Grateful Dead

I was a bit unimpressed with the idea of the boys stopping by for the new radio show (on the basis that there is only so much time and energy to spare from touring) but after hearing Steve Parish field questions and give his view from back stage (streaming GDH # 796 on this site), I now believe I was wrong. I loved the story about Jerry singing/playing "to" the guy in the audience ;-) as well as the other stories. Thanks again, DG. The Dude Abides!

Wow! I loved listening to 4 hours of the crowd montage gearing up for the launch of the station and the sweet 74 show. As time time approached, I made sure all my household chores were done, after being up for 17 hours in anticipation of the launch. Here it comes!! Oh yeah! Promised Land!!! Before the end of the first verse, my Sirious player had a Sirius Fit and switched it automatically over to what the station used to be. I looked at my player, and sure enough, it's on Channel 32, but now it says Sirius Disorder.... which is supposed to be Channel 70... WTF??? So after powering down my player 3 times, waiting for it to connect, and hitting 32 and still getting Disorder... It gets the idea that I'm highly pissed and finally reloads the channel list with 32 being the Dead channel. In the middle of Me & My Uncle. Hopefully, that will be the one and only glitch. I subscribed to Sirius specifically for this channel (and maybe a bit of the comedy.)

I'm telling you all, between the Jam On station and the GD station, plus every major sport except baseball....you just can't go wrong with Sirius. For those of you that are XM subscribers, you really have two choices: (1) get an online only subscription to Sirius (which does you no good in the car, but is cheaper than buying a radio and paying the subscription fee) or (2) cancel XM and get Sirius.....surely the marginal cost cannot be greater than the joy you'll get out of having an entire channel devoted to the greatest band of all-time right?

Wowie Zowie GD Channel 32 Thanks for the sound We Love You

This is a blessing. I am enjoying it!! We've lost our way...but we are way ahead of schedule.

Man - the launch of the Dead Channel has been awesome! Great live shows and some really great stuff from Pig Pen. This channel really kicks butt! They actually played a 95 show I was at and I remembered it being a crappy show. After listening to it on the channel I changed my mind. It was a pretty decent show. Anyway - One thing that annoyed me today was the 9AM Pacific show. The show was from Kansas in 85, I think. But - with access to the vault why play a master audience tape, that sounded like it was recored in a tin can? I have plenty of those shows in my collection :) Oh yeah - i also like the little segment of This Day in Dead History, or something like that. He always plays good stuff. How come the show sounds crisp but his (I don't know who does it) voice sounds like it has been recorded using two cans and a piece of string? I shouldn't complain - the channel rocks! Just got finished a nice 60's Dark Star....they are definitely dishing up some good Dark Stars

I finally was able to hear the GD channel today and it's not bad......not bad at all.

Hi! I’m helping promote the Grateful Dead Sirius station and am so thrilled to read you are excited about it! I just wanted to let you know about all the cool details of the channel, such as: - Unreleased concert recordings - Original shows hosted by band members Bob Weir, Mickey Hart, Phil Lesh and Bill Kreutzmann - Rare archival concerts and interviews - Contributions from GD expert David Gans and archivist David Lemieux - Daily broadcasts of full length concerts at 3am, 12noon and 9pm ET. - Interviews on Saturdays at 10amET and Sundays at 8pm ET - “Today in Grateful Dead History” with David Lemieux- Daily at 7am, 11am and 7pm ET. - Sirius is listening to what you want for the GD channel: Call 877-33-SIRIUS, hit 32, and share your thoughts on what should happen on The Grateful Dead Channel If you don’t have Sirius, you can preview the station for free at www.sirius.com/gratefuldead. Hope you’ll join us!

This morning I was listening to the 5-26-93 show and it ended during drums. They did not play any of the post-drums material for this show. A recording of David Gans came on, thanking everyone for listening, then they started into the normal mix of GD tunes. This is the second time I have noticed this, however I don't remember the date of the previous occurrence. It makes recording the show difficult to say the least. Also I have noticed discrepancies between the schedule of shows listed on the Sirius web page, and what is actually being played. I should say that generally I am very happy to have this channel, I really enjoy the COMPLETE concerts. Hopefully as time goes on they will iron out all these details. Did I say I miss Jerry?

