Premier jamgrass group Greensky Bluegrass just finished their 2020 winter tour this past weekend, closing out with a packed show at The Tabernacle in Atlanta, Georgia. Onboard with them were hotshot psychedelic rockers Ghost Light, who had joined Greensky as the opening act for the entire Winter run. Grateful Web caught the two together during their northeast run, at Penn’s Peak in Jim Thorpe, Pennsylvania.

Sexy jam rockers Ghost Light lit up the stage at the iconic Brooklyn Bowl in Williamsburg, NY with their unique blend of acid and funk mixed with indie jam rock. The band is led by jam scene veteran and guitarist Tom Hamilton (Joe Russo’s Almost Dead, Brother’s Past, American Babies), as well as guitarist Raina Mullen (American Babies).

Tom Hamilton keeps very busy between Ghost Light, Joe Russo’s Almost Dead, American Babies, Electron, and the rare but most coveted Billy & The Kids appearance.

All four band members: Marc Brownstein & Aron Magner (Disco Biscuits), Tom Hamilton (Joe Russo's Almost Dead), and Mike Greenfield (Lotus), all have busy schedules, but when they come together as one force, “Electron”, they are on point. With many years under their belt in the “jam world”, they feed off of their energy and their little non-verbal to create a sound of their own. Whether it be Magner tickling the ivories, or Hamilton shredding it on guitar, the foursome is always firing on all cylinders.

Joe Russo’s Almost Dead took over Red Rocks Park and Amphitheatre last Thursday, August 29th, igniting a monumental weekend of music throughout the Greater Denver Area. Attendees began their night socializing and connecting to fellow Deadheads in the lots, as others had their finger up looking for their miracles for this legendary sold-out show at Red Rocks.

It was a summer New England weekend at the site of the Marshfield Fairgrounds in Marshfield, MA. The 7th Levitate Music & Arts Festival was underway with some big names in rock, reggae, blues, and jam music. Not only does it bring great music, but it also brings great philanthropy and a homegrown vibe. 

What is fair to say and what is hyperbole? Is it overstating things to say the Grateful Dead have become so much more than just their music? They define pieces of us. Times with friends. Discovery. They have become an institution reaching further than just recordings of their shows. But no matter what, for all of us, it still starts there; with the music. The music was and is a driving force in us. But since it has ended, and it has ended, what we are left with are new branches growing from roots sewn in the 60’s.

“Tennessee Jed” was a raucous riot, as it indubitably should be. The instrumental breaks showcased JRAD’s proclivity for shaking fresh ideas out of well-worn material. Benevento dropped a stanky, Dr. John crossed with Dave Brubeck piano piece. Metzger and Dreiwitz slipped into a parallel, Bizarro “Jed.” The entire unit tilted and started to spin ecstatically. It was like putting a Ferris wheel on top of a roller coaster. JRAD increasingly infused the Dead’s material with their own creative energy. They weren’t out to simply play these cherished songs; they sought to possess them and make them their own.

“I think of this album like a bunch of abstract paintings,” says Ghost Light’s Tom Hamilton. “We present the songs as a series meant to be experienced in a certain order, but at the end of the day, whatever that series makes you feel is totally up to you.”

Jam scene visionaries Joe Russo’s Almost Dead are underway on their current 2019 winter tour, and this past week performed at Penn’s Peak in Jim Thorpe, PA, the following night at College Street Music Hall in New Haven, CT, and last night at The Wellmont Theatre in Montclair, NJ.