• 640 replies
    marye
    Joined:
    Since the original topic now has hundreds of introductions and is getting a bit hard to navigate, this seems as good a time as any to launch a new one. The original is here, should you wish to catch up on the who's who since this opened up in May. If you haven't introduced yourself yet, please do! And if you already have, but have something new to tell us about you and your life, speak up! (A bit of housekeeping business so we don't have to repost everything we posted before--izzie and I are the moderators here, and for our more extensive intros see the original topic.) Thanks and welcome!

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  • marye
    Joined:
    what she said!
    make yourselves at home!
  • TheStripey1
    Joined:
    Grrrrrrrreeeeeeeeeetings
    I just joined y'all this morning having been referred here by my online pal, Angel of Mercy... waves to Angel... I have been a deadhead for a tad over 30 years having seen my first concert in the early 70s. I have seen them at Winterland, Henry J. Kaiser, Golden Gate Park, the Panhandle, Grass Valley, Monterey, Donner, Kezar, Oakland Collieseum, Berkeley and a couple other places around here I don't recall. I became a fan the first time I saw them and I have to say, that I sure miss seeing them and my "family". There was/is NOTHING like a Grateful Dead concert. Phish came close... but, they're just not the same... I bought my first spiral tie dyed T-shirt at a show in Berkeley in 1983 and now have enough to wear a different one every day for a month... laffs... and wear them I do. Obtw, I usually post on political/adversarial forums where I debate various topics with whom I refer to as methane breathers, so it will be fun and refreshing to post on a forum of like minded individuals.
  • Tom Mittemeyer
    Joined:
    And I bid you Hello, Hello, Hello.
    I've been on here for a little over a week now and there are many areas to investigate/read, and FINALLY am getting around to saying hello to all and introduce myself. Some of you (users, mods, family) I've already been in touch with and thanks for the kindness. I'm Tom, Portland Oregon resident and fan of the GD since 1974 but didn't purchase my bus pass until 1979. Am I that old? Geeez! ; ) Anyway, I'm really glad that there is a site like this where all of us fellow Brothers & Sisters can communicate, share, gather, reminisce, etc. Not to mention moving onward in our lives with the inspiration and learnings and all those other unspoken things that the Grateful Dead gave us. And the beauty is, at least for me, it wasn't like they purposely did what they did. Call it coincidence, call it part of the big cosmic plan. That to me is the beauty of the whole GD experience, knowing, but at the same time, not knowing. Hunter and Garcia summed it up just right with the Crazy Fingers ending lyric about reaching for the gold ring down inside, never can reach it, just slips away, but I try. The Grateful Dead were a tool, a signpost, a mystical mind boggling fun loving mind blowing friendship making message machine. I hope one day that I grasp that ring. And all of you are there at some point too. One big happy family of people who have a little bit of that "other" that not everybody in our great big world is lucky enough to get a taste of. I share my art here and my words, and look forward to making new friends and re-acquainting with old one's through this site. Thanks to those who take the time to make it a fine place to be in cyberspace. Tom Mittemeyer ( The AllTomMitt Drawing Machine)
  • bakalot
    Joined:
    Hi , Thank you. New here
    Im Really glad to be here, It brought back a lot of memories from the future dead and past times. Thank you. Thanks.
  • marye
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    welcome, Daniel!
    glad to have you here with us.
  • danielmata
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    hey, I'm Daniel mata. i'm 18
    hey, I'm Daniel mata. i'm 18 years old and I've been a fan of grateful dead for about 2 months. my favorite album is built to last, it was released a few days after i was born lol and on my favorite holiday. my second favorite album is American beauty, i like almost every track on that one. i'm a very relaxed person, sort of like i'm naturally stoned, I've just been a go with the flow person my whole life.
  • 00
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    Hal R
    Sorry about that but it was a general statement and please do not take it personally. This could also apply to adoption or being a positive role model for someone else. Please do not take any offense to my "live forever comment." This is just something that i came up with during my quest to find out what happens after we die. Since after I die I will be unable to think I am trying to think now so that I can cover my ass when I am dead. Another way to live forever is to build a library or other monuments. My point is that you live on in someone’s memory and as long as you keep the memory from one generation to the next, then you can live as long as that memory is remembered. The only way to do this is to leave a positive memory behind. Does this make any sense? Am I rambling on now, sorry you caught me off guard and I feel bad. Anyway peace
