[gr8fulbluz]

It is nice to be nice
lemme try the video 2



I sux

[JonnyBoy]

[kewe65]

I agree with Bill to a large degree if what he's talking about is what's being done with the music today by the cover bands

There's a huge difference between cover/tribute bands and musicians taking the feeling of the tune and reinterpreting as they hear it or how it makes them feel emotionally.

THIS is the passing along of the musical/cultural tradition that one poster mentioned - purely restating what's already been said is certainly good, especially for people new to it who never saw the Grateful Dead live, but if you were a member of that band, how really interesting could it be to play the music as a tribute/cover band? To that extent, get Bill's comments completely. Warren easily evokes the spirit while being his own. Kimock's almost incessantly brooding style doesn't really evoke any spirit - at least not to me.

This is also what deals with what one poster said about comparing it to Duke Ellington. Again, musicians adding something of themselves as they pass the 'tradition' along, not simply performing a story retelling.

I was at the Rex Foundation Benefit at the Fillmore earlier this month and I'll tell you what, David Nelson's band was more of a reflection of the 'thing' than i've heard in a long time. It naturally added his and his band's particular voice to the music while completely within the spirit of it.

If i was looking to point someone new to something that represents the spirit, I would point them to David Nelson well before I would take them to a Furthur show.

[Adam Deckard]

I wanna say a couple things after reading this whole thread.

1. Bob Weir is the man.
2. Phil Lesh is the man.
3. Robert Hunter wrote all that shit. (probably)
4. Playing other people's tunes is fun.
5. Bill probably didn't say that stuff, and if he did I would take it with a grain of salt because from the books I have read, the guy is a hot head sometimes, and we all say things we don't really mean.
6. John K is the man.
7. Furthur >> "The Dead" on all fronts (opinion)
8. My dad told me gdtrfb was written by slave folk around civil war time.
9. Rusty the Scoob is the man.
10. Be nice.

[Mick]

4. Playing other people's tunes is fun.

Of course it is! And I do it all the time! I don't have a problem with people making money off of other poeple's tunes either, so long as they are paying their due.

8. My dad told me gdtrfb was written by slave folk around civil war time.

Somewhere around here I have a book of folk tunes that was printed in the 1940s if my memory is correct. It has a version of GDTRFB in it, listed as "Traditional" even then. Obviously, it is a very old tune. I don't have any trouble believing it is from the civil war era.

[playingdead]

GDTRFB is actually based on "Lonesome Road Blues," a traditional American song that was first recorded by Henry Witter in 1924. Lots of people have done versions of it, including Bill Monroe, and it was also on the first bluegrass LP ever released.

It actually become something of a theme song for the Depression referring to the Okie migration to California, where the "climate suits their clothes;" Woodie Guthrie said he learned it from his father. It was featured in Steinbeck's "The Grapes of Wrath."

LONESOME ROAD BLUES

I'm go down this long lonesome road
And I'm go down this long lonesome road
I'm go down this long lonesome road, oh, lord
And ain't gonna be treat this away

I'm going down this road feeling bad
I'm going down this road feeling bad
Going down this road feeling bad, lord, oh, lord
They ain't gonna be treat this away

I'm way down in jail on my knees
I'm way down in jail on my knees
Way down in jail on my knees, lord, oh, lord
They ain't gonna be treat this away

They fed me on corn bread and beans
They fed me on corn bread and beans
Fed me on corn bread and beans, lord ,oh, lord
They ain't gonna be treat this away

I'm going where the weather fits my clothes
I'm going where the weather fits my clothes
I'm going where the weather fits my clothes, lord, oh lord
They ain't gonna be treat this away

[Adam Deckard]

Are you calling my dad a liar!? jk happy holidays

[Mick]

Are you calling my dad a liar!? jk happy holidays

I don't think he is. In a case like this, both can be true and accurate.

[tigerstrat]

I hope this inherently divisive thread isn't going to stay open through the new year. Shall we all get our final licks in and put it to bed?

1st, the link in the orig post goes to an edited version of his comments and removes them from context.

2nd, imho, Billy K doesn't need the likes of us telling him what to say or think. This musician gave us all a huge wealth of incredible music with his extraordinary playing, and has earned the right many times over to say whatever the hell is on his mind and heart.

3rd, "takes a stab at"?? "swipe" or "poke" maybe. "takes a stab at" sounds like he is sitting in for a show or two

[tdub]

Agree, T Strat.... A fresh start to the new year! I don't think anyone I know would ever assume the right to tell Bill what to say, what to play. He certainly has tenure in spades. And I suppose that tenure allows him to stand in judgement of all who pass down the trail after him. But I do think BK's original statement felt, at least to me, lacking in a certain amount of support sensitivity of other musicians, which always strikes me as bereft in class to a certain extent. Or maybe just brutal honesty, take your pick.

[Rusty the Scoob]

Of course he has the right to say whatever he wants, and the fact that we're all still commenting on it means that his words carry weight.

Still, we each have the right to either agree or disagree with what he says.

[Octal]

I don't have the time to read through this whole, thread, so I only skimmed the first two pages or so.

But is it a possibility that Bill said this to promote publicity toward his band? Furthur is definitely doing well--probably taking business away 7 walkers.

And is it also possible that no one ever renders what Jerry was doing regarding the feeling, because we know it's not Jerry? Saying Jerry was an "emotional player" (or something along those lines) means he conveyed a feeling--his music was of this feeling. Now when we compare John to Jerry, we are of-ing an of: adding extra layers, almost like a meta-cognition. I've noticed something similar even with Jerry: knowing Hunter wrote the lyrics always left a feeling that he was partially "lying," or to use a better phrase, an "actor". "Actors playing actors": I've always had this weird feeling at DSO shows because of that. (I doubt I worded this, as it's been more of an intuitive, non-linguistic concept to me and haven't phrased this before to other people.)

If we were to remove the members, and only hear the music (play behind a curtain or listen to a tape, we would get a more objective interpretation of the music. But nevertheless, there is more to a concert than music, i.e. I enjoy Dark Star more because it's smaller and cleaner (I've seen Furthur 3 times, nitrous tanks and the associated stuff...), and even things like what the musicians look like, how they interact on stage with each other and the audience, etc. play a part.

And by the way, first post.

[Tennessee Jedi]

Welcome aboard Octal !
Where in Pa are you ?

[Octal]

Welcome aboard Octal !
Where in Pa are you ?

Bucks Country, which, incidentally, is your area.

[Tennessee Jedi]

Sweet !
MI Amigo !