As another new year rolls in, I can’t say how excited I am to see the Grateful Dead family not only thriving but flourishing. We Deadheads can take pride in having become a borderless, boundless global community where a simple Steal-Your-Face sticker on your pack and a smile will find you a safe haven. And with thankfulness being one of the defining criteria of a Deadhead for the life-changing, enlightening experience the Dead brought to our lives, we have a healthy desire to express that gratitude. What is “it” we’re so thankful for?

Nathaniel Rateliff and The Night Sweats brought their vintage rock and neo-soul show to the Saenger Theatre in New Orleans on May 3rd and 4th for a pair of spectacular double bill shows that coincided with the second weekend of city’s famed Jazz Fest.  Each night featured a different group of legendary Crescent City musicians opening the show.

One of the largest audiences to ever attend Lockn’ poured into the festival grounds on Saturday, August 25th for a historic day of multi-generational jam band music. By mid-afternoon when the North Carolina band BIG Something took the main stage, five bands had already played, and a huge crowd filled the field and surrounding hills. The six-piece modern jam band fuses elements of jazz, funk, rock, and electronica into hypnotic dance trance music.

If James Brown is the Godfather of Soul, The Meters are without a doubt the Forefathers of Funk.