  • Hal R
    Joined:
    Yikes! I know how to spell
    but typed the last one too fast without recheckingbelieve it or not If the doors of perception were cleansed, everything would appear to man as it is, infinite. William Blake
  • Hal R
    Joined:
    come on Trifecta
    your statement is a stab in the heart of those unable to have children, lost a child or those who choose not to because of environmental reasons such as overpopulation. . Please be more sensitive. The only way? I belive that we also live on in our works and deeds and how they impact the world around us and the future. The karma that we have created on many levels. I am happy that you find joy in your child, but not everyone has that. please no superiority to others because of your good fortune. People lose a child and then have to endure statements like this. That is doubly hard. thanks If the doors of perception were cleansed, everything would appear to man as it is, infinite. William Blake
  • Mr. Pid
    Joined:
    Not H/S/F?
    Any chance it was St. Stephen/Eleven/Lovelight?oh, well... Conversation is always more interesting than recitation, so speak your mind and not someone else's.
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Since the original topic now has hundreds of introductions and is getting a bit hard to navigate, this seems as good a time as any to launch a new one. The original is here, should you wish to catch up on the who's who since this opened up in May. If you haven't introduced yourself yet, please do! And if you already have, but have something new to tell us about you and your life, speak up! (A bit of housekeeping business so we don't have to repost everything we posted before--izzie and I are the moderators here, and for our more extensive intros see the original topic.) Thanks and welcome!
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hi. my name is andrew miller. im a musician, age 20. im in a doom/stoner metal band called witchdoctrine. im a lead guitarist. im very big into psychedelic rock, psychedelic art, and everything to do with the hippie culture and beliefs. been a dead head since age 14. my band witchdoctrine is actually doing a psychedelic jam album called colours of the dark, where we just instrumentally jam out the feelings of the colors at hand. so if youre interested in hearing that, ill keep you posted. i enjoy sitting with my guitar puffin on my pipe and just let my fingers go and close my mind. i practice meditation, and i like reading, drinking hot tea, and watching the history channel and the simpsons. im a vegetarian, and i reside in york, pa. i think i covered it all. any other questions, feel free to message me.
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Hi,We have been visiting this site and trying to learn about some of the GD tee shirts we have on our website Monstervintage.com. Since there is so much information out there when trying to look up a specific tee shirt it gets overwhelming and confusing, history of the artwork, concert or album . Many of you are very familiar with the albums, songs and concerts so we thought we might be able to get some help with factual information to clean up some of our tee shirt descriptions. Some of the tee shirts are priced high but where are we going to get another one when it sells? Original tee shirts that are not cheap reproductions are getting really hard to find. Any help we can get would be awesome and we would give members of the forum a nice discount code for participating. Perhaps it can be a fun way to put some of that GD knowledge to use and we can make some tee shirt lover a happy person. http://www.monstervintage.com/Vintage_Clothing/Mens/Tee+Shirts/Vintage+… Thanks Monstervintage.com Men's Vintage Tee Shirts Grateful Dead category
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hi my name is jacob johnson, i am 15 years old. i am the youngest of 5 and my oldest brother was the one who introduced my to the grateful dead. although he showed me phish intending to get me more into them, i got caught on the grateful dead. i am a bit knew to this so i don't know what else to say except that i love the dead, and always will. oh, and happy early birthday jerry! thanks
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so glad you made it, make yourself at home!
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After graduating from UNCW this past spring and writing my thesis on the Dead I am here to attempt to learn more about this fantastic community. The reputation of Dead fans proceeds itself through its fairly breif history. I am looking forward to sharing and learning from this active community of Heads. Cheers.
