Grateful Dead

Howdy,I'm at soundclick.com/bandylou and myspace.com/bandylou. my music takes some inspiration from Aoxomoxoa/Workingman's era Dead, among other sources. The Dusty creaky folky side of things. Peace, Bandy Lou

Thanks for the feedback, there are about 16 tunes available for free listening : www.broadjam.com search:The Jimmy MundanesI am finding time to check out everyone's stuff and am impressed with the variety and commitment you all have in continuing the freedom of what is a mostly conservative art form. Peace in our time J. Stockbridge Mundane www.thejimmymundanes.com Kentucky Green Party

Mark, thanks for your sacrifice and I look forward to hearing your music. I dream of composing some pieces as well but as I can't read music or understand the theories of classical/orchestral composition so it may be quite some time-with the miracle of modern midi technology though I may slowly build up to some-guess I'll keep working on the rock and roll (a few of my songs are quite orchestrated come to think of it....). Rasta Billy there are some really terrific lyrics you have there. They are enjoyable just as a read and that is some feat to my mind; for a lyric to read as well as it sings! Well done!

Check us out at Joey G's in Madison Indiana 7/28 or Hippie Jacks Americana Festival in Crawford Co. TN on Labor Day Weekend. Available on Itunes and CD Baby. Peace in our time, J. Stockbridge Mundane www.thejimmymundanes.com

Mark, what you are doing sounds fascinating and I'm sure I'm not the only one here who would love to hear it. "Folk rock for groovin families!" myspace.com/chipwithrow chipwithrow.com

The obligations of having six children have been considerable, but in the last few years, ideas which were there in the background, i.e., there all along, have been getting kind of more coherent and insistent; and I realised that if I don't do anything about those dreams, nothing would happen; so I'm now writing, and it's happening very fast. The pieces I'm working on (Many mansions for 4 pianos and Memoria for string quartet, soprano, and tubular bells) are in certain ways connected with the Gulf war and the greed and sorrow that have precipitated it and followed it. I served as a soldier in the first war in the early 1990's and a lot of the things that happened emotionally in that time were difficult - and in many ways the music comes from the memories of that tension and conflict. If anyone wants to see what this stuff looks like, or ask me anything about it, or the war, drop me a message - mind you, the kids make my life difficult and complicated - but fun! so I might be a bit occupied. There are other pieces on the way, mostly influenced by Bartok, Debussy, Jacob Druckmann, and Dick's Picks No 5.. and gospel music from when I was a kid. I'm going to publish a few pages from each piece soon, probably on http://slugger.myfriendsreunited.com. Slugger was my army nickname... . "Anything can happen in the next half-hour!

Our band, the indefatigable Big Daddy Lawman, is currently the only band in the south of Italy (to our knowledge) that is producing three part harmony country rock. We even have the sheer nerve to take on some Dead tunes - Don't Ease Me In, Know You Rider, Candyman, Ripple - as well as covers of Doug Sahm, Merle Haggard, Commander Cody, Neil Young, Byrds, Burritos, Gram Parsons,Townes Van Zandt, Gene Clark, Dylan, Band, Jayhawks & Buffalo Springfield. Our neighbours dig us the most, especially during our 4 hour Saturday rehearsals. Original material currently being polished for studio recording! Watch this space if you're still wearing your cowboy boots!

COOL! I loved Northern Exposure!

Just about 7 years of playing in the band, unbelievable. We are from Roslyn WA (Northern Exposure's Cicely Alaska) and play an eclectic mix of covers and originals. At first we couldn't figure out what to call ourselves, so just before our first gig the bar manager says "so what are we going to call you, Free Beer?" and it stuck. We tried to change it many times for a number of reasons, especially trying to book gigs outside of Roslyn, not to many places want "Free Beer" printed outside their establishment. Exit 80 was our last attempt and it sort of stood the test of time. So really we have three names (1) Free Beer at Exit 80, (2) Free Beer, or (3) Exit 80, its a slight case of identity crisis. A couple of us are Heads and try to point us in that direction. I prefer the experimental aspect of playing music, what's life without a few risks. Sometimes we have our moments, and I guess that's what keeps me going. There are few feelings that can compare with meshing musically with people to the point when the "music plays the band." Check us out at www.exit-80.com and myspace. I can't remember where at myspace but just search Free Beer at Exit 80 and you should find us.

The Grateful Dead The Grateful Dead where an amazing experience. To this day I can feel what a show felt like. The sound of a train chugging along and feeling the power that just descended onto this far away city for a couple days. When I would visit Northern Cali just North of San Fran when I was twisting and turning on those dusty roads in the middle of nowhere on the way to visit friends, I would feel the power and the influence of the Grateful Dead. The positive vibes and the thought of a complex world and knowledge truly drew me in after the music had enlightened me. The Grateful Dead scene ended as we knew it in 1995, but this complex and influential world is carried on. Everyone on this site is evidence to this. It’s strange that I perceive the word "complex' as being a negative notion these days, but when I speak of complex in this comment it has more of a positive and discovering overtone to it. Anyway, this world was carried forward in my life after the Dead stopped touring until I could not hold on any longer. The bus stopped for me while I was back stage "Clinic" at my last Phish show in Mountain View Cali 2000, as I found myself disenchanted with my connection to Phish which extended beyond 175 + shows. It was not just Phish’s fault it was just the need for change and everyone who has followed similar foot steps can attest to this. The road is for gamblers and as good as we may at surviving the end has to come and you must turn the page. I my bones need some patching and books seemed the way to patch them and whenever I lifted my head from the books I jumped on an airplane to faraway places and then returned to the States and studied more. I have a compulsive personality so when I do something I get into it and there is no stopping me from finding the core. This too was influenced by the Dead because I always related the GD to intelligence and far away places and the Core. I remember reading Relex and there was a section called “We Are Everywhere,” and we are and there are reasons why we are everywhere. These days I listen to a lot of Dead and Jazz. As there is a good Jazz club in town and it is actually the oldest Jazz club in China so it has a lot of history to it as well. Gangsters and the Shanghai underworld back in the 20s and 30’s. I recall the first time I went to a Jazz club. The decision to go to this club, knowing that I was way underage and there was no way that I could have anything other than a cup of coffee, was based on the fact that I wanted to get closer to the music of the Grateful Dead. To this very day the Grateful Dead influence me and I hope that my children embrace this experience as much as I had. So far so good! All the stars are gone but one Morning breaks here comes the sun Cross the sky now sinking fast Show me something built to last