The Grateful Dead – an observation on the death of Bob Weir.
I’ve always been aware of the dead. In high school a friend was a huge fan and would play Casey Jones for us at any chance he got. I think as a young person I had too much of a chip on my shoulder to be able to hear their music.
Over the years I bumped into other deadheads. They were always interesting people and again, got me closer to giving the dead the proper try they deserved but not quite there. At Nearly 50, I can now see what I missed as a young person.
Cozy and wrapped up in PJ’s and an Oodie, I plug my headphones into my laptop and strap in for what could possibly be, a long strange trip. I close my eyes and hit play.
What strikes me immediately is that the harmonies are sublime. The music, a tapestry of sound that is fluid and explorative, and yet still maintains a cohesive common theme.
What I love is that they are striving for a magical musical moment on purpose. These moments, if you play in a band are super rewarding and memorable, and in my experience, striving for the magic can lead you into greatness or not. But one thing is for sure, you can’t get there if you don’t allow for the possibility for it to happen. This is good music, and listening to it feels like a revolution against the perfectly packaged hook laden, edited to death, formulaic music of Today.
I’ll close with this thought I had. The Dead is probably the best representation, and possibly one of the earliest representations of the travelling jam band. It’s great music for easing into a Sunday morning, about half way through your cup of coffee it hits. The world becomes a little more positive. I’m wrapped up in their lovely Appalachian inspired harmonies and 60s-70s liquid electric guitars. Bass that anchors but also explores. I can imagine slow dancing in a haze of bud smoke with nothing but a huge smile on my face.
So now, Today, this morning, I get the dead in a way I didn’t get before. The Dead is both an idea and a band that I need to spend a bit more time with before I move on.
How about you, what is your favorite Grateful Dead musical moment or story? Peripheral or Direct, I’d love to hear it. 🙂
Cheers,
Steve
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