Wabbit Hunting with Garcia and Kahn in Oakland and Guerneville, August 17-18, 1985

I shouldn't be mean. But posterity might not recall that many characterized Jerry's vocal sound in 1985 as resembling Elmer Fudd, so I am doing it for future generations. You can thank me later.

Not much to report. While the Dunsmuir House and Gardens maybe have been a cool place to see Jerry on an August afternoon ... 

Jerry and John in dappled sunlight on the grounds of the Dunsmuir House, Oakland, August 18, 1985. Photo credit: Tim Schonholtz

... he sounds quite bad on this August 18th while delivering two sub-40 minute sets.

The night before, at the sweet little River Theater in groovy Russian River town of Guerneville, is a little bit stronger, to my ears.

Jerry Garcia and John Kahn
River Theater
16135 Main Street
Guerneville, CA 95446-8301
August 17, 1985 (Saturday) - 9 PM
Corley MAC shnid-20898 shn2flac

--set I (6 tracks, 42:48)--
s1t01. Deep Elem Blues [7:29] [0:08]
s1t02. Little Sadie [4:57]
s1t03. Valerie [6:14] [0:37]
s1t04. Friend Of The Devil [7:31] [0:08]
s1t05. Simple Twist Of Fate [10:33] ->
s1t06. Run For The Roses [4:50] (1) [0:22]

--set II (6 tracks, 40:12)--
s2t01. [0:46] When I Paint My Masterpiece [7:19] [0:10]
s2t02. I've Been All Around This World [6:15] [0:06]
s2t03. Jack-A-Roe [4:27]
s2t04. Bird Song [11:23] [0:07]
s2t05. Gomorrah [5:08]
s2t06. Ripple [4:23] (2) [0:07]

! ACT1: Jerry Garcia and John Kahn
! lineup: Jerry Garcia - ac-g, vocals;
! lineup: John Kahn - ac-b.

JGMF:

! Recording: symbols: % = recording discontinuity; / = clipped song; // = cut song; ... = fade in/out; # = truncated timing; [m:ss] = recorded event time. The recorded event time immediately after the song or item name is an attempt at getting the "real" time of the event. So, a timing of [m:ss] right after a song title is an attempt to say how long the song really was, as represented on this recording.

! Jerrybase: https://jerrybase.com/events/19850817-01

! JGC: https://jerrygarcia.com/show/1985-08-17

! db: https://etreedb.org/shn/20898 (this fileset)

! map: https://goo.gl/maps/dYyvu55qka62

! JGBP: http://jerrygarciasbrokendownpalaces.blogspot.com/2012/06/river-theatre-16135-main-street.html

! R: field recordist: John Corley

! R: field recording gear: 2x Nakamichi 700 > Sony TC-D5M

! R: lineage: MAC > ? CD > DAE (EAC0.9b4, offset corrected, secure mode QPS QUE2410) > editing (SF6) > tracking (cdwav editor) > sector boundaries confirmed (shntool) > SHN (shorten3.4) via C.Ladner. Thanks to J.Powell for the source CDR. misSHN in the rain, 12/03.

! R: seeder comments: Very clean recording without any significant flaws other than intermittent loud close up audience noise. s1t01 - master recording levels during the first 25 seconds were extremely low, i applied a +10 dB gain to this small segment using SF6 to bring it line with the remainder of the recording.

! P: s1t01 DEB voice already sounding rough

! P: s1t02 Sadie second verse he sings "standing on a corner" twice, then gets to "oh yes, sir", so a flub but a recovery.

! s1t06 JG: (1) We're gonna take a little break. We'll be back in a few minutes."

! P: s2 Elmer Fudd most definitely in the house. Almost can't sing Bird Song at all. Ouch.

! P: the set II vocals are ... not good. But, then again, you knew that.

