While scrambling around wondering just how baad of a mess London will be in early July..I am checking out which bands will be playing where (U2 @ AMS Arena, REM in London, Green Day in Milton Keynes!)
Anyhow one site lead me to one of those places where I guess you can download a term paper in the 11th hour...
Here's the first paper it opened to...

Get Well Soon (((Craig)))

Slightly or not belated Happy Anniversary to Mr & Mrs Mark Karan!
....
We were going to be travelling on July 4 but might have to get over there sooner-
Check this out:

Bob Geldof has orchestrated not one, not two, but five concerts to be
held on July 2. Events will be held in London's Hyde Park, at the
Museum of Art in Philadelphia, at Brandenburg Gate in Berlin, at
Cirkus Maximus in Rome, and at a venue to be determined in Paris.
Rumors have placed the Paris event as taking place at the Eiffel
Tower, but the negotiations are still in progress.

Performers will include:

- Coldplay, Annie Lennox, Madonna, Paul McCartney, Elton John, R.E.M.,
Dido, Joss Stone, Keane, Mariah Carey, Muse, Razorlight, U2, Robbie
Williams, Scissor Sisters, Snow Patrol, Stereophonics, Sting, The
Cure, The Killers, and Velvet Revolver in London;

- Will Smith, 50 Cent, Bon Jovi, Dave Matthews Band, Stevie Wonder,
Jay-Z, Kaiser Chiefs, Keith Urban, Maroon 5, Rob Thomas, Sarah
McLachlan, and P. Diddy in Philadelphia;

- Crosby, Stills, and Nash, Lauryn Hill, Brian Wilson, Bap, Die Toten
Hosen, Peter Maffay, and a-ha in Berlin;

- Jamiroquai, Youssou N'Dour, Yannick Noah, Andrea Bocelli, Axelle
Red, Craig David, Johnny Halliday, Kyo, Manu Chao, Renaud, and Placebo
in Paris; and

- Duran Duran, Faith Hill, Irene Grandi, Jovanotti, Laura Pausini,
Nek, Tim McGraw, Vasco Rossi, and Zucchero in Rome.

All of the events will be free.




John Metzger
Editor, The Music Box
http://www.musicbox-online.com
-----------------------------------------
Let's hear it for Topher! He's setr up a Live Interview with Senor Mark!
From the Ratdog.org board:

Joined: 18 Feb 2005
Posts: 120
Posted: Mon May 30, 2005 8:54 pm    Post subject: Live chat with Mark Karan on Thursday 6/2 @10pm EDT!!!
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Merry Meet:)

I'm really psyched to announce that Mark Karan will be on ratdog.org's live chat on Thursday 6/2 @10pm EDT.
There will also be a special guest that I'll announce in the next day or so.
I also will be streaming (if I can get it before hand) the Mark and buds show from last week. If not, I'll be streaming Both Mark and Puddleduck. Look for that this week..

If you haven't already, try and vist the chat room by clickin' on the link.. It should work for everyone (cept win95 users). Try it now..If U have problems just drop me a PM and I'll help ya out with any problems.

Please send me your questions before hand to chrisn@ftbusinesssolutions.com

I WILL NOT BE TAKING QUESTIONS DURING THE CHAT!! IF YOU WANT TO ASK SOMETHING SPECIFIC, OR GIVE ME A GENERAL TOPIC TO TALK ABOUT, U MUST MAIL BE BEFORE HAND!!!


If you some reason U can't mail me, U can PM me here, but I'd rather have them mailed..

This is just the first in a series of Live chats that I'm planning.. If this goes well, I'll be doing more.
_________________
Blessed Be!!
93 93/93
Topher:)

"hatred will not cease by hatred but only by love alone." -buddha 536bc
--------------------------
And yet more stuff to look at:

When the Bear roared


OUR FAVORITE CLUB: Twenty years or so ago, when we did a mess of rock 'n' roll writing, we were pestered by more than a couple of editors for giving too much ink to shows at the Golden Bear in Huntington Beach. Do more on local places, they said. The Golden Bear is too far away.

Local music lovers of that era were lucky it was so close. Through much of the '60s, all of the '70s and about half of the '80s it closed in early 1986 to make way for a predictably lame redevelopment project the Bear was every bit as impressive and influential a club as any L.A. joint, even the storied Troubadour or Whiskey. In Long Beach, only Bogart's had a chance at coming close, but it didn't.

The litany of talent that stepped aboard the Bear's unspectacular duct-taped stage is as lengthy as the history of rock, but a short list includes these names: Bob Dylan, Neil Young, Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, Mamas & the Papas, Van Halen, Richie Havens, Warren Zevon, Steppenwolf, Jefferson Airplane, the Byrds, Jackson Browne, the Ramones, Tom Waits, Patti Smith, Linda Ronstadt, David Crosby, John Denver, Peter Gabriel, B.B. King, Dizzy Gillespie, Billy Joel, Country Joe & the Fish, Captain Beefheart, Blondie, the Flying Burrito Brothers, Muddy Waters, Paul Butterfield and Bonnie Raitt.

Almost every Friday or Saturday night you could see people queuing up early along PCH across from the pier for the night's talent at the Golden Bear. As lines go, it wasn't an unpleasant wait. The ocean kept things cool and when you got tired of that view, you could always turn your gaze to the club's northern wall, which provided the canvas for one of muralist Wyland's earliest works.

"That was back in 1979, when I was a starving artist," Wyland recalled in a phone interview.

"I was waiting in line for a B.B. King show and, well, I get excited about blank walls.," the artist said. "I went and did a sketch my studio overlooked the Bear and the pier of a long line of floating notes with famous musicians' heads inside the notes. I went and showed it to the owner (Rick Babaracki) and he said, 'When can you start?" I painted it in three days. This was way before I did my first Whaling Wall (in Laguna Beach in 1981). It was a thrill. It was the beginning of my career."

The cash for the mural wasn't great, but payment also included admission to any show Wyland wanted to attend at the Bear. "And," he says, "I went almost every night."

The Golden Bear's history stretched back to 1928, when it opened as a Greek restaurant. It evolved over the years into a coffee house featuring some of the best folk acts in the country, including Dylan, Hoyt Axton and others. In 1970, the 310-capacity house began to really take off, becoming a regular stop for many acts plenty big enough to fill a room 10 times its size. Both Bob Weir and Jerry Garcia of the Grateful Dead, for instance, were frequent players there during breaks from their stadium shows.

"Those were great times to be a rock fan, and there was no better place to see those bands than the Bear," recalls Long Beacher Dan Spellens, director of theaters & entertainment for the Long Beach Convention & Entertainment Center. "Back in those days, just because you were Hendrix didn't mean you wouldn't go play a little club, too. Rock was still a young industry then. It wasn't the big business that it is now."

Stringman David Bromberg, who's accompanied Dylan, John Prine, Jerry Jeff Walker and scores of others, was a frequent Bear player when he toured with his band in the '70s and '80s, and was among those who were dismayed with the club's sudden closure in January 1986.

"There was no place like it in Southern California," he told us shortly after the shuttering of the Bear. "We always tried to hit the Bear when we were in California. There are so few places for a band of our size to play and now there's one big one gone. I think we'll probably have to skip Southern California now."

We haven't seen Bromberg since.

Singer-songwriter Jack Tempchin, who wrote "Peaceful Easy Feeling' and "Already Gone' for the Eagles, was similarly sad to see the club go.

"I hope the Bear starts up again somewhere," he said. "It's awful when a scene goes down; when a scene disappears."

