This year marks the 50th anniversary of the summer of love, when thousands of American youth flocked to San Francisco, Calif., to join a cultural revolution. They came for the drugs, to stand against the war and for the music. At the center of the music was the Grateful Dead, a band that formed in Palo Alto in 1965 — it would forever be associated with the psychedelic era.
The music of the Grateful Dead and their loyal following of Deadheads have endured. Even though the band’s leader Jerry Garcia has been dead for more than 20 years, the Grateful Dead’s music remains as popular as ever, appealing not only to their original fans, but to newcomers who were born years after Garcia’s passing. The Dead’s live shows, which showcased both their improvisational skills and unwillingness to adhere to a set list, are at the core of the band’s musical legacy. And long before the term “Americana” was coined, the Grateful Dead was a pioneer of the genre, incorporating all forms of American music (blues, country, jazz) into its sound. Then, there’s songs like “Uncle John’s Band,” “Friend of the Devil” and “Truckin” that are all evidence of the band’s strong songwriting skills.
As a result of the Dead’s popularity, there are many bands working today that cover the band’s music. One of these, Joe Russo’s Almost Dead, recently headlined the Green River Festival, while local acts like the Dead Collective also play the group’s music.
And now, one of the most successful interpreters of the band’s music is coming to Greenfield. Musician, journalist, radio host and Grateful Dead archivist David Gans will appear at the Hawks and Reed Performing Arts Center on Wednesday, Aug. 6, at 8 pm.
Gans, who is from California, will be joined at this show by Pearly Baker’s Best, a Grateful Dead tribute band from Syracuse, N.Y. The group says its goal is to provide the audience “with a Grateful Dead-like experience’ — allowing them to encounter the show as a translational, musical undertaking.”
Gans has strong ties to the Grateful Dead world. In the 1970s, he started out a singer-songwriter working in the Bay area, but then his career took a detour and he became a successful music journalist. Gans was always a fan of the Dead, and writing for publications like San Francisco’s “BAM” magazine brought him into contact with the band. He went on to write five books on the band, the most recent being, “This Is All A Dream We Dreamed: An Oral History of the Grateful Dead,” co-written with Blair Jackson. He is the host for the long-running, syndicated radio show, “The Grateful Dead Hour,” and also co-hosts “Tales From the Golden Road” on Sirius/XM radio.
In the mid-1990s, Gans began to focus on his music, writing and recording original tunes, as well as covering the Dead’s music. Most recently, he released “It’s a Hand-Me-Down,” which features his versions of Dead songs. He is currently working on an album of original material.
Expect his show at Hawks and Reed to feature a mix of original and Dead tunes and some country-blues fingerpicking. If you are a follower of his Twitter account, you know that you might hear some political commentary on the side. Gans is also known for his musical loop work, in which he creates spontaneous compositions in performance.
Gans and Pearly Baker’s Best have been sharing the stage together for about a year. The collaberation came about when Charley Orlando, who is the vocalist/guitarist for Pearly Baker’s Best and also a talent buyer, met up with a booking agent who happened to be working with Gans. Orlando told the agent that he was a longtime Gans fan and would be honored to have Gans join Pearly Baker’s Best during their weekly “Dead Night” gig they play at a bar called Funk ‘n Waffles in downtown Syracuse, N.Y. Gans agreed.
“We played the show and we all got along amazingly well, musically and personally. David has a very good understanding about Grateful Dead music, and so does PBB, so the match was a solid one,” said Orlando.
In Gans words, Pearly Baker’s Best is “doing Dead music the way it should be done: with great warmth and compassion.”
“We usually have David do a solo set, then we play a set on our own, and then we play together, playing Dead tunes and David originals, as well,” said Orlando, about the format of the show. “It’s always super fun and super Deady. “
Tickets are $10 and available at: www.hawksandreed.com. Hawks & Reed Performing Arts Center, 289 Main St. in Greenfield. Doors open at 7:30 p.m. There will be a meet and greet with Gans before the show.
If you want even more Dead music you can head to the Iron Horse Music Hall in Northampton tonight and catch solo pianist Holly Bowling who will be performing Grateful Dead music. Show begins at 7 p.m. On Saturday, Aug. 5 at 10 p.m Shakedown Street one of New England’s foremost Grateful Dead tribute bands will be at the Iron Horse Music Hall at 10 p.m. For ticket information on these shows, visit www.iheg.com
Sheryl Hunter is a music writer who lives in Easthampton. Her work has appeared in various regional and national magazines. You can contact her at soundslocal@yahoo.com