Archive for December, 2008

Rubber Souldiers in west Marin Sunday 1/4

Tuesday, December 30th, 2008

This is adapted from bassist Paul Knight’s email announcement, so the “I” in this email is Paul…

Paul Knight & Friends at the Station House Cafe downtown Pt. Reyes Station 415/663-1515
Sunday Jan. 4th, 1st set : 5 – 6:30 / 2nd set 7:10 – 8:30

2nd annual Beatles sing-along
with RUBBER SOULDIERS:
Chris Rowan : guitar
Lorin Rowan : guitar/ mandolin
David Gans : guitar
Paul Knight : bass
C.C. Dawson : percussion

Just about one year ago I put together a group for my monthly gig at the Station House after running into David Gans at a festival in Florida. When I asked him if there was anyone he’d like to get together with and anything musically he’d like to do if he had the chance, without hesitation he said Chris, Lorin & Beatles. I had no idea that this had been a very short lived project called Rubber Souldiers. Since then the band has had a revival, added CC Dawson on drums (snare & hihat at this gig) and is booking festival gigs for the spring & summer of ‘09. Check out rubbersouldiers.com for more info and a really scary picture.

Hope you can make it,
Paul.

Gans-Matthews unplugged: audio up

Monday, December 29th, 2008

Rich Selleseth has posted his recording of David Gans & Zac Matthews unplugged, Nomad Cafe 12/27/08

Norwegian Wood
Solitary Man
Monkey and the Engineer
Honey Be
The Bounty of the County
Another Soul
That’s Real Love
Duncan
Longer Boats
Golden Day
Ran Into God
Day Trader
~
jam->
Here Comes the Sun
Sing Me a River
Blue Roses
California Snow and Rain
J. Sunbeam
Two-Sided Man
Waltzing Across Texas
Jacqueline
Evolution Valley
Don’t Think Twice, It’s All Right

New Year’s Eve on Sirius 1/1

Monday, December 29th, 2008

I just read this copy for Sirius XM announcements.

This New Year’s Eve, Bob Weir and and Phil Lesh and their bands are joining together in San Francisco for an extraordinary collaboration. Can’t make it? No problem … you can hear Ratdog, Phil and Friends, and the midnight festivities right here on the Grateful Dead Channel starting at 3 pm eastern!

Start the year with a truly special event – and exclusive backstage interviews that just might give some clue as to what to expect in 2009. Hear it all New Year’s Day starting at 3 pm eastern, with an encore presentation immediately afterwards … only on Sirius 32 and XM 57 – the Grateful Dead Channel!

Grateful Dead Hour no. 1058

Sunday, December 28th, 2008

Week of December 29, 2008

Part 1 31:17
Grateful Dead 6/22/74 Miami Jai-Alai
CHINA CAT SUNFLOWER->
I KNOW YOU RIDER
ME AND MY UNCLE
SHIP OF FOOLS
EL PASO

Part 2 24:38
Ratdog 11/5/08 Warner Theater, Washington DC
JAM->
DANCIN’ IN THE STREETS->
SHAKEDOWN STREET

Ratdog’s live shows are available at their gigs (sign up before the show, go home with discs) and also online (CD and download) from ratdoglive.com.

The Grateful Dead Hour is made possible in part this week by Grateful Dead Productions, announcing Road Trips volume 2 number 1, MSG September 90. Two CDs and a bonus disc with great musical moments from the 7-man lineup with Bruce Hornsby and Vince Welnick on keyboards. More information, sample audio, and ordering link on the official web site, dead.net.

Support gdradio.net

Friday, December 26th, 2008

Subject: Another year over…

He all! John from gdradio.net here…

I hope everyone had a wonderful 2008! Like NPR, there comes a time when I have to reach out to YOU, the listener and remind that while the programming is free to listen to, it is certainly not free to broadcast. We are not a ‘pirate’ radio station – in other words, we operate legally… and in order to operate legally, we pay fees to ASCAP. BMI, SoundExchange and SESAC. These fees ensure that the artists, songwriters, publishers and anyone else who might happen to have their hands out get paid!

You might notice that unlike other radio stations (yes even online radio stations), every 4th song isn’t followed by a commercial for Viagra or how to turn your unwanted gold into cash or how to increase the length and girth of your… well you get the idea. Instead, we offer complete shows without interruption, the way they were intended to be heard.

