On what would have been his 76th birthday, Club Passim will present local musicians celebrating the legacy of Grateful Dead founder, Jerry Garcia. An eclectic roster of artists will revisit the folk roots of Garcia, who went on to create a unique and iconic American songbook both through his work with the Dead and in his solo projects. Among the artists reinterpreting Garcia’s work are Hayley Jane, Greg Klyma, Ryan Fitzsimmons, Jeffrey Pepper Rodgers and Spotted Tiger.
Garcia’s folk roots began with his involvement in the Sleepy Hollow Hog Stompers, the Hart Valley Drifters, the Wildwood Boys and Black Mountain Boys, all while still primarily making his living giving banjo lessons at Dana Morgan Music in Palo Alto, CA. It was there that the roots of the Grateful Dead would form, first as Mother McCree’s Uptown Jug Champions before becoming the Warlocks and eventually the Grateful Dead. Bluegrass and the banjo would remain an ongoing interest for Garcia as he formed Old & In The Way with formidable talents such as Peter Rowan and David Grisman during the Dead’s 1970’s heyday.
The diversity of Garcia’s musical interests is incorporated into this 2nd annual celebration. Hayley Jane is a rising star of the jam-band scene with Hayley Jane and the Primates, as well as a duo partner with Ryan Montbleau in Yes Darling. Greg Klyma is steeped in the traditions of outlaw country and troubadour folk, while Ryan Fitzsimmons delivers an intensity on acoustic guitar that recalls the eventual emergence of--and influence on--rock n’ roll from the folk scene.
Spotted Tiger combines the talents of violist Laurence Scudder (former touring member of the Ryan Montbleau Band) and guitarist Erik White, of Brothers McCann. And Jeffrey
Pepper Rodgers, the founding editor of Acoustic Guitar magazine, has not only produced a video series teaching Grateful Dead songs on acoustic guitar but has interviewed both Garcia and fellow Grateful Dead founding member Bob Weir.
This celebration of Garcia’s birthday is particularly appropriate given the recent Round Records release of, “Before the Dead,” a collection of the artist’s work with his Grateful Dead predecessors as well as folk duets with his first wife under the stage name, Jerry & Sara. Round Records was originally formed in tandem with Grateful Dead records during the 1970’s as a conduit for band members’ solo projects and after a long hiatus has recently been resurrected in conjunction with the Garcia Estate.
Tickets for Jerry Garcia Birthday Tribute Night at Club Passim are $20 ($18 for members) and are available at www.clubpassim.org, by calling 617-492-7679 (9:30 AM - 5:00 PM, Monday - Friday) or at the Club Passim box office sixty minutes before the show begins. Club Passim is located in Harvard Square at 47 Palmer St., Cambridge, MA 02138.
About Passim
Passim, a nonprofit arts organization, creates an inspiring and interactive music experience for all, building a vibrant community for artists, students and audience members through its legendary listening venue and school of music. Established in Harvard Square as the Club 47 in 1958 and incorporated as a nonprofit in 1994, Passim has been a cornerstone of the arts community in New England, fostering both performers and audiences alike.