Tempchin should've been more specific about his wish. A sort of ersatz Golden Bear reappeared in the jumbly shopping/entertainment complex that arose clumsily on the hallowed ground of the original club but it didn't even begin to follow in the footprints of the original Golden Bear and quickly disappeared without comment or regret.

Hippy Bertha Chez!

If there were awards for degrees of Weir Freaks, Chez would definately stand in a class all his own..
It takes one to know one...

..................................
So Pinky alludes to this Les Claypool-Electric Apricot-Bobby thing but Mazzy went to see the EA show at Sweetwater and no Bobby...Gotta wonder where AidIn Vaziri gets his scoops?
Maybe the internet?
........................................
So last night we had our own film festival in the den...Scott in a usual week has just Sunday & sometimes Wednesdaze off..So, 3 day weekends when Scott has 2 daze off in a row are the best!
Back when I first met Scotto, he and his cohorts rented beach houses down in Aptos and each year it was a 3 day party..and I do mean PARTY! That was before anyone was married and I was the only one with a kid ( I probably partied the hardest of all of them during my 3 day reprieve of responsibilities as that would be when the Boy Wonder spent the long weekends at his Dad's)...But where was I?
Oh Yeah, in celebration of staying up late and ruining/losing at least one day, we watched a bunch of movies...The first one was
'Merchant Of Venice" with Pacino-WOOF!! Deadwood primed us all season in listening closely, so our ear for Shakespeare was pretty good...Yum!
Then, we put on "Go Furthur" The Woody Harrelson movie and the first thing in there is BOBBY playing TOO at a bus stop. Yum!
Don't know what to make of the rest of the movie...Nice soundtrack! I couldnt figure out if the film was a documentary or scripted..it was interesting and there are familiar West Coastie people all through it...such as Kesey.. when "they" put together a movie on the life & times of Ken Kesey, I betcha it will Woody they hire to play him.

Next up was 'Coffee & Cigarettes" lots of dialog but we kept up though it was dragging on there for a bit..
Our final flick was 'The Big Lebowski" which got shut off about half way through...
Today or tonight we'll be taking kids to see Star Wars ..Final film right? I think I was still in high school when the first one came out? Or was that ET?
.............................
..............

WOOF!

Thank you Alan Hess for the photographs!




.............


..............
TOO COOL!

Three Day Weekend!

All the ((((Robins))) and all the (((Daves)))
Heeeeee!
.........

Surprising musical uses songs by the Grateful Dead
Updated: Friday, May. 27, 2005 - 4:43 PM


SAN JOSE, Calif. - The frothy pop of ABBA and the glossy nostalgia of the Beach Boys might be perfect for the New York stage, but a musical with songs from the Grateful Dead?


Though it may sound as likely as Robert Preston playing Hacky Sack, that's just what's planned by San Jose-born playwright Michael Norman Mann. "Shakedown Street," his new play featuring songs of the Grateful Dead's Jerry Garcia and Robert Hunter, will receive its world premiere at the New York International Fringe Festival on Aug. 12.


The musical spoofs gritty pulp novels and black-and-white detective movies of the 1940s with a reinterpretation of Dead favorites such as "Truckin'" and "U.S. Blues." Hunter, the Grateful Dead lyricist who worked closely with Jerry Garcia, also has written two new songs, in addition to dusting off and inserting four previously unreleased tunes, some written by Greg Anton of the group Zero.


"Shakedown Street," set in San Francisco in the summer of 1941, traces the contorted path of Duke Bishop, a down-in-the-dirt gumshoe who encounters a femme fatale lounge singer, a crooked judge, an oily political wannabe and a dishonorable cop while attempting to crack an art-theft ring.


"The Grateful Dead is a band that interprets these songs in one fashion, and Robert Hunter and I are interpreting them in another - for the stage," Mann says. "I feel Hunter is a poet, before a lyricist. I worked with the lyrics as poetry, rather than thinking about these as Grateful Dead songs."


Adds Hunter, "It's my hope that the songs stand on their own right. The Grateful Dead's performances were only one way to interpret them, possibly the best, but only one way."


Mann developed his collaborative relationship with Hunter while writing "Cumberland Blues," a dark, "Seven Brides for Seven Brothers"-style family drama set in a dying coal-mining town at the turn of the 20th century. The musical, which featured such Dead songs as "Touch of Gray" and "Friend of the Devil," had its world premiere at San Jose Stage Company in 1998 before moving to San Francisco later that year. Hunter also composed new material for that show.


"Shakedown Street" becomes the latest musical in a long line cobbling songs of pop artists into a stage show. The insanely popular "Mamma Mia," the ABBA jukebox-as-musical comedy, has lured fans of the group into theaters. Other productions include "Good Vibrations," the Beach Boys songfest; Billy Joel and Twyla Tharp's "Movin' Out"; and "Lennon," the musical tribute that premiered in San Francisco in April.


Since "Beatlemania" hit Broadway in 1977, playwrights and pop stars have teamed to showcase the music of everyone from shock rockers (Kiss) to cult bands (the Shaggs). But many of the shows were little more than revues. By contrast, "Shakedown" uses classic Grateful Dead songs to propel a plot. Though Mann is credited with the show's libretto, he and Hunter collaborated on several scenes designed to seamlessly introduce Hunter's new songs.


"Michael and Bob have done something so much more classical and original with the material that it would be hard to put `Shakedown Street' in the same category with jukebox musicals," says Alan Trist, manager of Ice Nine, the Grateful Dead's in-house publishing company, which licenses use of the band's material.


For Mann, the "Shakedown Street" project grows out of a lifelong love of the Grateful Dead, whose members came from such Palo Alto, Calif.-area groups as the Thunder Mountain Tubthumpers and Mother Macree's Uptown Jug Champions in the 1960s. Mann saw the Grateful Dead perform 50 times while studying theater arts at University of California-Santa Cruz and later living in San Jose. (He has since moved to Hollister, Calif.) "Shakedown Street" continues his creative relationship with Hunter, which still has him reeling.


"It's so satisfying to be able to create something for the person who has created so much for me over the years," Mann says. "Hunter and Garcia and the band gave me thousands and thousands of hours of music and good times. It's nice to be able to give a little bit of it back."

SHAKEDOWN STREET
Book by Michael Norman Mann
Music by Jerry Garcia and Robert Hunter
Where New York International Fringe Festival
When Aug. 12-28
Tickets $15; (888) 374-6436, www.FringeNYC.org
-
.............................................
Sweet pix Here
and there

And a link to Jerry's Birthday bash

Also a link to The 101 Report.com which has some info and a whole lotta links to jambase community...
...............................................

Friday June 3rd

At The Sweetwater!
The Waybacks!

On Friday, June 3rd, at 9:30 PM, the next edition of the monthly bluegrass series Bluegrass Gold will take place. The show is produced by Larry Carlin and Carltone Music, and co-sponsored by the Northern California Bluegrass Society. The headliner will be The Waybacks.
The Waybacks are back! Possessed of dazzling instrumental chops and an absolute mastery of acoustic musical styles, The Waybacks have taken North America by storm. Whether mesmerizing audiences at intimate venues or creating a sensation at major festivals, the band has brought its onstage alchemy to enthusiastic fans far and wide. From newgrass and western swing to jug band and jazz, from folk and fiddle music to improvisational excursions that defy categorization, Waybacks music is wild, energetic and unpredictable. With their stellar musicianship and innate sense of adventure, they stand in good company with the few bands at the forefront of New American acoustic music. Based in the San Francisco Bay Area, The Waybacks are Stevie Coyle, James Nash, Chuck Hamilton and Joe Kyle Jr. Fiddler Evan Price of the Turtle Island String Quartet will be sittin' in for this show.

