Wednesday, May 31, 2006

Oh man, don't tell me you missed the interviews and songs (Weirbacks included!)
Hopefully you can listen now @
KPFA archives

Woof!


Someone asked on one of the websites for Weir sauce recipes. I guess the old Ashley foods or whoever was handling Bobby's sauces has changed or taken down the recipe site.
Here's my dessert entry. Yes, dessert...I chose a category where creativity counts and managed to sneak in as a third place winner! Won tix, passes and a cool tee shirt. Here goes:


Is that too teeny to read? It will open up larger if you click on it.
..................
It's Wednesday and I'm finally almost nearly done with a ton of stuff I've been doing.
Things can sure build up but in a few weeks, my school year will be up and I will have all Summer to play (and carpool kids around). Hoping to get out to a show or two or three...Waiting on if there's anything Bobby going on in August. Not only would that be the time my kids go to assorted sleep away camps but then there would be some fun to look forward to. No Europe adventures planned for this Summer - having the kitchen and dining room joined to make one big room with all new appliances. Also moving the laundry room to a different part of the house. I'll really want to be outta here while some of that is going on. Weir better than some place I've never been before on tour?
In the meanwhile, here is a link to some photographs from the Leahy benefit. I'm proud to say the pictures are by dear Mr cousin Bud!!

The weather is beautiful. I'm in a great mood (heh, it was pay day ) and to top it off- Bobby & MK are going to be on KPFA TONIGHT!!
Yes! I'm stoked! I am planning on painting. It's been about a month since I've done any arts/crafts beyond beads and now that things aren't as hectic as they have been, I'm gonna really enjoy listening to those guys while painting. YAY!
For more info on tonight- please go to the links on my sidebar------------->>>>
and click on GDhour logblog.

Saturday, May 27, 2006

Grateful Dead Takes Up Political Cause
May 25th - 9:01am
Mark Segraves, WTOP Radio

WASHINGTON - For more than four decades the Grateful Dead has been playing music associated with the counter culture. Now the band is raising money for Sen. Patrick Leahy's Green Mountain Political Action Committee.

Leahy, D-Vt., says the Grateful Dead and politics aren't such an odd couple.

"You'd be amazed at the number of Deadheads there are in Washington," Leahy tells WTOP. "It's gotten so there's not enough fun in politics these days, and this is a way we can do something everybody can enjoy."

So what does the senator, who was first elected in 1974, have in common with the Dead?

"Their sense that we have one planet and we're not taking very good care of it and we've got to do a better job. That resonates with me and it certainly resonates in Vermont," Leahy says.

The Dead's Bobby Weir sat down and chatted with WTOP about the need for people to support good politicians and to participate in the government.

"This is very critical," Weir says. "We're losing our democracy. If you can't see that, you're not looking very hard."

The guitarist says playing politics is in keeping with the band's music.

"The message tonight is I'm doing my part to try to take back our government before the fascist assholes lock it up. And they're not going let it go. They're going to lock it up and they're going to keep it.

"Pat Leahy is a wonderful human being as well as a good politician, not an evil politician like some of those guys. It's my job as a citizen to do what I can to support these people."

Weir, who's been coming to Capitol Hill for years, says his fans could have a great impact if they got involved.

"If every deadhead in the state of Florida had gotten off his ass and voted in the 2000 election this would be a very different world today," he says.

But don't look for Weir, a member of the Dead since 1965, to run for office.

"I'm not going to run for office then I wouldn't be able to play. Being to play for people is something that I think is important."

(Copyright 2006 by WTOP. All Rights Reserved.)

Friday, May 26, 2006

Voter Reg Org Headcount Launches MidTerms Matter Tour
Friday, May 26, 2006
Dave Matthews Band, O.A.R., and former members of Phish and the Grateful Dead are among the artists participating in the "Midterms Matter Tour," a multi-city voter registration campaign staged this summer by the non-profit, nonpartisan organization HeadCount.

HeadCount registered nearly 50,000 voters in 2004, more than any all-volunteer group in the United States. This year, the organization aims to bring voter participation back to the forefront by reminding young people that "Midterms Matter," referring to the midterm elections in which one-third of the Senate and all seats in the House of Representatives are up for re-election.

More than 30 major concerts and events will be part of the tour, including the giant Bonnaroo Festival in Manchester, Tennessee in June as well as a two-day festival in August on New York City's Randall's Island headlined by Dave Matthews Band. The first event with a Headcount presence will be Summercamp, a three day festival from May 26 - May 28 in Chillicothe, Illinois featuring headliners Umphrey's McGee, moe. and The Disco Biscuits.

Other artists participating include veteran Southern rockers The Allman Brothers Band, Trey Anastasio and Mike Gordon (formerly of Phish) featuring the Benevento-Russo Duo, Gov't Mule, moe. and String Cheese Incident. Ratdog, fronted by former Grateful Dead guitar player Bob Weir, and Phil Lesh and Friends, starring the Dead's former bass player, are also part of the Midterms Matter Tour.

"Democracy seems to be slipping away from us year by year," said Weir, a member of HeadCount's board of directors. "The only true way to fight against that is with our votes, while we still have a chance."

At each event, teams of volunteers will register voters while major concert acts will encourage all their fans to vote in November. The artist activities will range from stage announcements to special branding of concerts to media interviews. Sometimes, they'll even go into the crowd to register voters themselves.

Marc Brownstein, bass player for the popular electronic rock band The Disco Biscuits, serves as the organization's co-chair. "Two years ago, everyone was talking about voting, and we set out to make sure our audience was well represented at the polls," said Brownstein, whose band will appear at five Midterms Matter Tour events. "This year, our mission goes beyond that. We want to be the sparkplug that gets all of America talking about voting again."

The complete schedule of the Midterms Matter Tour events is listed below. For more information on HeadCount, please visit the newly re-designed site headcount.org .

Thursday, May 25, 2006

From Stevie and the Waybacks...

Word has come down.

The boys upstairs in Corporate here at Waybacks HQ have discouraged us (in the strongest possible terms) from ever again sending out newsletters written duirng caffeine-induced fugue states. They have suggested (again, in remarkably unequivocal English prose) that the offending party switch his beverage-of choice from high-octane Italian coffee to some nice warm Ovaltine. Clearly they hope that triptophan will mellow the tone of future missives, and although I hadn't had Ovaltine since I was a wee-un, it seems to be having the desired effect. I am grateful not only for the suggestion but also for the fact that email is not a medium that can in any way subject the Waybacks' readership to the rather startling effects of adult-onset lactose intolerance.

Well now, with that out of the way, what to tell you about first? Merlefest, you think? Or The Wabes's miniature golf outing in Florida? Well, we might as well get the bragging out of the way, and since our day on the links was nothing any of us can be proud if, we'd better tell you a bit about the festival.

