This week (August 9, to be exact) marks 12 years since Jerry Garcia passed. The legendary Grateful Dead frontman and godfather of all jam bands would have been 65 years old had he kicked that nasty drug habit and survived the heart attack that took his life. And where would he be now? Still performing upwards of a hundred shows a year? Would the Dead get top billing at Bonnaroo? Would Jerry be a panelist on Real Time with Bill Maher or on the cover of AARP Magazine?
Remembering Jerry and his musical legacy made me think about the Dead’s audience and where they are today. I was a loyal follower myself through most of high school, college and beyond. Of course, I only caught the tail-end of their run, and truthfully, I transitioned pretty quickly into a passionate (and early) Phish adopter — I’m talking 1989, my friends, when I rocked a self-made "Reba" bumper sticker on the back of my Acura (pictured at left: said car and yours truly, circa 1992). But by 1995, I was pretty much done with the "touring" phase of my phandom (in the irresponsible-and-aimlessly-directionless-following-of-a-band sense). My swan song was Phish’s killer Madison Square Garden New Year’s show that year, which even Wikipedia acknowledges "is often regarded as one of the best Phish shows ever." (I also caught a few of the festivals later on, like Lemonwheel and the Great Went.)
So where did I end up going from there? Knee-deep into alt-country, as it turned out. It started with an Uncle Tupelo fascination in the early ’90s, later Whiskeytown, Old 97s, Scud Mountain Boys and the Jayhawks. Then, I devoured every Gram Parsons recording I could find. And, of course, I was a proud and dedicated Wilco devotee.
Thinking back on it now, I credit the Dead for introducing me to those bands. Not directly, but it was through their live shows — combining elements of folk, bluegrass, country, and psychedelic rock into their set list on any given night — that many a musical taste evolved. Think about the Deadheads and Phish fans who worship all things bluegrass. Essentially, they rescued those old-timey mountain songs from the religious right by making them cool.
So it makes sense that today, some of those same Deadheads wouldalso be taking refuge in the Americana/alt-country world. After all, atthe time of Jerry’s death in 1995, alt-country was enjoying its musicbiz moment as "the next big thing." The Jayhawks’ Tomorrow the Green Grass album, which included the instant-classic "Blue," had come out earlier that year, and Wilco’s debut AM hit the shelves in June. (To be fair, though I wasn’t a huge fan, I should also mention Son Volt’s Trace, which saw a September release and swift sales soon after.) And upon hearing Wilco’s latest album, Sky Blue Sky,which I recently bought in an actual record store and am totallyobsessed with, I couldn’t help but wonder if maybe Jeff Tweedy and Co.were on to the hippie factor in their crowd and were maybe even playingto it.
Crucify me if you must, but on songs like "Either Way," "ImpossibleGermany" and "Side with the Seeds," I can’t help but hear a littleJerry in those trill-y guitar solos and meandering melodies. And thejams, which were already in full effect on previous albums like A Ghost is Born("Spiders," you may recall, clocks in at over 10 minutes), seem to begetting trippier. "Alt-country troubadour" (as press releases like torefer to him) Ryan Adams took the connection a step further, joiningDead bassist Phil Lesh for a series of shows in 2005, during which hetackled Dead staples like "Shakedown Street," "It Must Have Been theRoses," and "Wharf Rat" (see their amazing performance of it at the Jammy Awardsthat year). At Phil’s invitation, Ryan even played one of Jerry’sguitars, which, as I understand, some Deadheads found absolutelyblasphemous. But Phil must think very highly of him. And Ryan hascertainly worn the Dead’s influence on his sleeve, particularly on thealbum Cold Roses, which includes the Workingman’s Dead-inspired "Magnolia Mountain."
Another example: Gary Louris, one of the Jayhawks’ two mainsinger-songwriters, is releasing his solo album later this year. It wasproduced by Black Crowes frontman (and big-time Deadhead) ChrisRobinson and features a vocal choir that sounds straight out of 1967Laurel Canyon (full disclosure: my husband worked on that album aswell). Imagine hippie imagery coupled with Cosmic American-style lapsteel — the cowboy with the flower in his ten-gallon Stetson. Itdoesn’t get much better than that.
Now sure, there are plenty of Deadheads who noodle-danced their waystraight into jam-band world and never came out, the kind of folksyou’d see at a Widepsread Panic show bemoaning Phish’s retirement(though, in all honesty, Phish didn’t really sound much like the Dead),or singing the praises of String Cheese Incident and the DiscoBiscuits, certainly regulars at Phil & Friends and Ratdog shows,and likely at the upcoming Vegoose festival and the Jammy Awards. Plus,there’s always new bands who may have missed the climax of jam-bandmadness but continue to chase a never-dying scene. Like 40 Points, a four-piece I saw in Austin at this year’s South by Southwestconference, whose guitar chops and insanely twisty melodies immediatelyconjured images of those long-haired, sun-kissed friends I made in theRFK Stadium parking lot almost two decades ago. They would love thisband, which, not surprisingly, is fronted by a country kid: LukasWilson, a.k.a. the son of Willie. Am I on to something here?
UPDATE: Though Garcia never topped the bill at Bonnaroo, commenter Hunter (as in Robert?) is correct to note that the post-Jerry Dead did headline the fest in 2004. I should have posed the question about his side project: "Would the Jerry Garcia Band get top billing at Bonnaroo?"
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The Deadheads are listening to Bob Weir and Rat Dog, and Government Mule.
i loved the dead in high school (still do) and they definitely got me to open up more to traditional, roots type music. now i’m a huge fan of wilco, ryan adams and lots of the other bands you mentioned.