"Gimme Shelter" Stabbing Case Finally Closed
More than 36 years after a fatal stabbing at a Rolling Stones concert at the Altamont Speedway near Livermore, authorities have finally closed their investigation.

Investigators have dismissed a theory that a second member of the Hells Angels motorcycle gang was involved in the stabbing of an 18-year-old man at the concert in December 1969. The incident gained legendary status after it was included in the documentary "Gimme Shelter."

Alan Passaro, a Hells Angels member who was hired by the Rolling Stones to provide security at the concert, was arrested for fatally stabbing 18-year-old Meredith Hunter.

Jurors acquitted Passaro, saying they believed he acted in self-defense because Hunter was carrying a gun and had pointed it at the stage where the Rolling Stones were performing. Passaro died in 1985.

In the years since, however, investigators had been looking into rumors that a second person actually inflicted the fatal wounds.

At the time the incident occurred, many people were shocked by the violence. The concert, which was promoted as a West Coast Woodstock, was free and drew 300,000 people to see the Rolling Stones as well as Jefferson Airplane and the Grateful Dead.

Early on, however, it became clear that the general sense of peace and fellowship that pervaded the Woodstock event was missing from Altamont. When the stabbing incident occurred, the Rolling Stones were performing but had been forced to abandon a number of songs because of scuffles in the crowd. In the documentary, Hunter can be seen emerging from the crowd just feet from the stage brandishing a gun. A number of Hells Angels, who had been hired for security, jumped from the stage and Passaro stabbed Hunter in the back.

Yesterday, a spokesman with the Alameda County Sheriff's Department said the office has performed an exhaustive investigation over the last two years. He said investigators used new technology to determine Passaro acted alone in the stabbing.


Story created 5/26/2005 - 11:15 AM       Last updated 5/26/2005 - 1:27 PM  
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Superfans Face Life After 'Star Wars'

By JAKE COYLE

This story ran on nwitimes.com on Friday, May 27, 2005 5:05 PM CDT
NEW YORK - Now that any die-hard "Star Wars" fan worth his lightsaber has seen "Episode III: Revenge of the Sith" at least once, what's a Jedi to do?
The end of the "Star Wars" movies leaves a gaping hole in the galaxy of geekdom. And it begs the larger question: Is the era of the superfan over?

No longer is there any variation of "Star Trek" on TV. Grateful dead essentially passed with Jerry Garcia, and even Phish is done now. The seminal pop-cult experience may be a thing of the past.
But not before this last "Star Wars" is wrung dry. Legions of stormtroopers, who now span at least two generations, have overrun theaters for the final installment, leading to the largest opening box office take ever: $50 million after one day, $158 million after four days.
It's possible "Revenge of the Sith" will eventually gross more than $400 million domestically _ maybe even overtaking "Phantom Menace" and the original "Star Wars" (without being adjusted for inflation) for second place behind "Titanic."
"I definitely think there will be repeat business. The transformation sequence of Anakin into Darth Vader just begs for repeat viewing. It's such a cinematic event," says Paul Dergarabedian, the president of Exhibitor Relations, the box office tracking firm.
But in a matter of months, fans won't be able to see Anakin's makeover on the big screen again.
Where will they go? What will they do?
"I guess the rest of will just get to know our families a little bit better," says James Coleman, 31, an enthusiast who had camped outside the Ziegfeld Theater in New York to see the first showing.
Though "Star Wars" will continue with two planned offshoot TV series, for the first time since 1977, there will be no movie to look forward to. Likewise, after 18 years of some variation of "Star Trek" TV shows, the May 13 finale of "Star Trek: Enterprise" was perhaps the last televised Klingon crusade.
Captain Kirk fans, many of whom expect a new show in the future, will now have to pass time working on their Trekkie portfolio.
"Obviously people will diversify," says Steve Krutzler, the editor of www.TrekWeb.com. "There's a lot of genre material out there now, much of it being produced by former `Star Trek' writers. It's not like people are going to all of a sudden stop being interested in 'Star Trek.'"
Of course, fanatics have often shown little need for anything as relevant as the passing of time. After all, there are still multiple "Wizard of Oz" conventions held annually. The "Star Wars" expanded universe" (novels, comic book, fan movies), will also keep the Jedi juices flowing for years to come.
These fans clearly express a different level of commitment.
"The people who do this suspend the normal rules of society," says Dr. Jerry M. Lewis, a sociology professor at Kent State University who has studied fan behavior. "Normally, you don't walk around dressed as Chewbacca or Darth Vader."
"Why do people do this? I have no idea, other than it gives them an identity," Lewis adds. "And I would guess, if we could generalize from die-hard soccer fans and die-hard Cubs fans, it gives them an identity that's greater than their personal identity."
If there's hope for a new legion of obsessives, it could come from Harry Potter. Just as "Star Wars" fans attend midnight premieres (apparently the designated hour of the superfan), Potter fans lines blocks for each new book at the witching hour.
One fan site, www.mugglenet.com, currently counts down the next installment, "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince," to the second.
But when "Star Wars" and "Star Trek" debuted decades ago, there was no expectation of collectibles, tie-ins, costumes or fan clubs. Like the Deadhead culture, each respective cult arose from the people, in a grassroots manner. Today, many sci-fi films open with a supporting system of merchandise that hopes to manufacture that larger cultural impact.
In music, although many jam bands and other types of musicians have extremely loyal fan bases, the industry capitalizes on such manic allegiance by charging for fan club memberships and aggressively pushing the merch, Grateful Dead style.
Could any new movie today really spawn the same dedication? Will hordes ever give up their jobs to follow a touring band from coast to coast _ parking lot by parking lot?
"Oh, yeah. It goes back into the middle ages," says sociologist Lewis of the age-old practice of fandom. "They had bear-baiting. They'd throw a live bear into a pit of dogs and they were fans of this. It's the same sociological mechanism."
"You and I can't think of anything to become a fan of, but the people who want to become fans may find something," he says. "It may even be, God forbid, Ms. Hilton."
On the Net:
"Star Wars" fan site: http://www.theforce.net
"Star Trek" fan site: http://www.trekweb.com/
"Wizard of Oz": http://www.ozclub.org/
A service of the Associated Press(AP)

The quick version...

05/21/05 ~ Ratdog - Marin Veterans Memorial Auditorium at Marin Center, CA.

A Benefit for Community Action Marin at the Marin Veterans Memorial Auditorium at Marin Center, with Shana Morrison and Caledonia.