Merlefest is an annual North Carolina event started by Doc Watson in honor of his departed son and picking partner Merle. In the past decade-plus it has grown from a very modest affair to average four-day attendance of over 80,000. Thirteen stages, all raging all day for four whole days. Many of our heroes play here. Astonishing. We've had the very good fortune to have been invited several times in the past 6 years, and this year our pal Bob Weir came with us. Yes, there was much celebration. We did some Dead songs, we did some Waybacks songs, we did some Marty Robbins, Beatles, Stones, Dylan and Led Zep covers. And we were aided and abetted at our shows by Gillian Welch, David Rawlings and Sam Bush. James and Bobby sat in on The Midnight Jam, and the fellers did various workshops as well. If time and inclination converge for you, click on over to the Merlefest discussion board or to Flickr for lots of M-fest photos, or heck, lay an ear on some streaming audio, courtesy of MyRadio. There're even some very kind words about our shows over at JamBase.com. And if you get tired of clicking around this veritable Waybacchanalia of self-aggrandizement, surf over here, because it is by far the coolest thing out there on the Interweb.

All of this was hot on the heels of The Weirbacks playing for the Wabes's CD release party in San Francisco two nights previous. Weir fans and Waybacks fans got along famously, and "From The Pasture To The Future" was inaugurated in fine style. The best seats in the house were on the stage, and we just couldn't stop smiling at the mix of folks in the audience ... some truly tremendous variety out there in fashion, dancing style, jewelry location, hair style and choice of combustibles. The whole week was just a dream come true. Thanks, Bobby. Let's do it again sometime!

Gee ... after those descriptions, our great miniature golf adventure in Florida seems pretty puny. Oh well ... mostly we just wanted to express our amazement. No, that's not true. We wanted to whine a bit. Admittedly, we were a bit cranky. Maybe it was the heat. Maybe it was the humidity. Maybe it was the bandmate-enforced caffeine deprivation.

Whatever it was, it wasn't unfamiliarity. We had all played the game many times, in our homes states and on the road as a band, and we know that the putting surface at miniature golf courses is some sort of carpeting. But I must say none of us expected to see 18 holes-worth covered in deep shag from the 1970's. As you can imagine, this slowed our pace somewhat, and along about the 15th hole, the greater-than-anticipated time investment made us pretty darned nervous about missing our flight home.

But even vintage shag was not the most surprising thing. Not by a long shot. First of all - and this is astonishing - this place did not have The Windmill. Can you imagine? How can you call it miniature golf without The Windmill? Instead of the Generic Pastoral Theme we were all used to (which always features The Windmill) this place had some kind of strange Pirate Theme going on. We were willing to hang with that, especially since the cashier was clearly so dedicated, sporting - as he was - a real hook and a real eyepatch. Young Warren, impetuous lad that he is, asked how the poor fellow came to have a hook for a hand. "Yargh, me hearty, many years ago a pirate who sailed over from a rival miniature golf course up I-95 cleaved it clean off with a saber." "Wow," said Warren. "And how did you lose the eye?" "Wellsir," the pro continued, "I was peering up into the rigging that's high up over the 17th hole one day when a great huge albatross flew over and shat in me eye." "Good heavens!" Warren exclaimed. "And that put your eye out?" "Noooo," growled our host. "It was me first day with the hook!" True story.

Speaking of the new album (and thank you for asking) it's available from The Waybacks' Online Mercantile and from CD Universe, Hemisphere of CDs, CD Subcontinent and, of course at Amazon. In fact, if you have a moment, feel free to write a review over there. As of last count, our ranking was #1093 ... with a bullet.

Here's the gigs:

Sat, May 27
ACOUSTIC CAFE AMPHITHEATRE
Hayden, AL
The Red Stick Ramblers, Dread Clampitt, Brennen Leigh, The Lovell Sisters, Herb Trotman Band, Allen Shad & A Cut Above, Sam Pointer, Kudzu String Band, Mayhem String Band

Tue, May 30, 9:15pm
SKIPPER'S SMOKEHOUSE
Tampa, FL
A co-bill with The Red Stick Ramblers. Listen for us earlier in the day (or possibly evening drive-time) on WMNF.

Wed, May 31, 9:00pm
BAMBOO ROOM
Lake Worth, FL
25 South J Street
561.585.BLUE (2583). Click the link if for no other reason than to see a truly fabulous website. We will hope to lean on our host to give the assembled a lesson on the whys of whisky.

Thu, Jun 1, 10:00pm
JACK RABBIT'S
Jacksonville, FL
Yet another with The Red Stick Ramblers at 8:30. Excellent!

Fri, Jun 2
PRIVATE EVENT
Charleston, SC

Sat, Jun 3, 7:30pm
BLUE PLUM FESTIVAL
Johnson City, TN
The Drew Emmitt Band featuring Jeff Sipe, Greg Garrison and Tyler Grant, Railroad Earth, Martha Scanlan

Sun, Jun 4, 9:30pm
BOONE SALOON
Boone, NC
Just added ... we hope to see some of you Merlefesters here.

Mon, Jun 5
WSGE in Gastonia, NC
WNCW in Spindale, NC
These radio shows are tentatively scheduled, so check out the online programming guides to find out if and when.

Tue, Jun 6
WDVX 89.9 FM
East Tennessee.
Again, dunno what time we'll be on, but ...

Wed, Jun 7, 7:30pm
EDDIE'S ATTIC
Decatur, GA
Local faves Whoa Nelly open. We hear tell they kick some serious bew-tock.

Thu, Jun 8, 9:30pm
3rd & LINDSLEY
Nashville, TN
Kelly Lang at 7:30

Fri, Jun 9, 9:15pm
RIVERBEND FESTIVAL
Chattanooga, TN
The Wabes close the AmSouth Bank Stage. Allman Bros, Trisha Yearwood, Los Lonely Boys, Kenny Rogers, Jagged Edge, Angie Stone, Sugarland, Hank Williams, Jr., Kenny Rogers, Suzy Boguss, Gretchen Peters.

Sat, Jun 10
BLUE RIDGE BBQ FESTIVAL
Tryon, NC
The DesChamps Band (a terrific young Champ Hood tribute quartet), David Childers, Firecracker Jazz Band, King Pup Radio Show, Danielle Howle, Gas House Mouse, Terry Evans Band, Papa Grows Funk, Dave Desmelik, Bayou Diesel, Gove Scrivenor, Ed Snodderly, etc. etc.. Lots of old and new pals at this one.

Wed, Jun 28, 8:00pm
142 THROCKMORTON THEATRE
Mill Valley , CA
The fabulous Marley's Ghost opens.

Thu, Jun 29, 8:00pm
PALMS PLAYHOUSE
Winters, CA

Fri, Jun 30, 7:30pm
KUUMBWA JAZZ CENTER
Santa Cruz, CA
Thanks to Sleepy John Sandidge and all our pals at Snazzy Productions and the inimitable KPIG Radio.

Well, as usual, that's more than enough for now. We're headed way down south for a while, so if we're going to be near you, please come see us. And please hip us to the great breakfast joints and to where we can find the best pie. Mmmm. Pie. Say it with us ... "pie." Say it capitalized ... "Pie." Mmmmm. "Piiiiiiiiiiie."

Safe travels out there, all.







____________________
Stevie Coyle
THE WAYBACKS
New album "From The Pasture To The Future" available online at
http://www.waybacks.com

Wednesday, May 24, 2006

So, when can we view this in the Bay Area already?