Now I turn to you, the faithful listener for support. Consider what gdradio.net was worth to you in the year 2008. If you can place an affordable value on it, why not help out today? Go to gdradio.net/donate.htm . From there you will have a few options to pursue. Any and all help is greatly appreciated.

From the beginning this has always been a labor of love for me and I have always reached into my own pocket when the bills had to be paid and donations were low. Sadly, this year has been one for me personally. The recent loss of my job has made it nearly impossible for me to make up the difference… and this is the time of year when in addition to the quarterly payments to SESAC and the bi-annual payment to ASCAP, BMI also wants their annual payment (not to mention the hefty monthly streaming bandwidth fee).

so again.. can you help? will you help? I truly do hate to beg… but to be brutally honest, I am about to make the SESAC payment and there is nothing left once I do. On the 1st I have a bandwidth bill to pay and the annual BMI bill and there’s nothing to give them.

gdradio.net/donate.htm

I hope you have a great 2009 and I hope we are all still together to enjoy it!

MUCH LOVE

John

Suwannee SpringFest 3/26-29/09

Thursday, December 25th, 2008

I am so thrilled to be on the bill for the Suwannee SpringFest again in 2009! From the wonderful folks who produce this featival (and MagnoliaFest in the fall):

To our Festival Family:
We have several Holiday Announcements. We proudly announce the beginning lineup for Suwannee Springfest 2009 and provide ticket information as well…. We also want to offer our thanks, appreciation and gratitude for your support and participation during 2008. We wish each of you a joyous Holiday Season and a very Happy New Year!

In spite of considerable economic challenges, we remain committed to providing you with the best music festival value we can possibly offer. Tickets for Suwannee Springfest and MagnoliaFest have been the same price with no increase for 5 years. While our costs are rising across the board, we are once again NOT going to increase our ticket prices for Suwannee Springfest. 

Due to current economic conditions and our concern for our business and our festival family, ticket prices for Suwannee Springfest 2009 will not be increasing. The discounted Magnolia Blossom Pass is discontinued and not available for 2009. We appreciate our longtime loyal customers who purchased the Voucher when we thought prices would increase. Thank you for your loyal patronage and support the past 12 years. In a rapidly changing world, we remain committed to our original intention & vision, which is to present you with the finest music festivals we can which offer the best quality performers in a most beautiful natural setting.

We again ask that you, our loyal festival patrons, spread the word about Suwannee Springfest far and wide. Please help us sell more Suwannee Springfest tickets to offset our growing expenses. Bring along some new friends, tell someone new about us, give us a plug in your blog or on your myspace page, link us to your website, and help us maintain the Magnolia Music experience.  

SUWANNEE SPRINGFEST TICKETS
Suwannee Springfest is March 26-29, 2009
A Limited number of Early Bird Suwannee Springfest Tickets priced at $100 are available now. There is a $5 per order handling fee. Get complete ticket information and to order online: magmusic.com/ticketsforspringfest.htm. Email questions to mail@magmusic.com or call 904-249-7990 to order by phone. Our office hours vary widely, so leave a message and we’ll get back with you.

SUWANNEE SPRINGFEST LINEUP
We’re not finished, but we’ve got an excellent start on the lineup for Suwannee Springfest 2009.
Here’s the confirmed list so far, more to come…

Donna the Buffalo
Emmitt Nershi Band
The Duhks
The Lee Boys
Darrell Scott
Darol Anger & Mike Marshall with Väsen
Scythian
The Gourds
Blueground Undergrass
Amy LaVere
Shannon Whitworth
Roy Book Binder
Tornado Rider
The Dedringers
Dread Clampitt
David Gans
Amanda Shaw
Josh Pinkham
Gatorbone

Check it out at magmusic.com/lineupspringfest.htm

The MagMusic Radio Show
Join us every Tuesday evening from 7-9pm CT (that’s 8-10pm in the East) for ”The MagMusic Show”. Hosted by Randy “Big Cosmo” Judy and Beth Judy. The show can be heard online at Wildman Steve Radio, wildmansteve.com. Check out the rebroadcast of our Christmas Show on Christmas Night at 10pm CT (11pm eastern).

Thank you for your time. We appreciate your support and commit to bringing you quality events that feature great music, a joyful community spirit, healing vibes, and are just plain fun!