! s2t06 (2) JG: "Thanks a lot. See ya later."

~~~~~~~~~~

Jerry Garcia and John Kahn
Dunsmuir House and Gardens
2960 Peralta Oaks Ct.
Oakland, CA 94605
August 18, 1985 (Sunday) - 3 PM
Menke MAC MOTB #0210 flac2496

--Set I (6 tracks, 35:00)--
s1t01: [0:05] Deep Elem Blues [6:56] [0:02]
s1t02: Friend Of The Devil [6:25] [0:08]
s1t03: [0:17] Little Sadie [6:51]
s1t04: Valerie [6:15] [0:03]
s1t05: I've Been All Around This World [4:59] ->
s1t06: Run For The Roses [4:49] [0:11]

--Set II (6 tracks, 38:25)--
s2t01: [0:30] When I Paint My Masterpiece [6:02] [0:04]
s2t02: Jack-A-Roe [4:31] [0:09]
s2t03: Bird Song [9:52] [0:04]
s2t04: Gomorrah [5:37] ->
s2t05: Ripple [4:19] (2) ->
s2t06: Goodnight Irene [6:52] (3) [0:25]

! ACT1: Jerry Garcia and John Kahn
! lineup: Jerry Garcia - ac-g, vocals;
! lineup: John Kahn - ac-b.

JGMF:

! Recording: symbols: % = recording discontinuity; / = clipped song; // = cut song; ... = fade in/out; # = truncated timing; [ ] = recorded event time. The recorded event time immediately after the song or item name is an attempt at getting the "real" time of the event. So, a timing of [x:xx] right after a song title is an attempt to say how long the song really was, as represented on this recording.

! Jerrybase: https://jerrybase.com/events/19850818-01

! JGC: https://jerrygarcia.com/show/1985-08-18

! db: https://etreedb.org/shn/13520 (this master, shnf, deprecated); https://etreedb.org/shn/88019 (Holtz Nak 100s MAC flac1644); https://etreedb.org/shn/88020 (Holtz Nak 100s MAC flac2496); https://etreedb.org/shn/98629 (Taz Yamaguchi and Jamie Poris MAC); https://etreedb.org/shn/141508 (supposed CSBD); https://etreedb.org/shn/141509 (supposedly Sandy Troy MAR); https://etreedb.org/shn/149863 (Jonathan Mow MAC flac1644), https://etreedb.org/shn/149864 (Jonathan Mow MAC flac2496).

! map: https://goo.gl/maps/93RVX3dF7812

! JGBP: https://jerrygarciasbrokendownpalaces.blogspot.com/2011/09/dunsmuir-house-2960-peralta-oaks-court.html

! R: field recordist: Bob Menke

! R: field recording location: 15' from stage slightly off-center

! R: field recording gear: 2x Nakamichi CM 700 > Sony TC D5M

! R: field recording media: Maxell MX 90

! R: Analog Sound Preservation: MAC > Nak DR-1 > Korg at 5.6 mhz. Transfer By: Bob Menke. Mastering By: Derek McCabe.

! R: MOTB Release: #0210 24/96, release date 2012-08-19. Note: "flacs are tagged, enjoy!"

! P: s1t06 RFTR is deeply painful to listen to. Garcia absolutely crashes as this song begins, and he barely brings it to the finish line.

! s1t06 (1) JG: "We're gonna take a break for a few minutes, come back. Tune up, and stuff."

! P: s2t03 Bird Song in the 4-minute mark, Kahn is doing some really interesting and unusual modal-sounding stuff. As they round the 5-minute mark, he's still playing very creatively. I am not sure he's pulling it off, mind you, but he's trying. In the first half of the five-minute mark, Jerry hits several clammy notes, to my ears. Not that they don't work with what John's doing, but that they don't work with what Jerry's doing. 

! R: s2t03 are those speed warbles in the 6-minute mark, or is Jerry really playing that shit? E.g., 6:58-6:59?

! s2t05 (2) JG: "Thanks a lot."

! song: Goodnight Irene (s2t06): I have always wondered if, in singing the "jump overboard in the river and drown" line, Jerry became 4 year old Jerry, little Jerry, and replayed his father's drowning in the Russian River. One would think not, because that would seem a little morbid, to say nothing of painful, for our boy. But maybe he didn't go there. Or maybe he went there and he was OK. But it's hard to imagine that a person imprinted with that memory, that vision, wouldn't go there. Who knows.