05.24.2006 2:11 PM EDT

Primus' Les Claypool Skewers Jam Bands In New Mockumentary


Claypool pokes fun at concert-tapers, Deadheads in his patchouli version of 'This Is Spinal Tap.'

During his maiden voyage as a filmmaker, Primus bassist/leader/songwriter Les Claypool experienced something that every director — from Hollywood super-mogul to the most indie auteur — knows intimately: "If anything can go wrong, it
will."

"The process of making this film was one kick in the n--s after another," he said. "Two trips to the hospital, a hit-and-run, a crew member had a nervous breakdown and threatened to throw all the footage in the fireplace. We had a gremlin following us around. It's like building a house with apprentice carpenters, and the building materials were on fire."

But by no means does Claypool regret making "Electric Apricot: Quest for Festeroo," a mockumentary that follows a fictitious jam band by that name, satirizing the sprawling patchouli scene the way "This Is Spinal Tap," "CB4" and "The Rutles" series did for heavy metal, hip-hop and Beatlemania, respectively. Claypool's movie took the Best of Festival - Feature, Audience Award at this year's Malibu Film Festival.

Many people assumed that the thousands of dubiously odored, financially carefree nomads that followed the Grateful Dead for 30 years would have dispersed upon the band's demise 11 years ago. But Phish grabbed the Dead's baton, and the jam-band subculture has mushroomed in the decade since, supporting not only the likes of moe, Leftover Salmon and the String Cheese Incident, but bands that never embraced the Dead's influence, like Ween and Claypool's multiple prog-rock/funk projects.

"It's a fabulous subject," Claypool said, "one that I know quite a bit about and one that hasn't been examined before. I could do the same thing for Ozzfest. Character study is my existence."

He noted that there's an ample potential audience for the film. "Bonnaroo is the highest grossing music festival in the United States, and it does so with only Internet advertising," he continued. "And it's not just hippie bands — Radiohead and Clap Your Hands Say Yeah are playing this year."


Claypool's film will be screened at Bonnaroo in June, where he will also perform solo and play a set with Oysterhead, his supergroup with Phish's Trey Anastasio and former Police drummer Stewart Copeland.

The film tracks the progress of Electric Apricot from a gig at the storied Bay Area club the Sweetwater Saloon to sessions for their first album to "Festeroo," a jam band-heavy festival (these scenes were shot last year at the High Sierra Music Festival in Quincy, California).

Along the way, we get to know the bizarrely nicknamed members of the band (who are played by Claypool and three Bay Area musician pals): Herschel, the keyboardist and purest hippie of the bunch; Aiwass, the pseudo-intellectual bassist fond of quoting Wittgenstein and remarking, "I feel like Hitler at Waterloo"; and Lapdog, the archetypal drum nerd (Claypool).

Then there's the guitarist/singer, Gordo. "He drinks beer, wants to party and worships Jerry Garcia," Claypool said. Gordo looks likely to become the film's breakout star thanks to a scene in which he gets gangsta on a character who doesn't show sufficient reverence for Garcia.

Claypool devised the film's general plot, but much of the dialogue was improvised. "Electric Apricot" features cameos from Seth Green ("Robot Chicken," "Austin Powers") and "South Park" co-creator Matt Stone, playing a pair of concert "tapers," as well as brief turns from jam-scene icons including the Dead's Bob Weir, former Phish bassist Mike Gordon and Gov't Mule's Warren Haynes and Matt Abts.

But most characters are portrayed by Claypool's friends, non-actors who nonetheless capture the essence of the rock and roll periphery: a hapless manager, a hanger-on desperate to go on tour, a Yoko Ono-style girlfriend and a band therapist who not only sports blindingly ugly sweaters, but attempts to ingratiate himself into the band (Claypool swears that any resemblance to therapist Phil Towle, from 2004's Metallica documentary "Some Kind of Monster," is coincidental).

When the inevitable comparison to "Spinal Tap" is brought up, Claypool says his approach was inspired more by Ricky Gervais' acclaimed BBC series "The Office." "Are they parodying people who work at a paper supply company?" he asked, "Or are they portraying true characters in a certain setting? ['Electric Apricot'] is an endearing look at the jam scene, poking fun at these people and how they look at their universe so seriously."

The film is just one of several Claypool creative endeavors that will arrive in the coming weeks. He's also releasing his first proper solo album, Of Whales and Woe, on May 30, and will publish his first novel, "South of the Pumphouse," which he describes as "a cross between 'Deliverance' and 'The Old Man and the Sea,' " in July.
— Rob Kem
...
A list of cast members can be found clickety click here

While checking out filmographies- Has anyone seen this thing?
Bobstar among the cast of a 2005 Disco Documentary?
Also, I can't remember if I ever sat and watched this Bobstar involved film?

News Weirthy

From The Hill:
"What a long, strange fundraiser it’s been

“I really don’t like fundraisers, but I like fun parties,” Sen. Pat Leahy (D-Vt.) said Tuesday night.

He got both at the Renaissance Hotel as he rolled out a caravan of hippie nostalgia for a performance by ex-Grateful Dead members Bob Weir and Mickey Hart, backed by the Flying Other Brothers and the New Riders of the Purple Sage.

Introducing Leahy, Dead historian and publicist Dennis McNally recalled always seeing Leahy in a suit until he finally “came to a Grateful Dead concert wearing the rowdiest tie-dye I have ever seen and a pair of shorts. And when I saw him dancing I knew he was our senator.”

The event drew some 500 Leahy/Dead supporters, some unlikelier than others, such as Jim Pasco, executive director of the Fraternal Order of Police. “It’s a target-rich environment,” he joked.

He didn’t know the half of it. As Hart and Weir — who flew in from California specially for the event — worked the crowd at the pre-show reception, McNally came to usher them backstage so the music could begin. To which Hart abruptly cut off his conversation by saying, “OK, I gotta go smoke some pot.” No, he didn’t really say it; it would be too obvious. OK, yes he did.

By night’s end, about half of the crowd was in possession of a “Deadheads for Leahy 2006” tie-dye ($20 to Leahy’s PAC) and sipping Vermont’s own Magic Hat beer ($4 to Leahy’s PAC).

Aides even passed out glow sticks and ’60s-style concert posters for the crowd.

The only thing missing (besides maybe a tapers’ section) was Jammin’ Jim McDermott. But, it turns out, the Seattle Democrat was only delayed by the evening’s votes, and he arrived just in time for Weir and Hart’s set.

No bad trips were reported.




From the NY Times:
CHRONICLE
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By NADINE BROZAN
Published: July 20, 1994
Patrons of the Senate dining room in Washington are usually blase about seeing famous faces in their midst, but heads swiveled on Monday when Senator PATRICK J. LEAHY, Democrat of Vermont, turned up with the Grateful Dead: JERRY GARCIA, BOB WEIR, PHIL LESH and MICKEY HART.

"Senate staff members don't always recognize foreign dignitaries but they certinly recognized the Dead," Joe Jamele, the Senator's press secretary, said yesterday. "Strom Thurmond came by and shook hands with Jerry Garcia, and so did Senator David Pryor," he said, speaking of the Senators from South Carolina and Arkansas. Senator Barbara Boxer, Democrat of California, was a guest at the leisurely lunch.

