tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18366371.comments2024-03-15T18:58:45.318-06:00Jerry Garcia's Middle FingerFate Musichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05648291938690043423noreply@blogger.comBlogger4712125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18366371.post-22710028456145890772024-03-15T18:58:45.318-06:002024-03-15T18:58:45.318-06:00That is awesome. Thank you for doing that work!That is awesome. Thank you for doing that work!Fate Musichttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05648291938690043423noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18366371.post-12216736455418494072024-03-15T11:16:17.372-06:002024-03-15T11:16:17.372-06:00I was recently in Walnut Creek and took some photo...I was recently in Walnut Creek and took some photos of 1300 Boulevard. Definitely no bulldozers, seems to be the same building. I can send photos, email me at grhern84@gmail.com if interested or reply here with your email. I also have posted current day photos of the former Magoos Pizza and Frenchy's in Hayward. I'm an early dead history buff Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18366371.post-74926982776310014842024-03-07T10:00:46.153-07:002024-03-07T10:00:46.153-07:00LIA you sound way too certain in the "What?!?...LIA you sound way too certain in the "What?!?" comment for me. I agree it's unlikely. But one never knows. At the very least, perhaps they thought Jerry could invest some time with them and get them launched like the New Riders. It's really hard to say without smuggling in what we know actually unfolded.<br /><br />In particular, this: "I'd suggest they probably expected that OAITW was going to be as short-lived or occasional as many bluegrass groups, and that it wasn't going to be the home for anyone's ambitions (except maybe Garcia's)."<br /><br />I just don't see it that way. I think Rowan and Grisman had big ambitions for OAITW. As you point out in a later comment, it was the incompatibility of their ambitions that brought the band to an end. It's not at all clear to me that they didn't have grand ambitions when they started. Maybe not well-founded, but I can't rule it out. I have never heard either Rowan or Grisman say that they knew when it started that it would be ad hoc, short-lived.<br /><br />NRPS also started on a lark, and Jerry stuck with those guys for 2+ years.Fate Musichttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05648291938690043423noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18366371.post-40796089380035014532024-03-06T22:33:40.418-07:002024-03-06T22:33:40.418-07:00Maybe Grisman & Rowan thought it would be a sw...Maybe Grisman & Rowan thought it would be a swell idea to hitch their wagons to Garcia's in spring '73, although "indefinitely" might be putting it strongly since OAITW was effectively finished seven months later. The Dead didn't tour at all from Jan-April 1974; but by that time it was already too late for OAITW.<br /><br />Some things to consider: <br />- OAITW had started as a lark; they'd been playing at Garcia's house, he said "let's play some gigs!" and things snowballed from there. It's hard to say how serious their plans were at this point in spring '73. Garcia wasn't even sure if they could play any bluegrass festivals in the summer, let alone do a whole tour. If he wasn't sure how things would look in three months, would the other guys be making long-range plans for the band?<br />- OAITW broke up because of the split between Grisman & Rowan, not so much because of Garcia being burdened with the Dead. (At least that's my take.) Rowan remembered Garcia saying, "If these guys can't keep it together, I'm not going to keep it together... David doesn't want to do it anymore, but I do." (Dark Star p.157) OAITW was in effect doomed to a short lifespan whatever Garcia did.<br />- I disagree about OAITW imposing "heavy work" on the crew & staff. In the first place, if Garcia wanted to do something, they'd do it. Also, Richard Loren's account: "It was just the band and me. There was no road crew. Bear took care of the equipment and recorded them. I was road managing and booking, there were the five musicians, and that was it. It was unencumbering. It was just a lot of fun." (Dark Star p.154)Light Into Asheshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06943335142002007213noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18366371.post-54131137135400328842024-03-06T13:18:20.927-07:002024-03-06T13:18:20.927-07:00small clarification: it occurs to me that it is mo...small clarification: it occurs to me that it is more likely that this tape is *not* material Brown was actually proposing for a potential release, but instead is a collection of material for Brown (or whoever) to review to see *if* there was anything that might be potentially releasable.Nicknoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18366371.post-17472163133208594082024-03-06T13:07:41.868-07:002024-03-06T13:07:41.868-07:00welll, JGMF