Grateful Dead

Since you're comparing DaP Spanish Jams, check out Dave's Picks 17 between Weather Report Suite and Eyes of the World. Jerry 's on top of things.

Was surprised you found them a little out of form on the Bonus Disc from the 22nd (with the exception of Playing). I'll have to put it on a 4th listen.

I have noticed these don't always gel the first time through. For me I think it's because I have a predisposed idea of what they should sound like and when they are more improvisational then not.. they are often outside that expectation.

..if that makes sense to anyone but me.

On some of these relistens though, the become comfy and jammy. Almost exactly perfect.

Just my two cents.. love Spanish Jams from any year.

A beautiful show, just lovely. My wife loved the 1982 film as a child, but I never saw it. I'll watch it with her when we finish this delightful new prequel.

LOVE the war stories--keep em' comin'!

I'm working on earning my Bachelor's of E72 by going through the box for the first time. I am not listening to an entire show on its anniversary, but I at least START each show on its anniversary, with region-appropriate beer/wine in hand. So I'm reading the liner notes for 5/7 the other day, and lo and behold, it's our very-own SimonRob who penned them! You all knew this, but it was news to me. I would have LOVED to have caught Captain Beefheart way back when, as SimonRob describes in the notes.

Doc, way to go with the Dap34 photos. Nice.

Did you say Gene Vincent? Very rare live clip of Gene and the Bluecaps:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eQpl0yVNOPc

...and Eddie too:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KHDOennY-2c

Happy Mother's Day to all that are Mothers out there; be sure to wish them well as they are the backbone of our collective.

Finally things unstuck in The System and DaP 34 landed yesterday with no forewarning other than the postman dinging me when he dropped it in the mailbox. Mailing snafu's aside, I've had my tromp through these discs and it is great fun and sonically masterful. And the Bonus Disc is totally Serious in it's delivery, it just rounds this show out in an ambitiously complete way. More listens are in order but this is as good '74 gets.

Be Well People
Sixtus

Having fun at Laguna Seca Raceway with the Dead.

Think 6/22/83 might be the one that really brought it to my attention? Not long, but kinda spacey. Man at the time that was one of the best sounding tapes I ever had. Believe it was a matrix? Always really loved this show. Also introduced us to some new song called “Elegant Pride” lol...great Stranger, FOTD, and my favorite Ramble on Rose....

https://archive.org/details/gd83-06-22.senn-akg-mckeown.willy.14908.sbe…

I also bring this one up because I believe Sir James might have been at this one so might have some stories?
Looks like a cool place, surprised I never made it there? This news clip is pretty funny!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rV14pcJK0fU

Great clips of Gene Vincent and Eddie Cochran - thanks for that! Pretty good version of You Win Again by Gene Vincent about 14 minutes, and all the first 20 minuets or so, with The Blue Caps are superb. As is all the Eddie Cochran show.

I always loved the guitar Eddie Cochran played-the Gretsch 6120 with a P90 at the neck. A couple of years ago, I saw a copy of one going second hand in my local guitar shop. It wasn't cheap, nor should it have been. And now its sitting here facing me, propped up against a chair. You wouldn't believe the sound, even with my rudimentary skills. Maybe I should change my icon..

Lukcy you! Yeah, change your icon :-)
2nd show in that Gene clip has Merle Travis on lead, but he doesn't fit as well as Bluecaps' Johnny Meeks.

In case others wanna' hear a sample of who we're talking about, here's a classic with Cliff Gallup on lead(and to make this Dead relevant, Jerry did mention Cliff as an influence) killer solo:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E3gxQ1tetAQ

Yes. The whole thing is beautiful

Late to the party. Here are my clean-ups of the artwork for ...

Dave's Picks Vol. 34:
https://i.imgur.com/DGI4jYS.jpg

and Dave's Picks 2020 bonus disc:
https://i.imgur.com/DChlFcX.jpg

....looking at pics of the Fronton seating setup, makes me jealous.

Yeah, that's a great solo.