It was Senator Leahy's second public appearance with the band in three days. On Saturday, he sat on stage with the group for a concert in R.F.K. Stadium in Washington. "He did that last year too," Mr. Jamele said. "Warren Christopher got hold of him by phone on the stage and asked him to lower the radio. The Senator said there was no way to lower anything."




From Leah Garchik's column:
"Wavy Gravy's 70th birthday celebration at the Berkeley Community Theater on Saturday included tribute to the late Grateful Dead roadie Lawrence "Ramrod" Shurtliff, who Gravy said had gone "to have his laminate checked by Bill Graham.''

The Chronicle's Mark Hedin was my spy at the event, attended by a fleet of Gravy-ladling Deadheads not generally known for spartan habits. But in addition to campaigning for idealism -- "Keep saying no to the military industrial complex'' -- the honoree recommended clean living: Forgo smoking and "brush 'em if you've got 'em,'' advice that might have come straight from one of those Kaiser "thrive" ads.

Gravy's Seva Foundation, beneficiary of the event, has restored sight to 2 million people since its founding in the '70s. Google has given Seva a $2 million grant. And Seva co-founder Larry Brilliant, an epidemiologist who works for Google, joined forces with Rebecca Moore from Google Earth, John Cage of Sun Microsystems and many Google workers to create a surprise biographical tribute that included historic photos and aerial images of Gravy history.

P.S.: During the Phil Lesh and Friends show at the Warfield on Friday night, "a guy took a dive off the upper balcony,'' landing on a woman below and knocking her cold, said spy Thomas Todt. She came to in about five minutes; the diver broke his arm. "

Tuesday, May 23, 2006

Nice review of the Merlefest Weirbacks from Jambase
"San Francisco's favorite jamgrass band has been making a name for itself with a unique brand of boogie. With acoustic instruments, The Waybacks meld folk-rock, newgrass, pop, and even a psychedelic jam or two. Friday night on the main stage, the group, along with Bob Weir, performed an inspired set, playing "Jack Straw" and a couple of crowd-pleasing covers, "Tomorrow Never Knows" and "19th Nervous Breakdown." Later in the set, people were looking at each other in disbelief. Was that "St. Stephen" > "The Eleven" > "Last Time" they just heard? At Merlefest? Indeed it was. With all the attention on Bob Weir, it would be a shame to overlook the talented Waybacks. Multi-instrumentalist Warren Hood was excellent, blazing fiddle lines around the rest of the band. The set had everyone on their feet and dancing, a rarity on the main stage.

But the highlight of the weekend was the Waybacks' extended Hillside Stage set Saturday evening. The 45 minutes that were scheduled turned into almost two hours of jamming. They hooked the crowd with a couple of tracks from their new album, From the Past to the Future. Then Weir joined the band for "El Paso" followed by Sam Bush for "Kazmir" and "Brown-Eyed Women." The crowd cheered Gillian Welch and David Rawling's appearance for "The Weight" and "Brokedown Palace." The crowd refused to let the band leave, pushing the set long past its official time, and everyone returned for a raucous "Like a Rolling Stone." For his magical playing at the festival and many guest spots throughout the weekend, Bob Weir earns the title of Merlefest MVP."
WOOF!

Two ibterestibg (I need new glasses) articles in this morn's Chron.

One on John Perry Barlow's EFFWhich can be found here

And a second article on sometimes Flying Other BrotherT Bone Burnett

Monday, May 22, 2006

Relix News 2006-05-22

RatDog, Hart and Baez Celebrate 70 Years with Wavy Gravy

Over the weekend, hippie icon Wavy Gravy celebrated his 70th birthday at Berkeley, CA's Berkeley Community Theatre. A benefit for the humanitarian's SEVA foundation, Wavy Gravy's birthday party included sets by a number of his oldest friends, including Bob Weir and RatDog, Mickey Hart, Steve Earle, David Lindley and Gillian Welch, among others. Throughout the night, friends and family looked back on Wavy Gravy's storied career through speech and film, including clips from a forthcoming documentary exploring the clown's charity work since the mid-1960s.
After performances from Steve Earle and Gillian Welch, Mickey Hart led an all-star band which included Les Claypool keyboardist Kitaro, RatDog guitarist Mark Karan and drummer Jay Lane. Joan Baez also stopped by to send Wavy Gravy her birthday wishes, joining Hart and singer Linda Tillery for a version of "Iko Iko." Hart's performance later gave way to an all-star drum jam, during which a group of belly dancers fanned Wavy Gravy onstage.
During RatDog's set, Joan Baez emerged for a version of "Little Darlin'," sharing vocals with Karan. Next, the birthday boy himself added vocals to "The Wheel." Finally, RatDog closed its set with an all-star version of "Not Fade Away," featuring Les Claypool, Wavy Gravy, Merl Saunders, Pete Sears, David Rawlings and Gillian Welch. Saunders, who suffered a stroke a few years back, had not made a public appearance in some time, but did play keyboards alongside Jeff Chimenti.
.......................
......................
Saturday started semi leisurely, GG (here from NY) , my kids and I ran a few errands and had a hardy brunch at the local grill in my little village shopping center. Next hours were spent chatting, resting then prepping for the Seva thing.
Since Scott was driving some of his city friends into Berkeley, G & I opted to drive out & meet him at BCT.
Smooth sailing across the San Mateo-Hatward bridge. Looked like a mighty traffic jam on 880 so I opted to take the longer but gentler on my old nerves, route of HWY 580 >HWY 24. It's the route I used to take to Art school (CCAC by Broadway Terrace). Getting off at the familiar old Broadway Terrace, cruisin down to College, taking a left on Haste and a right on Shattuck and voila, there's Allston! Nice big parking garage.
We skipped down to the BCT, lots of folks milling about-no Scotto though. Found a few usual suspects and schmoozed awhile. Got hungry, retreated back up Allston to find something to eat on Shattuck.
Scott called me and was waiting (at last!) for us to get his ticket. Back down to BCT. By this time, doors had opened and there was no wait to get inside. We were sent to a booth inside to pick up our posters and reception passes. We went to see the auction items and I took a last look at the items I had sent in. I don't know if both smokers were sold but I saw that one had a bid on it and was proud to be able to contribute something.
We were ushered to our seats in time to watch David Lindley sing and play some songs. I was surprised to see Wavy looking so trim!! As always he looked very merry! I recognized UH-OH & others from Winnarainbow on stage as part of the Clown Conspiracy- which is an organization that visits 3rd world areas in need of a laugh (or so that is how I am understanding their mission to be). I think next up was Gillian Welch, a fine folky singer who ended her set with "White Rabbit". Didnt feel that coming but it was appreciated! Next up, Steve Earle. After that, it may have been when Dr Larry Brilliant (I love that Dr Larry!) did a presentation using Google's satellite thingy to show all the places that had been important in Wavy's life.
At some point there was a long setbreak -either here or after Mickey's set. We wandered and met up with just a ton of friends - even family as Scott's cousin Andrew found us! Andrew's "date" was a woman who had been one of my kids' 4th grade teachers. AY YI YI!!
Mickey was on before Ratdog but had Jay & Mark (as well as Joan Baez , Linda Tillery ,Les Claypool & Merle Saunders) around for his set. I can't tell you what they played because I was too busy enjoying it! Finally, this set got most everyone up on their feet! Well, at least the people in front of us- we were Row D. We were up and stayed up all through Ratdog!
I've been spoiling myself and getting out to many Bobby/Doggy member bennies lately, but still it was happymaking to see the band all in one place again!
(more soon- it's carpool time again!)

