Grateful Dead

When we first spoke with Furthur lead guitarist John Kadlecik for Dead.net over a year ago, he was still getting acclimated to that new band, finding his way with the other players, growing into the material. This is a band that pretty much hit the ground running and was hot from the get-go; still they have definitely evolved a lot together and become stronger with each tour. And John, in particular, has gotten more assertive in his playing, taking the group’s repertoire in some exciting new directions.

When you and I celebrate our birthdays, maybe we go out to dinner with loved ones or toss back a few with pals. If we’re lucky, maybe some cool band is playing in town that night.

There is a very special creation in our Grateful Dead world.

Bob Weir Teams Up With Marin Symphony Orchestra For ‘First Fusion’

Special One-Night-Only Performance Of Grateful Dead Music Saturday, May 7

The latest musical endeavor of Phil Lesh and Bob Weir is Furthur! On Tuesday, June 29 at 7pm ET, they play the smallest venue of their latest tour: Penns Peak in Jim Thorpe, PA. The show is completely sold out so SIRIUS XM’s Grateful Dead Channel does what no one else can and brings it to you LIVE as it happens. Plus, “Tales from the Golden Road” co-host Gary Lambert will chair the pre and post show segments as well as take your phone calls during intermission to discuss the music with Dead Heads from aroundNorth America!

An interesting thing happened at the very first show by Furthur at the Fox Theatre in Oakland in the fall of 2009. The opening set had been going along nicely, with the new lineup gelling a bit more with each tune and lead guitarist John Kadlecik obviously becoming more comfortable with every passing moment onstage with his new bandmates. Then came the familiar opening of “Bird Song” and as the intro wound down to make way for the first verse, John stepped to the mic and a great roar swept through the room as he sang lead on a Furthur tune for the first time.

Talk about a Ripple in still water! Jam Cruise 9 sets sail January 4-9, 2011 from Ft Lauderdale, FL with port stops in Roatan, Honduras and Costa Maya, Mexico and this event is on course to hit sonic depths that have never been reached before!

First of all, before we get to the blow by blow of the March 12 Phil Lesh Birthday Bash/Unbroken Chain fundraiser for Haiti at the Bill Graham Civic in SF, let’s all pause for moment to salute the miracle that Phil even had a 70th birthday to celebrate, and to appreciate all the fantastic music that has come out of the ol’ boy since his life-saving liver transplant 11 years ago. It’s been a helluva ride, and here’s to many more!