The thing that gets me about JRAD

Just like LSD

Getting to the top of the mountain without the climb.

They sound like Allman Brothers jams and their interpertaions of Grateful Dead's repitiore. Minus the fun stuff - Space>Drums & epic vocals.

^Epic vocals?  You mean the Allman Bros, right?

havent actually seen a GD family or related show that has scratched the itch since before 1995

>>Epic vocals?  You mean the Allman Bros, right?

Them too. I was think Jerry Garcia & the boys. Like a great Attics of My Life. That's just not going to happen with JRAD.

^ never thought to use adjectives like epic to describe GD vocals.  Adequate, tolerable come to mind. Except for Brent, he was outstanding.

>> epic vocals.

Lol

<<<Getting to the top of the mountain without the climb

interesting.

first time ive heard it put this way and  as much as i like them, im inclined to agree.

I once read that Robert Martin was considered as replacement for Brent. He would have been the best vocalist the GD ever had.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=6F7WEWPgfoU

I really liked their Red Rocks show. I think they'll mature over time and learn to relax a little. 

I think I heard some of that Red Rocks show. I so want to like Kamasi Washington but everything I heard from 'Epic' was just elevator music with some interesting ideas repetitively pepperd in, and his comping and uh 'soloing' in that show with JRAD was beyond boring.

>>

>> epic vocals.

>>Lol

I missunderstood, sorry. Seems like we totally agree.

>>>never thought to use adjectives like epic to describe GD vocals.  Adequate, tolerable come to mind. Except for Brent, he was outstanding.

Start with GD 3/30/90.

>> Except for Brent, he was outstanding

At what?

I agree with Jerry...

Jerry, in his self-deprecating way, said this of Mydland during a Gavin Report interview: “He’s the only one of us who is really a good singer. Weir and I sort of croak our way through stuff after years of default singing. But Brent is a serious singer. He can really sing

http://songmango.com/the-dead-brent-jerrys-best-work/

> Except for Brent, he was outstanding

At what?<<<

We are discussing vocals, but I was a big fan of his playing too

I've listened to 3/30. Believe it or not, love that song, I have listened to my far share of GD music.

True on that.

*fair share

>>>>Like a great Attics of My Life. That's just not going to happen with JRAD.

But to be fair...I would go to see JRAD for an attics.  It's a high energy show and as noted, less peaks and valleys.    I like that they do their own thing and aren't trying to duplicate a sound

yup, lose the song structures, no resolution needed, just frantic and incredible idea after frantic incredible idea presented in between verses of dead songs. when the improv is ON, id rather just stay floating on that cloud and not come back down for as long as possible. i could go without ever hearing another great attics for the rest of my days if i can listen to high octane improv cranked out with the consistency that JRAD does.

but to be fair i think i would prefer JRAD if they dailed the dead thing waaaay back to just playing a couple per night and bringing in tunes from all the member's countless side projects...the duo, ween, american babies, wolf!, big yes/small no, benevento solo, the list goes on and on and on.

its really just about the jamming and improv with JRAD, hearing pretty well played GD songs is just a bonus. its the little cherry on top, but not why you go to the ice cream shop in the first place. if seeing "grateful dead" music is your priority you may find JRAD pretty hit or miss in that regard.

mp3

All's fair in love and the Dead

I have seen JRAD a few times over the years and have really enjoyed their journey.  Russo likes to breath fire into the drums  contributing to the ants in your pants GD dance that they embody.  It's a good act. One of my favorite post 1995 bands playing my favorite songbook. I like that they have their own take on the familiar and comfortable.

 Additionally I loved the Led Zeppelin act called Bustle In Your Hedgerow .. Im hoping to see that again.  No singing with Marco covering the vocal melody.

Would be sweet if they did a Dead Zeppelin show or two.

Over the Hills and Far Away: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9t7U1cbN1aw

Russo's time to shine in Moby Dick: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=46MLlFo-Hl0

Ya'll are crazy.

There's a difference between having a classic voice and being a great singer.

Jerry may not have had a "classic" voice, but he was a BRILLIANT singer, and even his voice wasn't that bad during the first 15-17 years.

Few have phrased songs the way he could, telling a story, communicating the emotion, and he could do that even in his later years when his voice sounded like broken glass most nights.

And Bob wasn't and isn't bad either. Epic? That's a silly word, but Bob Weir could sing a good song, and he still does pretty damn well.

But Jerry?

IMO, silly or not epic is just about right for that guy.