Sunday, May 21, 2006

On the GO!

Woo!
A brief woof! Very tired from OMSN of music, friends and fun!
Basically , the short list is saw a load of familiar faces- everyone in great spirits!!
Love the BCT!
Love Ratdog & friends.
I'm waiting for an accurate setlist to get posted (don't ask me- I was dancing!)
The current one on dot org is pretty complete but someweir in there MK did vocals on an old song by The Diamonds (Du bop)
called "Little Darlin". I did not see that coming! I believe Joan Baez was involved in that one too.
There were a lot of teases.
Sorry gotta run- will post more much later!

Saturday, May 20, 2006




Compassion comes easy to this clown
C.W. Nevius
Saturday, May 20, 2006


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If there are any important points to be made -- and there are -- about Berkeley's hippie icon Wavy Gravy at his 70th birthday celebration tonight, they should be made quickly before things, as they often do with Gravy, careen in unexpected directions.

Take, for example, Al Gore.

Gravy, who never tires of pointing out he is referred to as "Mr. Gravy'' in the New York Times, met Gore not long after Google announced it was giving $2 million to the Seva Foundation, the philanthropic organization Gravy, Larry Brilliant and others founded to provide eye surgery in India, Tibet and Nepal.

Seva, founded 27 years ago, performs some 80,000 sight-saving surgeries annually, treats diabetes in American Indian communities and promotes sustainable agriculture in Chiapas, Mexico. But that's not the point.

Gravy says Gore was charming.

Charming?

"Somebody apparently took the stick out of his butt,'' Gravy says. "He was great. Of course, I knew his wife, Tipper, from Farm Aid, when she sat in and played drums with Willie Nelson. Al even patted my fish.''

Fish?

That would be the rubber trout Gravy hauls around on a leash. He's got a fake bass too, but when I visited his room in the Hog Farm collective house in Berkeley, he was having troubling finding it.

"But here's my whoopee cushion suit!'' he crowed triumphantly.

The point -- and Gravy has one in there somewhere -- is that this has been a remarkable run, from making announcements atop the stage at Woodstock to having Ben & Jerry's name a flavor of ice cream after him.

It was tasty, too.

With no visible means of support to speak of -- Gravy calls himself "an activist, clown and former frozen dessert'' -- he's not only lived a life in full, but filled it with an extraordinary zest and good deeds.

His main job is director of Camp Winnarainbow in Mendocino County, where the lake is named Veronica (he'll wait while you make the connection) and the raft is named George (go ahead ... he'll wait). It's a "circus and performing-arts" camp for kids, and he paid for it with proceeds from his ice cream and the Grateful Dead's Rex Foundation.

Oh, did we mention the Dead?

Guitarist Bob Weir and drummer Mickey Hart will be at the celebration at the Berkeley Community Theater tonight, along with Steve Earle and "surprise guests.'' No telling if Jefferson Starship guitarist Paul Kantner will attend, but he will be represented by the red foam-rubber noses that are sure to appear. It seems Kantner's wife worked a deal to get 500 of them.

That reminds Gravy of a story. He's full of stories.

"We were flying to this big show in London, and my carry-on bag spilled open and all these noses go rolling down the aisle.''

And then there's the time he was poetry director at the Gaslight in Greenwich Village.

"I convinced the owner to bring on a kid named Bob Dylan."

Dylan, by the way, wrote "A Hard Rain's A-Gonna Fall" on Gravy's typewriter. So says Gravy, who says Salvador Dali stopped by and "made a salad.''

Is it any wonder that documentarian Michelle Esrick is on the Gravy train? Her film, "Saint Misbehavin': The Life and Time of Wavy Gravy,'' is due in 2007. Good luck. Editing his life into feature-film length won't be easy.

The best advice for Esrick, or anyone trying to figure out Wavy Gravy, is to simply heed the Camp Winnarainbow battle cry, "Toward the fun!''

Somehow this shambling, offbeat character, whom the writer and satirist Paul Krassner calls "the illegitimate son of Harpo Marx and Mother Teresa,'' has, like a real-life Forrest Gump, witnessed many of the cultural milestones of his generation and met nearly everyone worth meeting.

It has been a remarkable series of happy coincidences, hasn't it?

"Noooo!'' Gravy shouts. "A coincidence is just a miracle that God does not take credit for. It's synchronicity. Sometimes the parking place appears or the phone rings, and sometimes you struggle.''

Argue with that logic at your peril.

Those of Gravy's generation, some of whom might have been called Moonflower or Freedom and heard Gravy hold forth from the stage at Woodstock, are probably straight-arrow parents and grandparents now. But Gravy, whose real name is Hugh Romney, is still signing his checks "Wavy Gravy'' and leading a trout on a leash.

Go ahead. Laugh. Tell him the whole hippie ideal was a dream or a joke and it's time to grow up.

It might have been a joke, he'll tell you. But it wasn't a dream.

And he'll never grow up.

Gravy's still living in a commune, still cheering up kids with cancer and still having a wonderful time just being Wavy Gravy.

Ask him about it. He's happy to talk. He'll even tell you how he got his name, which apparently means gravy with a little meat in it. He must have told the story 10,000 times in the last year. It's part of the routine, like opening his phone conversations with "You've got Gravy in your ear!"

He was making announcements at a concert when blues legend B.B. King walked up to him and asked, "Are you Wavy Gravy?'' Not knowing what else to say, he said yes. King nodded and told him to stand next to the speakers.

"And then Johnny Winter came out,'' Gravy says, "and they played until sunrise.''

Celebration
Wavy Gravy's 70th birthday party celebration begins at 7 p.m. today at the Berkeley Community Theater, 1930 Allston Way, Berkeley. Tickets are available through www.ticketmaster.com for $35 and $50. Proceeds benefit the Seva Foundation.

C.W. Nevius' column appears Thursdays and Saturdays in the Bay Area section. His blog C.W. Nevius.blog can be found at SFGate.com. E-mail him at cwnevius@sfchronicle.com.

Thursday, May 18, 2006

RIP Ramrod

Another Obit by Paul Libertore can be read Here

LAWRENCE "RAMROD" SHURTLIFF: 1945-2006
Mainstay of Grateful Dead crew dies -- 'he was our rock'
Joel Selvin, Chronicle Senior Pop Music Critic
Thursday, May 18, 2006


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He was a psychedelic cowboy who rode the bus with Ken Kesey and took virtually every step of the long, strange trip with the Grateful Dead. Known to one and all solely as Ramrod, he died yesterday of lung cancer at Petaluma Valley Hospital. He was 61.

