Grateful Dawg

[Bill Snyder]

I was in my local Big Lots this afternoon looking through the DVD's. I came across Grateful Dawg about Jerry Garcia (Grateful Dead fame) and David Grisman and their long friendship and making music together.
The price is $3.00.
The acoustic music they make together is diverse. A lot of "Deadheads" might be suprised at Jerry playing banjo, but he does.

[chirorehab]

Great find!

Many, many, many deadheads are fans of bluegrass music because of this relationship... Just as many, many, many deadheads are fans of Grisman because of this relationship....

One of the greatest selling Bluegrass albums of all time is by Old & in the Way... featuring Jerry on banjo..

While I am not a deadhead - Phish is more of my persuasion - I was turned on to Grisman via Jerry...

Eric

[Rick Schmidlin]

........and the Dawg was a Bergan County NJ boy.

[AlanN]

He sure was a Bergen County boy! There is a neat photo of The Garrett Mountain Boys, maybe his earliest band.

[Phillip Tigue]

And look for a cameo of magician Ricky Jay at the end...He and Dawg are great friends...

[SternART]

Playing cards as weapons! I saw Ricky Jay throw a card at the GAMH from the stage to the balcony!

Spud Garcia could pick some taters on banjo. Pre Warlocks he was big into the BG and folk music scene in Palo Alto, CA......back in the early 60's.

[Alex Orr]

One of my favorite albums of all time is the first Grisman/Garcia record. Dawg has so many exquisute solos on that thing. His solo to FOTD in particular is just a master class on the instrument.

[Hal Jeanes]

Before the Grateful Dead, Jerry, with Banjo in hand, travelled to Bean Blossom intent on auditioning for Bill Monroe. One there, he lost his nerve and never auditioned.

[woodwizard]

$3.00 bucks ... what a deal! That is a great video.

[Denny Gies]

I think all of the Grisman/Garcia collaborations are just great. They contain so many tasteful breaks and fill-ins that they provide endless challenges for my playing and learning.

[tkdboyd]

I am not trying to be overly negative about Jerry Garcia, and as I sit here smelling of patchouli would be a complete hypocrite if I were not to give credit to Jerry Garcia and the Dead for turning on many a people to music that was beyond Pop. However, what I liked about his Grisman collaborations is that it reined in Garcia's guitar work to show what a player he really was (and could have been) when not "spacing". I have listened to a lot of bootlegs of the Dead and WOW at times I just had to shut off the tapes. The Dead was a great, innovative force that should be appreciated, but I think the many years of the "road" hurt what they could have been, not culturally, but musically, and the snippets of Garcia out of the "Dead Setting" showed what was missed due to that culture.

My opinion only-not trying to flame; figured if some were out there put off by the idea of Garcia that this viewpoint might turn them on to listening to some very fine guitar playing and of course Dawg's mandolin work is fantastic.

[Mattg]

Greatful Dawg was on Ovation again this weekend. Watched it, taped it, watched again. Spent part the weekend learning Dawg and Jerry's The Thrill is Gone. Love that grove.

[jefflester]

Greatful Dawg was on Ovation again this weekend. Watched it, taped it, watched again. Spent part the weekend learning Dawg and Jerry's The Thrill is Gone. Love that grove.
Is it shady? :))

[Mattg]

Oops. Groove. Got me.

Musta slipped up cause I love their rendition of Shady Grove too. They should call it Shady Groove.

[Bill Snyder]

$3.00 bucks ... what a deal! That is a great video.

Anyone that has a Big Lots nearby might check it out while they have them.

[Ignatius]

I am not trying to be overly negative about Jerry Garcia, and as I sit here smelling of patchouli would be a complete hypocrite if I were not to give credit to Jerry Garcia and the Dead for turning on many a people to music that was beyond Pop. However, what I liked about his Grisman collaborations is that it reined in Garcia's guitar work to show what a player he really was (and could have been) when not "spacing". I have listened to a lot of bootlegs of the Dead and WOW at times I just had to shut off the tapes. The Dead was a great, innovative force that should be appreciated, but I think the many years of the "road" hurt what they could have been, not culturally, but musically, and the snippets of Garcia out of the "Dead Setting" showed what was missed due to that culture.

My opinion only-not trying to flame; figured if some were out there put off by the idea of Garcia that this viewpoint might turn them on to listening to some very fine guitar playing and of course Dawg's mandolin work is fantastic.

+1, tkboyd. Well said and well meant.

I feel the exact same way. I can listen to Grisman and Garcia on and on and have never grown old of their work together. I always burn out on the Dead at some point and can put them away for months at a time, even though as you and others have said, the Dead can be an amazing force to be reckoned with.

