Phil Lesh

As the wheels of the Grateful Dead keep turning, two of its founding members Bob Weir and Phil Lesh, have found themselves traveling on different paths. Weir is currently a member of the supergroup Dead & Company with John Mayer, Oteil Burbridge, frequent collaborator Jeff Chimenti, and two other Grateful Dead members Bill Kreutzmann and Mickey Hart. Phil Lesh on the other hand operates the Dead-themed venue Terrapin Crossroads and performs with an ever-rotating cast of musicians in Phil Lesh and Friends.

Steve Forbert’s latest cover and accompanying video of the Grateful Dead’s “Box of Rain” is a timely release considering our shared experience surrounding COVID-19. This monumental song originated with one of the Dead’s founding members, Phil Lesh, composing the music, while Robert ‘Bob’ Hunter wrote the lyrics. Lesh came to identify the song with his dying father. He would practice singing as he drove to the hospital and later the nursing home. Death surrounds us.

The story behind one of the most technically decorated and carefully crafted bass instruments in music history is one of true Grateful Dead lore.

The ever-evolving and greatly loved Levitate Music & Arts Festival is proud to announce the 2020 lineup for its eighth annual  event happening July 10-12, 2020. The team at Levitate has been thinking about summer all winter long and is proud to announce a lineup to warm the soul: Jack Johnson, Phil Lesh & Friends, Stick Figure, Tash Sultana, Old Crow Medicine Show, Dirty Heads, Umphrey’s McGee, Moe., Toots and the Maytals, Trevor Hall, Billy Strings, Mt. Joy, and many more.

LOCKN’ has announced an extraordinary initial lineup for the upcoming special edition of the beloved camping festival. Set for June 19-21, 2020, the 8th annual LOCKN’ will be an all-star celebration of Phil Lesh’s upcoming 80th birthday, taking place as always at Infinity Downs & Oak Ridge Farm, LOCKN’s 387-acre property located at the foot of the Blue Ridge Mountains in Arrington, VA.

Those familiar with the phenomenal exploratory bands Phil Lesh & Friends, Moonalice, and David Nelson Band are likely familiar with guitar virtuoso Barry Sless. His Pedal Steel guitar has transformed beloved Grateful Dead classics such as “Box of Rain,” “Peggy O,” “Pride of Cucamonga,” and “Cumberland Blues” into full-fledged country-rock bliss that Jerry Garcia is no doubt smiling down on.

For about 25 years now, “Phil & Friends” has constituted several combinations of like-minded players with extensive Grateful Dead music pedigrees and acumen. On New Year’s Day, 2020, Phil Lesh performed and led a high-spirited, two-set show in the Beach Park, the outdoor performance venue at his Terrapin Crossroads club and restaurant in San Rafael, Calif.

The road to LOCKN' 2020 has officially begun with today’s announcement of next year’s very special edition of the beloved camping festival. Set for June 19-21, 2020, the 8th annual LOCKN’ will be an all-star celebration of Phil Lesh’s upcoming 80th birthday, taking place as always at Infinity Downs & Oak Ridge Farm, LOCKN’s 387-acre property located at the foot of the Blue Ridge Mountains in Arrington, VA.

The weather was perfect for a weekend in Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts. Whether it was your first trip or 100th. For me, it was my first trip, but no better excuse to go than a mid-August weekend to see some great music.

Earlier this month, Pickathon, the four-day music festival, took place at Pendarvis Farm, near Portland, Oregon. The event, which began in 1998 as a bluegrass festival, has since expanded to include folk, jam band, metal and indie artists.

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