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Hello,My name is Hillary and I am a lone DH living now in a small southern town. I am a lone liberal in a small southern town. There is no one who shares my passion for the music here. My first show was actually in '98 at Alpine Valley, WI. They opened with Dark Star and played it again in the last set, and I have been hooked ever since. I knew I had found my home, the place I belonged in my heart. My greatest regret in life is not seeing Jerry! I had a chance to see their last show in Memphis, but I was sick. I still found my way here anyway. My little boy is starting to really like them now. :) I would love some messages. Peace and Love to All
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Been here a few months, and thought I'd introduce myself. My given name is John, but because I'm a Junior, my parents nicknamed me Johnny at birth. I was born and raised in a small town in TN located exactly halfway between Nashville and Memphis. I discovered the Dead at the age of ten in 1976. Went to a friend's house, and his older brother was gone for the day. There was a stack of albums in his room, and Blues For Allah was on top. That was my introduction. On Saturday 12-16-78, I snuck to Nashville with a couple of high school guys I'd been buying joints from to see my first show. I accepted a Coke from a friendly stranger, and ended up getting dosed. Not only could I hear the music, but I could feel it, smell it, and taste it. That really changed everything in my life. Because of my location, I was only able to attend 5 more shows during my school years. 4 at the Kiel in St. Louis, and 1 at Boutwell in Birmingham. After graduating high school in 1984, I moved to Chicago to lay carpet with a friend who moved up there to start his own business. Attended a pair of shows in Alpine the next year. By the way, I thought Alpine was a great venue. Got tired of Chicago, and moved to Norfolk in January 1987. Got a job at Tracks Records, and attended every show at Hampton, Roanoke, Greensboro, and Charlotte from March 1987 until the last Charlotte show in 1995. If you bought tickets for any of these shows at the Tracks in Norfolk, it's possible that I sold them to you. Especially the 2 Warlocks shows in October 1989. I worked the ticket counter for the on sale date. Even took a trip to New Orleans in 1988 for a show, and drove up to Louisville for a show in 1990 when I was back home for a week vacation. Then Jerry passed on, and the trip was somewhat over. Did attend the Further Festival at Virginia Beach Amphitheater in 1997. In 1998 I decide to settle down at the age of 32. Met an upstate NY girl 11 years my junior{non Head}, and truly fell in love. Moved back to my hometown to raise our child in a more rural environment, and Malachi was born on St Patrick's Day 1999. I conformed, and got a good factory job with excellent benefits. Everything was good for 7 years. Bought a nice house, and she drove around in a new car while I drove back and forth to work in the 2nd paid off vehicle. 5 years of not so good marriage, which I stuck around for entirely because of my son. Come 2010, and my wife is working for a local attorney. She blindsides me with divorce papers, and because of her attorney connections, a restraining order having me removed the house. It was on the grounds that she was scared of me. I assure you that I am an extremely peaceful person, and never raised a hand to her. She was planning to move back to NY, and take my son with her. I hired an out of town attorney with an excellent reputation. I lost my house and everything I worked 12 years for, but I obtained full custody of my son. She moved back to NY, and pays not a penny of child support. So much for deadbeat dads, I have a deadbeat ex-wife. He flies to NY to see her 5 weeks every summer since the divorce. But other than that, we are still Truckin'. Thanks to all who take the time to read my bio, and my apologies for the length. I condensed it as much as I could. PEACE Johnny
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Dosed at 12 years old. I'm happy you're experience turned out o.k.
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14 years 10 months
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I have enjoyed your posts and wish you and your son the best. Was your spouse a deadhead? I'm betting not. My spouse and I aren't, and though we make it work, there is a substantial piece missing, fairly important. There is a whole thread devoted to that on this website (I forget the name at the moment). We hope you stick around and find some community. We're all changing leaves on the tree...
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PonchoBillThe jury is probably still out on whether I'm ok or not. It was certainly weird being that young, and having no guide for my first trip. I guess that's why I used to try to help first timers at some of the later shows I attended. Anna My ex-spouse was a non Head. It did not work because she aspires to have lots of possessions. I just want good music, and a space to get my head right. That's all I need. And... I am looking for a little community. Solitary Dead Head where I live.
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Hi. I'm Eirik, originally from Sweden but now living in the US.