"He was our rock," said guitarist Bob Weir.

Born Lawrence Shurtliff, he was raised a country boy in eastern Oregon and once won a county fair blue ribbon in cattle judging. He got the name Ramrod from Kesey while he was traveling through Mexico with the author and LSD evangelist, at the time a fugitive from justice.

"I am Ramon Rodriguez Rodriguez, the famous Mexican guide," he boasted, and he was known ever after as Ramrod.

"It fit him," said Steve Parish, his longtime associate on the Dead crew. "He used to keep us in line."

"I remember when he first showed up at 710 Ashbury," said Dead drummer Mickey Hart. "He pulled up on a Harley. He was wearing a chain with a lock around his waist. He said 'Name's Ramrod -- Kesey sent me -- I hear you need a good man.' I remember it like it was yesterday."

Ramrod joined the Dead in 1967 as truck driver and was held in such high regard by the members of that sprawling, brawling organization that he was named president of the Grateful Dead board of directors when the rock group actually incorporated in the '70s. It was a position he held until the death of guitarist Jerry Garcia in 1995. Like the rest of the band's few remaining staff, he was laid off last year.

He traveled the full length of the Dead's tangled odyssey, joining up with the band when the it first began playing out of town, about a year after the Dead got is start playing gin mills on the Peninsula.

Ramrod went to work setting up and tearing down the band's equipment for every show the Dead played. He puzzled his way through elaborate situations and circumstances: from the myriad psychedelic dungeons the band played through the '60s, to a concert at the base of the Great Pyramids in Egypt in 1977 to the baseball parks the Dead filled on the endless tours of the '80s and '90s up until Garcia's death.

"He was always there," said Hart, "making sure everybody was taken care of."

Hart said that it was Ramrod's practice to say "all right" at the conclusion of every performance as the band filed off the stage. "I looked forward to those 'all rights,' '' said Hart. "It was the way he said it. It was the tone that said it all -- 'it was all right ... not great.' You couldn't fool old Ramrod. I was playing for him."

Hart also remembered one New Year's Eve when he thought he might be too high to play. Ramrod solved the problem by strapping Hart to his drum stool with gaffer's tape. Hart recalled another show in San Jose with Big Brother and the Holding Company, where the starter's cannon the band used to punctuate the drum solo of "St. Stephen's" went off early.

"I looked back," Hart said. "His face was on fire. He'd lost his eyebrows. You could smell his flesh. And he was hurrying to reload the cannon in time. That was the end of the cannons."

A protege of Neal Cassady of the Merry Pranksters, the intrepid band of inner-space explorers who gathered around Kesey, Ramrod absorbed lessons from Cassady, a Beat era legend and model for the character Dean Moriarty in Jack Kerouac's landmark novel "On the Road." "He knew Neal better than anyone in our scene," said Weir.

He was a quiet, unflappable road warrior. Hart and fellow crew member Rex Jackson once decided to see how long it would take Ramrod to say something on a truck trip across the Midwest. He said nothing through three states before speaking. "Hungry?" he finally said.

"He was never a loudmouth," said Parish. "He was never anything but an honest, hard-working guy with a grip of steel and a hand that felt like leather."

He was first married to Patricia "Patticake" Luft -- their son is Strider Shurtliff, 38, of Los Angeles. His wife of the past 38 years, Francis Whalen, is recovering from an anoxic brain injury. Their son is Rudson Shurtliff, 34, of Novato.

A lifelong cigarette smoker, he was diagnosed with lung cancer only a few weeks ago. Typically, he didn't want anybody to know he was dying, although band and crew members visited him daily.

Guitarist Weir said he could barely remember the Dead before Ramrod. "When he did join up, it was like he had always been there. I won't say he was the missing piece, because I don't think he was missing. He just wasn't there. But then he was there. And he always will be. He was a huge part of what the Grateful Dead was about."

Parish said he and Weir left a recent visit from Ramrod's hospital bed. "Weir said 'They say blood is thicker than water, but what we've got is thicker than blood,' " said Parish.

Funeral arrangements are pending.

E-mail Joel Selvin at jselvin@sfchronicle.com.

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Tuesday, May 16, 2006

Ratdog, SCI Team For Summer Dates

String Cheese Incident

May 16, 2006, 10:30 AM ET

Barry A. Jeckell, N.Y.
The Bob Weir-fronted Ratdog and the String Cheese Incident will co-headline 15 summer shows, including two at Colorado's famed Red Rocks Amphitheatre and a pair at New York's Radio City Music Hall.

The jam bands will swap opening and closing duties nightly, save for the Red Rocks shows, where the Colorado-based SCI will finish both nights. Keller Williams will also be on board for the July 1 show there, with the Taj Mahal Trio on hand the next night.

Initially formed in 1995, Ratdog has been the primary outlet for Weir in recent years, especially as performance activities with his fellow surviving Grateful Dead members have become less frequent. The group recently completed a spring tour and is expected to announce a slate of additional shows in addition to the SCI dates.

Among the ever-busy String Cheese Incident's plans are two headlining sets at Minnesota's 10,000 Lakes Festival in July and several shows in Alaska prior to a trip across the Pacific to play Japan's 10th annual Fuji Rock Festival.

Here are the Ratdog/SCI tour dates:


June 24: Santa Margarita, Calif. (Pozo Saloon)
June 25: Los Angeles (Greek Theatre)
June 26: San Diego (Concerts in the Park)
June 28: Phoenix (Maricopa County Events Center)
June 30: Flagstaff, Ariz. (The Great Salt Air)
July 1-2: Morrison, Col. (Red Rocks Amphitheatre)
July 6: Milwaukee (Summerfest at Marcus Amphitheatre)
July 7: Kansas City, Mo. (Starlight Theatre)
July 8: St. Louis (Fabulous Fox Theatre)
July 10: Canandaigua, N.Y. (Finger Lakes Performing Arts Center)
July 11: Philadelphia (Penn's Landing)
July 13-14: New York (Radio City Music Hall)
July 15: Mansfield, Mass. (Tweeter Center for the Performing Arts)

Thursday, May 11, 2006

Chez found these dates out via the SCI website!