When was the in studio show with Mickey Hart originally broadcast?[I heard a bit of it this afternoon and it was quite interesting imho].......the more I listen to the GD Channel the more I hope the XM/Sirius merger goes through and this channel gets added to XM.[my mothers van has Sirius[free for a year] I have XM btw ]

Mickey's appearance was live on October 15. GD Hour blog Station list

Hey all, I just wanted to let you know about a show I just guest hosted on Sirius Satellite Radio. It's called Head Set, and it gives fans the chance to play their own Grateful Dead dream setlist! I just called in to 1-877-33-SIRIUS and left a message requesting a chance to host Head Set, and not two days later I received a call back from the folks over there at Sirius. Two days after that, I was on the phone, guest hosting my own Grateful Dead Hour! What a memorable opportunity... highly recommended. I'm certainly no David Gans, but I thought my set was pretty entertaining!

My wife and I threw a halloween party last night (admittedly, I'm more than a little hungover at the moment), and while the trick-or-treaters were out, we had our Sirius tuned to the Halloween channel (scary sound effects; screams, sirens, organ music, etc.), but after that the soundtrack was the GD channel. How cool to have a marathon of halloween shows! Great idea... I assume that the programming for new years will be along the same lines...Look forward to it! ps - I also look forward to hearing your headset, jb123!

They're playing same song[Victim Or The Crime]for the 2nd time in the last 20 minutes[something's messed up there].

I have to say that once I got the tape thingy to hook the Sirius direct to my stereo in the car the sound got way better. Also when you do this make sure to turn off the transmitter so the signal passes analogly to the tape heads not wirelessly thru the FM. The transmitter did not work so well in LA where there are stations upon stations and not a lot of free air.I am very pleased with the service and the station. I had the Dish network way before I got the player for my car so I have enjoyed Sirius for a long while now. With the addition in the car I can jam on when I have to get to work. I have listened to regular radio two times since I got the car stuff. I just miss Bill Walton!! His One More Saturday Night show was great! The way Bill tells a story you really got the picture in your head! I hope that they can work it out, I do not know what happened, but I sure miss it. Sometimes I have noticed that they just played the same song, I am not sure that it the same version or not I have not paid any attention to that. Rock on and have a Grateful Sirius experience!

Just wondering how everyone rates the sirius radio experience? Looking at the radi for xmass. Thanks

you can't go wrong!! Grate music all the time :)

After having it for 2+ years now, and w/ the addition of GD channel, I can't imagine NOT having it. Sports, news, Howard Stern, etc... are worth the price of admission, but add in the great variety of commercial free music - and it's no wonder that terrestrial radio is lobbying so hard and spending millions trying to block the merger of XM and Sirius. It makes a great gift, too. His job is to shed light, not to master...

Ch 32 is all Grateful Dead; however, I listen to ch 17 Jam On almost as much. There's a good bluegrass channel too. It's a good deal, especially if you drop cable tv and get DISH network.

If it'll help you make up your mind about getting Sirius, we're playing a VERY rare March 1972 show three times on Christmas day. GD Hour blog Station list

Any word on the merger rumors in the coming year? I was pleased to see in last month's Rolling Stone (or was it Relix?) a write up of the new Dead Station. In the article, Bobby mentioned that the only other 24/7 Dead channel was an on line station on radioio.com . I have tuned in to that for the time being and I have really enjoyed it for the time being. Is there any input from the Dead organization into the radioio station? I look forward to eventually getting Sirius, but for the time being, I'll be utilizing the radioio life line and my XM AirAmerica Radio. Peace - David Diaz

I don't know what the status of the merger is at this point. The Radioio GD channel is programmed by Rob Bleetstein. Not sure what his deal is there, but he's also working with us on Sirius now. GD Hour blog Station list

It sounds like you guys have a pretty good staff over there at the GD Channel. I look forward to getting on that bus some time soon. Please let Rob know that he has done an outstanding job with the play list at Radiio. In all honesty, I probably don't want to know where his material comes from.as long as there is music to rock my soul. Peace - David

