2015 was a pivotal year for the Grateful Dead. Various important concert events marked the band’s 50-year landmark. Even more remarkable was the overwhelming fan and academic support by way of undeniably canonical releases. The finest tribute to the Dead’s late guitarist and beloved bandleader Jerry Garcia arrived a few weeks ago from one of the band’s most esteemed insiders.

David Nelson’s long strange trip dates back just as far as the Grateful Dead’s. Nelson, Jerry Garcia and Robert Hunter were all pals from the Dead’s humble beginnings in Palo Alto. He was there for the acid tests, he saw the San Francisco scene blow up only a few years later, and of course cofounded New Riders of the Purple Sage with Garcia and John “Marmaduke” Dawson.

On Wednesday, December 2^nd The Fillmore in San Francisco will host two very special guests in conversation to celebrate the 50^th anniversary of the Grateful Dead.  Publicist, historian, and author of A Long Strange Trip, Dennis McNally will be joined by Trixie Garcia. The two will discuss McNally’s newest compilation Jerry on Jerry, a previously unpublished archive of interviews between McNally with Grateful Dead guitarist and cultural icon Jerry Garcia.

Leftover Salmon founding guitarist and vocalist Vince Herman recently joined Grateful Web for an extended chat about the past, present, and future. His musical personality has become an unmistakable trait in the longtime Poly-ethnic Cajun Slamgrass Band. Salmon just turned twenty-five years old and is celebrating with an exciting live release 25 and brand new beer collaboration with Breckenridge Brewery.

Few acts have served as large of a spectrum of music as New Riders of the Purple Sage. These psychedelic country-rock titans have been performing for nearly forty-five years with original members David Nelson (guitar, vocals) and Buddy Cage (pedal steel guitar) keeping the flame burning strong. The group began in 1970 when Jerry Garcia was transitioning the Grateful Dead into country and folk territory. Like most instruments he put his mind to, he took to the pedal steel guitar miraculously quick.

This is Dylan Muhlberg of Grateful Web. I am joined by veteran photographer, author, and anthropologist Jay Blakesberg, His presence has been pivotal in American rock music scene since 1980s, particularly rooted in the Grateful Dead community. His iconic photography is regularly featured through publications like Relix, Rolling Stone, and Guitar Player. He is granted a rare trust and inclusivity from legendary rock musicians. His tenth photographic volume of rock anthropology is his finest to date.

Grateful Web was humbled and honored to have an extended conversation with jazz-fusion guitarist and bandleader John McLaughlin. He began recording and composing groundbreaking music in the 1960s before joining forces with Miles Davis on his landmark albums “In A Silent Way” and “Bitches Brew”. His band Mahavishnu Orchestra was the fundamental jazz-fusion originator. His illustrious career since has been continually remarkable.

It’s a little bit strange that in 2015, almost twenty years since drummer Dave Watts began holding impromptu free form improvised funk jams under the moniker Motet, that now the band is finally getting the national recognition it’s due. Maybe it really isn’t so surprising. They spent their formative years developing original material and finding the right full-time players and much of the 2000s throwing impressive tribute shows to the finest icons of rock, funk, soul, jazz and disco.

One of the finest tribute projects honoring the work of Grateful Dead is the instrumental ensemble of Jazz is Dead. Formed in the late 1990s after the passing of Dead guitarist and bandleader Jerry Garcia, Jazz is Dead featured the best cats out there including drummer Billy Cobham and the late keyboardist T. Lavitz. As the project evolved other tremendously talented players entered the picture to continue this strikingly singular idea.

Sometimes a pet-project grows into a full concept far surpassing the inventor's original prospects. For veteran bluegrass siblings Sara and Sean Watkins, they likely began their musical Family Hour as a way to ease the strains of rigorous touring in their native Southern California. In their natural habitat of Americana, exploring favorite originals and classic canonical country brought them enough pleasure to make a regular occasion out of it.