When they work together, Dawg's influence on Jerry is so very clear--as is Jerry's influence on Dawg: they move in directions neither one does quite as well on his own. Garcia's Almost Acoustic is a case in point: I really like that album, but I know it would be richer and more nuanced if Dawg were playing (no flame meant against the mando player present in the group at the time--just a note that Dawg pushes Jerry in deeper ways). Grisman and Garcia are one of the truly great collaborative duos in which the sum is greater than the (already singularly amazing) parts.

[SternART]

Yep, one and one adds up to three, or sometimes five. Grisman & Tony Rice were like that too.....
Other great duos: Mike & Darol, Bela & Flux, Jack & Jorma......many others.........cool when the sum is greater than the parts........music is a team sport.

[ddshelden]

Jerry Garcia was not a guitar player, that also played banjo. He was a banjo player, that also played guitar.

[Wesley]

I've always wondered how Garcia was able to play banjo so well considering her was missing half of the index finger on his right hand.

[AlanN]

I believe he was missing 1/2 of his RH middle finger, but it begs the question: did he strap the 3rd banjer pick on that finger or on the ring finger?

[tango_grass]

Jerry put the fingerpick on his third finger. and methinks it gave him some of the bouncy quality Jerry was known for.

[jramsey]

Ring finger.

[Paul Kotapish]

The middle finger of the right hand was missing above the first knuckle. He put the fingerpick on the ring finger.

[SternART]

Backstage a a Garcia-Grisman gig, last time I saw him play banjo, I noticed Jerry was using women's glued on long fingernails, someone asked him if he was worried about the glue, and he replied it was probably a little late to be worrying about that. :grin:

[staggarlee]

Great find!

Many, many, many deadheads are fans of bluegrass music because of this relationship...
Eric

Yep, that's what brought me here! While I don't listen to the Dead nearly as much as I used to I pretty much listen to BG daily and play my mandolin. I started out playing banjo mainly because of Jerry's solo in Midnight Moonlight.

[Mattg]

The middle finger of the right hand was missing above the first knuckle. He put the fingerpick on the ring finger.

I saw that image on a bumper sticker a few days ago. I recognized it immediately. Very iconic. I hadn't even thought about how he played the banjo until I was rewatching the banjo duo that Dawg and he did on the Greatful Dawg documentary. He did just fine. :mandosmiley:

[woodwizard]

Backstage a a Garcia-Grisman gig, last time I saw him play banjo, I noticed Jerry was using women's glued on long fingernails, someone asked him if he was worried about the glue, and he replied it was probably a little late to be worrying about that. :grin:
:)) funny!
Tony Trischka broke his fingernail at a Fayettville solo gig and had to glue one of those on he said for the next day Little Rock gig. Looked like it hung in there pretty well for him to me. :)

[Steve Jeter]

After reading this post yesterday , I went to Big Lots. I really didnt expect to find it, but there it was for 3.oo bucks. I had watched it once before and always had intended to buy it, but didnt . Now it is special order at Barnes and Noble for like 30.oo bucks.
Cant beat 3 bucks.
Steve

[jefflester]

I went to my local Big Lots not expectng to find it.

And didn't.

[Mandobar]

jerry's brother accidentally chopped off most of that finger when they were kids. i read in one of his bios that he auditioned for bill monroe on banjo, but for some reason bill did not hire him.

[jefflester]

i read in one of his bios that he auditioned for bill monroe on banjo, but for some reason bill did not hire him.
As already mentioned earlier in this topic, he chickened out and never did actually audition for Bill.

Garcia's banjo years (http://www.thebestofwebsite.com/bands/Jerry_Garcia/Misc/Rothman/3_Jerrys_Banjo_Years.htm)

[Mike Herlihy]

As already mentioned earlier in this topic, he chickened out and never did actually audition for Bill.

Garcia's banjo years (http://www.thebestofwebsite.com/bands/Jerry_Garcia/Misc/Rothman/3_Jerrys_Banjo_Years.htm)

A quote from the article "And he worked at it continuously—at home, at gigs, in between students at Dana Morgan's music shop"

I wonder if anyone on the Cafe took lessons from him?

[eadg145]

My (sadly, late) best friend out here took guitar lessons from Jerry back in those days. He said Jerry was a very friendly, personable, and helpful guy with a LOT to show him. I didn't arrive in the Bay Area until the 80's, but it seems like there was a lot happening musically on the peninsula back then. The whole area is haunted by the ghosts of tremendous live performances in small coffee shops and bookstores.

"Live music is better. Bumper stickers should be issued" - Neil Young lyric

Since I'm posting here, I'll say that some of the tunes from "Workingman's Dead" and "American Beauty" translate very nicely to mandolin, and it turns out that this is what I've been working on a lot lately, after running through my BG exercises. My 10-year-old son has started jamming with me, on guitar, and I find that after playing "Blackberry Blossom" and "Salt Creek" slowly, I somehow fall into picking "Uncle John's Band" or "Friend Of The Devil". Last night it was "Ripple". Go figure. Maybe someday I'll post a video; who knows?

cheers,

David

[Miked]

I am one who started listening to BG because of Old and in the Way. That was back in the late seventies and I've been a David Grisman fan ever since. A lot of my Deadhead friends had The David Grisman Quintet in the LP collection. I was really into jazz-rock fusion back then and The DGQ was a big favorite.