I still think creating a monopoly is a bad idea, in this situation. I'd much rather see the nuts and bolts of the industry merged and regulated as a necessary monopoly and it's costs (of the utility part of the business) passed along to consumers, in a timely manner through the spun off broadcasting companies themselves (I'd accept changes to those timelines as this new industry emerges and the facts are more available). This would allow for more access to the party for those interested in creating really competitive "stations" in this market. The reasoning, at this point, seems to be, "the business is ours, we paid for it, we want to do with it, as we please", which isn't wrong, just short sighted, imo. The owners are cool people, NOW. What about the future? That idea aside, what about the money these cats are losing? "The franchise rights alone will make us rich beyond our wildest dreams" (Ghostbusters) Why can't I get what I want, from any satellite supplier? I didn't buy an FM only radio for my car, in the past, why do I need to make that choice now? Interoperable Technologies already has a system that can play both providers signals. They claim the companies will exist seperately, once merged, so what gives? Spin off the burdensome utilities and move on! Sure, there needs to be a minimum or basic package I would buy from a company I would need to choose, but it doesn't seem capitalistic enough to me to rely on "exclusivity" alone to cover the prohibitive costs of this industry's startup and future. For that reason, millions of people are on the fence about buying satellite radio, NOW. Those are lost revenues, in a perishable sense. David Gans and company could make even more money and be more secure (more important than $$$ to me) in doing what they do, because they couldn't be kicked to the curb by individuals that control the entire market. All in all, just something to think about, in the USA at this time. We sit strategically atop a new industry that will undoubtedly be improved upon by another country, like Japan. I say we make the task much more difficult by getting it "right" the first time. "I tell you Max, I don't know why I ever leave this place. I've got all the company I need right here." - The Grinch

I know for myself I am concern with which package to buy... Yearly or lifetime?

From what I've heard, both xm and sirius are bleeding money at this point. They have to create their own programing, their own satellites, their own radios, and compete with regular radio, ipods, cds and countless other media. For me, it competes directly with TV because while I'm at home, it is a constant decision as to whether to listen to Sirius or watch the tube. Furthermore, it is the NAB (National Association of Brocasters) who represent regular radio, who are the ones contributing money to the politicians who are discussing the anti trust issues. To me, that makes it pretty clear that Satellite radio is competing with regular radio at least... But what do I know, mostly I just fear that if the govt. continues to sit on this issue or disallows the merger entirely, the companies will go bankrupt. That would really bum me out since I enjoy this media more than I can believe... I probably listen 6 hours a day! So I say that if the government doesn't see a problem with FOX owning the Wall Street Journal - they should approve this merger already - especially considering it would affect less than 5% of the population at this point...

Well you know son you just can't figure , finally we get our own channel yet still some people have to bitch . The $12.95 a month is a gift, the GD channel is a wonderful thing . I just 5 minutes ago heard Little Sadie from 10-30-80 and it was a treat. So people PLEASE stop overthinking this thing. In this case a monopoly in a land of only 2 businesses is needed because no merger could eventually bring both parties to a end. Then we,d have to listen to jerkoffs like Imus , Opie and Anthony , Cousin Brucie or whatever puppetheads are in your area. Id rather die before listening to traffic and weather with call letters every 6 minutes.And p.s it is unfortunatley for Rhino and the GD about $$$$ because with no $$$$ there is no GD channel - future releases etc ..... So pay up and enjoy the ride.

Hey GARC1A, could you please provide your address so I can have the bill sent to you? I looked on your profile but didn't see it provided. Thanks! I can't wait to get my own satellite radio business, then I can spend money I'm not making but instead of going broke and out of business, I'll cry "poor" to the commerce regulators who will assist me by creating a less competitive environment and then charge my customers whatever I want. I can see droves of deadheads signing up for the service when it's over $100 per month, which it could be after the merger due to the extraordinary spending habits of this group of business owners. They make NASA look like spinsters when comparing the costs of the now mundane task of launching a geo synced satellite, much less what Sirius spent to get Howard Stern, who's as stale as your aunt's fruit cake, imo. When no one can afford to "pay up and enjoy the ride" at that point, we won't have our own channel anymore. Oh and guess what else waits for everyone, once the merger is completed - ADVERTISING! For the record, I've never been against the GD channel and for those that can afford such things, satellite radio, in general. "Wake up and find out that you are the eyes of the world..." "If the forms of this world die, which is more real, the me that dies or the me that's infinite? Can I trust my habitual mind, or do I need to learn to look beneath those things?"