does make a fair point about post hoc ...welll, JGMF does make a fair point about post hoc reasoning. Who knows what Grisman or Rowan was thinking about the lifespan of the GD or the possibility of Garcia seeing the light and devoting his life to bluegrass music, and I can well see why either of them would have wanted to maintain their connection to Garcia indefinitely given what a draw he was. @LIA, re the "heavy work schedule" of the Dead in May-June: jerrybase does list a number of cancellations/postponements, so maybe the work schedule in March was looking heavier than it panned out to be. Also a lot of the heavy work wasn't being done by Garcia, but by the crew and office staff, which might have made the logistics of arranging an OAITW east coast tour around the Dead's shows much less palatable to the folks behind the scenes?Nicknoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18366371.post-34397590175445173452024-03-06T10:50:11.929-07:002024-03-06T10:50:11.929-07:00I think any expectations around Old & In the W...I think any expectations around Old & In the Way is that it was going to be an ultra-fluid situation, surely part of the appeal of playing bluegrass for Garcia. And at least through Clarence White's death in July '73, surely Muleskinner was part of Grisman/Rowan's conception of the near-future (maybe Kahn's, too).Jesse Jarnowhttp://www.jessejarnow.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18366371.post-13496477327876154372024-03-06T10:15:46.869-07:002024-03-06T10:15:46.869-07:00What? I'd rule that out! No sane member of OAI...What? I'd rule that out! No sane member of OAITW could hope that Garcia would back away from the Dead and give "more space" to his bluegrass band. On the contrary, I'd suggest they probably expected that OAITW was going to be as short-lived or occasional as many bluegrass groups, and that it wasn't going to be the home for anyone's ambitions (except maybe Garcia's).Light Into Asheshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06943335142002007213noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18366371.post-61457000633076532952024-03-06T06:43:15.994-07:002024-03-06T06:43:15.994-07:00I don't disagree with any of this necessarily,...I don't disagree with any of this necessarily, but I do think we should be wary of post hoc reasoning. We know the Dead were huge in 1973, and we know what they became. But it's also worth bearing in mind that in 8/74 Jerry forced the Dead off the road for 18 months. Grisman was a very ambitious guy, and Rowan had plans as well. So I don't think we can rule out that they had reasonable hope he'd create more space for OAITW.<br />Fate Musichttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05648291938690043423noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18366371.post-85590531211510500212024-03-06T00:27:06.856-07:002024-03-06T00:27:06.856-07:00An interesting twist indeed! That would give some ...An interesting twist indeed! That would give some reason for this tape to be made. <br />One thing that intrigues me is that Steve made his list sometime in 1976, including outtakes of the most recent releases on the Round label. At the time the idea of an archival live series was a very low priority for the Dead (they'd kick it down the road for another 15 years), but hey, various loose studio jams and outtakes from Garcia's sidebands? Could be a moneymaker! Light Into Asheshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06943335142002007213noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18366371.post-54690027374437792552024-03-06T00:13:00.004-07:002024-03-06T00:13:00.004-07:00Wise comments. I agree that everyone in OAITW knew...Wise comments. I agree that everyone in OAITW knew from the start that their shows would be based around the Dead's tour schedule, and there probably wasn't even much discussion of that. (What, Garcia's going to drop some Dead arena shows to play at the Keystone?) So it's not like anyone needed reminders from a newspaper column.<br /><br />The thing that intrigues me is the mention of the Dead's "heavy work schedule." Now, we know the Dead hardly had a busy schedule in May-August 1973 - they only played one short tour and a few weekends! But, practically speaking, this left just a few weekends free in which OAITW could have popped into some bluegrass festivals. (And Garcia might not have been sure yet when studio sessions for the next Dead album would be.) <br /><br />I also wonder if the guys in OAITW thought Richard Greene would stick around, or if it was known from the start that he was just available for the time being. But, as this post says, Loggins & Messina made Greene a better offer than Garcia's occasional sideband could: <br />http://hooterollin.blogspot.com/2013/10/richard-greene-violin-career-snapshot.html <br /><br />Re: blogger sign-ins - I've had some trouble with that lately; I had to switch to Edge (a browser I didn't