! P: s2t06 GI The acoustic setting lets Jerry not oversing too badly, as of course he'd have to do with the Grateful Dead, and to a lesser extent, with his electric band. In that sense, and because the tape is so clean, we get another view on Garcia's voice in August 1985. He sounds better than he did in the GD, that's for sure. But it ain't entirely pretty. He is very limited, and his talking and singing voice both have the nasally, I-just-shredded-my-already-bleeding-sinuses timbre characteristic of Crosby's voice during this same time period, as well as a certain wascawwy wabbit huntew. Just Say No to Cocaine, Kids.

! s2t06 (3) "Thanks a lot. See y'all later."

! P: Total show time 73:26. Brutal, Jer.

Quicky: I think Reconstruction 6/13/79 at the River Theater in Guerneville should be dated 6/23/79

update: I am now 100% certain that the correct date for this material is 6/23/79

The tape we have of the titular show comes from Alan Bershaw. Turns out he didn't tape it, but circulating versions come from his copy. This is a 2nd copy, lineaged as follows: Nak 550 w/CP3 caps > MAC > Nak 582 playback > 7.5 ips reel > Alan's reel.

Alan Bershaw's reel of "6/13/79" - thanks, Alan!

I am the last thing from a gear head, but the Nak 550 is the deck, but the CP3 caps would go with the mics, which remain unidentified. I also don't know the speed at which Alan's reel was recorded.

Anyway, let's first establish that, even with such good provenance, a '2' can become a '1' via careless manuscripting/transcription, and so it's not crazy to think that 6/23 could become 6/13.

Second, doggy no barkie. There is no other evidence for Reconstruction at the River on 6/13/79 (a Wednesday).

Third, there is evidence from the Santa Rosa paper that the theater was showing movies that night (King of the Gypsies at 7:30 and Hurricane at 9:30, for the curious).

• ! Ad: [contra] Santa Rosa Press Democrat, June 13, 1979, p. 11B

Fourth, the 6/23/79 Reconstruction got lots of play in the papers.

• preview: "Reconstruction Rocks at the River," Argus-Courier (Petaluma, CA), June 22, 1979, p. 3B
• listing: Argus-Courier (Petaluma, CA), June 22, 1979, p. 5B
• ad: Press-Democrat (Santa Rosa, CA), June 22, 1979, p. 10B

The preview notes that "Saturday’s concert is expected to be one of the last Sonoma County appearances for the group, as Garcia will soon be going into the recording studio to begin working on a new Grateful Dead album".

There was also a handbill:

If Reconstruction was such a big deal, why wouldn't a show ten days earlier have gotten similar sizzle?

Fourth - and I could have started with this, because it's QED from here, IMO - among the relatively undocumented detritus of the Betty Boards was this lil ol cassette:

soundboard cassette tape of Reconstruction 6/23/79 at the River Theater, "set #2". Scan courtesy of ABCD.

As it happens, a little birdie has told me that the material on this cassette is identical to material circulating from Alan's tape. Even the temporal assignment lines up: Alan's tape is primarily of the late show, and this tape says "2nd set". Not exactly the same wording, but it's pretty clear there were early and late shows this night.

update: again, this is now settled. The material is 6/23/79. There was almost certainly no Reconstruction gig on 6/13/79.

NOT Jacklyn's Debut: JGB at the River Theater, Guerneville, October 24, 1982

UPDATE 20211026: Jackie has clearly stated that she and DeeDee joined the band in January 1983. So, as of now, this is the first show with the late '82 mystery (unidentified) singers backing vocalists Elisecia Wright and Shirley Faulkner.

The man who taped this show has just passed away. RIP, John Anzaldo. This is a nice tape