Setlist: Jam > Fly Away > She Belongs to Me > Cassidy > Lazy River Road > Mississippi Half-Step > Big Railroad Blues > Lady with a Fan > Terrapin > Jam* > Dear Prudence > Cassidy > One More Saturday Night (*-w/out Bob)
..............................................................................................................
I know I'm a bad bad blogger- Not only did I forget to post my Phoenix review (It was a good show- loved the setlist and enjoyed hanging with so many ultimate Ratdog fans-some of the best energy!)..yeh, well I am also late on putting together my review of the San Rafael gig...and my review of MK & Buds doesnt seem very complete either...
Sorry I have to rush through this now- but let's see what I can post in the next few moments...Sorry if I already wrote some of this here...I'm too lazy to go back and look...
Bad-bad blogger!
......
I raced to San Rafael and in my total delirium, parked by the Meet & Greet "Green Room"...I was still clueless when the Green room door was locked up...and still confused to have walked 3/4 around the building without seeing or hearing another person...Somehow I managed to forget that I had missed Shana Morrison! Bummer! She's got a big voice for such a small woman! Anyhow and LOL at my wondering if I had the wrong building...Okay found the entrance and dashed inside to me front row center seat!
Within a few moments the guys all came out...I don't remember an opening jam but that I was happy and surprised to have a Fly Away! opener! And omigod, She Belongs to Me was next!!
I was sooooo happy!
But a little sad that the band was set up rather far back from the rail...
Looking around, everyone else looked smiley and into it too..
Cassidy & Lazy River Road up next...Very nice...Scott's been craving Mississippi/2 step and so up we went to try to dance..I was again sitting by Big Railroad Blues (woof! I love the train songs!).My back was pretty sore (from falling off the chair) and the stage was too low to lean on, I felt bad about having to sit down but then again, sitting in rockable chairs at the front was a rare and extrodinary experience..I felt very dowager duchess like..
I must say Terrapin mightve been my personal highlight for this gig (Though,Dear Pru was very pretty)..Partly because Sash has been talking about it and playing it A LOT and so this song seems to be the ONE that is turning her back on to the music Scott & I love..
And partly because it was so wonderfully performed (of course!)
Somewhere in there, Bobstar left the stage and the guys moved on to jam..at the beginning of the jam, Jay spoke into his mic something about Star Wars..which caused a ripple of cheers..Jam kept moving increasingly out there...and Bobby returned to the stage saying what I know some of us were thinking "Oh Please, stop it- youre scaring me!" He said it in a little teeny voice and those of us who caught it, got a nice laugh from it...
(((Bobby))) moved it along into that very pretty Dear Prudence...yum..back to Cassidy
and onto OMSN (Which had been playing on my car stereo as I pulled into San Rafael)
It was a fun OMSN....
Those guys did a great job and Bobby sounded perfect to me...
And I wished I couldve been up and dancing more...

.....

Happy Bob Day!

No kidding, It's Bob Day!
I think I'm gonna have to send out some cards!
Check it out!

Exactly what is a whirling Dervish?

Nevermind, I don't have time to figure that one out...
The penance for such a groovy weekend has been getting slammed with all sorts of end of the year things that must get done!
But even though I'm drowning in paperwork and such, I've still got this silly grin on my face...
I absolutely DO want to post more about the San Rafael & Sweetwater gigs...but today is passport day and I'm still tearing through my desk looking for all the very important papers I need to take with me to get the passports issued for mein kinder...
......
Have they already announced all 6 dates?
Will any of them be close to home...West of the Mississippi?
This is what I found from somewhere:

"Hornsby will finish out this month with shows in Boston (Saturday, May 27), Philadelphia (Sunday) and Princeton, N.J. (May 31). A solo show is scheduled for June 21 in Washington, D.C., with a full band tour opening July 15 in Henderson, Ky. That run will close in late August with a half-dozen co-headlining dates with Bob Weir & Ratdog."
.......
The Grateful Dead Movie on Public Television
June 2005

WPBA Atlanta, GA Thurs., June 2 8:00 PM  
KTCA Minneapolis, MN
Sat., June 4
7:00 PM  
KAET Arizona PBS Sat., June 4 9:00 PM  
KQED San Francisco Sat., June 4 10:30 PM  
KTCA Minneapolis, MN Sun., June 5 1:00 AM  
KTCA Minneapolis, MN Sun., June 5 7:00 PM  
VPT Vermont Public Television Tue., June 7 9:00 PM w/ David Lemieux 
WHYY Philadelphia Tue., June 7 9:30 PM  
WMHT Albany / Schenectady Thurs., June 9 7:30 PM  
KVIE Sacramento Thurs., June 9 8:00 PM  
KQED San Francisco Thurs., June 9 9:00 PM  
KCTS Seattle, WA Mon., June 13 8:00 PM w/ David Lemieux 
KCTS Seattle, WA Fri., June 17 10:00 PM w/ David Lemieux 
HoustonPBS Houston Sat., June 18 8:00 PM  
HoustonPBS Houston Sun., June 19 1:30 AM  
.........
Gotta have more Bobby and Doggy!!

Whoooooooooooooooosh!

What a night!

Had the privledge of catching Bobby & Wass at a private benefit before zooming over to the civic center to see Ratdog...
I'm still catching my breath!
The Bobby & Rob set was beautiful, the setting on what felt like a mountain top overlooking not just other mountain & hills, but also the bay and all the way to SF -the North Beach skyline was a stunning accompaniment...
As the nearly full moon rose on the still blue sky W/W opened with
Victim...
I almost had to pinch myself to be sure that I wasnt dreaming...
especially when the next song was THAT SONG I have been craving...Walking Blues...
It just got better and better..Masterpiece , Blackbird, El Paso brought cheers of approval from everyone followed by KC Moan & finally Friend of the Devil was played before I left to find my way to San Rafael...
Though my sister & her family & in laws live in Corte Madera & Mill Valley, I can only remember being driven around those parts- never drove myself but it wasnt as hard to figure out as I had feared...
I easily found the CC center - had missed out on Shana and the meet & greet but did get to my fantastic seat in time to hug some more usual & unusual suspects...
We are still pondering our great fortune in scoring front row Dead Bobby Center seats! I had been wondering how the front row/rail thing worked in that auditorium..Would folks be able to "rush the rail" or would security be tight? Ends up our seats were RIGHT on the rail - there was only a gap big enough to walk through, tween the stage & comfy upholstered bouncy seats. Sitting for most of the show (hurt my back falling off a chair on Friday) I was still able to lean on the stage - it was almost strange to not have someone pouncing on my side...or breathing down the back of my neck...lots of space...like Milton Keynes a bit...just a bit...
That's all I can write for the moment...
I had a glorious weekend...
((MK & Buds)) (((Wass))) (((Ratdog))) (((Bobby Weir)))
((((You, You, You)))

MK & Buds

The big problem with sucking down Diet Coke all night is that all that caffeine takes its toll when you finally do crawl into bed..body wiped out but mind still sputtering and spinning...and so we move on to day 2 of the big weekend bright and early...
...........
Left with Kemmie before 5pm...Light traffic all the way through the city and Marin...Sweetwater was full of regulars..We did the ritual of trying to figure out which would be the best seating arrangement and after taking over a table, the side bar stools we ended up sitting by Bob the taper for the show..
In the hours before a show, Sweetwater is just like a private party, if you're making use of yourself or buying drinks (diet coke) there is no line- just come on in..no line duty most of the time.
So, the hours before the show were spent schmooozin with all the usual and unusual suspects!
It was one of the best parties I've been to in months!! The backdrop of MK,Robin, Jimmy, JT buzzing through the room between set up chores stirred everyone up even more.
............
The performances were flat out stellar- absolutely hated for it to end!
Setlist ala Reisha:

------------------------------------------------------------------------
reisha m - 01:04pm May 21, 2005 PDT (#4157 of 4157)
we cant all & some of us dont. thats all there is to it. - eeyore

ok, sweetwater's setlist from last nite :

set 1:
playin w/ my friends
deal
rock yer papa
animal walk
dont let go
lazin/sunny afternoon
mister fantasy
ez wind
schoolgirl
hey pocky way
broke my babys heart

set2:
whats so funny ( bout peace etc)
down home girl
window shopping
noize
stranger to himself
takes a lot 2 laff ( takes a train 2 cry)
come up & see me
sugaree
on yr way down

this, from jts notes - i think maybe a coupla em got mixed round, or maybe i was out pokin smot, & there mita been a coupla tease-riffs of udder stuff in there, butt the thots i had on the way home ( actually, long b4 then) were - im really havin t' restrain mice elf from leanin over & lickin his fingers... i was that close, hehe! but fer shrue, it were a finger lickin good show!!!!

Ya know, it's gonna be one Helluva evening!