otherwise use) to keep making blogger comments.Light Into Asheshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06943335142002007213noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18366371.post-7989316270403906042024-03-05T23:55:29.502-07:002024-03-05T23:55:29.502-07:00in the RS article with Kemper it definitely Was wo...in the RS article with Kemper it definitely Was worded in a way that made it sound like he was invited back while Jerry was still alive. Thanks for the clarification. I was wondering about that. I’m sure it was difficult to come in to try and fill Kemper’s shoes after he’d had a decade of time to get up to speed but I don’t think that any of the shows I’ve heard after Kemper left were as good as They were with him. One show in particular 3/4/95 is what sent me looking for information about whether or not there was a change in the drummer, because I just didn’t think it sounded like Kemper, and it didn’t sound nearly as good as it usually did. It’s a real shame that it went down that way. Kemper was incredible with Garcia and I thought they played off each other beautifully. To get that kind of treatment after 10 years is pretty sickening . I can only say that at least big, Steve showed some remorse, as well he should have for such a despicable act. Bad enough to treat Kemper that way, but to betray Jerry at a time when he was probably pretty vulnerable and make him think his drummer of 10 years decided just to bail on him with no explanation or gratitude for how generous Jerry had been is really sad.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18366371.post-54815155305905060252024-03-05T18:04:25.990-07:002024-03-05T18:04:25.990-07:00Fascinating. I hadn't really parsed any of thi...Fascinating. I hadn't really parsed any of this stuff.Fate Musichttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05648291938690043423noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18366371.post-1877291283981529312024-03-05T15:52:56.195-07:002024-03-05T15:52:56.195-07:00I was just listening to 3/4/95 from the Warfield a...I was just listening to 3/4/95 from the Warfield and I felt like something was off with the drums and actually went and looked who is credited with the drumming for this particular show and noticed that Donny Baldwin had replaced Kemper. Which I did not realize before now. To me it definitely sounded if something was off not all the time, but at least part of the show particularly on lay down Sally, and on harder they come, and I thought it did not sound like Kemper on drums. I was really surprised that Kemper was let go, always thought he was incredible with the Jgb. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18366371.post-75633846097477942482024-03-05T14:59:39.128-07:002024-03-05T14:59:39.128-07:00Thank you for checking in! It's great history....Thank you for checking in! It's great history.Fate Musichttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05648291938690043423noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18366371.post-6444259215662251712024-03-05T13:49:58.184-07:002024-03-05T13:49:58.184-07:00So here's a new wrinkle and new possible expla...So here's a new wrinkle and new possible explanation for this tape's existence. I am reading John Brackett's book Live Dead (2023), which reprints a list written by Steve Brown in 1976 of possible "archive albums" for release on a proposed separate GD-run label called Ground Records (this was news to me, but maybe you already know this from your own research? it's from Brown's papers at Santa Cruz). Evidently there was an actual proposal during the GD hiatus to release albums of studio outtakes (hey, desperate times), and "Garcia RX 107 outs" is the second suggestion on Brown's list. So is it possible that this tape was material that Brown was proposing for actual release? I had been thinking that there was no way anyone would consider this stuff "releasable," but apparently not. Brown also wrote up a tracklist for a proposed compilation called "Railroad Blues" that includes Mystery Train and Freight Train "RX107 outtakes" (this memo is also reprinted in Brackett's book), which might be the same tracks on this tape?Nickhttp://deadthinking.blogspot.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18366371.post-85847374353466972522024-03-05T13:46:28.392-07:002024-03-05T13:46:28.392-07:00^^ this is Nick btw. dunno why blogger won't l...^^ this is Nick btw. dunno why blogger won't let me sign in.