This is presently understood to be Jacklyn LaBranch's debut with the Garcia Band, along with DeeDee Dickerson, following a brief four-show stint as a quartet (of which I have written up the first and last). Welcome, Ms. Jacklyn! She'd sing with Jerry until the very end, 4/23/95.

Love love love Guerneville and the River Theater. The handbill notes minors welcome, doors open 8:30, drinks 1/2 price until the show starts. D'oh! Since JG might not come on until 11, this might have cost ol' Mark Anthony some coin.

LN jg1982-10-24.jgb.all.aud-anzaldo.99221.flac1644

Jerry Garcia Band
River Theater
16135 Main Street
Guerneville, CA 95446-8301
October 24, 1982 (Sunday)
John Anzaldo MAC shnid-99221

--set I (6 tracks, 47:13)--
s1t01. crowd and tuning [0:24]
s1t02. (I'm A) Road Runner [9:05] [0:02]
s1t03. They Love Each Other [7:52] [0:10]
s1t04. Sitting In Limbo [12:17]
s1t05. Let It Rock [7:55] ->
s1t06. How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You) [9:21] [0:05]

--set II (6 tracks, 50:21)--
s2t01. crowd and tuning [0:08]
s2t02. Sugaree [15:48]
s2t03. Love In The Afternoon [12:17]
s2t04. Run For The Roses [6:25] ->
s2t05. Valerie [6:52] ->
s2t06. Deal [8:46] [0:02]

! ACT1: Jerry Garcia Band #15b
! lineup: Jerry Garcia - guitar, vocals;
! lineup: John Kahn - bass;
! lineup: Melvin Seals - keyboards;
! lineup: Greg Errico - drums;

! lineup: Elisecia Wright - vocals;

! lineup: Shirley Faulkner - vocals.

JGMF:

! Recording: symbols: % = recording discontinuity; / = clipped song; // = cut song; ... = fade in/out; # = truncated timing; [ ] = recorded event time. The recorded event time immediately after the song or item name is an attempt at getting the "real" time of the event. So, a timing of [x:xx] right after a song title is an attempt to say how long the song really was, as represented on this recording.

! Jerrybase: https://jerrybase.com/events/19821024-01

! JGC: jerrygarcia.com/show/1982-10-24

! db: http://etreedb.org/shn/74618 (unknown aud); http://etreedb.org/shn/99221 (this fileset).

! map: https://goo.gl/maps/dYyvu55qka62

! JGBP: http://jerrygarciasbrokendownpalaces.blogspot.com/2012/06/river-theatre-16135-main-street.html.

! band: http://lostlivedead.blogspot.com/2012/01/jerry-garcia-band-personnel-1975-1995.html

! R: field recordist: John Anzaldo

! R: field recording location: (slightly) Jerry's side, 5-10' from stage

! R: field recording gear: Sony ECM 929LT > Sony WM-D6C (TDK SA-C90, no NR)

! R: Transfer (JA): Nakamichi CR-7A playback > Creative SB Audigy 2 > Creative WaveStudio > CD; Editing (jj): EAC > CDWave > Sony SoundForge Studio 7 (patching, smoothed tape transitions) > shntool > TLH (FLAC level 8); Editing (DM): TLH decode > Adobe Audition 2.0 (pitch correction -0.9%) > TLH (FLAC level 8).

! R: Waaay upfront sound ... vox nearly inaudible, nice in-your-face guitar tone. Very nice listen, IMO, despite some abrupt tape transitions and tight editing. I have smoothed most of the tape transitions. This is a different master than the one that circulates under shnid 74618. That one sounds to be a bit farther back, with more crowd noise but also more vox and high-end. Thanks to John Anzaldo for taping, transferring and sharing, and to Joe B. Jones for help with pitch correction.

! P: The show is perhaps  below average for the period, with Jerry's vocals sounding particularly rough in the second set. It is interesting in a few respects, though. First, there are a few relative rarities. Per TJS, his is the 3rd to last version of RR (11/15/82a, 1/13/83) and the last JGB version of Sitting in Limbo (Garcia/Grisman would revive it on 12/7/91). Perhaps coincidentally, this version of SIL kind of falls apart near the end. Second, this is the first show for Elisecia Wright and Shirley Faulkner. I don't hear them until Let it Rock, and then only a little @ start. They are there on HSII (though they seem to be throwing JG's groove off a little bit, and their singing over the verses suggests that their arrangments have really been worked out). I don't hear them after HSII, but you can't hear them very well. I am not sure if they are turned down, even off-mic, only participating intermittently, or if this has to do with the fact that the tape isn't picking up the PA.