I was at that one. Unique venue.. more like a high school football if I recall correctly.. and the walk in and out as a trip. My memory of this is fuzzy, I do remember Jerry's vocals on I Know You Rider and on my old cassette I had the Space>Spanish Jam labeled as 3 Mile Island Meltdown Space or Nuclear Space or something like that.

I grew up not too far from there, probably 90 miles as the crow flies. In '79, the year of the meltdown, there was much concern about radiation and prevailing winds at the time.. there was certainly radiation in the crowd that night. I saw a lot of flying saucer pupils. Fun show, the seed you posted sounded a whole lot better than the tape I had.

It doesn't quite compare to June '74. For kicks and giggles I looked for modern pictures of Jai Alia Fronton. There are a couple creepy YouTubes out there of people breaking in and filming the carnage. It's completely dilapidated, a brokedown palace of sorts.

So overshadowed!!! Hard not to be.... bob t

Good idea Bob T!

Finally got my pick on Friday. As most of you know, this Mail Innovations shipping method is the absolute worst. Not sure why any Company would use it.

Anyway, the sound quality is top tier stuff, certainly one of the best 74 Dave's. Love the Let it Rock, Cumberland, To Lay Me Down. WBS seems to get better and better the more I listen it. Did I hear some sort of patch on US Blues? loved that intro.

Man, 32,33 and 34 might be the best three release stretch this series has had. Looking forward to #35 and October 6.

Be well folks!

On the Loser from St. Paul right now!!! Jai Alai is amazing release!! So happy everyone started to get it that was delayed...

The bonus disc is simply amazing! Classic songs/jams and the sound is superb. This was a GRATE addition to a magnificent show. Thank you Dave!

Just got DP29 in from Real Gone Music. I never bought any of the DP's when they were coming out, my buddy was getting them and sending me copies, money was tight and what the hell. In the end, wish I had bought them all as they came. Now I'm too cheap to pay some of the prices I see for complete sets, and the wife would never understand :-).

I have to say for anyone who hasn't bought these real gone music releases, they did a nice job on it. At first blush I thought the bonus tracks weren't included, but though not listed, they are there. It was 60 bucks from amazon (got a price cut before it shipped!) So maybe I'll look into getting the real gone collection,,,,, if it's cheap enough :-)

Dave the Rock and the Gretsch - I know Dave's not the only one on these boards who has guitars AND I know absolutely NOTHING about guitars or playing. But I looked up your guitar and yeah, pricey things. The demo's online made it sound very nice. My question, can you really play? I've met many people over the years who have instruments of all types, played "in my youth", they can still strum a few basic cords, but really can't play. I have a Gibson hummingbird my wife gave me back in 83-ish, why, I have no idea. Maybe she thought I develop unknown talents. I told it's a nice guitar, quite a few people have strummed it over they years and say "very nice". But one night at the store a customer who came in all the time (doctor of some sort), had just bought a new hummingbird, asked me bring in my old one. Bastard sat down and knocked out UJB off top of head. Blew me away. BTW - said my old hummingbird was much louder than new ones.

So Dave, do you play? Also other folks out there, do you really play? I believe some of you are in bands?

Just curious.

Hey Dennis, I'll take your Hummingbird if it's lonely :-)
I play guitar in a band(Western Swing/Honky Tonk) , although not sure when we'll be able to play out again this year.

LOVE that show from '77 (AND the Saint Paul show from the 1978 box), but cannot allow myself to get distracted from my E72 studies. I still need to finish Bickershaw AND Amsterdam, then get to Rotterdam on its anniversary today. The back-to-back concerts on this tour make things difficult . . .

I didn't get into Grateful Dead until I was 21 (1991), but if I had been born ten or fifteen years earlier, I would have attended those old MN and upper-midwest shows.

I am a guitar freak. I have about two dozen electrics, two acoustics and a couple basses, untold effects pedals and several amps. I actually do pick up those instruments with my two hands and play the shit out of them, every day, sometimes only for a half hour and other times all day long, esp. on weekends.

It's the most gratifying hobby I've ever known. When you start out, you suck and sound like shit. Over time, you learn other people's songs, chord changes, scales, etc. One day you find yourself sitting there with a drink and wailing along to "Layla" at full volume, kicking ass and blending right into the record. And then, you start coming up with your own stuff. Some people eschew covers and play as themselves right off, but if there's a kind of music you like, learning that stuff gives you a toolbox of techniques from which to start doing your own thing.