Oh, and as for JRAD, I haven't seen them since they were an early, loose facsimile at TxR with Phil.

They were really good, but they also had Phil.

What I hear now is in the Q realm, in the always wailing, "all at the top of the mountain" way - not my favorite take... but without Phil.

I love Russo though, and I'm all for them so I'm going to make an effort to see them in Oakland next month.

And whether I personally like them or not, more power to them.

LONG LIVE THE GRATEFUL DEAD!!!!!!

^^exactly lance...think joe cocker..."with a little help from my friends"  ...classic singer? haha...no...classic vocals....damn straight....

and you can add to list....dylan, neil young, springsteen  tom waits...the list is endless...on and on...its all about the emotion that they....emote, isnt it?

^i just don't put Jerry and Bob on that list, Jambone. It wasn't the vocals that drew me to the GD, it was the music.  

Going to my first jrad show in November at the Filmore in Philly. Haven't been crazy about the guitar playing on the recordings I've listened to but I'm willing to give it a try. I'm also going to see Melvin Seals JGB for the first time this upcoming Friday for the first time.Adter I'll be brutally honest of my opinion of both bands on there zone.

 >>>>>It wasn't the vocals that drew me to the GD, it was the music. 

Was first introduced to GD music at a GD show in 69, but didn't "become a Deadhead" until I heard  them singing UJB on the radio in 1970.

The Red Rocks show was my only Jrad experience but during Morning Dew they brought it down to a whisper and you could have heard a pin drop. That does not happen very often at shows these days. I just think that they are spinning a different narrative that reflects both their younger audience and the times we live in. People aren't comfortable with quiet. Whenever most people find themselves sitting quietly, they pull out their phone. 

teases

That's what they do - analogous to what jazz players do with the standards. If you go for the song you'll be disappointed.

If you go for the jams...

>>>But to be fair...I would go to see JRAD for an attics

I meant to say....that's not why I would go see JRAD.   I'm not going for soulful heartfelt songs.   I'm going to rock.   

Live/Dead>Phil Lesh Quintet>JRAD

>>>>My original point has more to do with the song structures being significantly abandoned; <<<<

Got it. I misunderstood. 

Yeah they bounce around a lot. That's what I enjoyed. They covered a lot of ground and were full of surprises.

Every band member had to pay close attention. They are a serious improvisation band.  They also had so much fun on stage. 

"when the improv is ON, id rather just stay floating on that cloud and not come back down for as long as possible."

Can't have the yin without the yang.

This was a pretty epic moment the other night -

"Running Down a Dream" Jam

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P3YB_PHbwRg

>>>

"when the improv is ON, id rather just stay floating on that cloud and not come back down for as long as possible."

Can't have the yin without the yang.

<<<

when i go see shows with phil and bob, especially when i first started seeing live dead music, i could not wrap my head around why a band would play something like a relaxed row jimmy with minimal jamming when they are capable of high tempo exploratory improv, like a huge eyes or let it grow. i still do not get it, and generally feel like i have to sit thru most songs in the first set to get to the heavy improv in the second set. 

plenty of bands play with intensity from start to finish and dont have to plod through slow, no jam country-ish stuff to get there.

I fuckin LOVE JRAD. Fast loud GD music.

At one show a dude about 60 plus spent the whole time running up and down the aisles and around the whole place. The crowd and I loved him. Security finaly subdued him at the last song.

His running was the way i felt the whole show. The GD on steroids.

Fuckin love that shit.

Or I could go to a Bobby show and pass out......................

Take what you can get and I will take the JRAD all day long.

I like the *idea* of JRAD and I'm certainly glad there's something out there for folks to enjoy, but I'm not into the guitar playing style at all, or the singing. It's like eating a triple scoop of vanilla ice cream. Nothing WRONG with it, I just am not into it.

>plenty of bands play with intensity from start to finish and dont have to plod through slow, no jam country-ish stuff to get there

It's true, they do, and the Dead had a brief period of that being the case, but it's obvious that Jerry was more of a song guy, given his background and the shape of the songs of the Dead post-Aoxomoxoa and then JGB. It is obvious that he came to not particularly like that style of late 60s era of the Dead with its overly complicated song structures and overly floral lyrics since he abandoned playing Dark Star, Cryptical, Cosmic Charlie, St Stephen etc but kept playing songs like Dupree's, China Cat, Cold Rain & Snow. Even when those songs came back it seemed obvious that he was not crazy about playing and especially singing them