Hey Shirley, check Trey’s new album…pretty good, of course! And a nice little fix for those of us who still mourn the boys…great article. Hope you liked it up in Maine at the fests! We Mainers loved it.
Though I admit I don’t personally know any Deadheads (sue me, I’m young), I know PLENTY of Phishheads and you’re right, they are now listening to many of the bands you listed above: String Cheese, the Biscuits, and Phil Lesh. But thankfully Sound Tribe Sector 9, Animal Liberation Orchestra, Umphrey’s McGee, and Thievery Corporation are bringing a new, modernized, more electronic flavor to the jam-band sound. Which thankfully means that I, more of an indie-rock fan myself, can enjoy these shows along side my Phishhead friends.
As for the actual Deadheads I have encountered in my concert-goings? Looks like they’re following Dark Star Orchestra around now trying desperately to recreate that long strange trip.
Okay, so I’m pushing some alt-country here: go find either “Blue Mountain” or “Cary Hudson.” Happy listening!
The dead were awful. Every live recording I’ve ever heard of them sounded like two hours of guitar tuning.
Paying to see the Dead is like handing over 20 bucks to hear a fat guy dick around on guitar for an hour. no thanks.
The Dead did headline Bonnaroo in 2004 when a record crowd of over 100,000 people attended the festival. The Dead also went on to win a Jammy award for best preformance that year.
To answer your title question: The Deadheads haven’t gone anywhere; they’re still right here in Berkeley and I think they’re still wearing the same shirts.
Pete, they were not awful. The Dead fused together blue grass,country, and rock during a time in which soilders were slowing coming out of a brutal war and during a time in which there was a corrupt president. Now I hate to say deja vu, but… . What I am saying is that sometimes a little happy music is the cure.
My husband was a Deadhead and a Phish fan when we started dating, and I never really understood why. I thought it was the most boring, dippy music on the planet. He went through a phase were he just grew out of it, and didn’t listen to any of it for several years. Within the last year or so, he as rediscovered the Dead, and I have learned to have an appreciation for them. (This happened when we watched the DVD box set of “Freaks and Geeks”. That helped me see the light!) I can’t really handle anything Bob Weir sings, but there is something about Scarlett Begonias and Box of Rain that is just so great. They weren’t trying to do anything but make little ditties to dance to, and that’s cool.
i followed the dead one tour and in my heart always. and the only band that has ever even come close to replacing them for me is the avett brothers. if you haven’t checked them out? do so NOW.
I used to follow Phish back in college. I still love their music even if my tastes have changed a bit. I can think of only one band who has replaced them in my heart and that’s The Flaming Lips. I would follow them anywhere. Their shows are totally awesome(yes, I said totally awesome) as well.
The Lips are awesome because it takes a brave person to wear plush animal suits in 80 degree weather and under hot florecent lights. I had to wear one of those suit during an Easter Bunny photography shoot, and I was soaked to the bone.
I wondered the same thing because I felt so alone in a sea of pop and hip hop. But I found my beacon of hope and inspiration. It’s called satelite radio Sirius 17 Jam On…they play all the jambands plus they are launching a Grateful Dead station. Makes me feel whole again.
There was nothing I hated more than stupid college kids who went to one Dead show (or maybe just a trip to parking lot)and then claimed to be a huge fan; and went on to follow crap bands like Phish, Dave Matthews, etc.
Where have all the Deadheads gone? We’re still here. The music is still around, on countless live CDs and downloads (things we old school Deadheads used to pass around to one another for called bootlegs as I recall). Better still, our teenage kids have become neo Dead-heads, and you see their passion for the Dead in t-shirts, sandals, and even dog collars and leashes. The Dead will live forever. . . (Steak your)Face it. We’re not going anywhere.
Ratdog — one word. And you drank Busch?
After reading your article it sounds to me that you were never a deadhead but someone just enjoying the scene. Deadheads are still out there and doing exactly what they did before you ever even seen the band listening to them.
Those times with the Dead were irreplaceable, man. Jobs, homes, money, etc. are all replaceable, but those times with the Dead were just the best. Too bad the gangsta hippies ruined the scene, which thus secondarily negatively influenced the music. What was a pretty cool scene degraded into a loser parking lot scene with a bunch of loser thugs in tie dies. Weak!
alot of the real deadheads are right where they have been since well before jerrys death,buried alive within the federal bureau of prisons.I myself spent a decade there for conspiracy to distribute lsd.In the late eighties and early nineties, when alot of my freinds and many other deadheads were easy pickins for federal agents working on operation ‘dead end’ ,we got sent away for horrifying amounts of time.many are still there.but they are not the brave,beautiful ,young deadheads they once were.many have become embittered, middle aged people who feel forgotten and abandoned by their brothers and sisters of the ‘grateful dead family’.
alot of the real deadheads are right where they have been since well before jerrys death,buried alive within the federal bureau of prisons.I myself spent a decade there for conspiracy to distribute lsd.In the late eighties and early nineties, when alot of my freinds and many other deadheads were easy pickins for federal agents working on operation ‘dead end’ ,we got sent away for horrifying amounts of time.many are still there.but they are not the brave,beautiful ,young deadheads they once were.many have become embittered, middle aged people who feel forgotten and abandoned by their brothers and sisters of the ‘grateful dead family’.
The Deads music embraced and cradled me at a time in my life when i needed to hear a pleasant sound. I will never release the feeling from my soul. kudos to you Jerry Garcia, may your music live on within the concept of all that exists. and I thank you brother.