You get out of it what you put into it, practice practice practice. I don't really practice so much as play, but you hone your skills through repetition and hours devoted as you pick up new things here and there. One of my favorite things is to crank up a "Big River" like the one on One From The Vault, and wail along with Jerry. He was so good in his prime it's sick.

I'm not in a band. I have a straight job and a family (and a mortgage etc.) However now and again getting in a room with other musicians, especially with drums present, and turning up is as much fun as it looks. Unfortunately it looks like a bleak time right now for anyone struggling to make it as a musician. First album sales were destroyed by the internet and bands had to depend on live concerts and merch sales. What are they going to do now?

A long time ago, I might have leaned that way, but I'm glad I went with the straight job, keeping the guitar playing on the side, pure artistic expression with no strings attached or record company bullshit. Last, anyone who's always wanted to learn to play the guitar, go buy a decent one and get after it! If you keep with it, it will reward you more than you can imagine.

\m/

Hey all, COVID seems to have me busier than I’ve ever been with both the wife and kid working and schooling here at the cave...so I’ve just been lurking here lately on the site, but I have to jump in on a good guitar convo.

Dennis, I’ve read that 1983 is right around when Gibson started producing great acoustics again, shifting back to some of the methods that they used on 60s flat top guitars. I would love to play that Hummingbird. I’ll bet it sounds awesome, and from knowing what I know of you, it is probably very well cared for! I just recently learned UJB. It was surprisingly (to me at least) very easy to learn and made up of only 5 basic chords (G, D, C, Am, Em) which are some of the first chords (and easiest) that most guitar players will learn. Rhythmically, the toughest part of the song IMO is probably in what would be considered to be the chorus....that is the part that goes “whoa-o what I want to know is ______________....there are some quick chord changes in that line which take some practice, but all in all, not to difficult. That said, singing it and playing at the same time for me is much more difficult. I have only recently been able to incorporate some singing along with my playing and I have been playing for more than 20 years. Some of that I think is confidence factor of worrying about what others think I sound like, which I really don’t give a shit about anymore, but the other part is that rhythmically it is not easy to learn, especially if the song has difficult chord phrasing. Did anyone hear the Bob Weir Shakedown interview from Friday night? He had some interesting comments about Lost Sailor and the reason it didn’t stay around for too long in the bands repertoire. Too difficult to play and the other band members didn’t want to spend the time on it. And we’ve seen that LS has only recently been brought back into D&Cs repertoire. So this got me thinking about the progression of Bob Weirs playing ability. Of course it’s widely know that Bob was nearly kicked out of the band early on because of complaints about his guitar playing. And to be fair he only started playing guitar at the age of 13 and then met Garcia just 3 years later. And any player is going to experience some plateauing, especially early on. That said, it make me wonder if the shift in style on WMD and AB were at least partly made in efforts to help with this handicap as the arrangements are much simpler and back to the basics. (Here is a quote from wiki on the subject:
“The incident apparently led to a period of significant growth in Weir's guitar playing. Phil Lesh said that when drummer Mickey Hart left the band temporarily in early 1971, he was able to hear Weir's playing more clearly than ever and "I found myself astonished, delighted and excited beyond measure at what Bobby was doing." Lesh described Weir's playing as "quirky, whimsical and goofy" and noted his ability to play chord voicings on the guitar (with only four fingers) that one would normally hear from a keyboard (with up to ten fingers).[13].

Cousins: what kind of guitars do you own? What gets the most play? Based on your bands genre, I’m going to guess a Fender Telecaster?

Here are my guitars:

1). 1996 Washburn Limited Edition Acoustic
2). 2017 Gibson Les Paul High Performance in Cherry Red Sumburst
3). Seagull Artist Studio CW Deluxe Element
4). MJT Custom Telecaster build that is aged vintage relic...Taos Turquoise over 3-Tone burst
5). Rhino issued Grateful Dead Dancing Bear/Stealie ukulele (don’t really play this one just decoration
6). I also recently ordered a Taylor GS Mini Koa Plus E with edge burst on my 4 years zero interest Sweetwater card. I needed a good travel guitar and this one gets phenomenal reviews....can’t wait!, but sshhhhhh! Don’t tell Mrs Casey!

