Acclaimed mandolinist and bandleader David Grisman is no stranger to Berkeley’s Freight & Salvage Coffeehouse. The storied folk and Americana venue has undoubtedly seen the likes of dozens of incarnations of Dawg music with countless shows. The crowd at the Freight is respectful yet boisterous, out of their seat yet out of the way, absorbed yet moveable.

If you’ve seen Dead and Company even once, you most likely have witnessed the infectious energy and enthusiasm radiating outward from the band’s bassist, Oteil Burbridge. It’s hard not to take notice of, or even have impacted you profoundly. Whether he’s playing beside members of The Allman Brothers, The Grateful Dead, or JRAD, there’s never a time when Oteil Burbridge isn’t smiling or dancing around in place on stage, compelled by and compelling others to the sublime music he’s making. 

There are a few things that most Deadheads can relate to come the holidays: Christmas decorations with LOTS of colorful lights, sitting around with friends and family listening to past shows and reminiscing about the good times, getting to wear your Grateful Dead ugly sweater when its actually appropriate to do so, making plans for your New Year’s run, and Jerry Garcia.  Maybe it’s because the a Dead/JGB show always feels a little like Christmas; maybe it’s all of the Christmas songs like “Run Run Rudolph”, “Jingle Bells”, “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen”, or “Christmas Time’s A-Comin”; o

Southern California Deadheads will be treated to a Jerry Garcia/Grateful Dead musical celebration A Merry Jerry Christmas hosted by legendary Jerry Garcia Band keyboardist Melvin Seals, Furthur/Golden Gate Wingmen guitarist John Kadlecik and bassist Oteil Burbridge from Dead & Company/Allman Brothers Band/Aquarium Rescue Unit at The Fox Theater in Pomona, CA.  The power trio will be joined by special guests and will include special performances from up-and-coming LA-Jamband The Higgs and longtime LA-based Grateful Dead stalwarts Cubensis.  Proceeds fr

Lettuce has announced their 2019 appearance at Red Rocks Amphitheatre set for Saturday, June 15th. The 4th annual Rage Rocks show, the band's sixth overall time playing the legendary Colorado venue, will feature two full sets from Lettuce, one of which will be a Jerry Garcia Band cover set, along with support from TAUK and The Soul Rebels.

This long out of print live album, recorded in 1987 at The Wiltern in Los Angeles and The Warfield in San Francisco, has long been considered a rare and desirable jewel in the Garcia catalog because of both it's scarcity and the fact that it circled back to Jerry's acoustic pre-Grateful Dead roots. Roots which were forged in the crucible of the early 1960’s folk-revival.

This year's Dave's Picks series comes to a close just as the band's getting back together again in '76. By the time the Grateful Dead hit New Jersey’s Capitol Theatre - for the very first time - on 6/17/76, they were buzzing from their reunion, armed with new and revived material, the Rhythm Devils reformed with the mischievous Mickey Hart once again behind the kit. They'd skived off the unwieldy Wall of Sound and scaled back the venues from cavernous arenas to intimate theatres. Quite the treat!

As 2018 winds to a close, we're getting ready to return to the Fillmore Auditorium for the Annual Rex Foundation Celebration on December 1.