song "Mr. Charlie". The Dead played it 362 times in concert. Last played on July 8, 1995 at Soldier Field in Chicago. A classic rocking Dead tune, usually a first set number, I’ve seen it as a show opener, first set closer, and encore. In this clip they really rock it but it’s only a small peak at this 15 minute version of the tune. Well worth pulling it down on Archive and checking out the entire number. You won’t be sorry.SHOW No. 1: Peggy-O Track #6 4:20 – 6:00 Traditional, credit for the Grateful Dead version generally go to Jerry but some say Bill had a hand in writing it. This song derives from the earlier Scottish traditional song Bonnie Lass of Fyvie-o. Fyvie is thought to have been a staging post between Aberdeen and Fort George in Scotland. This song does occur with a number of title variations. It is possible that Fennario is a corruption of Fyvie-o.Similar traditional songs also occurred in the UK; Handsome Polly O and Bonny Barbara O, though these are less similar to the modern Peggy-O song.The title Peggy-O is used on Grateful Dead recordings. The version of Peggy-O that is included in the Jerry Garcia box set All Good Things is a previously unreleased studio recordings from Spring 1979 and is given the title Fennario. The Fennario title is also used on concert recordings of The Dead and Phil Lesh & Friends.Although not released on a Dead studio album, the song was included on the remastered recordings of both Terrapin Station and Go To Heaven.The Grateful Dead first performed Peggy-O in December 10, 1973 at the Charlotte Coliseum in N.C.. It was then played in every year through to 1995 usually no more than a dozen times each year though it was played more regularly during the 1977 to 1981 period. Played a total of 265 times. The last performance was on July 5, 1995 at the Riverport Amphitheatre in Maryland Heights, MO (just outside of St. Louis).In this clip, I really enjoy Jerry’s strong voice, the solid jamming and some stealth piano contributions from Keith.SHOW No. 2: Fire On The Mountain Track # 9 1:46 – 3:30 Hunter/Hart (not Jerry!) Released on Shakedown Street on November 8, 1978, last song on first side of album. First time ever played – one of the reasons I chose this show over a number of other great shows on this date – others include a smokin “early” Dead show in 1967 at Winterland and 1971 at the Fox Theater in St. Louis coming fast on the heels of the Dead’s epic six night Capitol Theater run in Port Chester in late February.This is another of those songs with a long and complicated genesis story, perhaps not worth getting into too much detail about here, but the rough outlines at least are important to note. The lyrics, according to Robert Hunter in Box of Rain, were “Written at Mickey Hart's ranch in heated inspiration as the surrounding hills blazed and the fire approached the recording studio where we were working.”Hart, credited with the music for the song, recorded a proto-rap version of the song for an unreleased album entitled Area Code 415, recorded in 1972 and 1973. It was also included on a Mickey Hart album entitled Fire on the Mountain, recorded in 1973-74. It appeared as an instrumental entitled “Happiness is Drumming” on Hart’s 1976 studio album, Diga. And it finally began showing up in the Grateful Dead repertoire, sung by Jerry Garcia, in 1977, undergoing a number of variants of the lyrics until it settled into the form that was eventually recorded and released on Shakedown Street, in November 1978. There’s a lot of other detail I haven’t mentioned—possibly worthy of some historian taking it apart piece by piece, but you get the rough idea.On March 18, 1977 at Winterland Arena, San Francisco. "Fire" appeared for the first time, closing the first set, following its eternal partner, "Scarlet Begonias." This combination of tunes, which frequently enclosed some wonderful jamming, came to be known as "Scarlet Fire." There were a handful of occasions on which “Fire” appeared without “Scarlet Begonias,” but not many. approx 15 out of the total 253 performances. It remained steadily in the repertoire from then on, and was played for the final time on July 2, 1995, at the Deer Creek Music Center in Noblesville, Indiana.This clip being the song’s first live performance and almost a year and half before it’s commercial release, there are noticeable differences between this version and the one we al know and love. But they go there very quickly as only two months later on May 8, 