In Harmony,
Iris Blooms (speaking for Beth & Randy)
Magnolia Music & Events, Inc.
www.magmusic.com
904-249-7990

Dead to the World 12/24/08

Wednesday, December 24th, 2008

Dark StarLadies and Gentlemen… The Grateful Dead (4-28-71 Fillmore East)

Leftovers for Christmas? Well, sorta. I spent the last couple of weeks deep in Dark Star land, preparing for last Sunday’s 24-hour Dark Star marathon on the Sirius XM Grateful Dead Channel (Sirius 32, XM 57). Tonight, interspersed with some of my favorite weird xmas music, are two of my favorite Dark Stars.

And speaking of marathons, the annual 16-hour KPFA marathon is scheduled for Saturday, January 31, 9 am to 1 am Pacific time. Details TBA.

Ob-La-Di-Ob-La-Da->
Christmas Time Is Here Again
– Beatles, Ultra Rare Trax Vol. 5
O Come All Ye Grateful DeadHeads – Bob Rivers, Twisted Christmas
A Christmas CarolThe Remains of Tom Lehrer
HolidazeChuck McCabe, Creatures of Habit
Rod Serling Explains the First Christmas – Christopher Guest, The Best of the National Lampoon Radio Hour
Santa Claus Is Coming to Town – Joseph Spence, from MAS! A Caribbean Christmas Party
Jingle Bells (Reprise) (with Tuvan throat-singer Avan-ool Sam) – Béla Fleck and the Flecktones, Jingle All the Way
Angels/GloriaGandalf Murphy & The Slambovian Circus of Dreams, A Very Slambovian Christmas
Little Dealer Boy – Stephen Colbert & Willie Nelson, A Colbert Christmas: The Greatest Gift of All!
Dark StarSteppin’ Out with the Grateful Dead (4-8-72 Empire Pool, Wembley, England)
The Christmas SongGandalf Murphy & The Slambovian Circus of Dreams, A Very Slambovian Christmas
Xmas for VisaAustin Lounge Lizards, The Drugs I Need
Fifty Kilowatt TreeThe Bobs, Too Many Santas!
Christmas WishNRBQ, Peek-a-Boo! The Best of NRBQ 1969-1989
Winter WonderlandThe Roches, We Three Kings
Riddle of the UniverseDonna the Buffalo, Positive Friction
Christmas in LAThe Bobs, Too Many Santas!
Hanukkah in Santa MonicaThe Remains of Tom Lehrer
The Night Before ChristmasGandalf Murphy & The Slambovian Circus of Dreams, A Very Slambovian Christmas
Time on the MountainFreeWorld, From the Bluff
There Are Much Worse Things to Believe In – Elvis Costello, Feist, John Legend, Stephen Colbert, Toby Keith & Willie Nelson, from A Colbert Christmas: The Greatest Gift of All!

GD Hour archive on DeadNet

Wednesday, December 24th, 2008

Just a reminder that we post a show from the Grateful Dead Hour archives on DeadNet every Wednesday.

Today’s post is GD Hour #977, part 1 of a June 2007 interview with Ratdog lead guitarist Mark Karan. Part 2 will go up next Wednesday.

Happy holy daze, everybody!

DG interview @ jambands.com

Tuesday, December 23rd, 2008

Randy Ray interviewed me last week for jambands.com. Part 1 was posted today; part 2 goes up next month.

An excerpt:

[Producer Tim Carbone] just understands. We’re in the same general age cohort. I think I might be a year or two older than he is, but we sort of came up in the same time, and we have very similar political and philosophical views, so he totally got my point of view in terms of what I was trying to say in my songs.

I knew from listening to Railroad Earth that these guys would be great sidemen. To me, the most important thing is the song. I don’t care how great your licks are, if the songs suck, I don’t want to hear it. I knew that those guys understood that the role of band members in a band like Railroad is to tell the story. They understand that the songwriter is the main thing, and their job is not to surround him with hot licks and swamp the song in flashy playing. It’s to underscore and support what the song is doing. There’s plenty of room for shredding in a band like that, but I knew that if I brought them in to do my songs, that my songs would be served by these amazing players. They’re all instrumental storytellers of the first rank.

Honest Tune reviews “Weirdest”

Monday, December 22nd, 2008

Bill Whiting reviews The Ones That Look The Weirdest Taste The Best in Honest Tune. I couldn’t have asked for a more positive opening:

Most know David Gans as the host of the long running radio program, The Grateful Dead Hour. Now, they will know him for the addictive long-player, The Ones That Look The Weirdest Taste The Best.