Been a deadhead for almost 25 years. My dad would play vinyl's of their classics and it didn't take me long to pick up on it. Really love the design of this site and looking forward to contribute more. I see that the introduction section has been "dead" for a while, but I'll still give it a go. As for my private life I'm married with 2 kids, and work as a database programmer. I also run my own personal economics blog - https://www.refinansiere.net/. Might have to add another section on the GD soon though :)

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5 years 1 month
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Hey everyone! New to the Dead here with a recent mind blowing revelation of how great this band truly is. I watched the amazon special and now exploring on Tidal a lot of there stuff. I grew up listening to best hits but could never get into their other stuff. Fast forward 25 years and with regular mj use the dead is really opening my mind. This looks like a great site to learn about this epic band !

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In reply to by SouthernSugaree

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Hi,I grew up in a southern town too. Mechanicsville Virginia. About 20 minutes from Richmond Virginia. I graduated high school in 94 and saw the dead on 10-9-94. It was crazy seeing jerry and Phil and everyone. So fun. The only thing I have seen from them since was in 1999 I saw Phil and friends at the mosque in Richmond. They played strawberry fields forever. And a lot of dead. It was great. Now I am living in cocoa Florida and am a professional illustrator. Just wanted to say hi.

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To get the most recent day to day updates about celebs, politics, health and wellness, travel, entertainment, beauty and so much more related various niche. Visit the loudestsoul.com today.

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Hi! I am just a millennial who missed the original bus, but caught the later spin off buses!😂 From the south and listen to Dead all the time with my cat. I hope to move out west soon, and leave the south for a while!

Keep on Truckin and hope to see y'all on the lot, GratefulGal7277! 🌹⚡

Head over to the Dave’s Pick 34 and June 76 Box pages, that’s where the current action is.

Click on your account picture in the upper right, then click on ‘recent posts’.

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Had an account long ago... hadn't logged on for a while and so maybe it was wiped? Set up a new account. Wannabe writer, I have 2 books on Amazon/Kindle and working on a third. Was a staff artist for Relix and Unbroken Chain magazines back in the mid-1990s. Saw shows from mid-eighties to mid-nineties. Here's info about my writing --- jdwilsonbooks.com

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hey all
my name's mike
hopped on the bus 2 years ago, was way too revved up playing in punk bands in college and finally slooooooowed down and it's been a trip ever since
i live about an hour north of NYC so i'm lucky for east coast shows
i hike and snowboard and build guitars and i enjoy listening to music outside and with no commitments
just here to say hi and give all you nice people something to read while you're at home during this unfortunate time
give me a killer show from '73 (EVIL DEAD) that i haven't heard yet

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17 years 4 months

In reply to by esau_esau

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....hi. You need to move to the other more active boards here. There are 3 going strong. Magic number.

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3 years 11 months
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Hey everyone! I'm Marnie, 20 from UK, hope to make lots of friends here!

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3 years 9 months
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sup

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Just a little late night web browsing led me here again, and out of curiosity tried to log in after years and years and found my account was either deleted or never existed. So here I am again or for the first time, who knows? Saying "Hi"

-Joby

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Hello Bob, Phil, Bill and Mickey…..

I can probably state this is my first and last post as I’m done. I registered to put this one post up. I wouldn’t be surprised if the moderators didn’t look kindly on the following “appraisal” which I will now explain:

I was still in the final years of school when Europe ’72 came out which puts me a generation behind the initial Dead fan base. In recent years I have become totally obsessed by the Dead, and the culture that surrounded the band. (Notice I said “surrounded”, as in past tense?)

On July 4 2021 (I am not from the USA) I ordered the DVD digipak with bonus disc of Long Strange Trip from the Dead.Net Store.

This is what happened next (copied from my communications with the Store with contact details redacted):

My Initial Request:

This 3 DVD digipack of Long Strange Trip has Disc 2 marked "Bonus Content" and does not have the second half of the documentary on it as stated on packaging. The bonus content is the same as that on Disc 3 which is supposed to be the bonus content for this 3 DVD set. Also Disc 1 which does have the first half of the documentary on it does not have a Dolby 2.0 audio option as stated on the packaging. It is questionable whether any of these discs are the one supposed to be packed in this version of the release. After the time and expense of getting the shipped from the Grateful Dead source this is extremely disappointing.

Where we are at now:
The replacement copy just sent has the same problem of discs mislabeled and packaged. It must be from the same print run as the first copy I received. Disc 2 is again bonus content NOT the second half of the documentary.

Please... I'm begging you. I ordered this July 4 and I still haven't gotten the full movie. I'll buy a Region Free Bluray copy. Just send me an invoice for the difference in price. Whatever.... please.

NOW:
I'VE JUST RECEIVED A THIRD COPY OF STRANGE TRIP AND YOU'VE DONE THE SAME THING AGAIN. YOU DIDN'T CHECK THE DISCS AND HAVE SENT A COPY THAT DOES NOT HAVE DISC 2 OF THE MOVIE. THIS IS THE THIRD TIME; YOU HAVE RIPPED ME OFF.

There you have it.

So this is Grateful Dead 2021; just another commercial juggernaut that wants to extract money from people by selling clothes, pet accessories, garden accessories (or whatever!). Another cash machine that cares nothing about the only thing about the band that matters and what is truly real about Grateful Dead.

But hey! When it comes to delivering the sound and vision which is the history and legacy of a great band this is what you get.

Oh! Commercialism! It can’t be!

Well take a good look at eBay. The egregious amount of profiteering there is disgusting to the point of being abjectly blinding. The CD warehouses will get copies of Get Shown the Light, but they sell out in a day or two and will be resold at triple the price.