1977 the Dead played the Barton Hall show that many declare to be the best Dead show ever. While that may or may not be true, what is true is that the version of Scarlet Fire is awesome and certainly befitting a show many do consider to be the finest Dead show of them all.Many more were to follow and the lucky ones who were in Winterland this night got to witness how it all started.SHOW No. 3: Terrapin Flyer AlhambraTrack # 17 :53 – end INTO Drums Track # 18 Start – 0:44 This is another reason I chose this show for today’s episode. This represents the only known instance of the Dead playing the Terrapin Flyer part of the full Terrapin Suite from the Album (released on July 27, 1977) out of the traditional parts. Although Jerry does not sing the lyrics from this part of the suite, he jams the very distinctive melody. Interestingly, this is only a few weeks after the debut of Terrapin at the Swing Auditorium on Feb. 26, 1977. Here, the Dead were trying out this sixth of seven parts of the suite and for whatever reason did not like what they heard or didn’t enjoy playing it or, more likely, practicing it, so it was dropped from live performances even though the primary and opening parts of the suite, Lady with a Fan into Terrapin Station, were played a total of 303 times. These are the fun little discoveries that even after 40+ years of listening to, following and learning about the band keep it fun, interesting and amazing. As for the recording of the entire suite, Keith Olsen was chosen to produce and the band temporarily moved to Los Angeles, as Olsen preferred to work at Sound City, where he had recently achieved success producing Fleetwood Mac's 1975 comeback album. Olsen had a method for reining in the Dead: "During the cutting of the basic tracks it was pretty hard to get every member of the band in the studio at the same time ... so [Steve] Parish went out to the hardware store and got these giant nails and a great big hammer and as soon as everybody was in, he hammered the door shut from the inside ... we didn't have drifters from the other studios coming in to listen. We didn't have people leaving to go screw around elsewhere. We started getting work done."[18] With Fleetwood Mac, Olsen had a hands-on approach, orchestrating the addition of Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks and influencing song choice, arrangements and sequencing. He entered the Grateful Dead project with similar expectations, imagining a concept album or song cycle. Olsen said that Davis told him "I need a commercial record out of them."[18] This caused some friction during the sessions as well as with the end results. Kreutzmann said "He'd have us play the same thing over and over again, and we're not really the type of band that can put up with that. ... Our very identity is based on the opposite principle."[SHOW No. 4: Not Fade Away Track # 19 14:00 – 15:40 Written by Buddy Holly and Norman Petty. Holly and the Crickets recorded the song in Clovis, New Mexico, on May 27, 1957, and it was released as a single (B side to “Oh Boy”) on October 27, 1957 on the Brunswick label. The rhythmic pattern of "Not Fade Away" is a variant of the Bo Diddley beat, with the second stress occurring on the second rather than third beat of the first measure, which was an update of the "hambone" rhythm, or patted juba from West Africa. Jerry Allison, the drummer for the Crickets, pounded out the beat on a cardboard box.[3] Allison, Holly's best friend, wrote some of the lyrics, though his name never appeared in the songwriting credits. Joe Mauldin played the double bass on this recording. It is likely that the backing vocalists were Holly, Allison, and Niki Sullivan, but this is not known for certain. First played by the Dead on February 19, 1969 at the Fillmore West in S.F., it was played by the band a total of 561 times and last played on July 5, 1995 at the Riverport Amphitheatre outside of St. Louis. This is an absolutely ripping version of this tune so much so that I featured only the jam – everyone knows the lyrics, but the jam in this 20 minute version is better than any singing I could have featured.OUTRO: Around and Around Track 21 4:59 – 6:46 Very appropriate to end on a Chuck Berry tune given that today is the seventh anniversary of Chuck’s death in 2017 at the age of 90. "Around and Around" is a 1958 rock song written and first recorded by Chuck Berry. It originally appeared under the name "Around & Around" as the B-side to the