There will be a common thread running through the performances of several artists attending the 2015 edition of the Roots and Blues Festival.They will pay tribute to both the Grateful Dead and the band’s late leader Jerry Garcia.
Despite being dubbed as a “Long Strange Trip,” the journey and music of the Grateful Dead that spawned the Dead Head culture has proven to be timeless and enticing to audiences who span several generations.
That 2015 marks the 50th anniversary of the Grateful Dead becoming an entity in San Francisco and the cornerstone band of that scene, and that 2015 also marks the 20th anniversary of the passing of Garcia, it seems only fitting that the incredible songbook and spirit of what this group of musicians created be recognized by Roots and Blues.
“Yes the Dead helped create the psychedelic scene of the ’60s, but the band has always been so much more than that,” says Roots and Blues artistic director Peter North.
“Collectively and individually Garcia, Bob Weir, lyricist Robert Hunter, drummer Mickey Hart and the others had a foothold in the traditions of folk music from country to blues and bluegrass while Hart in particular has been a pivotal player in introducing a huge audience to many sounds associated with world music.”
Stressing the importance of Garcia to the music scene, North says he does not think anyone so eloquently addressed his brilliance as Bob Dylan did shortly after Garcia’s death: “There’s no way to measure his greatness or magnitude as a person or as a player. I don’t think eulogizing will do him justice. He was that great – much more than a superb musician with an uncanny ear and dexterity. He is the very spirit personified of whatever is muddy river country at its core and screams up into the spheres. He really had no equal.
“To me he wasn’t only a musician and friend, he was more like a big brother who taught and showed me more than he’ll ever know. There are a lot of spaces and advances between the Carter Family, Buddy Holly and, say, Ornette Coleman, a lot of universes, but he filled them all without being a member of any school. His playing was moody, awesome, sophisticated, hypnotic and subtle. There’s no way to convey the loss. It just digs down really deep.”
Salmon Arm Roots and Blues will present a handful of shows drawing from the deep well of the Grateful Dead and Jerry Garcia with acoustic acts diving into traditional sources like Mississippi John Hurt, Jesse Fuller and Jimmie Rodgers, while electric acts will take on classic Dead tunes ranging from Fire On The Mountain to Deal to Truckin.’
One of the acts that will be dispensing a number of Grateful Dead songs at Roots and Blues will be Brother’s Keeper out of Vail, Colorado. While a band armed with a great songbook of originals, which you will hear on the weekend of the festival, Brother’s Keeper (broskeeper.net) has always been inspired by the sounds that make the jam band scene unique.
Coming with Brother’s Keeper are two members of the extended Grateful Dead Family – multi-instrumentalist Jason Crosby (jasoncrosby.net), who has been performing with both Bob Weir and Phil Lesh, with the other artist being guitarist/singer Mark Karan, who toured and recorded with Lesh, Weir, Mickey Hart and Bruce Hornsby in The Other Ones after Garcia’s death.
Karan also spent the better part of a decade in Weir’s band Ratdog. Both Karan and Crosby live in San Francisco.
“These guys all know the Grateful Dead and Garcia/Hunter songbooks inside out and there are a few other great artists who have serious connections to the Dead camp that will be announced as part of the Salmon Arm Roots and Blues Festival down the road,” said North.
“When you look at the reaction to Weir, Lesh, Hart and Billy Kreutzmann coming together for three final Grateful Dead (www.dead.net) reunion shows in Chicago this coming July, and that there have been half a million requests for tickets, I think it is fair to say there are a lot of people out there who love this music and the vibe that goes with it.”
North says Salmon Arm Roots and Blues intends to present some of this music in a great light as he believes the music is something that has been overlooked on the Western Canadian festival scene for some time.
Heading into it’s 23rd year, the Salmon Arm Roots and Blues Festival long ago established itself as one of the summer destination spots for fans and lovers of music ranging from blues to bluegrass, Celtic to Cuban and Americana to Afro-beat.
Stay tuned for an announcement of a major portion of the 2015 line-up coming at the end of the month.
In the meantime, get your musical groove on when the Legendary Powder Blues perform the Doin’ it Right benefit concert at the Shaw Centre on Saturday, March 14.
Kelowna’s Devon Coyote will rev up the night that features dancing, a cash bar, silent auction and raffle sales.
Tickets are $40 for bleacher seating or $45 on the floor. Tables of eight are available but must be reserved at 250-833-4096. Admission at the door is cash only.
Festival tickets are available online at www.rootsandblues.ca.