On Wednesday, November 13, Bob Weir and The Wolf Bros, complete with the horn section known as The Wolf Pack, brought their stripped-down renditions of the Grateful Dead catalog to the historic Cincinnati Music Hall. This show, however, was unlike any prior Wolf Bros concerts in previous tours. The band was joined by the Cincinnati Pops Orchestra, led by conductor John Morris Russell, in an elegant evening of classical renditions of Weir’s familiar tunes.

It’s almost certain that no musical act in history has produced as many “cover” bands as the Grateful Dead. In nearly every major city in America, as well as countless smaller towns and rural communities, Dead cover bands regularly celebrate the music of that storied band. Some are long-established lineups of cats who gather regularly down under the stars; some are catch-as-catch-can pick-up bands.

In West Marin County, California, on Saturday afternoon, a benefit performance by Skeleton Krewe, a unique trio (Stephen Inglis, Barry Sless, and Rob Barraco) in which each member possesses decades of high-level Grateful Dead-esque experience, was enhanced by the presence of two powerhouse musical guests (Pete Sears and Jay Lane), both of whom have displayed their own improvisational prowess seemingly forever.

Grammy-nominated Hawaiian slack-key guitarist Stephen Inglis joins forces with longtime friends and musical collaborators Barry Sless (Bob Weir & Wolf Bros, Phil Lesh & Friends) and Rob Barraco (Dark Star Orchestra, Phil Lesh & Friends, The Dead) to bring the Skeleton Krewe Trio to Northern California in October. The live shows in Marin, Sonoma, Chico, Humboldt, and the Sierra Foothills will dive into a musical stew of Grateful Dead and Bob Dylan classics, originals, Hawaiian songs, and more.

On August 13, 1975, The Grateful Dead played a show at the ridiculously small and distinctively decorous Great American Music Hall (GAMH) in San Francisco. This was one of only four concerts the band played that year, all of them in San Francisco. The setlist was mostly comprised of songs from the album Blues for Allah, which had not yet been released. Many Deadheads revere the GAMH performance as an all-time favorite.

More than a dozen compelling West Coast bands known for their improvisational instrumentation, including Karl Denson’s Greyboy Allstars, ALO, New Monsoon, Moonalice, and the Monophonics, highlighted the festivities at the 17th annual Petaluma Music Festival, presented once again at the Sonoma-Marin Fairgrounds on July 27.

About 200 or so smiling faces gathered in the Berkeley Hills (officially the community of Kensington, Calif.) on a beautiful June 15 afternoon for a musical benefit featuring the acoustic David Nelson Band, Steve Poltz, and Ragged Charms (a one-time ensemble featuring Dan “Lebo” Lebowitz, three fellows from Hot Buttered Rum, Stephanie Salva, and Wally Ingram).

Pearl Jam, My Morning Jacket, and over 25 other acts rocked Napa Valley at the annual BottleRock festival on Saturday, May 25. The music was magnificent, the weather cooperated well enough, and concert attendees rounded out their experience – and perhaps their bellies – with a wide variety of muscats, chardonnays, and provincial farm-to-table cuisine. (This report only covers Saturday.

Bob Weir & Wolf Bros, accompanied by the vibrant Wolfpack, delivered a spectacular New Year's Eve performance at Ft Lauderdale's Au-Rene Theater on Sunday evening.

There’s no other way to describe the Bob Weir & Wolf Brothers winter tour other than stating the obvious—sheer musical brilliance. And that's flat out what's going on here. Trekking across country with near nightly performances, choosing the most intimate, impressive theaters along the way, the Wolf Bros have unleashed such genius, cutting-edge play that this old Deadhead could only shake his head in awe. They were coming at me from so many different levels, and with such zest and creativity, I was dumbstruck in marveling.