At last, Friday!
Weds & Thurs I had Parent-Teacher conferences with all the parents of my Sunflower & Rainbow Bear classes...I will sure miss these kids and families..Many of my Sunflower families have requested to the directors that their kids be placed in next Fall's Rainbow Bears class (another year with me!) I'm flattered and hope I get ALL of them again. So well yeah, the preparation and anxiety of conferences made this week just fly by!
Tonight, the plan is- fly over to Mill Valley with Kemmie to secure a primo table for tonight...Scott will amble over closer to showtime.
I'm a little fuzzy on the details for tomorrow but one way or another will end up in the Green Room @ Marin Civic Center around 6pm..
Gotta wash the YUKO out of my hair (it's so shiny, sleek and BLONDE (HA I'm a "blonde brunette" like JLo these daze)..and figure out what will be comfy to convort in..and head to an atm and weir outta here!
Have a groovily weekend - I'll check back in when I can!

woofin Wednesday!

Wow!
Already Wednesday is just about over!
A busy day for me...
Again more Yuko hair straightening for me- A 4 hour process but my hair is once again faboo..Also had a nice trim...the chems made the blonde streaks even lighter...this might be a sign that the world is about to end- I am at long last pleased with my hair!

Came home to bag guitars and bake cookies...Helped Scotto book his mini vacation reservations...Next week, I'll be working on the fammy vacation...we agreed on what we want to spend, where we want to go and found out when we can go..
In the meanwhile, lots of speculating over this Electric Apricot thing...some sez Bobby... nothing official..we shall see..

from the mij

o benefit nonprofit


By Beth Ashley


ROCK STARS are rock stars, and nonprofit agencies tend to live way out of the spotlight, so it's a happy moment when the two get together.

Bob Weir and Shana Morrison will perform in concert Saturday at the Marin Center to raise money for Community Action Marin.

Weir was led to Community Action Marin by his friend, actor Peter Coyote, who did the voice-over for a video on the agency, which serves Marin's poor.

"I checked it out and it sort of rung my bell," Weir says. As father of children ages 3 and 7, "I was particularly inspired by CAM's child development program."

"People like Bobby get a lot of requests to do benefits," says Morrison, "and usually they have no idea where the money's going to go, so they'll send a contribution instead of saying 'yes.' It's a lot easier."

Weir, a singer and guitarist, agrees that if he said "yes" to all the requests, "I'd never eat, never sleep, never get anything done."

Still, over the years, "I've done a bunch of them," a kind of pay-back for his personal good fortune, he says

"Life has been pretty damn good to me. I'd feel awful if I didn't respect that. I play music because I need to and I want to, and I do benefits because I care."

Morrison, the 35-year-old daughter of rock great Van Morrison and a celebrity draw on her own, will join Weir onstage.

"We hope to make a big chunk of money," says Gail Theller, executive director of CAM - as much as $65,000 after expenses.

Lord knows CAM can use every cent.

"Our money from the state and the feds is being cut way back," she says, and the agency - which runs programs serving needy kids, the mentally ill, people with alcohol problems, those coping with AIDS - is feeling the pinch.

"We have a waiting list for our AIDS food pantry," Theller says. "We have had to close a classroom or two in our child-care programs, which serve 600 kids. And we have a $100,000 debt at the Helen Vine Detox Center."

Not that Theller is gloomy: the money seems to come from somewhere, somehow.

"Gail's not into closing programs," says CAM developent director Ron Hamel. "When there's a shortfall, she sends us into the trenches."

It was Hamel who called Weir, and Weir's agent Cameron Sears, who in turn suggested Morrison,who had opened for him once before.

They're both looking forward to the gig.

Morrison will sing several songs from her 2002 CD, "Seven Wishes," and a couple she has written for her next one, including "Jupiter Jones."

"Women seem to love 'Jupiter Jones,'" Morrison says. "It's about a woman madly in love trying to convince this guy he should be with her."

She'll be accompanied by her own band, Caledonia, which will include Chris Collins on guitar and Austin Dalpne on keyboard, both from Marin.

Weir, who returned last week from a 20-city eastern tour with his band RatDog, says he has no idea what he will play. "We have a terribly large repertoire. On tour we gave a three-hour show every night and it was a couple of weeks before we repeated ourselves."

Weir spoke by phone from his home in Mill Valley, where he has lived for the past 30 years.

He is, of course, vintage Marin, part of the home-grown and perennially popular Grateful Dead, which broke up in 1995 after the death of Jerry Garcia. He is probably the band's most visible survivor, touring regularly and making CDs.

He has always been generous with his talents, and serves on the boards of two charitable foundations - the Rex Foundation and the Further Foundation, which he started to support work on child development and the environment.

Why the interest in child development? "It's the future," he says.

Morrison is also a regular donor to community events. She and Caledonia reguarly raise money for Meals on Wheels in L.A. and a camp for sick kids run by the Taylor Family Foundation in the East Bay.

When she's not performing, she teaches Pilates at two health studios, one in San Francisco, the other (Straight and Narrow) in Mill Valley. She learned about Pilates when she sought treatment for her knees, weakened from ballet and gymnastics when she was a youngster. She practices Pilates now "to keep balance in my life" - away from the rigors of performing.

Between albums now, she performs mostly on weekends.

Morrison began performing 11 years ago, when her famous dad invited her to join his Rhythm and Soul Revue. Her dad, a former Fairfax resident, lives in England now, but visits Mill Valley from time to time, and "sometimes we sing together."

Weir and the other surviving members of the Grateful Dead - Mickey Hart, Phil Lesh, Bill Kreutzmann - have performed periodically as The Dead.

At Community Action Marin, Theller is thrilled about the concert, which she expects will be a godsend to her agency.

"It's the first time any of the big-name musicians in the county have volunteered to help us out. It feels like we've come of age," she says.

"I grew up listening to the Grateful Dead and Shana's dad, so it's nice to see the circle close."

Tickets for the Saturday concert are selling quickly. Obtainable through the Marin Center Box Office, 472-3500, they cost from $35 to $150. The $150 ticket includes a pre-concert reception with Morrison and musicians from Ratdog and Caledonia, although Weir may not make it on time.

He'll be in Mill Valley before and after the concert, doing a benefit for another charity of his choice: the Waldorf-inspired Greenwood School, which his children attend.

Talk about payback.

The Grateful Dead to Open the Vault Online; Account Awarded to BIG Interactive
                     



40 Years Worth of Memorabilia Soon to be Made Available on the New Dead.net

LOS ANGELES, May 17 /PRNewswire/ -- BIG INTERACTIVE, a Los Angeles based
Digital Marketing agency, today announced that it has been selected by
Grateful Dead Productions, curators and gatekeepers of all things "Dead," to
redesign their official online website. The win comes after an extensive
multi-agency review.
It was critical for us to work with an agency that understands the legacy
of The Grateful Dead, where we see our website going, the music, and most
importantly the fans themselves," said Cameron Sears, CEO of the Grateful Dead
Productions.
The band's current site has been, since its grass-roots launch in 1995,
one of the most-trafficked band sites on the Web. BIG is planning an
innovative, user-friendly re-imagination of the site that will showcase
exclusive, never-before-seen content from The Grateful Dead's rich vault of
audio and video recordings, promotional material, and private items such as
hand-written lyrics. The revamped dead.net will launch late summer of 2005.
"We are thrilled to be awarded this win. This is a once in a lifetime
opportunity to work with such a legendary band. We're huge fans ourselves,"
commented Matt Minkin, CEO of BIG Interactive.

ABOUT BIG INTERACTIVE
BIG Interactive, http://www.BIGInteractive.com, is an award winning digital
marketing agency providing Marketing, Creative and Technology solutions to its
clients on Web, Wireless and Broadband platforms. Based in Los Angeles, the
agency has launched interactive campaigns for world-class brands that include
FOX Cable, Suzuki, Universal Pictures, Motor Trend, Anschutz Entertainment
Group, FX Networks, KB Home, E! Television and Kellogg's.