Political and social soapboxes aside, all the New Year's run show that were played on GD channel were a real treat. If I might make a suggestion, I look forward to hearing David Lemeiux's comments and intros to 'This Day In GD History', but we can barely hear him. Any chance he could get a better mic/mix and/or move closer to the mic? Great job. His job is to shed light, not to master...

just found out about this!! Bob Weir To Take Over Grateful Dead Channel Grateful Dead band member Bob Weir will be taking over the Grateful Dead Channel 32 this coming Tuesday at 8:00 om ET. On past occasions Weir has done a Country flavored show as well as a show dedicated to Bob Dylan, but this time Jazz fans have something to cheer about. Weir is slated to play about an hours worth of his favorite Jazz tunes, so get your Stilettos and S50’s ready in advance. If you miss the show on Tuesday, no worries. Sirius will replay it Weds., Jan. 16th @ 3 pm ET; Thurs., Jan. 17th @ 10 am ET; Fri., Jan. 18th @ 12 am ET; Fri., Jan. 18th @ 4 pm ET; Sat., Jan. 19th @ 4 pm ET; Sun., Jan. 20th @ 10 am ET. http://siriusbuzz.com/

Greetings all! I purchased a Sirius subscription shortly after the premier of The Dead Channel on Sirius. I can't think of the last time that I got as much enjoyment out of a toy purchase than my Sirius. We take it with us everywhere we go when we travel and have it installed in both our vehicles. My wife's family lives six hours from us and we no longer have to pack and unpack music for our trips. From time to time I have to remind myself that there are some 180 other channels and I will play around with the news talk stations, Elvis, Frank and especially the 80's channel with the MTV VJ's! I have hundreds of tapes and discs of Grateful Dead shows that I used to parade around with all over the place. Since I purchased my Sirius, they do little more than collect dust in my basement. It is very freshing to not have a half dozen random sets in the back seat of the vehicle at all times. For me, Sirius has taken my radio listening experience to a new level and I hardly listen to FM radio anymore. I would not mind the merger with XM but for selfish reasons as I want the MLB package before the start of the baseball season. I see that David Gans posts on this thread from time to time. A question for you David: I understand that Disorder was the name of the channel before The Dead took over. Do you think you can do anything to get the folks at Sirius to change the name of our channel from Disorder to The Grateful Dead Channel? My wife and I enjoy listening to you and your input with the programming. Chris

Chris - Thank you for your kind words about Sirius 32! "Sirius Disorder" was the old name of channel 32. There is some major system-wide thing that has to happen in order to get the name changed on the sets; I don't know when that's going to happen, but it will happen eventually. GD Hour blog Station list

I'm seriously thinking about getting sirius after this wonderful news.....

The guy who blended, or mixed, the tapes did a grate job. Thanks for the interview at the beginning also, you both explained the process very clearly. The musicians all sound excellent, but Phil really sounds extra crispy. A super show from an incredible venue, what's not to love? I got it cranked to 11 right now. So if ya got the time, can you please do the rest of the tapes like this one? Thank you...

Dan Haugh is the guy who did the work. He is a vendor of recording media and other stuff for people like us, btw: http://www.american-digital.com Gans/GD Hour blog
GD Hour station list

Enjoy back-to-back outdoor Grateful Dead concerts all weekend long on The Dead Outdoors! Whether they were performed at a racetrack, an outdoor stadium or a sports arena, these concerts are sure to rock your Memorial Day weekend and help get you ready for a summer of outdoor shows. Beginning Friday, May 23rd at 9 pm ET through Memorial Day at 12 am ET. Not a SIRIUS subscriber? Go to www.sirius.com/gratefuldead and sign up for our FREE 3-DAY ONLINE TRIAL to start listening today!

I hope the folks at Sirius will play a lot of the 1983 Grateful Dead shows this year!