! R: s1t01 Roadrunner level fluctuations.

! R: s1t03 TLEO clips in.

! P: s1t05 Let it Rock reaches some good heights - probably the hightlight of the show. Very, very good.

! P: s1t05-6 LIR > HSII transition is pretty unique, imperfect but interesting.

! R: s2t03 LITA first 0:27 missing from this tape. I patched it in from shnid 74618 with a 1s cross-fade. The level rise @ 0:55 was from the master tape.

! R: s2t04 RFTR clipped in on this tape. I patched the first 0.949s (+ 0.5s crossfade) from shnid-74618. The level rise @ start and drop @ 0:22 was from the master tape.

! R: s2t05 Valerie levels come up at ca. 3-min mark.

! R: s2t06 Deal major brief level rise @ 5:30 (maybe a splice, tape flip?).

Casey Jones Used Cocaine: LN19790613 Reconstruction River Theater Guerneville CA

jg1979-06-23.reconstruction.late-1.aud-bershaw-GEMS.96235.flac1644

On Wednesday, June 13, 1979, Reconstruction appears to have played the River Theater in Guerneville, CA. As far as I know this gig is only known because of a surviving audience recording made by Alan Bershaw. 

update: I now am about 99.9% sure the correct date is 6/23.

Reconstruction
River Theater
16135 Main Street
Guerneville, CA 95446-8301
June 13, 23, 1979 (WednesdaySaturday) - late show
all-1 2nd gen aud GEMS shnid-96235

--late show (7 tracks, missing 1 tune, 74:15)--

[MISSING Tellin' My Friends About You]]
t01. dead silence [0:07] (1) [0:51] I'll Take A Melody [11:16] [0:13] % [0:10]
t02. [0:05] Fast Tone [18:17] [0:14] % [0:05]
t03. The Jealous Kind [4:40]
t04. [0:04] That's What Love Will Make You Do// [13:#13]
t05. Linda Chicana [13:02] [0:15]
t06. What You Won't Do For Love [5:56] (2)
t07. Dear Prudence [9:23] [0:27]

! ACT1: Reconstruction
! lineup: Jerry Garcia - guitar, vocals;  
! lineup: John Kahn - bass;
! lineup: Merl Saunders - keyboards, vocals;
! lineup: Ed Neumeister - trombone;
! lineup: Ron Stallings - tenor saxophone, vocals;
! lineup: Gaylord Birch - drums.

JGMF:

! R: symbols: % = recording discontinuity; / = clipped song; // = cut song; ... = fade in/out; # = truncated timing; [m:ss] = recorded event time. The recorded event time immediately after the song or item name is an attempt at getting the "real" time of the event. So, a timing of [m:ss] right after a song title is an attempt to say how long the song really was, as represented on this recording.

! Jerrybase: https://jerrybase.com/events/19790623-02 (late show)

! db: shnid-96235 (this fileset, deprecated); https://etreedb.org/shn/149121

! venue: http://jerrygarciasbrokendownpalaces.blogspot.com/2012/06/river-theatre-16135-main-street.html

! map: https://goo.gl/maps/fSydhUs6qupbxPgt7

! JGMF: http://jgmf.blogspot.com/2011/02/ln19790613-reconstruction-river-theater.html (this post)

! JGMF: http://jgmf.blogspot.com/2020/06/quicky-i-think-reconstruction-61379-at.html (re: dating)

! R: field recordist: unknown

! R: field recording equipment: Nakamachi 300 w/CP3 caps > unknown cassette deck

! R: subsequent analog: 1st gen reel @ 7.5ips > 2nd gen reel @ 7.5ips, via Alan Bershaw

! R: transfer: 2nd geen reel > DAT > CDR

! R: "from the Jjoops Tupperware of Treasures..."

