Acoustic Deadhead band audio

[mandocrucian]

3 sets (audio). First gig I played with these guys (after only two rehearsals.)
https://archive.org/details/140315_DelRio



The Window Panes at Del Rio, Stephens City, VA (March 15, 2014)
Multi-track Digital Soundboard Master:

Set I: Blue On Black, What A Good Boy, Bad Moon Rising, Better Way, Bottle Of Sunshine, Wagon Wheel, Row Jimmy, I'm Not From Here, Friend Of The Devil, Franklin's Tower, Tangled Up In Blue~ (85 mins)

Set II: Take It All In, The Last Time, Cassidy, Me & My Uncle, Spoon, Jack-A-Roe, Season's Change, All Along The Watchtower~

Set III: Eyes Of The World, Viola Lee Blues, Silver Sunset, Just A Little Bit, Bertha~

David Drew Porter-guitar/vocals;
Christopher White-guitar/vocals
Paul Morgan- bass/vocals;
Dan Sutter-drums;
Niles Hokkanen-mandolin*; flute
(*Gibson F4 with stick-on pickup below the bridge, direct into the board (no preamp). At times using a lime green Boss Super Phaser phase-shifter and/or a lime green Boss Tube Screamer stompboxes)

Niles H

[Dave LaBoone]

Cool, Niles! I've enjoyed your books and look forward to hearing this...looks like a great setlist!

[Freddyfingers]

Very nice. I think the dead lend themselves to the mandolin easily .

[Paul Kotapish]

Fun. Most of the Dead's repertoire works well and is decidedly fun on the mandolin. Nice playing, Niles.

[JoeyJoeJoe]

85 mins to do 11 songs. That's my kind of band. Sweet!

[Nick Pooch]

You guys rule! I paused listening to rarities dead for this. No regrets

[mandocrucian]

Fun. Most of the Dead's repertoire works well and is decidedly fun on the mandolin. Nice playing, Niles.

All the Dead stuff is pretty mando-friendly, though sometimes a bit on the quirky side structurally, (usually the Bob tunes).

I have a 'thing' about "one-part" songs (especially ones with lots of verses) - (to me) the chord progression tends to becomes a bit too repetitive, especially when you are also taking breaks over it as well. I suggested to the bassist using an Irish tune or two (or maybe Nordic, though I don't think they are quite ready to polska, yet) as an instrumental interlude(s)/improv solo substitute for "Jack-A-Roe" to add chordal variety (ala Fairport Convention-ish "Walk Awhile" arranging). Something like "Paddy Ryan's Dream" (stays in the same key) and/or "Wind That Shakes The Barley" (for the modulation effect).

(Can't think of hardly any American rock bands that used this interlude tune approach, except Mountain inserting "The Cutty Wren" into "Nantucket Sleighride" )

Though not familiar with Fairport/Steeleye/etc., turns out he did have the first Wake The Dead cd, which he lent me a couple of days ago. (Top notch mando playing on it!). My impression (I could be wrong) was that the tune/song couplings were approached from the other direction, with the Irish stuff having (at least) equal importance with the Dead material.

[Paul Kotapish]

Though not familiar with Fairport/Steeleye/etc., turns out he did have the first Wake The Dead cd, which he lent me a couple of days ago. (Top notch mando playing on it!). My impression (I could be wrong) was that the tune/song couplings were approached from the other direction, with the Irish stuff having (at least) equal importance with the Dead material.

Hey Niles,

The "theory" behind Wake the Dead (celebrating 15 years now) was that the Dead's repertoire--particularly the Garcia/Hunter songbook--was deeply rooted in traditional music and that many of the songs stood on their own as "folk" songs, but that a lot of folks who couldn't handle the Dead's decidedly idiosyncratic approach to sonic explorations might never hear the songs for their intrinsic merits.

Danny Carnahan and I started by pretending that all of the songs were just traditional, and played them as if we were (more-or-less) a trad band, and we worked up the songs with a mind to presenting them simply, with solid singing and harmony, lush acoustic arrangements, and fiddle tunes instead of (or more often--when we are playing live--in addition to) improvised jams. When we were putting together a band for the first record, we just happened to pull in a mix of our musical mates that was heavy on the trad Irish thing, but there were also some old-time, jazz, and latin influences there, and it could have gone a different way.

Three CDs and many shows later, we're still fooling with that approach, and it seems to work for our crowd, which comprises an equal mix of hard-core Deadheads, traditional music enthusiasts who are open to hearing the Dead in the new context, and folks who have no idea what we are playing but like the noise it makes.