I recently signed up for a Sirius radio internet subscription and I have been listening to the Grateful Dead station non stop. I isten at work and I listen when I get home. The outdoor concerts all weekend long during Memorial Day weekend was awesome. I heard some awesome shows that I never heard before and was having a hard time walking away to go outside. David Gans, Gary Lambert and David Lemieux and anyone else having a say in programing or hosting a program are doing a great job. I notice there seems to be alot of other cool music stations on Sirius and one of these days I will check them out. Right now I am too busy jamming to the Dead channel. Rock on!

Went up on the mountain last night. Ran into a "Sirius Fire" the last couple miles. It was smokin! Came out to Gomorrah from a show a couple months before the first time I saw Jerry live which was J.G.B. at the Capito Theatre in Passaic, N.J. 1977 . If you could ever play that show it would be a trip. Also wondering if dgans could find the acoustic Jerry gospel with,uh oh brain drain, Jackie and Gloria? singing backup. Itwas a GD Hour a few summers ago. Would be nice to hear again some Sunday morning. Other than that thanks for the jams!And I bid you goodnight.

I'm gonna need more info than that :^) Gans/GD Hour blog
GD Hour station list

It must have been the summer of 04, but I'm not sure. I think 3 songs were played with Jerry on acoustic and the girls singing backup. It was beautiful stuff. Wish I could remember a song name or something. Thanks for checkin!

Never really heard much kingfish before, love it!

I too heard the Kingfish concert on Sirius radio taoday and it was my first listen of them. Good stuff. Rock on!

Saw on the news last night that Sirius an XM are gonna be mergin. Are we gonna get more channels, It won't affect the Dead channel I hope!

I have very little information, but from what I have heard it seems the specialty channels like GD are unlikely to be affected, except maybe to be available on both systems. Gans/GD Hour blog
GD Hour station list

thanks David, keep us informed if you here anything new.

According to Associated Press writer John Dunbar, fierce critic of the merger, Jonathan Adelstein (FCC Commissioner) has proposed a near perfect solution to this issue that is the best compromise for this situation (of all parties involved, imo) and if accepted, I will gladly endorse the merger, unless it affects our beloved music and David's show. I believe that within the proposed compromise though, there is no way the GD Channel disappears because it will be covered by the Public Service aspect of open programming channels proposed by Mr. Adelstein. He wants 25 % of the programming capacity for public interest content... 10% non-commercial and 15 % for minority sponsored programming, that will include indigenous music. Adelstein's proposal also nixes the current (and illegal) "exclusive" agreements with manufactures of receiver equipment and requires them to have a dual compatible devices within one year, that also are backwards engineered for AM/FM reception. The proposal also included a six year cap on pricing, as opposed to the three year cap offered by the industry. What I like best is the idea of "a la carte" purchasing of some music, as well the different packages that will likely be offered. I don't mind having a program I don't listen to but I hate the idea of being forced to fund those that I find offensive from a cultural and/or personal POV. I won't bother with naming names because I try to adhere to the adage of "to each their own" along these lines. In any event, I'm please with the current movement along these lines and look forward to the day I can afford to have this service, as well feel that the long term benefits are being addressed by my government. "You know what the trouble about real life is? There's no danger music."

I can't imagine that the GD Channel qualifies as a "public service," but I don't think we're in any danger anyway. Gans/GD Hour blog
GD Hour station list

Sorry David... didn't mean for that comment to imply your show isn't commercially viable but I'm thinking of down the road in time, when us folks are gone. I certainly hope that your show and the Grateful Dead's music will be seen as necessary to the music scene, as a whole, due to the monumental impact it has had on modern music in general, as well it's own link to more obscure American (traditional) and indigenous music. Listening to the GD Hour on this web site certainly deserves some merit of "public service", imo. Thanks again, btw. "You know what the trouble about real life is? There's no danger music."

I didn't take it as having anything to do with the GD Hour's commercial prospects. I figured you were saying the GD channel is a "public service" like CSPAN or something. We may think of the GD as a precious cultural resource, but the world at large may not agree. Gans/GD Hour blog
GD Hour station list