! R: seeder notes: - Edited and Mastered by Jamie Waddell on the GEMS Edit Station - Sound = C+ - No setlist of this show circulated really except from this CDR cource, no less a copy in some of the more trusted vaults - This is the first PROOF this show happened and contains the first verson of the skanky Merle tune "The Jealous Kind"..ya gotta love it! - This is a complete remastering.  What i had, had issues. I took about three months to get to this happy medium between quality and an overprocessed feel. - Most songs cut in or out - Thanks Jjoops for the source and where is Alan Bershaw?  Anyone?"

! historical: We might think a one-off Wednesday night billing seems a little odd, but it seems to have happened a fair amount during Reconstruction's 9-month run (January 30, 1979 through September 22, 1979, by current reckoning). This is about "as off the beaten path" Garcia could be in 1979 and still be performing with others before an audience. update: this was almost certainly a Saturday gig, 6/23/79 - still off the beaten path for 1979 Jerry!

! R: GEMS did a great job with this tape. C+ sound rating is too harsh. It ain't hi-fi, but it ain't horrible. Recording may be a bit fast. Jerry's vocals sound a little high on ITAM and Dear Prudence.

! d1t01 (1) when recording enters @ 0:08, you hear a request for Casey Jones. @ 0:15, emcee requests a "nice round of applause for Casey Jones." @ 0:32, audience member notes astutely that "Casey Jones used cocaine." All right, then.

! R: t01 some tape warble

! setlist: t02 was listed as "Another Star", but it is "Fast Tone"

! P: t02 great bass and drums interlude @ track 16:19-17:23

! S: t03 This is understood as the public debut of "The Jealous Kind"

! R: t04 TWLWMYD cuts out not long before the end

! P: t05 Linda Chicana is the best song here, IMO

! R: t06 possible  spice @ 1:28 WYWDFL

! P: t06 (2) Some stage introductions (Neumeister, Stallings, Saunders) in the energy after "What You Won't Do For Love," and Jerry sounds like he and John want to force the pace into Dear Prudence before they can announce him!

! P: d1t07 DP JG is tearing it up reasonably well in 7-min mark

Reasonably Good Voice and Superb Guitar: JGB on the Russian River, May 31, 1982

jg1982-05-31.jgb.all.aud-GEMS.95427.flac1644

So, this show came up a few days ago as one at which Liz Stires and Julie Stafford were probably singing backing vocals. Part of an interesting occasional discussion on personnel issues in which the early 80s JGB backup singers and drummers have been the matter of some focus (see also here on the late '83 JGB tour).

The only copy I know of is shnid 95427, which derives from an unlineaged audience recording preserved by the GEMS folks at Lossless Legs. It's basically a nice, upfront audience tape. Not even too much crowd noise. You get the limitations of being up so close (low vocals), but the recordist did a nice job and everything is present. A few cuts here and there, but, hey, we all have a few blemishes, don't we?

The show is quite nice. I am sometimes surprised by the things I find, despite lots and lots of listening. (I guess that capacity to surprise is always there, else why are we doing it? Anyway ...) I would have expected a rather sloppy show, given that they are off the beaten path, Monday night, and all that. Just another gig. But, in fact, Jerry is in reasonably good voice and his guitar playing is absolutely superb. He isn't quite as fast here as he is in other first-semester 1982 shows, which is to the good. He is hitting nice clean notes, elaborating pretty lengthy thoughts, and so forth. Standouts for me are the Valerie, Roadrunner and especially Dear Prudence. I almost never give a fig for DP but this one has some shimmering guitar work for a couple of minutes around 7 minutes in. Overall, then, not in a big coke-fueled rush that finishes with one of those coke-blast-45-minute-just-pay-me-so-I-can-score-lets-play-Midnight-Moonlight sets that would become so common in the Bay Area in 1984-1985. Just working methodically through some really neat progressions, taking care, feeling it. Do y'thing, mang.