SOURCE BIG Interactive
Web Site: http://www.biginteractive.com

------------------------------------------------------------------------
Still more stuff to buy!
Love those dvds!
"Night At The Family Dog"

shopEMI price: $16.89 CDN
Availability:
NOT IN STOCK: This product is not in stock. We hope to be able to make this product available within one to five weeks.
UPC: 80121 30122 9 9
Expected Release Date: June 28, 2005
Label: Eagle Vision, Genre: Pop, Subgenre: Rock, Format: DVD Video,


TRACK LISTING

1. Santana - Incident At Neshabur
2. Santana - Soul Sacrifice
3. The Grateful Dead - Hard To Handle
4. The Grateful Dead - China Cat Sunflower
5. The Grateful Dead - I Know You Rider
6. Jefferson Airplane - The Ballad of You And Me And Pooneil
7. Jefferson Airplaine - Eskimo Blue Day
8. A Super Jam - Featuring members of all 3 bands!

Filmed on location at the Family Dog Ballroom in San Francisco in September, 1970, the show captures the diversity of the San Francisco sound with three of the most well known bands to emerge from the scene: Santana, who would release their second album at the end of 1970; The Grateful Dead, who were making a name for themselves with their jam-filled performances and includes original band member Ron “Pigpen” McKernan; and Jefferson Airplane, who were at the time the biggest of the bands from the area.

Noted jazz columnist Ralph J. Gleason took note of the exploding rock music scene and produced several television specials and documentaries spotlighting the music emerging from San Francisco. A Night At The Family Dog is one part of a two-part series (the other is Go Ride The Music) that aired on The National Educational Television Network in 1970.

The audio for this program has been extrapolated up to Stereo and 5.1 Surround Sound mixes from their original mono source! This hour long show has never sounded or looked so good!

Monday Monday

WOOHOOO! A new GD DVD! Check it out!!!
...........
Re: Saturdaze Pre Show Reception @ The Marin Civic Center~
I called MAC and spoke with Russ (what a sweetie!)
Reception opens around 6pm...
in
The Green Room
No host bar but catered food things..
Russ was fairly sure about the other band members stopping in..and told me that if Bobby does come by, it will be very brief...

Tickets will be checked..
See ya there!
.........
WOOF!

So..

Late yesterday afternoon, Scott calls in a frantic hurry to tell me

"Don't have my cell-ya gotta tell Tim & Linda to go to Mystic tonight!! The guy from..with the voice..Northern Exposure..is playing..was just HERE!!! with some guys...Tell Linda two passes for the show will be waiting for them TONIGHT at willcall..gottagoseeyouathomebye"

Hunh?
The guy on Northern Exposure with the voice?
Hmmmmmmmmmm, Oh Yummy! Chris was the charactor's name! What a hottie!!
I LOVED that charactor!
LOVED HIM!
I rack my brain to remember his name - I have to google the TV show to find out what it is
Doh!
I can't find Linda's number and my cell phone is dead..Tim & Linda live out by the Mystic and I'm glad Scott thought of them..
So I email her to tell her to go see that guy from "My Big Fat Greek Wedding" since Linda's a big movie nut...
I'm not sure she would know him as "Chris"
Linda emails me back that She can't believe I didnt mention him from "Sex in the City"!!!
I guess He's her "Aiden"...(I'm more of a "Mr Big" fan
She'll talk to Tim..

Finally Scott is home to reveal all he knows-which isnt a lot except that one of the guys that he came in with was a friend of one of Scott's cousins..they were poking around the Mission and came in to say hello..that John looked like any head walkin through the Mission- long haired with a beard thing...rather real..Scott recognized the voice (all those voiceover commercials) before he knew who he was chatting with...
Bet he sings real nice..
Hopefully Linda will give me a big fat review..




Mona's Ratdog photos!

We bad

For a single moment Scott did consider going out to SF..but 10 ish (more like 10:30ish) is just too late for my guitar selling hero..Next time, we'll figure it out earlier and just spend the night in SF. Scott's family keeps a furnished apt vacant for such occasions..we never use it except to hang out in before a show...At any rate, I see numerous Kenny Brooks dates coming fast & furious in the next couple months- hoping though that a few more ABC Soup things get tossed out too-I really like that band...even though I fell into a lethargic lump and didnt get myself up there last night...ay!
.............................
Since when is Steve Miller the AntiChrist?
I can forgive him anything for giving me that big ole Jetliner song...The song along with Hotel California was part of the soundtrack of my epic camping through Europe 1977 experience (irenie gets lost in thoughts of prekaroake campfire performances starring jagermeister, cheap red wine & there always being that Aussie around with a supply of hashish infused cigarettes).
Spreakin of the pompatus of love
.............................
Okay dokay- Ive got chocolate guitars waiting to be created-
Have a groovy weekend!!!

It's a nice evening out here...a little chilly but I have no problem with that..
Not sure if I'm gonna make it out to Clement...Waiting to hear from a friend..Scott can't go out so late cuz he's gotta work tomorrow (Hey- he sold 5 guitars today).
......................
How much would you pay for Jerry & Bobby's old autographs?
..............
Sigh...More East Coasty Ratdog - this time opening for "Some-people-call-me-Maurice" in Boston
.................

Almost Friday!

Busy Busy!
Lots going on with end of the school year activities!

May is the best-at least my favorite month for teaching preschool...We've got Mother's Day and caterpillars>chrsalis>butterflies! Also, there is the Jewish holiday of Shavuot which we celebrate by eating Dairy products(I kid you not!) We be making ice cream..

On top of that -there's all the imminent fun and excitement of the upcoming and the anticipated upcoming Bobby/Ratdoggies events! Whew!

Scotto & I are starting to plot out our trip to Netherlands & UK. We are considering a third destination...Ireland? Germany?
Maybe a few daze on the way home- somewhere just like NYC ?
Or maybe...maybe...just maybe
Atlantic RATDOG city!

And then Scott has this new notion of remodeling most of the kitchen and dining room...
There's just too much going on!
...................
The answer is ...
........
{{{Goldie Rush}}}

Where can I find a cheap flight to Kentucky?

>On their way to the Bonnaroo Festival where they
>will play on Sunday, June 12, Bob Weir and RatDog
>will play the following shows:
>
>Wednesday, June 8 at the Madison Theatre,
>Covington, KY. Doors open at 7:00 PM. Show time is 8:00 PM.
>All ages welcome.
>General admission: Mail order tickets are available at
>$30.50 per ticket.
>
>Thursday, June 9 at Promowest Pavilion, Columbus OH.
>Doors open at 8:00 PM. Show time is 9:00 PM.
>All ages welcome.
>General admission: Mail order tickets are available at
>$30.50 per ticket.
>
>First day to mail in for these 2 shows will be Wednesday,
>May 11.
>
>Tickets are available for all other RatDog shows in
>San Rafael, CA, St. Louis, MO, and New York, NY.
>Please check our web site for details.
>===============
>

everbody's working for the weekend....

Alphabet Soup Friday night!
Last Day Saloon 10pm
........

Free Peoples
David Gans
Thursday, May 12, 9:00 pm
$10

Ashkenaz
1317 San Pablo Avenue, Berkeley CA
510-525-5054

www.ashkenaz.com
www.dgans.com
.............Reminder!!!!!.......................