Over the years, I've gone back and gobbled up a lot of the Garcia-Grisman colaberations. I never get tired of their music. I probably listen to Grisman projects more than anything else in my music library. Someone else mentioned that they can go months without listening to the Grateful Dead. I've got a collection of concerts that takes up a good chunch of my music library, but I'll also go for months without listening to any of them. I saw the band about 30 times (not a serious Deadhead :grin:) but unfortunately, never got to see Grateful Dawg.:crying:.

Anyway, first time poster. This is a great forum!

[SternART]

Welcome aboard Miked!

[Caleb]

I watched this documentary a couple months ago and really enjoyed it. I'm going to swing by the Big Lots in my area and see if I can find a copy or three. Thanks for the heads up.

[eltrain]

Hi all, new here. Looks like a great forum, I may stop lurking now that I picked up a cheap mando to pick on :) Went to the local Big Lots today, and almost to the end of my search, I got excited. Just for a second, as the spine said "Dawg", but alas it was a different one. Yearrgh...

[RSomers]

Jerry was our local banjo and guitar teacher at a local store called Guitars Unlimited in Menlo Park.
And Art, I'll one up you and tell you Ricky Jay showed me how to throw a card across the Boarding House floor when I was working the door there. Its all in the wrist. David and him were buddies, and I'll never forget that card stuck to David's ceiling as a result of a Ricky Jay card trick. A card was chosen, Ricky did his thing and then tossed the cards in the air. The card picked was the card stuck to the ceiling.
Finally, banjo's are picked in a two finger style, which Jerry had. Music is in the head, and if Django can do it....?
Grateful Dawg chronicle'd a time and place in my life. Didn't Gillian do the filming and production?

[Wesley]

I went to Big Lots on a lark - just in case they had the movie in stock and they did. One copy. I snatched it up. The other good deal I found was a double feature - also for $3.00. It was "Capote" with Phillip Seymor Hoffman{ he won the best actor Oscar that year for this movie } along with "In Cold Blood". That was a pretty good deal.

[garyblanchard]

My son gave me that DVD for Christmas a few years ago and I watch it every now and then and always enjoy it.

As for the Grateful Dead, people either like the free-form jamming or they don't. I happen to enjoy it, but I wouldn't reccomend it to most people. Jerry was great at what he did. He was never afraid to experiment and was never afraid to fail. As a result, he accomplished a lot musically. That's my take on it. As it has been said, different strokes for different folks.

[Caleb]

I went by my local Big Lots tonight and found two copies for $2 each. I bought both of them.

[Miked]

Grateful Dawg is on Ovation TV, from 8:00 to 10:00 tonight. I've got it on DirecTV

[Mattg]

Grateful Dawg is on Ovation TV, from 8:00 to 10:00 tonight. I've got it on DirecTV

Ya, watched it AGAIN. Never get tired of it.

[Sean Greer]

Grateful Dawg is on Ovation TV, from 8:00 to 10:00 tonight. I've got it on DirecTV

I happened to be browsing channels and stumbled upon it. Really nice documentary showing the musical abilities of both and the friendship that they had.

[Capt. E]

The whole Grateful Dawg piece is great. I just hate the commercials on Ovation. I need to get a copy of the video. One of my favorite parts was "Jenny Jenkins". Their children's album was not just for kids.

[jim simpson]

A bandmate told me that on his way to our gig last Sat. night, he was listening to the Grand Old Opry on car radio. He said that Jesse McReynolds was on and said that he was working on a new cd that would be a tribute to Jerry Garcia. I thought that was interesting.
I agree with Neil Young's lyric sentiments about listening to live music. I read where George Gruhn only listens to live music.

[Miked]

I just hate the commercials on Ovation.

I usually don't bother with the mute control during commercials, but last night was an exception!

[delsbrother]

No luck in Huntington Beach or Fountain Valley CA. Next try Westminster tomorrow. At least I'm getting some good Vietnamese food out of the deal...

[Ken Olmstead]

The Garcia/Grisman thing is one of those special musical convergences that only happens once in a blue moon. What they did together surpassed them both as individuals. They were meant for each other and that video makes that clear to me. Time for a viewing...it's been at least a month! :))

[Bob Andress]

It was Jerry who introduced me to the world of Dawg music and thus, the mandolin itself. I started as a dead head and in the early 90s was blown away by what I heard. Others have mentioned it - they both made the other so much better. That duo was meant to be. While it was too short in length, their depth and impact is beyond measure. I play the mandolin and love it's sound in every form because of the music that Spud and Dawg made together. I write this with so much emotion that my eyes fill up. I bought Grateful Dawg for $10 and would have paid $100.
Grateful beyond words.