So everything has just a little extra something to it after a rough start to How Sweet It Is. There is a harmonica player identified as Matthew Kelly during "Mystery Train," which benefits from the harp. They take some time to really get the old engine a-chugging at the start. Part of me thinks this does not sound like Matthew Kelly, but I am really not in a position to have any confidence about that. Guest shots were very rare during this period --I have long maintained they relate inversely to Jerry's opiate intake-- and overall things have a little extra something on this night..

Anyway, various and sundry notes below.

Jerry Garcia Band
River Theatre
16135 Main Street
Guerneville, CA 95446-8301
May 31, 1982 (Monday)
GEMS aud shnid-95427

--set I (6 tracks, 55:08)--

s1t01. introduction, tuning [0:19], How Sweet It Is To Be Loved By You [9:09] [0:06]
s1t02. % [0:15] Catfish John [10:18] [0:09] % [0:08]
s1t03. Valerie [6:36] [0:04] % [0:27]
s1t04. I Second That Emotion [12:46] [0:04] % [0:07]
s1t05. Love In The Afternoon [9:56] ->
s1t06. Run For The Roses [4:37] [0:07]

--set II (6 tracks, 66:44)--
s2t01. crowd and tuning [0:23], (I'm A) Road Runner [9:50]
s2t02. /Knockin' On Heavens Door [14:#22] [0:05]
s2t03. //Mystery Train [10:#25] [0:09] % [0:09]
s2t04. The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down [7:56] ->
s2t05. Dear Prudence// [13:#27]
s2t06. //Tangled Up In Blue [#9:46] [0:06]

! ACT1: Jerry Garcia Band
! lineup: Jerry Garcia - el-g, vocals;
! lineup: John Kahn - el-bass;
! lineup: Bill Kreutzmann - drums;
! lineup: Melvin Seals - keyboards (organ);
! lineup: Jimmy Warren - keyboards (electric piano);
! lineup: Liz Stires - backing vocals;
! lineup: Julie Stafford - backing vocals.
! guest: Matt Kelly - harmonica (s2t03).

JGMF:

! Recording: symbols: % = recording discontinuity; / = clipped song; // = cut song; ... = fade in/out; # = truncated timing; [ ] = recorded event time. The recorded event time immediately after the song or item name is an attempt at getting the "real" time of the event. So, a timing of [x:xx] right after a song title is an attempt to say how long the song really was, as represented on this recording.

! Jerrybase: https://jerrybase.com/events/19820531-01

! JGBP: http://jerrygarciasbrokendownpalaces.blogspot.com/2012/06/river-theatre-16135-main-street.html

! Personnel. This show takes place during a period of some fluidity (and certainly ex post uncertainty) about personnel in the JGB. Here is what I think we have here. There are definitely two keyboardists, Melvin on organ (probably a Hammond B3) and Jimmy Warren on electric piano (probably a Fender Rhodes). There are two female backing vocalists. I am not qualified to judge who they are, but various discussion on JGMF, LLD and elsewhere leads me to conclude that this is Julie Stafford and Liz Stires.  Julie Anzaldo recalls "Liz and Julie" singing at an '82 River Theater JGB show which included Roadrunner. Since there are no backing vocals on 10/24/82 (same venue, also including Roadrunner), it would seem this is the Liz & Julie show that Julie A. recalls. Oh yeah, we also cannot be 100% sure that this is Kreutzmann drumming.  BK is the conventional listing, and since I can't discern who's drumming I follow convention here.

! R: Source: Unknown Audience recording > ? > cdr > eac > wav > Gems Edit Station > flac.Edited and Mastered by Jamie Waddell on the GEMS Edit Station. A GEMS production -+-+- www.shnflac.net -+-+- Trac'ed Cdwave Flac'ed level 8 TLH.