06.24.06 Pozo Saloon
 Santa Margarita, CA On Sale 5/17
@ 10 AM MDT
SCI Ticketing
 with Bob Weir & Ratdog / SCI closes the show



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

06.25.06 Greek Theatre
 Los Angeles, CA On Sale 5/17
@ 10 AM MDT
SCI Ticketing
 with Bob Weir & Ratdog / Bob Weir & Ratdog close the show

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

06.26.06 Concerts in the Park
 San Diego, CA On Sale 5/17
@ 10 AM MDT
SCI Ticketing
 with Bob Weir & Ratdog / SCI closes the show

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

06.28.06 Maricopa County Events Center
 Phoenix, AZ On Sale 5/17
@ 10 AM MDT
SCI Ticketing
 with Bob Weir & Ratdog / Bob Weir & Ratdog close the show

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

06.29.06 Pine Mountain Amphitheatre
 Flagstaff, AZ On Sale 5/17
@ 10 AM MDT
SCI Ticketing
 An evening with The String Cheese Incident

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

06.30.06 The Great Salt Air
 Magna, UT On Sale 5/17
@ 10 AM MDT
SCI Ticketing
 with Bob Weir & Ratdog / SCI closes the show

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

07.01.06 Red Rocks Amphitheatre

Morrison, CO
 with Bob Weir & Ratdog, Keller Williams / SCI closes the show



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

07.02.06 Red Rocks Amphitheatre

Morrison, CO
 with Bob Weir & Ratdog, Taj Mahal Trio / SCI closes the show



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

07.06.06 Summerfest @ Marcus Amphitheatre
 Milwaukee, WI On Sale 5/17
@ 10 AM MDT
SCI Ticketing
 with Bob Weir & Ratdog / SCI closes the show

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

07.07.06 Starlight Theatre
 Kansas City, MO On Sale 5/17
@ 10 AM MDT
SCI Ticketing
 with Bob Weir & Ratdog / Bob Weir & Ratdog close the show

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

07.08.06 Fabulous Fox Theatre
 St Louis, MO On Sale 5/17
@ 10 AM MDT
SCI Ticketing
 with Bob Weir & Ratdog / SCI closes the show

------------------------------------------------------------------

07.10.06 Finger Lakes Performing Arts Center
 Canandaigua, NY On Sale 5/17
@ 10 AM MDT
SCI Ticketing
 with Bob Weir & Ratdog / Bob Weir & Ratdog close the show

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

07.11.06 Penn's Landing
 Philadelphia, PA On Sale 5/17
@ 10 AM MDT
SCI Ticketing
 with Bob Weir & Ratdog / SCI closes the show

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

07.13.06 Radio City Music Hall
 New York, NY On Sale 5/17
@ 10 AM MDT
SCI Ticketing
 with Bob Weir & Ratdog / Bob Weir & Ratdog close the show

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

07.14.06 Radio City Music Hall
 New York, NY On Sale 5/17
@ 10 AM MDT
SCI Ticketing
 with Bob Weir & Ratdog / SCI closes the show

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

07.15.06 Tweeter Center for the Performing Arts
 Mansfield. MA On Sale 5/17
@ 10 AM MDT
SCI Ticketing
 with Bob Weir & Ratdog / Bob Weir & Ratdog close the show
This looks like fun!
A New Orleans Night in San Francisco to Benefit Conservation Value
What: Fantasyland Events, Jenstar Productions, and The Ritual invite you to A New Orleans Night in San Francisco, an all-star jam session, birthday celebration, post-New Monsoon Afterparty and benefit for Conservation Value to take place at a mystery location across the street from a nature reserve in San Francisco...

Music: will be provided by members of Tea Leaf Green, ALO, The Ritual, Hamsa Lila, The Everyone Orchestra, The Albino Horn Players, Group Du Jour and surprise guests...

Buy Tickets Now

Requested Attire: In honor of New Orleans, please come dressed funky, shiny, feathered, masked, or otherwise FESTIVELY.

Where: A very unique location - PoundSF at 100 Cargo Way, San Francisco, Across the Street from the Heron Point Nature Reserve.

Directions from 12 Galaxies: 1. Take Mission to Cesar Chavez, Make a Left on Cesar Chavez; 2. Take Cesar Chavez/Army to 3rd, Make a Right on 3rd; 3. Take 3rd about 1/4 mile (over bridge), make LEFT on Cargo; 4. Take Cargo to end, venue on left.

When: Friday Night May 12, 2006, Doors 2AM, Show 2AM (Friday night late-nite)

Ages: 21 & Up

Ticket Info: Buy Tickets! $15 Advanced/$20 Door (as space is very limited, we strongly advise purchasing advanced tickets)
..........
Visiting San Francisco anytime soon?

Haight-Ashbury Flower Power Walking Tour. Innkeepers Pam and Bruce Brennan operate this historical look at the Haight, dating back to the late 19th century, when the neighborhood was considered a suburb to the city proper. The focus, of course, is the once-mellow, later-turbulent '60s. Learn about the Diggers and their soup kitchens, visit the Grateful Dead house at 710 Ashbury St., see the former digs of Janis Joplin and Charlie Manson. The tour concludes at the Herb'n Inn, the Brennans' bed-and-breakfast on Ashbury, which has its own Psychedelic History Museum. Departs 9:30 a.m. Tuesdays and Saturdays from northeast corner of Stanyan and Waller streets. $15. (415) 863-1621.





A Graham of Rock

Wednesday, May 10, 2006


piece of the Bob shrine in my sewing closet.







..........
Psychedelic relic Wavy Gravy wants you to enjoy his 70th
By Kristin Bender, STAFF WRITER

BERKELEY — Wavy Gravy, the activist clown, former Ben & Jerry's ice cream flavor, hippie icon and self-proclaimed psychedelic relic, is turning 70, and he wants a birthday gift from you.
Gravy wants you to buy a ticket to a big-name concert May 20 that will benefit the Seva Foundation, a nonprofit organization that runs public health programs in India, Nepal, Tibet, Cambodia, Bangladesh and Tanzania to eliminate curable blindness.
"Please," he begged recently in a telephone interview from his Berkeley home, where he said he has been on a strict diet to get healthy for his golden years.
"Seventy is the new 50," Gravy said. "I'm losing weight, I go to the YMCA every day and do aqua-aerobics with my wife. ... I feel like a teenage yodel."
Benefit performers will include Bob Weir & Ratdog, Mickey Hart & Friends with Kitaro & the Rhythm Village, Steve Earle, Gillian Welch, David Lindley, John Trudell, Linda Tillery, Nina Gerber and Hamza El Din, as well as a pack of real, live clowns.
Gravy, who hopes to raise $100,000 for Seva, will emcee the event at the Berkeley Community Theater. Doors open at 6 p.m.; the show starts at 7.
Gravy was born Hugh Romney on May 15, 1936.
Even at his age, he said he is more active than when he stood on the stage nearly four decades ago at Woodstockand announced, "What we have in mind is breakfast in bed for 400,000."
Gravy was at Woodstock as a member of the Hog Farm, an entertainment and activist commune that is still around and collectively owns and operates the 700-acre Black

Tuesday, May 09, 2006

Corporate Social Responsibility Press Release
Provided by CSRwire

05/09/2006: Press Release from Earth Child

Earth Child Hosts Kid’s Village and Magical Play Garden at 28th annual Harmony Festival


(CSRwire) Alive is the magic of being a child when you dance, sing and play in the Kids Village and Magical Play Garden hosted by Earth Child (www.earthchildonline.com) , an eco-conscious children's store whose mission is to offer natural children's products in a fun and creative atmosphere. Come experience workshops in drumming, dance and drama at this years Harmony Festival(www.harmonyfestival.com/kids.shtml). Electrify your spirit on the Black top Circus, featuring some of the zaniest and most energetic performers.

The Kid's Village is located by the Well Being Pavillion in a lovely shaded area of the festival grounds. Amongst the trees, you will experience the magic of the Lorax Theater. The play is adapted from the well-loved Dr. Seuss story and its 12 actor/dancers and 3 musicians infuse the age-old drama of consumption, loss, conservation and hope with immediacy and charm.

