Episodes

The Dark Star Orchestra in it’s 20 year existence has become the premier Grateful Dead tribute band. Playing a show from the band’s history each night, has rekindled a fan base’s love for the music and it’s community. Jeff Mattson has played the role of Jerry Garcia for 7 of those years. We sat down and talked to Jeff about his role and a whole lot more. 

Given his lineage, prowess and ability, it’s no surprise that teaming with his equally gifted wife Susan Tedeschi was bound to create an extremely rewarding project for Derek Trucks. 7 years in The Tedeschi Trucks Band has proven to be a musical tour de force (pun intended) and is now his sole focus. So when we sat down to talk about the Tedeschi Trucks upcoming live release Live from Oakland at The Fox which is also a must see film, I wasn’t surprised that he’s excited about where things are at….

When blues musician Susan Tedeschi joined forces with her ace guitar playing husband Derek Trucks to create the Tedeschi Trucks Band 7 years ago, it was a matched made in musical heaven all over again. With the Tedeschi Trucks Band set to release their second live album and first concert film Live from Oakland at The Fox, I had the opportunity to catch up with Susan and asked if things 7 years are going as expected….

Inspiration can come from all kinds of places. When Adam and his brother Matthew decided to put together Jazz is Phish, they weren’t only inspired by the music of Phish, but also the Jazz is Dead project. The idea to bring a jazz sensibility to Phish’s music seemed like a natural way to tackle the band they love and the music they make.

You may know her name from her work with The Trey Anastasio Band, but Natalie Cressman’s work with that group, only scratches the surface of her ability and story. We had a chance to sit down with her to talk about this trombonist solo work, her time with TAB and much more. 

We started The Sound Podcast to give rise to music and musicians inspired by the Grateful Dead and the Jamband community. In my little Deadhead community, Mars Hotel is doing just that. Friends? Sure. Musicians? Positively. A great vibe? Absolutely. We sat down with Mars Hotel last week after a rehearsal and got the scoop on what makes them tick. 

Blackberry Smoke are a rock n roll band out of Georgia, that contend with an old notion that a band, of its stature needs to fit into some neat marketing box of yesteryear. Charlie Starr the band’s front man knows exactly what they are, and thats how our conversation started…  

Living beyond the borders of where your favorite bands make and tour their music can be a touch annoying. Sure there are always opportunities to travel, but being able to hear the music you love with your community in your own town is also easiest. Those were the thoughts of Rich Grossman who fronts The Lizards, Canada’s Premiere Phish Tribute Band out of Toronto. 

You may recognize Marco’s name from his work with the Benevento/Russo duo, Joe Russo’s Almost Dead and countless other projects. It’s his solo projects that Marco Benevento though may be most excited by. When you are as accomplished as Marco Benevento is, making records and touring is just part of life. We sat down recently to discuss his new live record The Woodstock Sessions out February 17th. Since he’s on the road with the trio he fronts we also talked about touring, his evolution as a musician and much more. 

David Gans is a radio host, a writer, a musician, a lecturer and a historian. Few people have lived a professional life inspired by the Grateful Dead and their fans. You probably recognize his name as the host of the syndicated radio show the Grateful Dead Hour or his Sirius XM Show with Gary Lambert. David though, is a serious musician in his own right and his written extensively about the band as well. 

Scott Metzger has played guitar with a diverse group including Trixie Whitely, Phil Lesh and Trey Anastasio amongst others. Aside from also participating in Joe Russo’s Almost Dead, Metzger fronts Wolf! A trio that came to be after he and the other two guys now in Wolf were left stranded without a singer one fateful night….I asked Scott how it all happened….

You’ve heard of supergroups before, like bands that are formed by musicians from other groups. But what if an entire band’s repertoire was formed by other groups. Yes, that would be SUPER. Pink Talking Fish is that band, a group that fuses the music of Pink Floyd, Talking Heads and Phish. It’s craziness I tell ya, and worth a listen. 

Scott Sharrard isn’t a household name, and thats definitely a mistake. Being the music director and lead guitar player for the Gregg Allman Band is in fact only the tip of the iceberg for this very talented musician. This guy has learnt his craft with some of the great bluesman like Pinetop Perkins, Buddy Miles, Luther Alison to name just a few. When you hear Scott talk about his passion for the music he has become a servant of, you will get more than just the tip of that iceberg. 

To celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the Grateful Dead’s debut album, Rhino Records have released a special re-issue of the album, coupled with a live as yet unreleased recording of the Grateful Dead’s appearance at the Trips Festival in Vancouver in July 1966. We had a chance to sit down with Grateful Dead archivist David Lemieux to talk about this release and his own set of archival releases Dave’s Picks…… 

A friend of mine, who's opinion I trust implicitly when it comes to music, encouraged me to give The Marcus King Band a spin. What came out of my speakers almost immediately was a sound all too familiar, raging guitar, pleasing horn lines and the sweet sound of the Hammond b. I got up, I danced and I put the first track on repeat for hours. If you're a fan of Warren Haynes and Gov't Mule, Derek Trucks, The Allman Brothers Band, Lynyrd Skynyrd, The Marshall Tucker Band, and other great R&B, Blues, and southern rock acts, you will be up and dancing too.....

Don’t judge a book by it’s cover. In fact, if you do, you may miss Levi Robin’s sound entirely. This up and coming singer-songwriter needs to be heard. His songs are beautiful, combining mindful lyrics, a soulful sound and very distinct guitar player. We sat down with Levi to learn more. You can listen to everything else here: https://soundcloud.com/levirobin and follow his exploits at levirobin.com

Imagine being so curious and transfixed by a live performance of a song by one of your favorite bands that you spend hours, transcribing and re-conceiving that song into something equally spectacular. Holly Bowling’s story takes a huge shift on July 31st, 2013 after experiencing the Tahoe Tweezer from Phish and her new journey begins. You can pick up Holly’s music here: CD / LP: http://bit.ly/blulp iTunes: http://bit.ly/hoboblu Spotify: http://bit.ly/hoboblu16 Catch Holly on tour: http://bit.ly/hobotixs