I have a very reliable source who told me about this back in May. He also said that Glenn Phillips was considered/asked to play but someone was overruled on this decision with a explanation that John Mayer will bring a new demographic, sell lots of tickets. Glenn Phillips vs John Mayer.... discuss
Huh, I think the opposite, Scott good fit but John not. But Scott is the 2nd guitar in JRAD, not lead, so maybe that is coloring my perception of him. I'm jealous of Peach Fest, sounds fun. I think it will be first time Bobby is playing with Billy's new band so that will be interesting, and that lineup does have JRAD's lead guitarist, Tom Hamilton.
Yeah, for your sake JRM I softened my stance on Metzger a bit up above. I don't want to rain too much on your JRAD love. Metzger didn't suck at Phil's, but his sound reminded me of Larry Carlton which is why I'm thinking of him as Dan-ish. I wonder if he was in the lineup at JRAD at Hardly Strictly Bluegrass, which was I think JRAD's second gig ever. I don't remember seeing him. Maybe Metzger is still learning or whatever. Even more edits: OK, he's 2nd guitar? Yeah, maybe that's why Metzger was doing the Bobby stuff. Wow, look at me putting 2 and 2 together. I didn't even know he was part of JRAD when I was seeing him live.
I wouldn't be so bold as to state that, but I think he'll do fine. Mayer will bring something new to the table. I'm excited to hear.
Ha, no need, I'm very used to strong opinions about them They headlined and sold out the Capitol Theater on their second show ever (not too shabby). I think HSB was maybe show #6. Scott was there and has been at every show, but yes he is still new to the material. I like his playing, and voice is great for Weir tunes, like belting out a killer Stranger! But yeah, he has to read almost every line. Must be any overwhelming amount to recall if you were brand new to the Dead catalog.
The legacy of the Grateful Dead is intact in the substantial body of work left behind-most of which can be accessed in the Archive and in official releases. Fare Thee Well was not the GD but was an amazing celebration which may have brought in thousands of new fans who will dive into the legacy. John Mayer's interest will open up more folks to the GD experience. Yes it is show business but so what-it is also based on some of the most authentic music ever created in the last few decades. I would love to see more folks open up to the ethos created by the art of the Dead. Let Mayer help reinvent the tradition. Jerry brought many Heads to an appreciation of old time music, bluegrass and obscure indigenous folk. He wasn't accused of being a dilettante. Maybe Mayer will bring some of his fan base to this new Dead take on Americana which perhaps many of them have never heard or considered. Viva the Dead in all its myriad forms!
Mayer is a hot player with his own style. Oteil is a monster who will hopefully bring a funkier bass approach to the material. This is seriously promising. Thank god we will not hear Phil singing or JK dumbing it down by aping Jerry all night.
An interview with John from Billboard: http://www.billboard.com/articles/n...ohn-mayer-grateful-dead-and-company-interview Never could stand the Dead, and as far as I am concerned, the band ended when Jerry Garcia died.
Fascinating interview! The guy has a real way of articulating what's so special about the Dead. He "gets" it, undoubtedly. - "...this music transports me to a place in my own imagination." - "The catalog might be the most diverse, hard-hitting, powerful and important collection in the history of any band. As a fan, and being a musicologist in my own stupid little way, if you really look at it, it's a Library of Congress of great songs. It's a universe of great songs." - "I feel like it's the responsibility of any musician who cares to not let great, important music die. There's a lot of people who don't know what that music is yet because they weren't exposed to it culturally. They don’t know that there is that swing and that groove you need in your life." Preach it, brother! Are we sure Mayer isn't one of our regulars in the mastodon "Grateful Thread: What Have You Been Listening To"? (The only thing that doesn't add up for me is Meyer's professed cultural ignorance of the Dead. A quick Wiki look shows that he was 18 when Garcia passed away. Is it really possible to have been unaware of the Dead and its surrounding culture during the stadium years of 1990-95? They were the highest-grossing domestic concert act in the US in that period, after all).
Yikes. "I've been listening to the Grateful Dead nonstop. Mark my words, the Grateful Dead are gonna make a comeback, because of how that music cleanses your palate. When everything is processed and quantized and gridded out – to hear 'Tennessee Jed' played with that lope is a real palate-cleanser. They take their time, sometimes too much. This free expressive sort of spirit – I listen and I want to find a mix of that openness. I kind of want to go to that show, if it still existed. But I wish that there were tunes that I was more familiar with. I wish that I could be the singer. I wish I could have harmonies. And I wish that I could make it seven minutes instead of 13 minutes. Now I'll get the opportunity to kind of try that." - Mayer http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/grateful-dead-members-john-mayer-form-dead-company-20150805 #mindleftbodyisawonderland
Yeah, "marketing ploy" was probably a bit strong. But the irony is that "Fare Thee Well" is likely more of a beginning than an end at least for three of the four.
Well, the proof will be in the playing. I hope it works out because I think there's always room for someone to be playing the GD songbook if they do the music justice. I've had a lot of fun at post-GD Dead-type shows, but sometimes it would get a little boring. The great thing about FTW is Trey sometimes really lifted them to a higher level. If John Mayer can do something like that, it would be cool, but I'm a bit skeptical.
With all due respect, if you never could stand the Dead, then your opinion on when the band ended means less than zip.
From John Mayer's interview today with JamBase: "Yeah, I really like the Grateful Dead, but the songs are too long and that's why they didn't have enough Top 40 hits, and I'd like to fix that with this new band. Also, I'd like to see if I can get Katy [Perry] involved on vocals, and write the band some love song oriented material that the little girls go ga-ga for. Also, she'll pick out all the hippie bandanas I'll wear on stage to show the crowd I "get" this music. And I've co-written a few songs with Justin Timberlake that would be great for Dead & Company. Also, why no horn section? Like I said, before, I fell in love with "Althea" listening on Spotify, but that track could use some fat horns. Oh, and that one's too long also...."
Every time I dip into this thread I come away with the same non-Dead earworm going round and round in my head: Dan Hicks and His Hot LIcks, “How Can I Miss You If You Won’t Go Away”….