The music comes alive on the UNESCO Kids Stage sponsored by UNESCO and the Pour La Terre organization. Started by the United Nations, UNESCO works for a just, sustainable and peaceful world society. With its roster of world-class musicians, UNESCO seeks to use music to make transformation by touching the hearts and minds of people and motivating them to change their ways of thinking towards a peaceful and sustainable future. Proceeds will benefit select Bay Area School District programs, the UNESCO/Earth Charter Secretariat and Pour La Terre.

Apart from Children's programming, the headline talent for the 2006 Harmony Festival also includes: Bob Weir, founder of the Grateful Dead, Michael Franti & Spearhead, Ozomatli, Cake, War and many others.

Monday, May 08, 2006

Hola!

An aside from DC Spectator wrt Trump @ Ratdog last month-
Clicky this link

Saturday, May 06, 2006

Happy Birthday Paulyy!


Hope I'm not too late or too early on that!


Pictures by Dave Clark of the Blue Star event can be viewed at this page on dot org

From Jambands.com:

"Weir Attends Blue Star Music Camp


Last night, Bob Weir participated in an all-star jam session benefiting the Blue Star Music Camp at San Francisco's 142 Throckmorton Theatre. Leading an all-star ensemble, Weir brought several Bay Area players onstage, including Ozzie Ahlers, Jimmy Dillon, Lorin Rowan, Narada Michael Walden and Mark Karan. Perhaps more importantly, throughout the night students at the Blue Star Music Camp joined Weir onstage, proving their chops on Grateful Dead live staples like "Turn on Your Lovelight" and "Big River," as well as the Rolling Stones' "Satisfaction" and "Start Me Up," among others. "It's about passing the gift along, sharing a life skill," Karan tells Jambands.com/Relix. "It's about making music in a way that students absolutely don’t get a chance to do in a normal school environment. Weir said it last night: 'You can't cheat at this and it's not about making its money.'"

Friday, May 05, 2006

Feliz Cumps Lucy! y Senorpapa!

irenie vs the new camera event#3

Wow!
Ive got sore feet and a big smile from attending the Blue Star Music Camp Benefit last night.
I'd never been to The cute little Throckmorton Theater before. It only took 75 minutes to get there in rush hour traffic! I pulled right into the parking space directly in front of The Sweetwater Saloon. The Sweetwater is just right across the street from the theater. I was way early so moseyed around some shops and browsed for awhile at the Book Depot. Ran into Sandy from tour. She didnt have her ticket yet but had trinkets to sell. Eventually, she made it in and it was nice to see her smiling face dancing along!
Seemed like forever passed before it was 7PM and time to go check myself in. The first person I saw when I got inside was Maz! He introduced me to a few of his friends and drinks were served. A lot of schmoozing, then the buffet was opened. Tasty Asian bits and pieces-if there were programs, I didnt find a single one, so I can't tell you who donated the food or beverages.
Though everyone had been assigned to a table, it was nice and casual. Folks were refreshingly friendly, lots of smiles from strangers and people introducing themselves. I was a little bit afraid that I was being mistaken for someone else at times.
One more glass of fine wine and I was introducing my own self around as well.
Right before the show was to start, I caught a glimpse and a wave from MK! Didnt know he was added and it was just one more reason to keep smiling!
The show opened with a movie of the campers and camp activities. There were clips of notables including Bobby, working/playing music with the kids. Then, the Emcee, Jimmy Dillon(?) brought out some of the kids and the music started. One little girl singing "Summertime" really stood out, though all were really good and American Idol worthy.
After a set of kids rock & roll & souling, the auction started up. Again no program to refer to but the auctioneer was amazing! Funny! Several guitars signed or to be personalized by various music artists ( including Bobby,Sammy Hagar, Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Bonnie Raitt, Carlos Santana) were going going gone for thousands of dollars.
Before continuing on, the time had come to honor our Bobstar. Til then he had been watching most of the show from his table which was right there next to mine(sigh!) As he stepped up to be honored the emcee/host of the night Jimmy Dillion(?) spoke of Bobby's career and generosity in working with the kids . A screen behind the stage flashed pictures of Bobby over the course of his adult life. Bobby was sweet and heartfelt in his acceptence of the honor. Someone posted a bit of his "speech" on jambands.org. I was too busy being a proud old fan to remember much of what he said and for a few seconds, he stammered but then he got to saying a few words about the importance of music education . The award was a special framed event poster signed by the staff and campers from Blue Star. It was a great looking poster but sadly no copies could be found to purchase.
The show continued on Bobby and Mark came up to lead assorted artists on Lovelight and a little later into a really excellent Big River. Also on stage was Lorin Rowan. The rest of the night went by in a blurry whirl of dancing, smiling fun.
I was surprised by the choice of songs- no Bobby/GD covers but Bobby and MK played along, often scorchingly to the likes of Satisfaction and Pink Cadillac.
It was a great night of fun!
Congratulations to ((((Bobstar))))) !

Tuesday, May 02, 2006

Reminder:

Blue Star Music Benefit
Special Guests Bob Weir, Narada Michael Walden, Sammy Hagar and..........
Thursday, May 4 7:00pm
$250.00 Per Person
Buy tickets at TicketWeb or by calling 415.383.9600

Blue Star Music Camp proudly presents their annual benefit celebrating five rockin' years of Kids and Music! Special guests Bob WeirNarada Michael Walden. Reception begins at 7pm with a gourmet buffet and a unique auction with the opportunity to bid on priceless guitars signed by The Roling Stones, Carlos Santana, Buddy Guy, Sammy Hagar, Bobby Weir, Bonnie Raitt and others!

Blue Star Music Camps provides a safe, encouraging and fun environment for youth, ages 13 to 18, to learn contemporary music, voice and theatre skills from professional musicians, including Grammy-winning artists. As a non-profit organization, top artists including Bonnie Raitt, BB King, Keith Richards, Carlos Santana, and Robert Cray, have contributed to the ongoing efforts of Blue Star Music Camps.

Students come with various ability levels — from beginner to advanced — but all are committed to their musical growth. Regardless of their ability level, training is tailored and customized to each student’s skills and interests within a unique performance driven program where the kids write their own show. Students are encouraged to try all camp offerings such as performing, instrumentation, stagecraft, songwriting and composition, in an effort to increase the depth of their experience. The culmination of their week of workshops and lessons comes on Friday evenings — where a public concert is held at the camp’s theatre.

Blue Star Music Camps offers young people an environment to explore self-expression, develop a musical skill and gain confidence through setting and achieving goals. In addition to exposing youths to the world of cultural arts, we hope to help them recognize and pursue career options in the music industry, build upon their sense of personal worth and create an outlet for their creativity, their energy and their abilities.

Monday, May 01, 2006

MAY DAY!

Recovering from a lovely weekend!!!

A few days ago, I posted a link to listen to the Merle fest. Yesterday it was streaming both Friday & Saturday Weirback's sets- the Saturday includes Kashmir! Though, the GAMH version was or seemed about as twice as powerful, the Merlefest one is nice too!
Did I post these GAMH photos yet ?








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