single "Johnny B. Goode". Release on March 31, 1958 on Chicago’s own Chess Records checking in at a brisk 2:20.Many bands have covered the song including, most famously, the Rolling Stones and David Bowie, and, of course the Dead who played it 418 times, first on November 8, 1970 at the Capitol Theater in Port Chester, NY and lastly on July 6, 1995 at the Riverport Amphitheatre outside of St. Louis – very appropriate since Chuck was born in St. Louis and died in Wentzville, just outside of the city.This is one of the better version of the tune that I have heard. It checks in at over 8 minutes and the boys just jam it out, throw in a few false endings and finally wrap it up, followed only by Uncle John’s Band before the boys say goodnight to the Winterland crazies and head home for a rare post show night in their own beds. .Produced by PodConx Deadhead Cannabis Show - https://podconx.com/podcasts/deadhead-cannabis-showLarry Mishkin - https://podconx.com/guests/larry-mishkinRob Hunt - https://podconx.com/guests/rob-huntJay Blakesberg - https://podconx.com/guests/jay-blakesbergSound Designed by Jamie Humiston - https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamie-humiston-91718b1b3/Recorded on Squadcast

From Help On The Way to So Many Roads: Reliving the Rosemont Horizon Dead Show Mar 11, 2024

Show notes

"From Chicago to Egypt: Collecting Dead Memorabilia and Memories with Jay Blakesburg"Larry Mishkin features a nostalgic recounting of a Grateful Dead concert from March 11th, 1993, at the Rosemont Horizon in Rosemont, Illinois. The discussion covers various aspects of the event, including the venue's challenges, the band's performance, and reflections on specific songs played during the show. Larry also touches on recent music events, such as Phil Lesh and Friends' performances and upcoming Phish summer tour dates. It also highlights an exhibition by photographer Jay Blakesburg and his collection of Grateful Dead memorabilia, along with personal anecdotes related to Dead history. Grateful DeadMarch 11, 1993 (31 years ago)Rosemont HorizonRosemont, Illinois (Chicago)Grateful Dead Live at Rosemont Horizon on 1993-03-11 : Free Borrow & Streaming : Internet ArchiveFinal night of 3 show run March 9 – March 11 (Tuesday – Thursday)INTRO: Help On The WayTrack #1 :20 – 2:06 Released on Blues For Allah (1975) Played 111 times First time: June 17, 1975 at Winterland, S.F. Last time: June 22, 1995 at Knickerbocker Arena, Albany, NY SHOW No. 1: When I Paint My MasterpieceTrack #6 1:36 – 3:12 "When I Paint My Masterpiece" is a 1971 song written by Bob Dylan. It was first released by The Band, who recorded the song for their album Cahoots, released on September 15, 1971. Dylan himself first recorded the song at New York's Blue Rock Studio when he was backed by Leon Russell and session musicians, including Jesse Ed Davis on lead guitar, appeared on Bob Dylan's Greatest Hits Vol. II, released November 17, 1971, with Russell credited as the producer. Dylan and The Band performed the song together live, in the early hours of January 1, 1972, at a New Year's Eve concert by The Band; a recording was released as a bonus track on the 2001 CD reissue of The Band's live album Rock of Ages.Douglas Brinkley, while interviewing Dylan for the New York Times in 2020, noted that "When I Paint My Masterpiece" was a song that had grown on him over the years and asked Dylan why he had brought it "back to the forefront of recent concerts". Dylan replied, "It’s grown on me as well. I think this song has something to do with the classical world, something that’s out of reach. Someplace you’d like to be beyond your experience. Something that is so supreme and first rate that you could never come back down from the mountain. That you’ve achieved the unthinkable. That’s what the song tries to say, and you’d have to put it in that context. In saying that though, even if you do paint your masterpiece, what will you do then? Well, obviously you have to paint another masterpiece".According to his official website, Dylan played the song live 182 times between 1975 and 2019.