mountain bed

I was on etree in the early oughts, doing my Dead obsession thing, and my oldest and dearest pal (not on VC) turned me on to Wilco. All the sudden I was looking for Wilco shows and came across a dude in Spokane named Rob Shelden (I can't even recall his VC name at the moment). This was Fall 2005. We started trading - Wilco for NRPS. He told me about VC - "You REALLY need to go there". So, in early '06 I did. At almost the same time another dude from Denver who was/is a HUGE Deadhead named Chris Beatty joined - the infamous "Lammycat". We immediately hit it off. Soon I made a number of great friends, Jess Towery, Chris Towers ("B2"), Mike aka Analogman, M Chris, Edie, Donna, Louie B, J4Lackey, Dan aka Bjorn Skurj, Beltmann, Ction, countless others. 

The thing I recall about it when I joined was there were 2 distinct vibes - the Day Shift, which was driven mostly by caffiene and endless snark, and the Late Night Crew, which mostly seemed to be inspired by bong rips and absurdism. I straddled both of those which basically meant I spent WAY too much time on the internets (which is a series of tubes, as a certain moron Senator from Alaska once said). 

Anywhoo...HBD VC you highy messed up freaks!

45th Anniversary of the GAMH "One From The Vault" show.

Just about a perfect show. And the one that broke the vault open, thank God. 36 Dick's Picks, 35 Dave's, 17 Road Trips, countless box sets and Rhino single show releases., and no signs of stopping. Love Live The Dead!

Question: has anybody got their Dave's 35 yet? Here we are at 8/5 and I haven't even received a shipping conformation yet.

It's up to us, ALL OF US, to honor the man and what he stood for by doing all we can to fight injustice. RIP to a true patriot.

I don't even know what to think or say about this. It almost feels like a requiem for the soul of America or something. 

Nobody can do to me what Bob does. Thanks, Bob. 

Hey, we should be taking a pretty decent whack out of our carbon footprint.

The thing I try to keep in mind on this board is that, although I agree with the vast majority of opinions expressed, it is not at all representative of possibly half of the electorate. God, there are SO many misinformed/uninformed people who can vote. Y'all are a cut above most any random group of folks. 

There is not a Democrat on earth that would cause me to vote for a Republican instead right now. But that has always been the case for 40 years, anyway.

I'm an unabashed Neil fan. Although I haven't been able to see him in going on 14 years (CSNY Living With War) I saw all of the different changes in the 80s, from Trans to The Harvesters to The Shocking Pinks, Blue Notes, etc. Saw the solo,all acoustic Neil in '92. But what he does with The Horse - whom I saw the Garage Band tour of '86-'87, the Ragged Glory tour in '91, the Summer Tour in '96 - might be my favorite of all. Cause I like to kick out the jams, motherfuckers. 

7 years! DAMN.

Looking forward to this.

I've been yammering about 6/14/76 getting an official release for forever so I'm pretty stoked that it's finally happening. My favorite Help Slip Frank, my favorite Crazy fingers, and a killer Playin', for starters. 6/15 & 6/19 I have played to death on cassette as well for over 30 years. I think this is a good pick for a box set.

Now, if we could only get a Greek Theater retrospective box set that would be the bomb. 

The personal is what makes things human and interesting. Thanks for sharing. 

Love ya, man. It was a beautiful story and I'm glad you shared!

Thank you, brother. 

When it comes to music, there's no such thing as too personal.  Yesterday, my all time favorite band sent me a preview of their first new music in years.  Just one song.  I cried like a baby through my first listen because it made me so happy.  I listened a second time, and damn if I didn't start crying all over again.  Music speaks to parts of us we can never truly understand.  And thank God, or whomever, that it does.

I love this. Nothing but the best to you in this endeavor, and all those in the future.

I realize now that my post went way off topic and into the personal., which is how it is with those you truly admire. You relate on a personal level. There isn't a helluva  lot of people that make me feel like that. 

This will be the most important music-related thing I will see this year, hands down. So much of my life was/is tied up with Jay's music. 

At my daughter's Sweet 16 party we had a PA and I did a solo set and her brother did a set with his band, the Semi Legendary "Who Ya Burn".  . Anyway...I did "My Darling" and my whole family (including my mom and dad) were in tears. Hell, so was I! She was 'growing up too fast' - following my example haha - but I'm proud to say she's now a 29 year happily married mom, with the light of all of our lives being my grandson, Desmond Otto Rodriguez - aka "Crazy Otto". 

Thanks, Jay. You had a gift and a style that sucked me right in.

What a joke giving Limbaugh the medal of freedom

While a Tuskeegee Airman (100 years old) is in the room.

That says all one needs to know.

 

I don't see a problem with it -- if you don't want to hear the filler on Disc 2, just get up and change it, which one will have to do anyways....

 

I have the below Dick's Pick and it has filler on disc 2.

 

Dick's Picks, Volume Thirteen Grateful Dead Initial release : March 1999

Grateful Dead Records GDCD-4033

Three CD set of the May 6, 1981 show at Nassau Coliseum

•  

Disc 2

• New Minglewood Blues (Traditional arr. Weir)
• High Time (Garcia/Hunter)
• Lost Sailor (Weir/Barlow)
• Saint Of Circumstance (Weir/Barlow)

  Hidden tracks - from Nov 1, 1979

• Scarlet Begonias (Garcia/Hunter)
• Fire On The Mountain (Hart/Hunter)

 

Not just any Scar Fire, a 35 minute Scar Fire!  

