Cloud Surfing

Proclamation from the Mayor of the City of Ithaca

Whereas, the Grateful Dead have been recognized by many highly credible organizations, individuals and entities including the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame as significantly important and integral to the
musical and social fabric of our contemporary culture, and whereas, on May 8th, 1977 the Grateful Dead performed in Barton Hall on the campus of Cornell University in the city of Ithaca New York, a concert that is widely acknowledged and regarded as a defining and transcendent occasion and example of the art of contemporary musical improvisation, collaboration, musicianship, and performance, and whereas, many tens of thousands of individuals who were not in attendance that night in Barton Hall, have become knowledgeable & familiar with the extraordinary nature of the performance on May 8th 1977 through the trading and sharing of recordings of the show, and whereas, the cultural identity and perceptions of Ithaca as a community, have been informed and bolstered by the widespread acknowledgement of the magic of May 8th, 1977, and whereas, it has been said many times by many people that, “there is nothing like a Grateful Dead concert.”

Now therefore, be it resolved that as Mayor of the City of Ithaca, and in heartfelt recognition of the thirtieth anniversary of the May 8th 1977 concert performance, I declare May 8th 2007 as Grateful Dead Day in the City of Ithaca.

Dark Star Orchestra will perform the set list of 5/8/77 on 5/8/07 at the State Theater of Ithaca NY.

From the Springfield (Illinois) Journal-Register, news of a benefit concert for Bill Laymon, longtime bassist of the David Nelson Band (and before that, the New Riders) and just as sweet a guy as I’ve ever known:

Medicinal music
Local performers unite to assist typhus-stricken bassist with bills

By NICK ROGERS

Music and modesty have been the best medicine for Bill Laymon’s medical concerns.Since the journeyman rock bassist and Springfield native contracted typhus from a flea near his Hawaii home, his depleted immune system has warded off encephalitis, he suffered something similar to a stroke and, now, a recurrence of bladder cancer.

Ostensibly, a long list of local talent performing for Laymon on Sunday will do so to raise money for his many medical bills not covered by health insurance.

Laymon acknowledges that purpose, but says that it’s not the top priority for him.

“Ultimately, the thing is to have a good party for Springfield,” Laymon says. “I have every belief I’m going to get over this health stuff.”

Laymon didn’t conceive “With a Little Help From His Friends,” an eight-hour benefit for the bassist kicking off at 2 p.m. Sunday at the Firefighters Postal Club, 940 West Lake Shore Drive.

Read more

A nice review of my new CD, TWISTED LOVE SONGS, posted on a mailing list by Jon Winer and reposted here with permission:

David Gans ran into God a couple of weeks ago.  Or so the song goes.  It is a bit of an awkward meeting – agnostic meets God, but God is decidedly more congenial than at Abraham’s meet-up with his maker as described in Bob Dylan’s “Highway 61 Revisited.”  Unlike Abraham’s angry and vengeful God, Gans’s God is disillusioned and wracked with self-doubt, to the point where she denies her own existence.  Twisted?  Yes.  But, a love song?  This reminds me of a conversation I had with a friend who describes his favorite Grateful Dead song, “Standing on the Moon,” as a “love song.”  “Social commentary,” I suggest, “not a love song.”   And so it goes (Kurt Vonnegut, r.i.p.).

In addition to “Ran Into God,” David offers a dozen other original songs, and a half-dozen borrowed tunes on this album of previously unreleased material. “It’s Gonna Get Better” is a favorite of mine, which I have heard David perform on many occasions.  I’m still getting to know some of the newer songs on this CD, but David’s performance of a guilty pleasure – Roger Miller’s “King of the Road” – is another highlight.   Likewise, listening to “Ship of Fools” feels like a visit from an old friend.

David makes abundant use of his signature guitar looping, a skill which he will pass along to others at Jorma Kaukonen’s Fur Peace Ranch this fall.  It sounds to me as though the following songs (and probably others) feature looping:  “Cassidy’s Cat,” “Prophet and Loss,” “In Another World,” “Four Corners,” “Surely You Jest,” “Basin and Range,” and the haunting “Quarter to Five (For Tina Loney).”  Although David often performs with other musicians, his regular gig is as a solo artist.  With looping, he can accompany himself via a footpedal.

The sound on this CD was mastered (in HDCD) by Jeffrey Norman, whose remastering work on the Grateful Dead Fillmore West 1969 box set ranks among the greatest audio engineering achievements of all time, in my humble opinion.  The sound on this new Gans release does not equal the quality of the sound on the Fillmore box set, but considering the fact that David carries his recording rig in a briefcase (unlike the 400 pound twin reel-to-reel rigs used for the Fillmore recordings), Mr. Norman gets a tip of the hat.

On Twisted Love Songs, David Gans expands his breadth as a recording artist, and delivers some notable performances of new material, while revisiting some very familiar places.  There are not many artists performing today who convey the values of a 1960s America in which social consciousness was building, and a social conscience was evolving.  David Gans is one.  Thank you, David!

Twisted Love Songs is available from CDBaby

Or send $17.50 to:

Perfectible Recordings
PERF-06
484 Lake Park Ave. #102
Oakland CA 94610-2730

Just got this email from MunckMix. If you heard the Ratdog spring tour highlights on last night’s Dead to the World, you may be interested in getting some of these shows.

Bob Weir and RatDog completed their 2007 Spring Tour a little over two weeks ago, and recordings from all shows are available at ratdoglive.com .