[4] Five live performances of the song from Dylan's 1975 Rolling Thunder Revue tour were released on the box set The Rolling Thunder Revue: The 1975 Live Recordings in 2019. The live debut occurred at the War Memorial Auditorium in Plymouth, Massachusetts on October 30, 1975 and the most recent performances occurred on the Rough and Rowdy Ways World Wide Tour in 2023.Played 146 timesFirst: June 13, 1987 at Ventura County Fairgrounds, Ventura, CALast: July 9, 1995 at Soldier Field, ChicagoMy favorite Dylan cover. Would rotate in first set with other Dylan covers including Queen Jane Approximately, Stuck Inside of Mobile With Memphis Blues Again and Desolation Row.SHOW No. 2: So Many RoadsTrack #7 :39 – 2:21 So Many Roads was first performed by the Grateful Dead on February 22, 1992. It was then played regularly through to the last performance of the song on July 9, 1995. In total the song was played just over 50 times.Jerry Garcia spoke about So Many Roads in an interview with Dave DiMartino in 1992;“It's Hunter writing me from my point of view, you know what I mean? We've been working together for so long that he knows what I know. The song is full of references to things that have to do with me....“....Hunter is the only guy that could do that. He can write my point of view better than I can think it, you know what I mean? So that's the kind of relationship we have. And he frequently writes tunes from my point of view that are autobiographical. There actually biographical I guess. He's the one writing them, but even so they express my point of view - and more than that they express the emotional content of my soul in a certain way that only a long-term and intimate relationship with a guy as brilliant as Hunter coughs up ... I can sing that song, feel totally comfortable with it.”Robert Hunter's comments on the origins of this song in the notes in Box Of Rain: Lyrics 1965-1993;“One afternoon, Jerry was playing some unstructured changes on the piano. Figuring they might be forgotten otherwise, I clicked on my tape recorder. Ten years later I found the tape and listened to it, liked it, and set these words to it. Listening to the pitifully recorded and time-degraded tape, Jerry protested that, although he liked the words, his changes were not very good and unfinished besides. This didn't seem to be the base and I requested that he at least give it a run through. The result was one of the better received new GD songs and one that almost got away.”Never released on a Dead studio album but was a centerpiece of the Dead’s first Box Set: So Many Roads, 5 disc retrospective of the band from 1965 to 1995.Many commentators said this was the best one ever. When I saw the show, we were still just all hearing the song fort the first few times and getting used to it. Over time, it has become a favorite thanks to Hunter’s lyrics and Jerry’s playing and singing. Very emotional. SHOW No. 3: Iko IkoTrack No. 9 4:04 – 5:38 "Iko Iko" (/ˈaɪkoʊˈaɪkoʊ/) is a much-coveredNew Orleans song that tells of a parade collision between two tribes of Mardi Gras Indians and the traditional confrontation. The song, under the original title "Jock-A-Mo", was written and released in 1953 as a single by James "Sugar Boy" Crawford and his Cane Cutters but it failed to make the charts. The story tells of a "spy boy" (i.e. a lookout for one band of Indians) encountering the "flag boy" or guidon carrier for another "tribe". He threatens to "set the flag on fire". Crawford set phrases chanted by Mardi Gras Indians to music for the song. Crawford himself states that he has no idea what the words mean, and that he originally sang the phrase "Chock-a-mo", but the title was misheard by Chess Records and Checker Records president Leonard Chess, who misspelled it as "Jock-a-mo" for the record's release. The song first became popular in 1965 by the girl groupthe Dixie Cups, who scored an international hit with "Iko Iko". In 1967, as part of a lawsuit settlement between Crawford and the Dixie Cups, the trio were given part songwriting credit for the song. In 1972, Dr. John had a minor hit with his version of "Iko Iko". Second set opener. From intro, it was hard to tell if they were going into Women Are Smarter to Iko. Really enjoyed Women Are Smarter, but always extra happy when it turns out to be Iko. Great version. Jerry very energetic and really getting into it. Played 185 times First: May 15, 1977 at The Arena in St. Louis Last: July 5, 1995 at Riverport Amphitheater in St. Louis (first and last time in St. Louis!!)SHOW No. 4: SpaceTrack #15 (note that there are 2 “Space” tracks, this is the first one, Track 15) 4:25 – 5:42 (The Island – Ken Nordine) Ken Nordine (April 13, 1920 – February 16, 2019) was an American voice-over and recording artist, best known for his series of word jazz albums.