Subscribe to the Newsletter Lovely view of Heaven, but I'd rather be with you. ❤️ Editor's Note Staying With It There are moments when the instinct is to look ahead quickly — to ask what’s next, to name the future before the silence has a chance to speak. Lately, many of us have felt that pull. With Bob gone, the question lingers quietly in the background of the music we love. Not loudly. Not urgently. Just present. What happens now? What becomes of something that has never stood still, yet...
about 1 month ago • 7 min read
Subscribe to the Newsletter Oh Shenandoah, I long to see you. Hey-hey-hey, your rolling river. ❤️ Editor's Note Staying in the Song We arrived back home from a week in Paris early on New Year’s Day. It took us several days to re-acclimate to the time shift. It felt good to be home. To be unpacked. And to have the week ahead as a fresh beginning to the year. Then, on Saturday, the news came. A text from our dear friend Alice. Bob Weir had passed away. The news was surreal. First, disbelief....
2 months ago • 6 min read
Subscribe to the Newsletter 🎶 “Going where the wind don’t blow so strange.” ~ “He's Gone", first performed live April 17, 1972 at the Tivoli Concert Hall, Copenhagen, Denmark. Written by Jerry Garcia & Robert Hunter. 🌹 WANDER Across the Water: The Dead in Europe ’72 There’s a special kind of magic that happens when you step into a new country with no expectations — just open pockets and open ears. The Grateful Dead felt it too. When they crossed the Atlantic in the spring of ’72, they found...
3 months ago • 3 min read
Subscribe to the Newsletter 🎶 "Some folks trust to reason, others trust to might..." ~ “Playing in the Band", first played live February 18, 1971 at the Capitol Theatre in Port Chester New York. Words by Robert Hunter, music by Bob Weir and Mickey Hart. Donna Jean Godchaux made her Grateful Dead debut singing harmonies on “Playing in the Band” — a song that became her calling card and a touchstone of the band’s evolving sound. As the music world says farewell to her this week, it feels right...
5 months ago • 4 min read
Subscribe to the Newsletter 🎶 "Let there be songs to fill the air..." ~ “Ripple", first played live February 18, 1970 at the Fillmore East in New York City. Words and music by Robert Hunter and Jerry Garcia. A fitting line for this issue — Jerry was the drop that started the ripple in the water, and as it continues to ripple outwards, the music and fan base continues to expand. ❤️ The Weeks Flew By, and We’re Back It’s been a busy month, and we missed a couple of issues—but the ripple never...
6 months ago • 2 min read
Subscribe to the Newsletter 🎶 "It's a rainbow full of sound, It's fireworks, calliopes and clowns, Everybody's dancing..." ~ “The Music Never Stopped", first played live August 13, 1975 at the Great American Music Hall in San Francisco. The words were written by John Perry Barlow, while the music is credited to Bob Weir. A fitting line for this issue — even though the Grateful Dead aren’t on stage and longer, the music never stops. Tribute bands and offshoot projects are proof that the river...
7 months ago • 2 min read
Subscribe to the Newsletter 🎶 “While the firelight’s aglow, strange shadows from the flames will grow.” ~ Lady with a Fan (from the Terrapin Station suite), First played live: February 26, 1977, at Swing Auditorium, San Bernardino, CA, Written by: Jerry Garcia (music), Robert Hunter (lyrics) 🚐 Haight-Ashbury Walking Tour Highlights Before the music even started, we hit the streets of Haight-Ashbury for a self-guided walking tour through Grateful Dead history—complete with vintage murals,...
8 months ago • 2 min read
Subscribe to the Newsletter 🎶 “The shoe is on the hand it fits, there's really nothing much to it.” ~ Touch of Grey, first performed live by the Grateful Dead in 1982 and became their only top 10 hit single. Written by Jerry Garcia and lyricist Robert Hunter, the song is a resilient anthem about enduring life’s ups and downs with a touch of optimism. The song was the opener at Soldier Field, Chicago July 9, 1995 - The Grateful Dead's last show with Jerry Garcia. 🌀 The Wheel Keeps Turning: 6...
8 months ago • 2 min read
Subscribe to the Newsletter 🌹 “Such a long, long time to be gone, and a short time to be there.” ~Box of Rain, Written by Phil Lesh and Robert Hunter, first debuted live on March 23, 1970, during a benefit concert at the Fillmore East in New York City. 🎤 Two Hearts, One Song: Todd & Michelle Some stories are written in the stars. Ours? It was written in the setlists (and maybe in the stars as well). This issue, we're flipping the script and stepping into the spotlight ourselves — interviewing...
9 months ago • 4 min read