That's Lord of the Thighs.  Walk This Way is boom BAP ba boom boom BAP.   One less boom before the second BAP.

 

I didn't watch it, but it sounds like the drummer on the Grammys missed the ba.   Any half-way decent drummer would know it's the ba that gives that groove its character, and it's inexcusable that they didn't play it right.

I believe you are correct, sir.  . It's a super close cousin. One less boom. 

I got Dave's #33 a few days early today. Pleasant surprise! Just started a 3 day weekend and although I'm super familiar with this show it's something to look forward to.

That was not Joey Kramer onstage, was it?

Walk This Way - Drummer goes, boom-BAP-boom boom BAP. I know (as well as everybody here) it goes, boom-BAP-ba boom boom boom- BAP. That kinda pissed me off. 

The fact that David Berman wasn't honoured in the In Memoriam tells you everything you need to know about the Grammys.

No Robert Hunter? REALLY? JFC. 

You may consider that what we've seen so far is just  "going through the motions", a hiccup in the inevitable. In the back of mind I can't escape that feeling. But at the end of the day (in my view) the House managers have done about the best they could do so far, given the paucity of cooperation from the WH. I could pick apart stuff where I thought they may have acquiesced  to 'decorum' - whatever the fuck that means in 2020 - and not went with more vehemence, but that might have not have helped their case. It might have made for more of a spectacle in what should ideally be a dreadfully serious matter.

No matter. I think that, if nothing else, they can say, "We didn't abdicate our responsibility. We tried to do what we were elected to do. We know the majority agrees with what we are trying to do". Hakeem, Zoe, everyone gave cogent, rational testimony. But Schiff REALLY made me proud. He left no stone unturned, and not only that he's already gave fantastic rebuttles to every point the other side might make tomorrow and from here on. It was fucking masterful. Cheers, Adam, for the work you do. 

 It's hard to find patterns in a system so chaotic.

That really jumps out at me. As woefully incompetent as most of this administration is they seem to grasp the value of obfuscation and the blurring of reality. It seems to be the whole point for them.

So much THIS, folks. Great footage from one of my favorite pieces of Rock music EVER.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eK1hmDpa8bo

Bolton has been one of the most batshit warhawks to ever enter politics in this country in my lifetime since Wallace tapped Curtis LeMay for his VP in '68. If Democrats think he will help their case it shows how things desperate things can get when there is total obstruction from the Executive Branch (documents, testimony, etc.). To even entertain the idea that Bolton was a voice of reason in the room when he was in the WH reveals how beyond the pale we are at this point. 

Here's a statement from earlier today from Prime Minister Justin Trudeau:

 

“For almost five decades, Gord Downie uncovered and told the stories of Canada. He was the frontman of one of Canada’s most iconic bands, a rock star, artist, and poet whose evocative lyrics came to define a country. The Tragically Hip’s music invited us to explore places we had never been – from Mistaken Point to Churchill – and helped us understand each other, while capturing the complexity and vastness of the place we call home. Gord’s command of language was profound. He painted landscapes with his words, elevating Canadian geography, historical figures, and myths. When he spoke, he gave us goosebumps and made us proud to be Canadian. Our identity and culture are richer because of his music, which was always raw and honest – like Gord himself. In the wake of his diagnosis, Gord only fought harder for what he believed in: social justice, environmentalism, and reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples. Before passing, he shined his light on the story of 12-year-old Chanie Wenjack who died from hunger and exposure after trying to find his way home from a residential school. For his work raising awareness of Indigenous issues, he was inducted as a member of the Order of Canada in 2017. Gord did not rest from working for the issues he cared about, and his commitment and passion will continue to motivate Canadians for years to come. On behalf of all Canadians, Sophie and I offer our deepest condolences to Gord’s family, friends, bandmates and crew members, and his many, many fans. He will be sorely missed.”

 

The fact that PM JT even issued a statement on Gord's passing (never mind the amount of kind words) speaks a lot to Gord's impact and importance. 

What a wonderful, eloquent statement by PM Trudeau. I don't know how our VC friends from Canada feel about Trudeau but I must say from Indiana that he seems like an alert, astute public servant. I once had a President that could write and speak like that, and he is missed. I'm a bit jealous of you all. But I won't go further than that here, politically speaking. 

My sincere condolences go out to Mr. Downie's family and friends, and his many fans here and around the world. 

Finally, and probably most importantly, there was Gord. He was an active political voice. He did a lot of work raising awareness about indigenous communities. His public battle with cancer and that final tour captured people's imagination because of his guts and force of will.

I often think Canada doesn't have the same kind of national collective identity as the US. I'm speculating, but I believe if you asked Americans to name national cultural touchstones, symbols, mottos, you might not get the same answers, but you would get an answer nonetheless! In Canada, I think many people would struggle to automatically, with little prompting, answer the same questions. So when a Canadian band offers an image of Canada in song, Canadians listen, particularly when that band is led by a frontman who embodies a kind of toughness and energy that are universally celebrated.

That is beautiful. 

Really?? At this point I assume you're at 24/7. Can't listen to more than that.

Full disclosure: I burned up a couple of decent tape decks in about 5-6 years (late 80s-early 90s). The snail mail trading thing was in 5th gear. I was upward of 50 hours a week then. I don't think I've dipped below 25+ hours/week since then. But clearly I need to step up my game.

Same as every year. Listen to more Grateful Dead. At least it's a resolution that can be achieved.