This Saturday, May 14, 2005:
A Benefit for Conservation Value with
The Everyone Orchestra/Ten Mile Tide
Featuring members of ALO, The Disco Biscuits, Samantha & The Ritual, Jambay, Henry Kaiser, Cecil "P-Nut" Daniels, Special Guests, VERY Special Surprise Guests Possible...
Guest Speaker: Kevin Danahar - Co-Founder, Green Festivals, Global Exchange
The Independent, San Francisco
Tickets: $15 GA
Benefit-Priced VIP Tickets: $50-100*
*Information on VIP Ticket Luxuries here: http://www.jambase.com/search.asp?eventID=307395
THIS SHOW WILL SELL OUT-- GET YOUR TICKETS NOW: http://www.ticketweb.com/user/?region=sfbay&query=detail&event=597082
Thanks Bud!

Monday..

Hope it was an enjoyable Mother's Day Weekend for yas..
It was nice to see my folks again.
They totally enjoyed Asia...Especially Shang Hai & Tokyo..
Next month, my dad is taking on Africa with his friends..YIKES!
........................
Oh hey Kingfish
.......................
..I was playing with some search features and found myself back at this fellow's Grateful Dead blog. Glad to see he's keeping up in there!
......................
Missing Bobby songs?
Look HERE
...................

Happy Mother's Day!

BohemeMom and Me, 1964 Golden Gate Park

my hot&hip mama about 1971...

Momsy in 2004..
We don't always understand each other but the love is there and the bond is primal...
She is only 18 years older than I am..so parts of our growing up experiences overlap.
She is an amazing athlete and a great friend to many.
She is an uber Libra..Loves beautiful things and beautiful places.
She can be relentlessly demanding when motivated.
There's almost no physical resemblence between us.
But, I'd like to think I've at least gotten my sense of humor from her..
I love ya, Mom!

Happy Hippy Heppy Mother's Day!
So far- So good!
Despite a massive all nighter rain storm, They took off for baseball..But not til the breakfast in bed was served to me not in bed but, where else - At the computer! I'm finishing this blog, then swirling downstairs to set up the sewing machine-the urge is big to get those tops finished

Do you want to play a game?
One of a few new links I ran across lately...
...................
So nu?
Again - a housefull of kids, so I'm stuck here..just for today-tomorrow Scott's taking ours out to Pac Bell (or is it SBC? I can't keep up) for the game...
Anyhow, can't complain, the kids are mellow and I've got my sewing machine set up, Some lovely fabric for shirts are cut (theyve been waiting to be made for months)some new shows downloaded and in a few moments, I'll put it all together and churn out a half dozen tops at once. See, I only use one pattern but am pretty good at altering the one pattern -varying the neckline, sleeve styles, adding extra stuff. the main thing is that the gament has some 'swing' to it.... I collect fabrics...and wait til the urge strikes then cut all the pattern pieces at once..Then wait til the next urge strikes and sew everything at once...Once I ran out of time and had 4 shirts each needing just the sleeves and hems put in..what can I say, that's my method...
.....................
Just another Crazy weather Spring Saturday-one moment rain the next sunshine..back & forth like that....
Enjoying the lull before the next wave of email alerts, music, bands, trips up to SF and or rushes across the GG bridge...maybe even more houseguests (hope so!)??
It seems friends have concerns about the increasing popularity of Ratdog.
Once that VH1 thing hits...ay yi yi!
I guess we'll have to get used to the idea of bigger venues (though, I'd rather seen multiple nights in one venue-in case anyone out there is paying attention-and if you are out there, how about getting on with this summer's tour or not schedule?)
But Hey!
I'm proud of those guys and especially for my Bobstar.
Welcome home Doggies!!
..........
My new shows have been burned and so off to the machines I shall go!

Nice David Gans interview/article!
Go David Go!

  
Posted on Fri, May. 06, 2005

Police ask band's fans for help finding missing student

MARK SCOLFORO
Associated Press


HARRISBURG, Pa. - Police searching for a missing college student who disappeared last month in New York have sought help finding him from fans of the band Ratdog.

A Maryland State Police corporal posted a message Thursday night on www.ratdog.org asking for leads in the search for Patrick M. Welsh, a 22-year-old York College student who was last seen at the Harrisburg train station April 15.


"We received an unconfirmed tip that he was at a recent concert and may be following (the) band," wrote Cpl. Jeffrey Tanzola with the state police's criminal investigative section in Westminster, Md.

Welsh's cellular phone was used April 18 in New York by John Dennis Koppinger, a homeless man who called his father to say he was OK and had found the phone.

Koppinger, who was arrested Tuesday in New York and held on unrelated warrants, was questioned and is not considered a suspect in Welsh's disappearance, said Maryland State Police Sgt. Thornnie Rouse. Koppinger found the phone in an area of the Bronx where homeless people live under a bridge, Rouse said.

"We're back to square one as far as locating Patrick Welsh," Rouse said Friday.

Welsh's friends and family say he is a fan of jam bands such as Ratdog and spent time last summer touring with the All Mighty Senators.

The posting on the message board for Ratdog, the band headed by former Grateful Dead rhythm guitarist Bob Weir, generated dozens of responses. Ratdog performed at the Beacon Theater in New York April 15-16.

"I think I talked to him as I was walking to the April 16th show," wrote someone who posted under the name Willow Sky. "I was walking alone and a guy looking a lot like him saw my Ratdog T-shirt and started talking about the tour and what songs he thought they'd play that night."

Happy Happy Happy!

JP!
& to Aerin!
& to My little niece Lucy!!!
........................
Hippy Ratdog Anniversary to Kenny Brooks (new blog entry- expect everyone's checked that out!)
So, it's 5 on 05/05/05?!
......................
All this celebrating and it's still Cinco De Mayo!
Gonna have to blast some of that Tequila(>Silvio)
WOOF!

Well, while some of us are still hoping for a UK Tour involving Jemimah Puddleduck if not RatDog, MK's Puddleduck Buddy is going to be UKing it...Here's his post off Deadnet-

"Bob Gross - 12:08pm May 3, 2005 PDT (#4105 of 4105)

I really hate to miss the Sweetwater gig, but to anyone in the U.K. interested, I'll be at the Emmbrook Sports and Social club on Lowther road in Wokingham on May 20th, The Meadow House in Berwick Upon Tweed on the 21st, The Rotteredam Bar in Belfast North Ireland on the 24th,the Blues on the Bay festival in Warrenpoint N.I. from the 26th through the 30th at various venues, and the Castlebar Blues fest in Castlebar,Ireland from June 3rd through June 6th also at various venues. I'd love to meet some U.K. "Duckheads" if anyone can make it. I'll be playing with Shawn Jones, a very talented singer, guitarest,songwriter.
  I know on the 20th of May my heart will be in Mill Valley California though."
.................
..................
While no evidence of where the Ratdog will be ALL Summer, Bruce Hornsby has been heard (at his shows) mentioning that he'll be co headlining with the guys for some shows this Summer...Wish I were a bigger BH fan but whatchagonnado? We'll wait a few weeks more to hear what's up but then we really are taking our kids abroad and so must start buying tix and other plans. Perhaps we will take Sash to see her Coldplay in Amsterdam. Looking over at Brucie's website, looks like there will be (if Doggy IS along) some nice venues not too far from home to take off to..I am not working nor carpooling this Summer sooooooo...!
.................
.................
Found some pix over at The Dizzy Planet
This made me chuckle :o)

The Grateful Dead are up for some Demmy awards- nope, never heard of the Demmies (Makes me a DemmyDummy) but you can look into it
HERE.
.............
..............
Oy...
Thank you to the fellow in Ohio for the shows- Please e-mail or pm me!! I am blanking out on which website we mustve connected on & I don't recognize the name/addy on the envelopes.. (doh)
.................
Girlies left this morning for Yosemite...They were here just long enough to fall in love with the town..No doubt they will enjoy Yosemite, the desert and Las Vegas too. If Ratdog or MK's bands or ABC had been in town (Hey, Gigs are up on Kenny's calender), I bet they never wouldve left. So fun to see them both again... We'll see them in London in just a few months.
.....................
.................