This was the first time the band was able to release recordings from their 3 shows at the Beacon Theatre in New York City with guest appearances by Donna Godchaux-MacKay among others.  Also of note on this tour was the March 13, Boston, MA  show where Kenny Brooks’ former sax instructor George Garzone joined Kenny on stage during Jam and traded some cool licks.  And 2 days later, at the March 17, Jim Thorpe, PA show the band pulled out an unusually wild set list in the first set: Jack Straw (16:35)  - Memphis Blues (3:38) > Supplication Jam (1:41) > Memphis Blues (2:37) > Supplication Jam (4:02) > Memphis Blues (3:04) > Bird Song (9:53) > Odessa (7:30) - Shade of Grey (9:43) - Tennessee Jed (10:13) !

As always, the shows are available on both CDs and downloads.  To help you in your selection, each listed show on the home page has a Preview function where you can listen to 30 second clips from every track.  Incidentally, the band’s MP3 downloads are encoded at 256 Kbps bit rate, a much higher quality than the 128 Kbps files typical of most music downloads.  .

We look forward to bringing you more recordings from the upcoming Summer shows, in the meantime – enjoy the music!
*****************
Money Orders welcome – just send a list of the recordings you want with the money order to: MunckMix, P.O. Box 46, Glencoe, IL 60022.

RatDog Live
ALL SHOWS FROM 2007 SPRING TOUR
+ all tours since ’03

NUGS.NET ENLISTS DAVE MATTHEWS BAND, JACK JOHNSON, PHISH, GRATEFUL DEAD & OTHERS FOR A LIVE DOWNLOAD COMPILATION TO BENEFIT ROCK THE EARTH

MUSIC FOR THE PLANET: a nugs.net BENEFIT ALBUM FOR ROCK THE EARTH TO SUPPORT ENVIRONMENTAL CONSERVATION IN THE UNITED STATES

Los Angeles, CA – Nugs.net, the leader in live music downloads, has assembled another all-star compilation of exclusive live tracks to raise money for several Rock the Earth campaigns to defend the United States’ environmental resources. Nugs.net’s artist partners donated the recordings for this compilation, including an exclusive release from Jack Johnson. Other artists contributing to the benefit compilation include Dave Matthews Band, Grateful Dead, Phish, Widespread Panic, The String Cheese Incident, The Disco Biscuits, The Radiators, Trey Anastasio, Gov’t Mule, STS9, Zero, Umphrey’s McGee, moe., and ALO. Nugs.net and the 15 artists featured on the benefit release organized this compilation out of their dedication to providing continued support for the worldwide environmental community.

Nugs.net and all the artists involved will donate 100% of all profits from the sales of this environmental resources compilation to Rock the Earth, a registered 501 (c)(3) non-profit charity. Director Marc Ross proudly claims, “Rock the Earth champions environmental and public health issues, and all the artists on Music for the Planet and nugs.net wanted to help these worthy causes for Earth Day 2007. We work closely with the music industry and its fans, many of whom are concerned with the fate of our public lands, air and water. We act as advocates to ensure the existence of a sustainable and healthy environment for all. Further, we aim to represent those individuals and communities whose environment or natural surroundings are directly and adversely affected by the actions of others.” Nugs.net founder Brad Serling adds, “We feel extremely fortunate to have the unwavering support of our artist clients for this fundraiser.” This two CD benefit compilation album will be available for $10.95 as MP3 downloads and $15.95 as CD-quality FLAC downloads. It is also available in a two-CD format for $25 which includes a one-year membership in Rock the Earth. To purchase, go to http://nugs.net and help support nugs.net’s efforts to defend our natural resources.

Music For The Planet:
a nugs.net benefit for Rock the Earth

DISC ONE
1) Widespread Panic: From The Cradle 04:43
11/3/06 Austin, TX (LiveWidespreadPanic.com)
2) moe.: Blue Jeans Pizza 07:59
2/9/07 Boston, MA (LiveDownloads.com)
3) Phish: Tube 10:44
12/29/97 New York, NY (LivePhish.com)
4) Zero: Ermaline 11:00
2/2/07 San Francisco, CA (LiveDownloads.com)
5) Jack Johnson: Banana Pancakes 03:10
4/22/06 Waikiki, HI (brushfirerecords.com)
6) STS9: Hi-Key 05:31
12/29/06 Atlanta, GA (LiveDownloads.com)
7) Gov’t Mule: Unring The Bell 09:20
10/22/06 Portland, OR (LiveMule.com)
8) The Radiators: River Run 10:17
2/16/07 New Orleans, LA (LiveDownloads.com)

DISC TWO
1) The String Cheese Incident: Piece of Mine 06:55
3/24/07 Denver, CO (LiveCheese.com)
2) Grateful Dead: Eyes of the World 12:20
12/31/76 San Francisco, CA (GDStore.com)
3) Umphrey’s McGee: Morning Song 07:35
12/30/06 Chicago, IL (UMLive.net)
4) Trey Anastasio: Simple Twist Up Dave 12:03
10/27/06 Las Vegas, NV (LivePhish.com)
5) The Disco Biscuits: Helicopters 09:56
12/31/06 Camden, NJ (LiveDownloads.com)
6) ALO: Plastic Bubble 05:29
6/1/05 Berkeley, CA (ALOMusic.com)
7) Dave Matthews Band: Warehouse 09:58
8/7/04 Alpine Valley, WI (DaveMatthewsBand.com)

Nugs.net offers high-quality, mastered soundboard recordings of all tracks in MP3 and lossless CD-quality FLAC formats. All download files are compatible with Windows, Mac and Unix, allowing for maximum flexibility and ease of use. Once downloaded, these files can be burned to CD an unlimited number of times, transferred to portable audio players such as Apple’s iPod, or played through a computer. MUSIC FOR THE PLANET: a nugs.net BENEFIT ALBUM FOR ROCK THE EARTH is available exclusively through nugs.net .

For more information on Rock the Earth, visit rocktheearth.org