[2] His deep, resonant voice has also been featured in many commercial advertisements and movie trailers. One critic wrote that "you may not know Ken Nordine by name or face, but you'll almost certainly recognize his voice.” In 1955, he provided the voiceover on Billy Vaughn's version of "Shifting Whispering Sands", which peaked at number 5 on the Billboard Hot 100. He subsequently attracted wider attention when he recorded the aural vignettes on Word Jazz (Dot, 1957). Love Words, Son of Word Jazz (Dot, 1958) and his other albums in this vein feature Nordine's narration over cool jazz by the Fred Katz Group featuring Chico Hamilton recording under an alias. Nordine began performing and recording such albums at the peak of the beat era and was associated with the poetry-and-jazz movement. However, it has been observed that some of Nordine's writings "are more akin to Franz Kafka or Edgar Allan Poe" than to the beats.[8] Many of his word jazz tracks feature critiques of societal norms.[9] Some are lightweight and humorous, while others reveal dark, paranoid undercurrents and bizarre, dream-like scenarios. Nordine's DVD, The Eye Is Never Filled was released in 2007.[9]Nordine hosted the weekly Word Jazz program on WBEZ, also carried on other stations, from the 1970s for over forty years.In 1990, Nordine was approached by Jerry Garcia of The Grateful Dead to be the anchor for their New Year's Eve radio broadcast from Oakland, California.[13] For the broadcast he recorded some improvisations with Garcia, drummer Mickey Hart and Egyptian musician Hamza El-Din.[13] This subsequently led to an album Devout Catalyst, released on the Grateful Dead's own label in 1991[13] and Upper Limbo in 1993[14] and an appearance with the band live at a show at Rosemont, Illinois, in March 1993. Ken Nordine died February 16, 2019.OUTRO: Days Between Track No. 18 4:51 – 6:51 “Days Between,” a late song in the Robert Hunter / Jerry Garcia songbook, was perhaps their last collaboration on a big, significant song, one that ranks with “Dark Star” and “Terrapin Station” as ambitious and intentionally grand. (I was talking the other day with a friend, about Garcia’s playing and songwriting, and the thought came up that Garcia, like few others, was unafraid of grandeur, and could successfully pull it off. Same with Hunter.) It appeared like the ghostly ships it describes, as if gradually from a fog and only slowly revealing itself as something very big, towering above everything around. It’s hard to say it any better than Phil Lesh did in his autobiography, Searching for the Sound:“Achingly nostalgic, ‘Days Between’ evokes the past. The music climbs laboriously out of shadows, growing and peaking with each verse, only to fall back each time in hopeless resignation. When Jerry sings the line ‘when all we ever wanted / was to learn and love and grow’ or ‘gave the best we had to give / how much we’ll never know,’ I am immediately transported decades back in time, to a beautiful spring morning with Jerry, Hunter, Barbara Meier, and Alan Trist—all of us goofing on the sheer exhilaration of being alive. I don’t know whether to weep with joy at the beauty of the vision or with sadness at the impassable chasm of time between the golden past and the often painful present.” Each verse in the song contains fourteen lines, and each evokes a different season of the year, although not in sequence. The first verse contains the lines “Summer flies and August dies / the world grows dark and mean.” I can’t hear that line without thinking about August West, in Wharf Rat, and, by extension, Garcia himself. “The singing man is at his song / the holy on their knees.” Who is the singing man, if not Garcia, when it comes to Hunter and his words? Played 42 times by the band, always in the second set, almost always out of drums First: February 22, 1993 at the Oakland Alameda County Coliseum in Oakland, CA Last: June 24, 1995 at RFK Stadium, Washington, D.C.This was just the second time it was ever played“Gave the best we had to give, how much we’ll never know”No chorus in this song, just verses that keep building on each other. .Produced by PodConx Deadhead Cannabis Show - https://podconx.com/podcasts/deadhead-cannabis-showLarry Mishkin - https://podconx.com/guests/larry-mishkinRob Hunt - https://podconx.com/guests/rob-huntJay Blakesberg - https://podconx.com/guests/jay-blakesbergSound Designed by Jamie Humiston - https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamie-humiston-91718b1b3/Recorded on Squadcast