tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5195590583641426943.post3518011149987399452..comments2024-03-26T23:10:34.814-07:00Comments on Grateful Dead Sources: Winter 1970: Grateful Dead News & InterviewLight Into Asheshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06943335142002007213noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5195590583641426943.post-43192567462918345232015-08-11T14:33:43.351-07:002015-08-11T14:33:43.351-07:00There's a brief description of "Dead frea...There's a brief description of "Dead freaks," who at this point are said to mainly exist only in a few big cities, and to be more than commonly interested in the Dead & what the band has to say. Strikingly, they're "usually a little older" (not the general teenage rock crowd), which correlates with the Feb '70 interview I just posted, where the interviewer comments that Dead audiences "tend to be a little older." (Which perhaps just means generally college-age or people in their 20s.)<br /><br />Occasionally in these early interviews Garcia will speak up for the ecology and the growing danger to the planet, as he does here. Lesh chips in as well, saying that the Dead are "giving their energies" to the ecological movement, and playing benefits for it - which seems to be a considerable exaggeration, if not an outright lie.<br /><br />Garcia also has an interesting statement: "We’ve got a reputation for being musically good – and we’ve influenced a lot of groups." This ties in with his comments elsewhere that the Dead were 'a musician's band' or 'popular among musicians,' but strikes me as a little strange - how many groups had the Dead actually influenced in the '60s? (Then again, in Feb '70 the Dead played with Fleetwood Mac & the Allmans, who both bore some Dead influence at that point, or at least Garcia might think so.) <br /><br />(Also: the guy Garcia mentions who jumped onstage & threw a microphone could possibly be the guy we hear in the 12/29/69 Good Lovin', in Boston.)<br /><br />TC left the group at the end of January, but this isn't reported - in fact, there's a full-page picture of him at the Continental organ. <br />What's surprising is that he's part of the interview - probably the most he was ever quoted when he was actually in the band. He has quite a bit of interest to say about their music, and sounds different than he did in later years. (Pigpen chimes in with a sentence too, about as much as he was ever willing to give in interviews.) Light Into Asheshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06943335142002007213noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5195590583641426943.post-25183950263060821242015-08-11T14:32:12.192-07:002015-08-11T14:32:12.192-07:00A good article about what the Dead are up to - it ...A good article about what the Dead are up to - it was written in Jan/Feb '70 (Constanten was still in the band through January, but the February recording sessions "are being taped this month").<br />It's possible that the interviewing took place in late '69, which would account for some statements that seem out-of-date by early 1970 (as I'll mention). Circus was based in New York City, so most likely the interview happened on one of the Dead's trips there.<br /><br />Workingman's Dead would be released in June. Though Harris had seen the Dead recently, he doesn't try to describe the new material, just saying, "There is an emerging country-western flavor to the Dead’s music...the fine, really tremendous hard-driving rock sounds are still present, but some melodies, words and harmonies seem simpler."<br /><br />Harris doesn't seem to be aware that the New Riders had briefly opened for the Dead at some summer '69 shows; at this point the two groups only play separately. <br />One surprising thing in this account (stating that the New Riders play on weekdays in "various beer houses and country & western, folk oriented, collegiate type places") is that the New Riders aren't currently known to have been playing anywhere at all in Jan/Feb '70, but were on hiatus! Possibly Jon McIntire was referring to the fall of '69, when they were very active, but the article asserts that this is "the present schedule" and gives the impression they're still playing places weekly. A small mystery - at any rate, McIntire was keen to publicize the New Riders here.<br />The New Riders had made a demo for Warners in November '69, but apparently they were rejected, and wouldn't record an album til the end of 1970, finally signing to Columbia in 1971.<br /><br />This could be the only contemporary source for the Dead's involvement in Zachariah. McNally writes a bit about it (p.307 of his book), though he places it in '69 near the beginning of Lenny Hart's management. Timewise that doesn't seem right, since here it's described as an upcoming project (with filming not supposed to start til April '70). But this article may already have been out of date - in the 1/3/70 show, the Dead introduce Mason's Children saying, "This here song we wrote for a movie... We decided not to do it finally." McIntire still seems excited by the prospect of the movie here, though ("we're really looking forward to filming it"). Anyway, the Dead bowed out (so did Ginger Baker), and Country Joe & the Fish took their place.Light Into Asheshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06943335142002007213noreply@blogger.com