[Jefa432]

Louisville Ky on Newcut Rd has..er..had one. Cannot believe it, I walked in and it was right there in the front of the movie rack. Now to play the lottery!!:mandosmiley:

[delsbrother]

Maybe some Mando-cafe member was doing you a favor (digging through a bunch of Rock-bottom-remainder DVDs is not exactly fun). At least that's what I did. Westminster, CA had two. I bought one, and left the other in plain view in the front of the rack. If you're in OC and want it, the Big Lots is right off the 405.

[pigpen]

For the real cheapskates out there, you might have some luck at your local public library (or they could find it at another library and inter-library-loan it to you for free). My wonderful, tiny local library in Richmond, Vermont has it.

Can't beat free (though you hafta return it).

[D C Blood]

Well...I've tried several of the Nashville area BLs, so far no success...I thought I had something for a minute when I came across the title "The Nugget", but it was about some gold mine or some such. :(

[jefflester]

...I thought I had something for a minute when I came across the title "The Nugget", but it was about some gold mine or some such. :(
Australian comedy about some buddies who find a giant gold nugget on their land. They are blue collar guys who who go out each weekend to try to strike it rich but it's really just an excuse to drink beer. But then they do find a huge gold nugget and it changes their lives (not necessarily for the better). I thought it was a pretty good movie. Starring Eric Bana (Hulk, Troy, Munich).

[Patrick Sylvest]

I found a copy at Big Lots in Thibodaux, Louisiana yesterday! What a great vid! My son and I really enjoyed it.

Man, it really makes ya' miss Jerry:crying:

[John G]

Great DVD. It's a bit melancholy in parts and it makes you really miss Jerry. It was nice to see him outside of the "Grateful Dead" bubble and see him play this old-time music he loved so much. You can tell these guys were having a lot of fun. "Jenny Jenkins" is a little gem and so is "Sitting in Limbo" and "Arabia". Garcia and Grisman were amazing together and introduced a lot of people to bluegrass, including myself.

[terzinator]

I have it, and i ripped it into my iPhone so I can watch it anytime (waiting in line, or at the dentist's office or whatever).

Love it.

Garcia and Grisman really are geniuses. I'm a deadhead, no denying that. And I love Grateful Dead music (the Sirius Grateful Dead channel is always on in my car), but I get most excited when I listen to Garcia when he played with grisman, Rice, Rowan, etc.

If you get a chance, listen to Pizza Tapes. Freaking awesome.

[GRW3]

If you like the movie, you'll love the soundtrack. All the music with no talking over it.

[Laird]

Sounds like plenty of us got turned on to Bluegrass by Old and in the Way! Before I could get to that, I had to be opened up to the Dead. The spaciness scared me away in those days (late 70s), but while delivering a car from Oregon to Virginia, I picked up a public radio station in Utah that was playing Workingman's Dead in its entirety. I had no idea it was the Dead until afterwards when the announcer revealed it. That and Beauty got me enough into them that I was willing to give anything Jerry did a try, and Old and in the Way was a great surprise.

As a long-time Deadhead, I think the world of Jerry. I like his banjo playing just fine, and I know that came earlier for him, but it was as a guitar stylist that he was transcendent. (Check out his solo love theme from Zabriskie Point!) I actually preferred him with the Jerry Garcia Band (a.k.a. JGB or just "Jerry Band"): having a great blues keyboard player like Melvin Seals (and, to a lesser extent, Merle Saunders) really seemed to push Jerry in a way the Dead rarely did.

I'm just back from seeing Phish at Saratoga Springs tonight, and as much as I've always admired Trey's fretwork, there will never be another Jerry.

[cpelz]

Didn't Jerry say something like this: "The Grateful Dead are a lot like black licorice. Not everyone likes black licorice, but the people who like black licorice really, really like black licorice."

Always thought some of Garcia's playing is rather mandoistic...his use of tremolo for example.

[farmerjones]

Oh yeah. gotta have both CD & DVD.
Don't forget DVD owner's, turn your directors commentary on, and hear Dawg's daughter comments. It is like a whole 'nother flick.

There's like this DVD, and The Last Waltz, and like what else?

[Marty Henrickson]

Oh yeah. gotta have both CD & DVD.
Don't forget DVD owner's, turn your directors commentary on, and hear Dawg's daughter comments. It is like a whole 'nother flick.

There's like this DVD, and The Last Waltz, and like what else?
Down From the Mountain, as well as Bill Monroe: The Father of Bluegrass.

I will be checking out the local Big Lots.;)