-the one I play the most (currently) is the Seagull...most accessible hanging on the wall right next to the couch in my living room. It has a pick up so I can plug it in but I rarely do as it projects nicely anyway. It as a solid Sitka Spruce Top, with Solid Rosewood back and sides, Mahogany neck and Ebony fingerboard, gold vintage tuners. It’s a beautiful guitar that sounds just as good as it looks.

Oro - Great repo car story...had me LOL as usual! For those interested, I promise to finish my Gorge story very soon. Fell off the wagon on that one, but the details are still there. Anniversary is also fast approaching....bummed I can’t do the repeat as I planned for Boulder in July...hopefully we can get back at it soon!

Doc - Great to read your regular posts again. Glad you’re back.

Be Well Dead People!

KCJ

Led Ded: just read your post...couldnt agree more. No better hobby and incredibly gratifying when you are able to overcome a plateau....repitition and practice....I’m at least one hour a day usually early mornings or later at night!

Yeah I think that’s the same source as I had. As I say at the time it was definetly my best sounding tape which in those days wasn’t saying much, but this one shined! Great show too, and looks like it must of been a great place to freak freely from the news clip.
So my buddy Doug hooked up with some dude who either was doing the taping or ? Not sure I really knew, but they knew WTF they were doing, had like Nac with sennhieser mics and were usually low generation and near that quality.
I had the best gear so most of my friends/cousins would bring their new tapes to my house for coping etc so I’d usually get decent generations. Some shows better than others depending on where they were located. Remember, this was before taper section so some diehard pros would poach in front of board, which sometimes was awesome, other times too loud or tone unbalanced etc...
Anyway, we start getting some killer 83’s, probably end of year I’m guessing. Unfortunately I never got the source guys info and next thing you know ole Doug’s knocked up the bosses daughter, whose family is super religious so shotgun wedding and no more fun for ole druggles, poor bastard! And no more tapes for us! Dooaah
Funny part was he got our band to play his ultra conservative wedding, but’s that’s a whole nother story for the bonfire....

There's a B Minor in there somewhere...I think after the G. The riff is fun, too! Don't forget to learn that :-)

Thanks for sharing info. on your guitars, too. I also have a '96 Washburn (D-20 in Koa). My brother just bought his first guitar, a Seagull S6... :-)

Good to see ya!
I think Bob was alluding to what I’ve heard/read all of them say over the years; it got harder and harder to get the band (especially Jerry) to rehearse and some of those songs you just couldn’t do well without rehearsal: LS, Cosmic Charlie, St Stephen etc. Unfortunately another side effect of ole Jer Bears monkey...especially when you consider how hard many of Jer’s parts were on these songs...it’s a bummer but no wonder many of the greats were set aside.

GUITARS & CADDILACS; used to play all the time. Tried to play guitar for ten years, occasionally professionally, once in the studio....switched to bass and rarely looked back. Did try the solo acoustic/apre thing briefly, but wasn’t that good and it’s really hard carrying the whole show by your self. And Scarry! Don’t have that front man Mojo either “star waaarrrsss, nothing but staaaarrrrr wwwaaaarrrsss” much prefer to play with 3 to 5 people, the interaction is where it’s at. But the rush of playing in a hot band in front of a bunch of people IS uncompareble....talk about a high!
But yeah, I preferred being in the back row under the dark lights grooving on the Bass. Played that professionally on and off for 20 years, last ten it was my main, though not only job...It was a gas, but after 100-150 nights a year, often at shitty bars and clubs, when your feet are killing you and your back can’t take that heavy lumber anymore, we’ll sometimes it’s a double edge sword doing what you love for a living....unfortunately haven’t really played in like ten years now. Had to TRY and grow up and get a real job....plus after I got booted out of my main gig, eventually all the calls stopped coming as it is a small, close knit group that gets the gigs here.
I truly miss it in my minds eye, but I don’t miss schlepping that heavy ass gear at 3 in the morning, or getting hassled by the law, or trying to get inspired when your back hurts and it’s late, and there’s only 4 drunks left, but I do miss it.
GUITARS
- Ibanez Muscian Series I got in 79 and modified with Alembic circuitry/pickups in 84.
- Madeira Acoustic
- 84 Alembic Spoiler 4 string electric Bass
- Michael Kelly Club Deluxe 5 String Acoustic/Electric Bass. picked this up early century when I was playing a lot to get upright sound etc. Never spent enough on upright to be proficient as it’s physicaly painful, and it’s a drag trying to play live with a loud band. I liked the sound I good get with the Kelly and a Sans Amp tech 21 Acoustic DI. It’s made for Acoustic guitar but works awesome for the Acoustic Bass. Seceret is the adjustable mid....
shit, ramblin again, sorry, fun topic. DAVEROCK sportin’ the Bobbie Dazzler! Nice axe bra! My guitar teacher always played and sold Gretches. Wish I would of got one, but wanted a Bob Weir Ibenez so bad. Almost had one but got the Muscian series instead. I’ve seen pictures of both Bob and Jerry playing one but not sure what show (s)? Think it was around when Bob was first using Ibenez?

You are correct sir about the Bm...also a Dm and Dsus2 according to Ultimate Guitar Tabs on the “Official Version”. I love the above mentioned app. Has most every song that you can think of and usually there are many versions to play so if you’re not quite getting one arrangement there is usually a way for guys like me to dumb it down a bit. That said I need to add those chords on UJB as they are in my range. Will also try the riff....I have a little pentatonic game as well! (I’m guessing there)

For the record, and if memory serves, I do believe I’ve seen youtube of you playing WilfredT, and you are an excellent player. I’m like a wanna be campfire player at best, but it’s more fun then a frog in a glass of milk.

...When you wear your high heeled boots with your hip hugger suit
It's all right, you're out of sight
And you wear that cute mini skirt with your brother's sloppy shirt
I admit it girl, I can dig it
Well, then I say
Oogum oogum boogum boogum
Boogum now baby you're castin' your spell on me...

Dig that tune, you can never have too much soul.

Correct! My main axe right now is a Tele that I run through a Texotica (boutique)amp, kinda' like a brown face Deluxe.
I also have an Eastman AR371, which is similar to a 1 pickup Gibson ES-175, an Epiphone acoustic, and a Mexican requinto.
Guitar collecting is addicting; I've cut down to 4 now, but over the years I've owned(bought sold traded) about 100 guitars. I always go back to Teles :-) The ones I miss the most are a 1956 Guild M-75 Aristrocrat, a Vinetto Strat, and more...
I don't play out as much as I used to, one of my best memories was getting to play the Great American Music Hall eight years ago, opening for the Easy Leaves(I think I mentioned this here before...)

I have an Alvarez RD8C acoustic that I won (with hard case!) at a bluegrass festival a long time ago. It sat in the closet for a while, then at some point I said to myself, "Learn how to play it, or pass it on". So I re-taught myself some chords and what-not, then picked out some songs to play. I've always enjoyed singing, so I mostly learned how to accompany myself on tunes by Dylan, John Prine, Al Stewart, etc. Over the years I've reached the point where I don't feel uncomfortable whipping the guitar out at campfires and leading a few tunes. Some friends have even asked if I'll BRING the guitar when I come, so it must sound better than street cats making love! :)

https://relix.com/news/detail/my-cymbals-were-melting-bill-kreutzmann-j…
"My cymbals were melting". You don't say Bill. You don't say.

Loved Let it Rock. They definitely could've played this song more, but at least they did well the one time. The heat rises fast in Cumberland, El Paso, & To Lay Me Down. Beautiful WRS>China Doll to close the 1st set. Does it get much better than that? Not a huge Seastones guy, but this one is pretty decent. Who couldn't like the Jam into Ship of Fools? Short and sweet but its the stuff that keeps me coming back. I already knew there was no singing in this Dark Star but the jamming is so good, I would never notice. I highly doubt any of us are sitting there, listening, waiting for a verse to start...
Thank you Dave and everyone for this release! Very Grateful for great shows in great quality. Keep 'em comin'!

Also, there was some talk on here recently about "She Belongs To Me" from 4/4/85 and 11/8/85.
Loving Dylan and the Dead playing Dylan, I had to listen (sorry I'm a little late). Both of those are very nice versions but I will say, 11/8/85 does seem to have a little extra something to it.

Killer version, as is the whole show.

I have had a guitar of some sort since 1974, but I never really developed an individual style, as such. I've never written a song, played in a band or played in public. But I love guitars and having them about. And I love the music other people have played on them. I can play a fair few songs - my Dead specialties are Ripple and It Must Have Been The Roses.
About 12 years ago, I started getting pains in my left hand and fingers-the little finger on my left hand is now bent like a banana. This severely reduced my capacity for playing...but then I had a brain wave. Why not try and learn slide? I got a cheap resonator tuned to open G and...after a while...it didn't sound too bad. So I persevered with this, and got a National Resophonic. Again, I'm not original, but I like playing slide riffs - Robert Johnson, Muddy Waters etc. I then decide to get another resonator which I tuned to open D...and hey presto...the world of Elmore James opened up and Blind Willie Johnson via Ry Cooder. I got an entry level American Special Tele...removed the bass E string-tuned that to open G...and now I'm Keith Richards and John Lee Hooker, too.

This Gretsch I've got is a real indulgence - a beautiful instrument, but I only play the most rudimentary music on it because my hand ( and lack of talent). A few Freddie King instrumentals, some basic rockabilly like Suzie Q. I play it through a small Fender Champ with a Memphis Sun echo pedal for a bit of slapback. Nothing earth shattering but it keeps me happy enough.
That's a message I would pass on to others actually...do look after your hands if you play. I'm not sure how- but maybe a few exercises before playing would help protect them. I used to play with heavy strings and a high action, which I am sure didn't help.

Finally received my copy...

Just listening to Playin' from the bonus disk.

Fantastic sound and jam... grinning from ear to ear.

Happy Monday everyone.

Would anyone like to trade a Swiss Made Workingman's Dead hatchet for a vintage, hollow-body Gretsch?

(kidding of course).

Perhaps we need a new thread Guitar Porn? Kidding, it's all good here, I don't play but totally get the passion.

As soon as I get un-busy I might try and pick up an instrument again.

Hello again everyone, take a listen to this one if you haven't in a while.. Even if you don't listen to any of the other show.... mighty fine... First one since Cornell, doesn't open up a set, but it is hot... Disc 3 is awesome, you also get an Uncle John's Band in the second set that goes into a nice "space, or Jam" bob t

If anyone's interested, I've got another one. A classical piece. Just PM me and I'll share it with you :-)

Be safe everyone.

P.S. 5-11-77: I love the way Phil almost leads the band into a breakout of China Doll but Jerry instead steers the band towards Wharf Rat. The China Doll breakout has to wait another week until Atlanta.

The ongoing Rapture has claimed another. I was unexpectedly let go yesterday along with 30% of our company workforce. Thinking I was safe embedded in Clinical Trials turned out to be short-sighted. Alas, now the long wide open awaits. Hope Other folks continue to find their way through all of this will good luck and perseverance. Could use a little hope right now myself.

Be Well People.
Sixtus

Never good to hear..... bob t

....don't you worry anymore. Hang in there buddy.

Always saddening to hear that the current crisis has affected one of our own. One day this will all be over and we will be in a new normal. Hopefully everyone who has taken a hit will bounce back. Stay positive Sixtus.

(for the Reggie fans)

I think my Hummingbird is pre 83, America for sure I thought. She bought it used, with case (guy wouldn't let her leave with one), 200 bucks! It has a stamp or something inside claims "Second". I have a buddy who is a professional musician and owned a music store forever. "Lowered" the strings, studied it up and down, and came to the conclusion it must be a "second" because of finish, though he couldn't find anything. I have no idea! And yes it's well kept, in a case, in a climate controlled environment. I got friends who fiddle, (not in a fiddle way), who come by and play opening riffs from things.

Years ago I bought a Kawai organ on impulse (in 1977 it was 1500 bucks), nice unit, had real leslie speaker built in, weight a ton. Took lessons in a church for a 92 year old gnome. She needed a ladder and respiration to reach to of stool. But boy could she play!!! Church organ was really cool, all vacuum controls.

In the end I had NO TALENT. Guitar makes no sense at all to me, piano at least makes sense. Drums, I'm lost on how you even do it. I knew we had people here who have and played and collected. I'm all for the collecting, hate to think if I played. This seems to be a guitar thing, multiple guitars. Think piano players have multiple "grands"?
Someone here said they learn a few basics and now he sings around the campfire with buddies. Wish I could. We go to my wife's family reunions and her cousin is the guy with the guitar. (I'm ALWAYS ready with the vocal and lyrics) There are times I chuckle to myself about this, bought my bother in law one of the little martin backpack guitars, if I could play, I'd be walking around ALL the time boring the living shit out of people with my lack of talent! I'd be happy though!

I believe someone mentioned "harp". In Philip Roth's book, "I Married a Communist". Main character talks about his wife daughter playing the harp. How during the 30's "well bred girls", learn the instrument so they could play for thier mother's friends. How he how to lug the thing around when she played out, he said "... the thing weighed a ton. They're always out of tune, because of the moving!"

Finally thanks (Jim?), who mention the new Charlie miller 7/18/89 from Alpine Valley. My copy was damn good, this was better. Sounds 10 to 20 feet closer and 20% less buzz.

Like Tennessee Ernie Ford said in that play "I've always counted on the kindness of strangers"

Thought you were safe too.. sending you Iggmond and family all the best.

...and Dennis. Don't sell yourself short and give up on your life dream. Might I suggest Hip Hop, Punk or Rap? Get a spiked new hair dew and it won't matter nearly as much that you can't play like Hendrix.
(clearly kidding, didn't mean to offend any young aspiring Emminem's out there).

What else can we expect this year? Obviously two more Dave Picks(1980s), but with the deluxe WD presale now out, just wondering what else will be released. American Beauty Deluxe Edition seems logical, what will be the companion bonus material with that?? Seems 1970-1977 period has been covered enough for one year(actually for the last 6-7 years imho).
Dave mentions at end of 1976 box video that another release will come out later in 2020, and that will need "time & space to breathe", just like 1976 did by being released early in 2020. Thoughts on the next BOX SET for 2020??? Seems like Fall 1980 or Summer 1990 have had some rumor comments- who know the correct answer???????

Sorry to hear about the lay-off Sixtus. Wishing you the best in these hard times.

Very sorry to read your news, Sixtus. You must be in shock at the moment. I really hope it doesn't bring you down too much, and that new paths open up for you in the near future.

Dennis - its a shame that having no talent has put you off playing the guitar. It doesn't stop most people...many of whom go on to make a living out of it.

Cousins, i've always wanted an Eastman. I almost pulled the trigger on an Eastman Uptown a number of years ago but I didn't for whatever reason.

I've been playing for about 30 years and have had a lot of guitars come and go. But my main stable that I've had for a long time and will never get rid of are:

'93 Les Paul Studio
'95 Gibson ES-135
60th Anniversary Deluxe Telecaster
2017 Professional Fender Strat
2008 Martin HD-28

And I just picked up a PRS 35th Anniversary Custom 24.

We are all pulling for you.. we don't even care if you suck, but I'm still holding out hope.

I suggest you make up for your (apparent) lack of talent with an righteous new hair style and Elvis/Elton John styled clothes and glasses. Your band will need a flashy name and a super aggressive female vocalist, preferably one recently released and still on parole.

What could possibly go wrong? Suggestions for a band name anyone...

Edit: If your new band doesn't take off right away, don't give up hope. You might need to get arrested a few times yourself. If that fails, you will have to roll out a staged sex tape. If that fails, repeat the sex tape thing but this time with a sitting Senator.

If you don't have an agent.. most of us are under-employed.. I'm sure we can help you out. You're gonna rock it man.. I have a good feeling about this.