I’ve got some seriously rare Dead CD’s and they are now worth a small fortune. After what I have experienced with the Store I am so disgusted and, more to the point disappointed, that I am seriously thinking of “getting my chips cashed in” (remember that old chestnut I just paraphrased?) and eBaying my whole collection.

You can’t say there ain’t a buck to be made out of the good ‘ol Grateful Dead!

It’s so sad to see the band’s unique contributions, their legacy, being torn up in this way.

There’s a general tenet of art theory that states that art is but a reflection of society. I have been fascinated by the fact that the Dead weren’t a band, but more of a “scene”; a family, a society, if you will.

Garcia used to talk about evolving humanity, the society, through psychedelics, art, music, culture etc. Well society and humanity, the truth is:

Welcome to capitalism.

It’s just as well “faith” is but a word and, therefore, counts for very little. (As I’m sure is the case with my words written in this post).

Peace out.

Goodbye.

__________________________________________________________________

Addendum:

I was going to make the above post my first and last post until, upon registering for these forums, this email arrived:

Hey there Grateful Dead Fan,
We’re so glad you got on the bus! You’re in for a mighty fine time.
As a subscriber to Dead.net, you’ll be the first to know about the Grateful Dead’s exclusive limited-edition releases, breaking news on the band, community events, and so much more. It’s all happenin’!
We’d like to thank you kindly with 10% off* your next order. Simply use this coupon code at checkout:

Oh, wow! Thank you master! This wage-slave is so uplifted by your magnanimous offer! Thank you so much for extending the cosmic joke you have played upon me, and more fool me!

Talk about adding insult to injury.........

I think I’ll pass, as ten percent of nothing, which is what your organisation has given me, is nothing.

How about giving me back ten percent of the purchase cost of the flawed and incorrectly packaged item that I spent money on in July? I would be happy with ten percent of what your organisation has defrauded me.

Now I’m done.

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I'm 44 and was blessed to start seeing The Grateful Dead when I was just 12! Rich Stadium in Buffalo. Hit mostly all the East Coast shows until 96' and then our lives changed for sure. Went to Penn State University and I am a social worker. My son is almost through high school and then I'm looking for adventure! I am not sure where what or with whom? Auroraville, Peace Corp, meet the man who rocks my world??

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I understand this thread is half-dead, but I need to let you guys know how much you (yes, you) mean to me. How's everyone doing? I'm Alex and this is not my first post (oops!). But I am so happy to be here. I am in the midst of losing my dog who is the light of my world and the DeadHead family has made me feel at peace. I know this is my introduction but I already have so much thanks to give!! I have been a DeadHead for the better part of my life, living adjacent to the middle of nowhere. So I have always been the black sheep of the friend group listening to this hippie drone music. I called in to Tales from the Golden Road right before Tucker's (my dog) diagnosis with Lymphoma, nervous as all get out about my first Dead & Co show for my birthday here in a few weeks, and as soon as I was connected with Dave and Gary, all anxiety melted away, it didn't matter how many listeners I was on the air with, I truly felt like I was just shooting the shit with some old friends. I felt at home. And now more than ever, I need a little home. And each and every one of you make me feel at home in this strange world. As I make my entrance, I already am feeling beyond welcomed.. So thank you. A lot.

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17 years 5 months
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Nice to see you here, make yourself at home!
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2 years 5 months

In reply to by DaveStrang

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Dave and Marye, thanks for welcoming me aboard. I can truly say that in this crazy world, I feel like I have found my "forever home" here. I moved from a big town to a little one for work and can't say there are many like-minded folk in this land of sparse population, so it is really comforting knowing I have my buddies right here :)

As for as the puppy, thanks for the concern and kind words Dave. Lymphoma is kinda scary in dogs I've found out. But my little fur ball is started up on prednisone and has his puppy energy back!! Just one of those things where he's gonna keep rocking until he can't and more than likely he will lay down for a nap and just drift away. Which when you think about it, I know that I would definitely want to go that way if I had a choice.

I will need to check out that thread! Any others I should look into? I am eager to join the party! I do love storytelling and digging into music theory!

Much love to you both and thank you again, from the bottom of my heart!

-AZ

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2 years 4 months
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Hey all, just joined the forum. I'm new to the Dead,(i know) Just recently picked up the bass, and really got into Phil's playing. Glad to be here.

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9 months 2 weeks
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Hi all. First post. Recently decided to join the greater Deadhead community after years of being a closeted Deadhead. Actually came to The Dead via The Jerry Garcia Band, so kind of backwards.

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1 year 1 month
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welcome aboard! hope you will enjoy the ride!