It was another jam-packed night outside the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium in San Francisco. You would have thought you were seeing Furthur on New Year’s Eve 2009 all over again. It was just about impossible to get into line outside the arena as there were so many people walking up and down the cordons with their pointer fingers in the air hoping for some miracle ticket to gain entry into DeadHeads kingdom; a Furthur show.

The physical requirement of playing live music leaves little room for musicians to keep performing past a certain age.  Although a handful of timeless artists such as Buddy Guy, BB King, The Rolling Stones, and Paul McCartney have been able to defy the limits of time, it goes to say that most careers decline past middle age.

It was easy to see that Jake Stockburger of Point Pleasant, NJ was in town to see Mike Gordon at The Jefferson Theatre.. He was wearing his thoughts on his sleeve.

RJD2 isn't that cute little droid acting as one half of a Greek Chorus in the Star Wars saga. But he did, start his set as a robot named 'Commissioner Crotchbuttons'; Complete with welders mask and "the world's first scrotum powered music machine" (a modified MPC sequencer that spins around on his lower waist). Yes, it's even more amusing than it sounds.

Furthur, featuring Phil Lesh & Bob Weir played the brand new 1stBank Center in Broomfield, Colorado on March 5th & March 6th, 2010.  The Grateful Web was on hand to check out the show, take some photos, shoot some videos and soak in seeing the band a mere 1

It was Jorma Kaukonen’s big San Francisco homecoming on his current tour with G.E. Smith. Kaukonen, who grew up to be an accomplished guitar player in Washington D.C., moved to San Francisco just in time for the psychedelic rock of the sixties, and was one of the founding members of Jefferson Airplane; San Francisco’s golden fleece of psychedelic rock in the 60s. Since Jefferson Airplane, Kaukonen’s career has taken a far left turn in another direction.

Why did you fall in love with rock and roll?

I ask that, not particularly sure you love rock and roll at all, in its purest definition, anyway.. It isn’t heard all that often these days.. Music genres in recent years seem to have splintered into multitudes of subgenres, in some ways – diluting the original archetype. We ‘think’ we have the leaded coffee, cause we haven’t tasted it in so long, we’re sure nothing stronger, exists.

I first became immersed into African music from the influence of an amazing musician, friend, and teacher Matt Wasowski currently with Mohammed Alidu and the Bizung Family, and Zivanai Masango and Pachedu and formerly with Jaka and Jyemo amongst other groups. Matt who plays mostly guitar, also dabbles and even builds with his students many African instruments such as the Mbira or thumb piano and Marimbas.