! R: GEMS Notes: - Big Thanks to Katfish John for sharing his cd's - Numerous mic bumps were fixed, some artifacts may remain - Beginning of Tangled Up In Blue cuts in - End of Dear Prudence Cuts out - Mystery Train cuts in - Recorder was turned off between some songs

! s1t01 enters on emcee introduction.

! Recording. What a lovely little FOB audience tape. Imperfect, but aren't we all! Vocals are low and there is some considerable phasing in the beginning. It seems a nice representation of the JGB at a freaky little theater on the Russian River. Oh yeah, no Russian Lullaby? C'mon, man.

! s1t01 They are a little lost to start of HSII.

! s1t03 JG takes a nice cookin' solo in Valerie. He is playing pretty well.

! s1t05 LITA some audible mic issues @ 2:20 ish

! s2t01 This is a pretty peppy RR.

! s2t02 KOHD clips in.

! s2t03 Mystery Train special @ start, Jerry pulling off a little bit to let it settle in. Nice!

! s2t05 Dear Prudence splice @ 3:24, 12:49

! s2t05 Dear Prudence @ 8-min mark, a minute or two before and after, JG is playing really nice, long lines ... very thoughtful and clean. Gorgeous.

! d2t06 TUIB cuts in, anomalies @ 0:10, 0:50; muffling 1:22-1:26, anomaly @ 1:29

The River Theatre (Guerneville, CA) 1982 Liz and Julie Conundrum, Resolved

In my previous post on the JGB's early 1980s drummers and backup singers, I grappled with the puzzle of the backup singers on 10/24/82 at the River Theater, 16135 Main Street, Guerneville, CA, 95446-8301:

an eyewitness to the 10/24/82 River Theater (Guerneville, CA) show, which we know featured the return of female vocalists after the brief four-show interregnum of 10/13 and 10/21-23, thought that "Julie" was one of the singers. This was how Julie Stafford first came to my attention as someone who might have sung onstage with JGB ...

I then noted in comments the following:

The eyewitness to the River Theater (Guerneville, 10/24/82) show is Julie A., and she is exceptionally credible. She and John saw a great fraction of Bay Area Jerry shows from '79-90s or so, and taped many of them. She may come post here, but in any case she says she is 100% sure that the backup singers on 10/24/82 were two white women, Julie and Liz ... And if Jacklyn and DeeDee didn't start on 10/24/82, then we have their debut date wrong, too.

I believe I have this little conundrum solved: JGB also played the River Theater, Guerneville, CA, on May 31, 1982, and I believe that this is the Guerneville show with Liz and Julie singing. It would have been in the "Liz and Julie" period. Julie Anzaldo avers that the "Liz and Julie" show could have been 5/31. She remembers Roadrunner being played, but it was played at both Guerneville shows. There weren't any other particular rarities that might have set the two shows apart in memory, except perhaps for the guest shot by Matt Kelly on harmonica at the May 31 show (for "Mystery Train").

This may help to resolve two things in particular that had confused me. First, it restores the longstanding update: MISTAKEN understanding that Jacklyn LaBranch and DeeDee Dickerson debuted on 10/24/82. Second, it reconciles with the Liz Stires chronology, which has her leaving after the 6/22/82 Mosque Show in Richmond, VA.

Update: I have posted listening notes on 5/31/82.

On the theater, I would love to learn more! Seems like my kind of place

Here are the Garcia dates I have for it:

Reconstruction, June 23, 1979 (Wednesday)
Jerry Garcia Band, May 31, 1982 (Monday)
Jerry Garcia Band, October 24, 1982 (Sunday)
Jerry Garcia and John Kahn, September 28, 1984 (Friday)
Jerry Garcia and John Kahn, August 17, 1985 (Saturday)
Jerry Garcia and John Kahn, October 11, 1985 (Friday)

! map: https://goo.gl/maps/2VFWg. And here is the Google Street View from ca. now: