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    clayv
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    "Welcome to the 10th year of the Dave's Picks series! We're amazed and humbled that this community of Dave's Picks fans keeps growing, and we just wanted to let you know how much we sincerely appreciate your support of and interest in the series. We started in 2012 with 12,000 of each release, and now we've more doubled that, with 25,000 in 2021. Wow! We keep working as hard as we possibly can to bring you the best, most exciting Grateful Dead shows in the vault. Our 2020 releases included music from 1977, 1974, 1984, and the latest, biggest release yet in the series, the two complete Hartford shows from 1987. Looking ahead, we've selected two exceptional, A+ Dead shows for Vol. 37 (more on that in the video below) and 38, as well as the Bonus Disc that will come with Vol. 38. Big year ahead! As we head into the 10th year of the series, there's no end in sight. We love what we do, and have loads of plans and ideas for the next few years. Onward to more great music!"

    David Lemieux
    October 2020

    Times may be trying but the music has never and will never stop! Keep the momentum going by doing the Dead all year long with a Dave's Picks 2021 subscription. We're taking the production run up one final time - to 25,000 - for each of the four Dave's Picks 2021 releases. We'll also be doing things a wee bit differently this year - subscribers will be the first to receive their Dave's Picks. A la carte sales will go up on street date (no more pre-orders) and if you don't subscribe - we highly encourage you to - you'll want to be ready and waiting because these releases sell out within hours. Hours - no hyperbole.

    In addition to the four releases in 2021, totaling 12 CDs, you’ll also get the subscription exclusive bonus disc, which has proven to be one of the most highly sought-after collectables we release, and free domestic shipping. Subscriber bonus discs will not be released outside of this offer. Early bird subscribers can nab a sub at $99.98 (regular pricing will be $115.92).

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  • Oroborous
    Joined:
    Jim 73

    That’s the fluid part; in the beginning of the tour the horns are used sporadically throughout much of the second set.
    By Pittsburgh/Buffalo, their used more like you say, in a concentrated portion of the second set, and not on as many tunes. The recordings were hit and miss so hard to say for sure, but possibly they were dropped in the mix a bit too?
    Of course if there was multitrack, things could be edited and cleaned up nicely, but I’m guessing there aren’t any?
    They could always do a chop job and use it for the Wake of the Flood bonus material...
    Personally I the like the novelty, and would really dig having the 11th! It would be yet another one of the multi headed hydra that was the Dead. Talk about a palate cleanse! Another totally different version of the Dead to go to. And As I say, if nothing else, sans the horns, you still get great 73 Dead and a 73 Dark Star! But that’s just me...

    EDIT: historically you have to think they’d want to get at least one version of Keith singing Let Me Sing Your Blues, sorta like they got the only versions of Money Money out, though of course those are tied to “big” shows without the controversy...again, makes me think good Wake bonus material?

  • JimInMD
    Joined:
    9/11/73

    And there is the patch at the very end of Morning Dew through the beginning of Sugar Magnolia they would have to work around. Such a difficult place to put a patch.

    I'd still take 9/11. Much of the tour is somewhat a novelty, at least that's how I compartmentalize it. Oro.. since you are fresher off this tour than I.. I think most of the horns come smack dab in the middle of the second set jam sequences, right? If so, if they would have snuck them in during the first set and perhaps a song or two in the second set this might have been less a distraction from the goods that evolve in the meat of the show.

  • Oroborous
    Joined:
    73 Horn Tour

    Yaasssssiree Mayor Jimmy, ‘‘twas me, and Bluecrow, until I lost him at the rest area after Syracuse (hopefully made a few dozen people happy from that particular rest area on the ole I 90 before the 84 Carrier dome show, but that’s a whole nother story; ) So Old Crow was hangin round some fine young DH ladies in a burnt Orange VW bus from New Mexico and when I came back out he was gone and I haven’t heard from him since? But I digress.
    Yeah I did the whole tour this fall and though I enjoyed it, I’d say mini box at best, but for whatever reason, like DHB said and feels, and the vibe I’ve always got about these shows over the years, is that many folks feel there’s nothing there?
    It’s kinda weird, perched right in the middle between the epic summer shows, and perhaps the greatest tour ever, and yet it’s like it doesn't exist?
    Personally, I concur with the mayor and others, and Dave has it on that “list” he put out when Dave’s started, 9/11/73 is definitely the “one” if ya had to pick.
    And PSYCHE in my best Ashton Kutcher voice it’s from.....wait for it....William and Mary! Hmmmmmm
    Oh, I think it might’ve been Hornsby first show too?
    I also argue that there’s the historical factor. As some here have discussed, sometimes shows get hyped and thus released because of certain historical significance, and that occasionally their not necessarily top shows. Egypt being first to pop into my head, not the best show, and the quality certainly isn’t mind blowing, but come on, are ya not going to release it? I’m sure glad they did...
    Finally, if you look past the horns, your still getting primo Dead from just before what some consider their best tour, AND, a sweet 73 Dark Star!
    So I can’t believe they haven’t at least got 9/11 out!
    If I were to pick a mini box I think I’d go with;
    - 9/11W&M for sure,
    - 9/17 Syracuse and/or
    - 9/21/73 with either
    - 9/24 or 26 to illustrate the tour changes, mainly around the use and duration of the horns...
    A 3 show box would probably be perfect, and as the tour was very fluid, a good taste of that...
    I unfortunately agree though that this is highly unlikely, at least not anytime soon, and of course I’m not familiar with the tape situation?
    I think 9/11 will see the light if day at some point!
    I’d be a shame if it didn’t...

    EDIT: oops forgot, saw something recently about the ginger bread man guitar up for auction...

  • JimInMD
    Joined:
    Mmmm

    Never trust my memory. I thought we were talking about the Capitol Theatre, but...

    I know that guitar in KF's post is the peanut. Strider usually catches up on these threads and seems to have a great memory. One of the great personalities here.. what I wouldn't give to have seem some of the shows he has seen.

    More to follow. Any update on Jerry's Granola, Popcorn and Potato Chip guitars? In hindsight, it was not a good idea to name his guitars after junk food with all that good weed around. At least the Peanut and Pretzel survived....

    Agree on the horns comments, but I think if they found a way to clean up and fix some of the cuts, William and Mary might just be releasable.. and there is the archive. I think Oroborous or someone here just did a run through all those shows recently, maybe BobT?

  • Deadheadbrewer
    Joined:
    Horns

    Trottered, I remember Dave saying that none of those shows would ever be released. Many people enjoy the sets with horns from that month, but I think the band and a decent number of fans aren't interested in a release from those shows. Good thing there's the Live Music Archive! :)

    I really enjoyed this year's Dave's Picks. The first two shows (10/29/77 and 06/23/74, for those with shortened memories :) were killer, and then I appreciated hearing a ton of music from years that we don't have many releases from. At this point I would rather hear some good stuff from the 80s or 90s once in a while, rather than the 21st-best show from, say, 1973. Dave and Mark and Rhino are doing a stellar job of getting us tons of music from the entire span of the GD's career.

  • icecrmcnkd
    Joined:
    Guitars named after food

    Didn’t Jerry play the granola guitar at Boreal ‘85?

  • daverock
    Joined:
    SG?

    I vaguely remember Strider saying Jerry played the SG on 2/18/71. One of its last outings.

  • JimInMD
    Joined:
    Mystery Guitar

    It's the peanut.

    https://rickturnerblog.com/2017/12/05/garcias-turner-peanut-guitar/

    There was a lot of talk about this a few weeks ago.. I think Strider88 might have been one of the ones leading the charge here.. plus, he got to see it sort of up close and personal at the Port Chester shows.

    The Peanut.. an early custom guitar made for Jerry Garcia. Originally rumored to have been invented by George Washington Carver, it was later confirmed to be an embryotic Alembic creature created by Rick Turner.

    Not to be confused with the Pretzel.. Another Garcia owned Turner axe which was stolen while in the possession of Sam Cutler circa 1975 and only recently resurfaced.

    https://relix.com/articles/detail/jerry-garcias-pretzel-guitar-resurfac…

    I'm holding out hope that the popcorn and potato chip guitars, missing since Woodstock and long rumored to be victims of the munchies, are found and safely returned.

  • KeithFan2112
    Joined:
    Jerry's mystery guitar may have produced his best sound

    First I have to get this out here - I really like the artwork they emailed for Dave's Picks 37. Yeah it's more skeletons, but I like the simplicity and colors. I have a feeling the new artist Helen is going to continue be a good one for this year, as far as my taste goes.

    As far as guitars go, I love the Gibson SG in terms of look and sound (Townshend memorialized this guitar on the Tommy Tour, which included the great Woodstock footage, Live at Leeds, and Isle of Wight.

    And then Jerry had his landmark moment with the SG on Live Dead (and Bobby pulled one out occasionally pre-hiatus).

    The Alligator Nash Strat sounds so damn clean, how can you not love that one too. Somebody on here once commented that nobody brought out the best sound of a Stratocaster like Garcia; I always took that comment to heart. And the Wolf is the Wolf - you need go no further than DP 18 for the Bertha solo or The Wheel into.

    But then there's this lost period in the guitar info on Jerry between the SG and the Nash Strat. Once I became a raging Dead-a-holic, I noticed those early '71 multi-tracks had a sound of their own.

    The two new Port Chester shows convinced me there's another guitar in there. The WMD and AB shows have some of the greatest sounding Jerry ever released (to my ears anyway); but more important, wtf was he playing?? Well, if you Google it, you can find a picture of one of the oddest looking guitars I've laid eyes on. At first I thought it was some kind of off-model Gibson Les Paul; the headstock looks it, but the body is narrower with symmetrical rounded off cutaway (similar to some old Rickenbacker Spanish body electric guitars I found online while trying to identify what Garcia was playing. There's a blurry picture of it in the booklet for AB 2/18/71. Here is a closer up pic:

    https://drive.google.com/file/d/1qX11rUzflHxqDGIS2DssYoGA8hPsWrtN/view?…

    Whatever THAT guitar may be, is the one responsible for the rich melodic tone that Jeffrey Norman brought to life especially well on the 2/18 and 2/21 shows. Personally, I think 2/19 (aka Three From the Vault) is not quite in the same class of engineering perfection as these 50th anniversary shows, but it's also an old release at this point, so a lot may account for this (my subjective opinion not least of all). Yeah yeah, I know - It's only rock 'n roll.....

    Would love to know if anyone can positively ID Garcia's guitar here.

  • billy the kid
    Joined:
    Deadheadbrewer

    Thanks for the anniversary reminder. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=NVqArOogY-c. I sure wish the Dead would have brought this back for the 1980 acoustic sets.

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"Welcome to the 10th year of the Dave's Picks series! We're amazed and humbled that this community of Dave's Picks fans keeps growing, and we just wanted to let you know how much we sincerely appreciate your support of and interest in the series. We started in 2012 with 12,000 of each release, and now we've more doubled that, with 25,000 in 2021. Wow! We keep working as hard as we possibly can to bring you the best, most exciting Grateful Dead shows in the vault. Our 2020 releases included music from 1977, 1974, 1984, and the latest, biggest release yet in the series, the two complete Hartford shows from 1987. Looking ahead, we've selected two exceptional, A+ Dead shows for Vol. 37 (more on that in the video below) and 38, as well as the Bonus Disc that will come with Vol. 38. Big year ahead! As we head into the 10th year of the series, there's no end in sight. We love what we do, and have loads of plans and ideas for the next few years. Onward to more great music!"

David Lemieux
October 2020

Times may be trying but the music has never and will never stop! Keep the momentum going by doing the Dead all year long with a Dave's Picks 2021 subscription. We're taking the production run up one final time - to 25,000 - for each of the four Dave's Picks 2021 releases. We'll also be doing things a wee bit differently this year - subscribers will be the first to receive their Dave's Picks. A la carte sales will go up on street date (no more pre-orders) and if you don't subscribe - we highly encourage you to - you'll want to be ready and waiting because these releases sell out within hours. Hours - no hyperbole.

In addition to the four releases in 2021, totaling 12 CDs, you’ll also get the subscription exclusive bonus disc, which has proven to be one of the most highly sought-after collectables we release, and free domestic shipping. Subscriber bonus discs will not be released outside of this offer. Early bird subscribers can nab a sub at $99.98 (regular pricing will be $115.92).

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We tuned, we watched, we said "Meh".

I'm the first to admit I'm not much of a video man, but really? I found it did nothing but distract from the music. Where the devil and chained humans came from IDK? The spider?

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It might make for a nice t-shirt or temporary tattoo.

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In reply to by bigbrownie

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Also had St. Stephen with a rose.
I think that most of the images were taken from tarot cards.

But yeah, added nothing to the song.

Why not give us the gift of a free download?
Oh yeah, they just gave 30 free song downloads with 30 Days of Dead. Thanks for those songs.

.... just wasn't sure where the little bastard came into the song. Not what I picture when I hear about a ripple with no pebble tossed! "Ohhhhh, look at the ripple. I ain't tossed no pebble, must have been a spider!"

So what did cause that Ripple?

....yes the spider would make a great tee!

Looking forward to hearing what will be released next year and when.

In going through all the past box set releases, there remains a glarring hole, 1980. We did get the unfortunate news from DL this year that several of the multi track reels of the Warfield/Radio City run were recorded over for Brent's solo stuff 😭 and they didn't have enough full shows for a box release... So, how about the five shows to end the year in December at Oakland?? Looks like this had potential to be a good run and that 1980 hole needs to be filled.

Stay well out there.

Is really one of the statement mind bending releases of all time. ...and recorded in glorious, if not flawed multi-track. The band thought it was junk for years until Don Pearson figured out how to time the PA from the various mics and somehow cross fade or erase the overage and bleeding and create what I think is a masterpiece.

I believe all this is mentioned in the liner notes from the original release, but I have not read them in decades, so rest assured my description above is at least slightly off.

Simply, a work of art.

Did somebody mention 1968?

As for Alaska.. love it but we have yet to see a cassette mastered box set. Time will tell, but I don't see Dave blowing his box set load on a cassette mastered series of shows just yet.. '

But who am I to predict the future.

But seriously, love Anchorage 1980. Look at my comments as keeping the vibe alive.

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In reply to by JimInMD

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the recordings in the vault from 68 are probably few and far between, and not up to release-able standards. Although MY release-able standards are pretty liberal (that is not a political statement, btw.)

11/1/68: I have 45 minutes of this on cassette, and listened to it the other day in the car.

HOT.

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Maybe? I don’t know. But AFAIK, the only other spider in GD iconography is the one that appeared on the Two from the Vault back cover. I suppose the idea was that the “vault” was full of cobwebs and spiders.

What the spider has to do with Ripple, I have no idea. Seems to me kind of contrary to the spirit of the song. I know there’s no one clear answer to the question of what this or any GD song is “about,” but I always felt like Ripple has something to do with the idea of (how can I put this?) not knowing. About living life knowing that we can’t know, and being OK with that. It’s about forces in the universe beyond what humans understand: the “fountain that was not made by hands of men” and the “ripple in still water where there is no pebble tossed,” not knowing or caring where songs come from, not having anyone to guide you, not knowing the way home.

So now here’s this cartoon that seems to want to just give you a pat answer: the reason there’s a ripple in still water is not because there are cosmic forces beyond our understanding, but because there’s a spider. Duh!

I didn’t like the video, partly for that reason. Instead of a lovely, mysterious haiku at the center of the song, we now have a cartoon spider that’s going to be hard to purge from the mind’s eye whenever we hear the song. Whole generations will grow up thinking Ripple is “that song about a spider.” Also, the whole damn video’s just kind of creepy. I mean, the skeleton playing cards is fine, because it’s the GD. But the women (and men) in the video have naked breasts, but no nipples, and nipless boobs just make me uneasy. And then there’s the Giant Satan. Really? In Ripple, that nice little campfire song, we get a Giant Satan? What are we, Slayer?

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I know damn well (even if I really don't) that they've got release-able '68 shows in the vault. ForensicDoc and I agree that many of those period shows were multi-band nights, thus the GD sometimes had to lift the roof in 90 minutes or less. It's a theory at least. But that means probably not a Dave's Pick unless you stack a couple together.

But for the record, I'll take any reasonably well-recorded '68 shows in a heartbeat.

There, said it! Mean it! Gonna scream until they do it!

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This show is just waiting to be cleaned up.and released, it. burns.

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In reply to by hendrixfreak

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"well, please don't be surprised when you find me screamin', too"

68! 68! 68!

Attention all intelligent lifeforms...today is the anniversary of that awesome show in Florida: 12/18/73.

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In reply to by hendrixfreak

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I would be quite happy with a single disc Dave's Picks from 1968 - on its own. Sometimes less is more, and one disc from that year would tickle my fancy more than 3 or 4 discs from a lesser year. Of which there are many!

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their forks and spoons on the stainless steel tables and chanting "68" "68" instead of, say, "69" "69" (pun intended) I start to feel right at home. I do have my favorite eras and band configurations, as do many of you, but I think we all could really enjoy even a one-disc set packed with explosive double drummer mutant Alligator > Caution >Feedback with maybe a DS > St Stephen > Eleven thrown in for good measure.

What? I already own 5-6 hours of official '68?? Then what the hell am I doing hanging around here??

I believe it'll be a '68 weekend, with some Jer, Dylan and Jimi thrown in.

As you were!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hey.. it's called work release folks. And for the record, when we are out 'working' we are not inmates at all, we are functioning members of a productive society.

Did someone mention 1968? Well.. that's worth digging a tunnel under the vault. We need more 1968 Fully Normanized shows released.. Get your hands out of your pockets and bring on some one disc wonders from the most explosive year in Grateful Dead history..

1968, screw Cornell.. give us more 1968.

Blasphemy? Na.. a single disc 1968 in 2021. Have we not suffered enough?

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only in my mind, Mr. MD, thanks for pointing that out. Although I DO love that lunchtime in prison by Hollywood vibe. Call me sentimental. I will free my mind and soul by .... oh wait, I've already posted that.

Folks, using the word "happy" seems inappropriate at year's end of a tough one. In a moment of weakness, I would like to wish everyone stays safe, has someone close, makes or plays or cranks great music and finds a few moments of peace in that traditional lull between the Solstice or your chosen religious holiday and that first bleak day of January. For years my buddies and I have jammed on both the Solstice and New Years Day, because we could. The band is the audience, too. This year is different. But that'll make me appreciate all the more if and when we can all hang out as we please. We've lost so much in so many ways. You fill in the blanks. But...

We will get by.

That's my Solstice message, bros. And now back to our regularly scheduled frenzy at WORaunchy...

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Please just release whatever is useable from that year, regardless of whether there's two minutes or two hours from one particular concert. Complete-show purists be damned! :)

I really wouldn't mind thoughtful compilations from other years, either. Hearing the best two hours culled from a three-show run that doesn't have one stand-out show is fine by me. Obviously one shouldn't cut up a start-to-finish stellar show, but how many more of those are left, if we're being completely honest with ourselves . . . ?

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In reply to by Deadheadbrewer

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Dick Latvala said he thinks the tape he played for Phil that got him the job as archivist was 10/12/68.

Like many of you I didn’t get it, especially the spider.
But when I showed it to the misses, who knows a little about Tarot, she immediately knew what was going on.
I don’t have time to explain it all, but if you look into the images and meanings of the cards and then watch again it makes more sense. The spider = is the symbol of creativity, and the fountain = the ace of cups, when you draw that card it’s supposed to represent each person and event posses a precious gem hidden inside, and to make a conscious effort to find it etc..
Just a superficial taste of this, but if you take the time to compare the video images with the cards it all makes sense.
So this is actually pretty $#@&ing deep, and meaningful and not the goofy nonsense animation some might of thought it was...
Sometimes you get shown the light, in the strangest of places.....

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In reply to by Deadheadbrewer

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I am in the camp that would welcome great music being released, even if the full show isn't available. Especially from 1968. A great box could be constructed from the years 1966-1968-maybe starting with an Acid Test and leading up to 68. The more music that could be included, the merrier it would be. A bit like an audio scrapbook of odds and ends. I'd buy it like a shot.

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In reply to by Oroborous

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Here’s the description given in the ‘This Week At Rhino’ email from yesterday.

————-
We're taking 2020 home and offering up new hope for 2021 with the video premiere of "Ripple." Beautifully animated by Actuality Films, the video brings a Tarot card reading to life as it tells the story of The Fool crossing paths with The Muse, The Magician and The Devil. Can you spot the myriad of Easter eggs drawn from Grateful Dead lyrics and lore?
————-

I don’t know anything about Tarot, don’t need to, my dog tells me what the future holds.
Sorry, but he also swears me to secrecy, so I can’t share what he tells me.

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In reply to by billy the kid

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Billy The Kid re-The Weight-Music From The Big Pink was the last thing I played last night before waking up and going to bed. They aren't really my favourite band by a long chalk, but I do check out the first two albums every once in a while. To me, more interesting rather than electrifying. Maybe time to dust off The Last Waltz, too.

Today opened with Dicks Picks 14 and 11/30/73. An unusual way to start a show, playing "Morning Dew". It works perfectly - feels a bit like reading the first chapter of a book, listening to the first few songs of this show.

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Daverock , I don't have any of the Band's music, I was just drinking beer yesterday and listening to different songs on You Tube, that song came up, I like it so I posted it. I always wondered why the Dead didn't play at the Last Waltz, at least Garcia, I always found that to be strange.

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Hadn't played in a while, dragged it out this morning.

Don't hear much talk about them here.

I used to say this is who I put on when I want people to go home :-)

The Residents - Commerical

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GarciaLive Vol. 15... 21 May 1971... just three weeks after killing it with the GD at the Fillmore East ("Ladies & Gentlemen...") Jer displays an awesome command of the guitar in a completely different musical setting. Merle handles bass duties with his left hand and I don't miss bass guitar at all. Just cerebral, loose but thoughtful jamming on a wide variety of tunes.

A cloudy winter day on the high plains brightened by sunshine issuing forth from my speakers. Oh, and a toke or two of Sativa leaning hybrid, courtesy of moi.

Cheers for the Solstice and the Jupiter/Saturn alignment!

From today’s GD email:

The Grateful Dead transformed a concrete jungle into a magical, mythical experience and our art director and producers turned that experience into a GRAMMY®-nomination for Best Boxed Set or Special Limited Edition Package. How's about that? The big one may be gone, gone, gone but you can still enjoy the music (and the fantastic art) from Giants Stadium 6/17/91 as a 5LP or 3CD set.
———-

Apparently that’s old news, but I never saw it before.

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17 years 4 months

In reply to by icecrmcnkd

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....NHL is back on the menu boys. Training camp on Jan 2nd. Season starts the 13th. No pre season games. 56 games. Divisions realigned and teams will only play within their own division. Whatever it takes. I'm in.
My Dolphins are looking good.

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In reply to by Dennis

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The Residents version of "Satisfaction" is guaranteed to clear out a room within five minutes.
I've always considered The Rez one of the two most important American rock bands.

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Nice! Bring it on! Only in the NHL could Detroit be in the Southern Division.

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