GUILTY PLEASURES four-city tour-ette!

Guilty Pleasures is David Gans, guitar and vocals; Klyph Black of Zen
Tricksters, bass and vocals; Rob Barraco of Phil Lesh and Friends and
The Dead, keyboards and vocals; Barry Sless of the David Nelson Band
and Phil Lesh and Friends, guitar and pedal steel; Adam Perry, drums;
and surprise guests.

Thursday, May 5, 8:30 pm: The Invitational at Sweetwater, 153 Throckmorton
Ave., Mill Valley CA. $5. 415-388-2820

Friday, May 6, 9:00 pm: Six Rivers Brewery, 1300 Central Ave., McKinleyville
CA. $15 (21+). 707-839-7580

Saturday, May 7, 8:00 pm: Lalo's in Mt Shasta City CA. 530-641-4099. Positive
Productions

Sunday, May 8, 5:00-8:00 pm: Ace in the Hole Cider Pub, Sebastopol CA (David
Nelson replaces Barry Sless)
...........................................
...........................................
Highly recommend listening to the latest Closet Deadhead podcast- got some rarely heard GD songs..I'm listening to not Bobby but Jerry singing "She Belongs To Me"...Wow..

05/01/05 ~ Magic City Music Hall - Johnson City, NY

Doors: 6:00pm Show 8:00pm (17 thru 21 year olds welcome accompanied by guardian)

I: Jam > Lady with a Fan > Terrapin > Jam > Jack Straw* > Jam > Dark Star > Lazy River Road > Odessa, West L.A. Fadeaway > Scarlet Begonias
II: Me and My Uncle@4 > Corrina@, When I Paint My Masterpiece@ > Mississippi Half-Step > Samson and Delilah > Jam+ > Dear Prudence At a Siding > Terrapin Flyer > Dark Star > Foolish Heart
E: Brokedown Palace (*-w/ Jay rap; +-starting w/ just Jay and KB (percussion) then all but Bob and MK)
..............................................
...............................................

AND in regard to the Farm School Private party, Here's a post from Debess of Deadnet:

Debess - 07:38am May 2, 2005 PDT (#18122 of 18207)
black dirt live again!

tomorrow night's benefit for The Farm School

I have a very slight connection to this school. A friend of mine works there, and my son and his class spent a week there, twice.

when I was helping to arrange the field trip, my friend sent me brochures, and imagine my surprise to see the Board of Directors included John Perry Barlow and Bob Weir! She's not a Deadhead, and had no idea who they are, couldn't understand my excitement 8-)

The guy who runs it, Ben, is a childhood friend of Bobby's. Bobby has been helping them raise funds with these musical events for a few years now.

I'm not sure, but I think that tomorrow night is for "big" donators (i.e. no tickets for us riff-raff). I've donated in the past, but guess not big enough to get an invite!!

This has been an annual event for a number of years - if you can't get into this year's, maybe contact Ben and find out what you'd have to do to get an invite in the future??

It IS a good cause - the farm school is for children, and they have dorms there where classes of children come for a week and learn about farming, hands on. All good organic methods (of course!) They have summer camps, I think for underprivileged kids. They sell their organic foods to local people and in Boston.
.......................
.........................

I was just starting to get familiar with the new Chat Room at Ratdog.org yesterday, when the call came from the girlies...They had made it to Golden Gate Park, Muir Beach, Mt Tam, The Haight and were phoning from Chinatown.
One can NOT come to SF without spending an evening in North Beach..it should be a law...Scott, kids and I told the girls to meet us in an hour in front of
The Stinking Rose....
Our first choice would've been our beloved Tommaso's, but of course, It would be closed on Sunday....
The hour gave the girls just enough time to walk over (Chinatown butts right into North Beach) and dig into
City Lights Bookstore.
Dinner was more than filling...though I had hoped we would cross the street to Steps of Rome Caffe get espresso and watch the waiters flirt outrageously with all the women (it's what they're notorius for ) We were simply too full to sit. We waddled up a few streets before stopping at the old Italian bakery (Mara's) to purchase a box of Italian pastries & cannoli to go. As ever before the little place had bunches of people lining up.
Several years ago, we were out with another couple and bought up a huge array of stuff, as we were dividing and trying out all the yummies, Wavy Gravy (who happened to be striding down the street) came on over to our outdoor table(somewhere I have a photo of this) and ATE my ..my..well I don't know what it's called but it looked like a little chocolate mountain...

mmmmm-Mara's Italian pastries!
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More info on North Beach can be found HERE Now come visit!
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MAY DAY! Just a few weeks til we get our Doggy!

A little something about tonight's venue.

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04/30/05 ~ Electric Factory - Philadelphia, PA

Electric Factory website

I:Here Comes Sunshine > The Music Never Stopped > She Belongs to Me > Easy Answers > Senor, Fly Away > Bury Me Standing > Silvio > Tequila > Silvio > Tequila > Silvio
II: The Winners@4 > Black-Throated Wind@ > Tomorrow Never Knows > Uncle John's Band > Supplication Jam > The Other One > Jam* > The Other One Jam > Standing on the Moon, St. Stephen > The Eleven > Not Fade Away
E: A Hard Rain's A-Gonna Fall4>5>6 > One More Saturday Night
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I'm just getting online but the few reviews I've read are nice and positive!!
Here's one from Dot orger, muzikmark:
The Show !! I'm sure by now most of you have seen the set list so I'll focus on the band and atmosphere. I ended up dead center in front of Bobby behind one guy. That's the first time I'd been that close and I really had a blast. The energy the band was putting out from the opener straight through the show was INTENSE, for lack of better terms. These guys are absoluely phenomenal. The hype built up around this show, in my opinion, was matched and surpassed !! Bobby was balls to the wall jammin', spacey, and soulful ALL night long. Mark Karan has reached a plateau in my musical spirit I thought no-one could reach after Jerry. He was smiling and laughing and so great musically it just blew me away. Robin, Kenny, Jeff and Jay as well were all looking at each other and smiling the entire night. They have that magic that's been missing from other incarnations !!! The only negatives were a couple drunk idiots who obnoxiously were pushing people out of the way and bitching at people as they were trying to muscle their way to the stage. About every 20 or 30 minutes a drunk would cause a rucus in an otherwise happy peaceful crowd. The happy people won out by sticking together and moving the drunks along their way without incident. (SEE !!!? It can be done !!)
To those of you I met, I hope to see you again this summer. To those I haven't met yet....I hope to meet you soon !! I had a blast and would definately go back to this venue again !! (I'll be wearing my home made Ratdog.org shirt all summer.)
What a GREAT show !!! Peace Folks ------------Mark
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The girls are here! They arrived early enough in the day (yesterday) that we were able to go into the Mission and visit Scott at the shop. Afterwards we poked around Valencia Street in search of food..Sengalese, Ethiopian, you name it-there's a cheap restaurant that serves it in the Mish. The girls are veggy and so it was a late but delicious lunch at Herbivore.
I left the girls to continue their explorations and to catch a ride back home with Scott...
Spent the evening drinking wine, listening music and telling stories...It's so nice to spend 3-d time with them...It's been about 2 years..though it seems more like 2 weeks since we did the UK tour with them...Today they are off to check out more of SF..will see them later- maybe drive up to Columbus Street or the Haight for dinner...
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