The main thing is that we loved the songs and realized that we would never be able to do a credible emulation of the Dead's approach, so we came up with one that worked for us.

[Paul Kotapish]

Though not familiar with Fairport/Steeleye/etc., turns out he did have the first Wake The Dead cd, which he lent me a couple of days ago. (Top notch mando playing on it!). My impression (I could be wrong) was that the tune/song couplings were approached from the other direction, with the Irish stuff having (at least) equal importance with the Dead material.

Hey Niles,

The "theory" behind Wake the Dead (celebrating 15 years now) was that the Dead's repertoire--particularly the Garcia/Hunter songbook--was deeply rooted in traditional music and that many of the songs stood on their own as "folk" songs, but that a lot of folks who couldn't handle the Dead's decidedly idiosyncratic approach to sonic explorations might never hear the songs for their intrinsic merits.

Danny Carnahan and I started by pretending that all of the songs were just traditional, and played them as if we were (more-or-less) a trad band, and we worked up the songs with a mind to presenting them simply, with solid singing and harmony, lush acoustic arrangements, and fiddle tunes instead of (or more often--when we are playing live--in addition to) improvised jams. When we were putting together a band for the first record, we just happened to pull in a mix of our musical mates that was heavy on the trad Irish thing, but there were also some old-time, jazz, and latin influences there, and it could have gone a different way.

Three CDs and many shows later, we're still fooling with that approach, and it seems to work for our crowd, which comprises an equal mix of hard-core Deadheads, traditional music enthusiasts who are open to hearing the Dead in the new context, and folks who have no idea what we are playing but like the noise it makes.

The main thing is that we loved the songs and realized that we would never be able to do a credible emulation of the Dead's approach, so we came up with one that worked for us.

For anyone who might be interested: www.wakethedead.org

There are a bunch of videos out there, too, but here's one (warts and all) from a recent St. Patrick's weekend show:

[Jonathan Reinhardt]

we have a Jerry Jam here in NH that I was happy to be a part of one year (2009). a small to medium sized (and now looking even bigger) festival, with bands from many places in the US. so many variations on a theme. endless. although I have no Garcia/Hunter/Lesh/Weir material in my personal bag of songs (confession - I sometimes have dreams I am playing St. Stephen, or China Cat Sunflower), the Dead were a part of my musical upbringing. although their music (from them and others) may not be to everyone's taste, as Paul (and Niles) state above, the traditional element is an interesting part of it. and I am the first to admit that if it were not for that, I might find it far less interesting and more tedious to listen to/play.

[mtm]

[QUOTE=Paul Kotapish;1282892]Hey Niles,
The "theory" behind Wake the Dead (celebrating 15 years now) ... [deleted]
For anyone who might be interested: www.wakethedead.org

I particularly like the 'pipes' taking Jerry's leads. Too bad WTD doesn't make it to Wisconsin ... looks like a blast ! Also, Listening to the Window Panes as I take a break at work ... nice job. The uptempo "Row Jimmy" is a nice interpretation.

[mandocrucian]

Here's a recent (Oct. 11, 2014) eleven minute long live Window Panes take of the Dead's "Franklin's Tower".

https://soundcloud.com/thewindowpanes/franklins-tower

David Drew Porter-guitar/vocals; Christopher White-guitar/vocals; Paul Morgan- bass/vocals; Dan Sutter-drums; Niles Hokkanen-mandolin

F4 mandolin with a McIntyre pickup located right below the bridge > volume pedal > Boss Super Phaser phase shifter (not used on this tune) > direct box/splitter> into a) the soundboard/Bose PA and b) a Peavey Backstage 110 guitar amp (at a low volume) serving as a personal monitor.

The (unrehearsed) mando-guitar lead interplay is with Chris White who has a nice Dead feel to his playing. And, I don't think a I played a single chop chord the entire tune!!!

NH

[domradave]

Hey, Niles, thank you for Bluegrass Up The Neck. In light of your exploration of the Dead I just want to repeat what Radim Zenkl said about you, that you are one of the few players out there who is doing something NEW!

[haggardphunk]

I have a 'thing' about "one-part" songs (especially ones with lots of verses) - (to me) the chord progression tends to becomes a bit too repetitive, especially when you are also taking breaks over it as well. [/I] into "Nantucket Sleighride" )

Franklins Tower and Fire on the Mountain used to drive me crazy when i was in a band. So repetitive. Eyes can do that too but if youre creative theres a lot to do with those angelic melodies