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18366371.post-30657933854664653362024-03-05T13:45:15.030-07:002024-03-05T13:45:15.030-07:00re your fifth point: maybe this is hindsight, but ...re your fifth point: maybe this is hindsight, but it seems hard to believe that anyone involved with OAITW was under the impression that Garcia's primary focus was now bluegrass, although I'm sure that nobody was saying this out loud, exactly. The caveat that the Grateful Dead came first must have always been there, even if it was just the elephant in the room. Do you think that's accurate? Another thing is that John Kahn was also in this band, and he must have learned that fact by now -- so even if Garcia didn't explicitly say it to Grisman or Rowan, Kahn could have. But Tolces's March piece both firmly asserts that OAITW is an Established Band, while hinting that Garcia was already stretched thin:<br />"Old And In The Way is a stable band. Even though Jerry Garcia will still continue to perform with the Grateful Dead, Merl Saunders and Tom Fogerty, and just about everybody in the studio, including the likes of anybody from Papa John Creach to the New Riders, he’ll stick to his first love, bluegrass, as will the rest of the band."<br />https://jgmf.blogspot.com/2011/09/reading-notes-tolces-todd-1973-jerrys_04.html<br /><br />So maybe Tolces's festival comment in his April column was just stating the obvious: playing local club gigs is one thing, but planning an OAITW tour meant waiting for the GD schedule to be established (also consider that they likely would have been using some of the same crew?). Maybe Tolces asked what OAITW's future plans were and was told offhandedly "yeah, we'll play some festivals, but first we gotta see what the GD are doing." Maybe Rowan said it (he's the one who says it in the March piece, not Garcia), maybe with a slight roll of the eyes (total conjecture, of course, I'm just having fun here). Or also consider that Vassar Clements joined the band after Tolces's pieces were published, and he could have had some prior commitment that kiboshed an extensive June-July festival circuit tour?<br /><br />But I also wouldn't be surprised if Garcia might have promised more than he could deliver, either unthinkingly, or out of a desire to keep this new band together. Garcia could very well have said "yeah Pete, let's do all the summer festivals, that would be the hippest" without thinking through the logistics. But he could also have understood what Rowan and Grisman needed to hear: they weren't stars, but they also weren't expendable (right? how many comparable bluegrass musicians were readily available to Garcia in 1973?) and maybe Garcia maybe didn't want to risk losing them if he didn't offer some degree of commitment? Again, this is conjecture, but to me it makes more sense than someone from the GD org using a newspaper columnist to show Rowan & Grisman their place in the pecking order.<br /><br />One last thing: I notice that Seatrain is namechecked here. My Jerrycentric blinders cause me to assume that Jerry was the only draw for most people to come out and see OAITW, but I wonder how much draw Seatrain had? eg "hey, didja hear some of the guys from Seatrain are in this little band with Jerry Garcia?"<br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18366371.post-67949479880517150322024-03-05T09:13:52.353-07:002024-03-05T09:13:52.353-07:00Janet, we're all grateful that you did it (-Co...Janet, we're all grateful that you did it (-Corry)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18366371.post-17310266493648177702024-03-05T08:45:19.973-07:002024-03-05T08:45:19.973-07:00That’s when I thought it to be a good ideaThat’s when I thought it to be a good ideaAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18366371.post-61144072016108474782024-03-05T08:44:20.344-07:002024-03-05T08:44:20.344-07:00I started the list just to keep track of things. S...I started the list just to keep track of things. Simple. JanetAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18366371.post-63050607065692118842024-03-04T14:44:05.337-07:002024-03-04T14:44:05.337-07:00Thanks!Thanks!Fate Musichttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05648291938690043423noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18366371.post-64962211207751991552024-03-04T13:16:33.127-07:002024-03-04T13:16:33.127-07:00Very nice! Very nice! Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18366371.post-4816968674365387422024-03-03T15:11:31.999-07:002024-03-03T15:11:31.999-07:00Randy Wallace may be the guy who wrote the screenp...Randy Wallace may be the guy who wrote the screenplay for Braveheart & other movies. Hi is also a singer, songwriter and keyboard player. You could look it upAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18366371.post-62971740624257933542024-03-02T16:41:16.635-07:002024-03-02T16:41:16.635-07:00My sense is that Jerry dove into JGB in a big way ...My sense is that Jerry dove into JGB in a big way after the blow of Brent's death and the uncertainties and bumpy status of the post-Brent Dead. That's where his heart was, increasingly as time passed. To my ears this is clear to hear in the 11 Warfield JGB concerts of Jan-May 91. There isn't a clunker among them -- collectively a great period of Jerry Band. The best show of this run is 3/1 but the other nights are nearly as strong. The Way You Do The Things You Do is choice. Lots else.Jim Powellnoreply@blogger.com