Blog Archives

“I’m Just A Demon In Disguise” . : David Bromberg’s Final Big Band Show  

A couple of weeks ago I was home on a Saturday night with no specific plans when I got a call from my old friend Errol, someone who I have been in bands with on & off for over thirty

Tagged with: , , , ,
Posted in Blues, Classic Rock, Country/Bluegrass, Grateful Dead, Music Appreciation and Analysis

“Why Is This Night Different From All Other Nights?” . . : Grateful Dead At Cornell 5/8/77

On May 8th, 1977, the Grateful Dead played what many consider, one of their best shows ever. It’s certainly is one of their most famous, that being their show at Barton Hall at Cornell University, Ithaca, NY. Why the big

Tagged with: , , , ,
Posted in Grateful Dead, Jam Band, Music Appreciation and Analysis

“Playing In The Band” . . : An Interactive GD Experience

This should of interest to all my fellow Deadheads out there. It’s obvious appeal is the musicians among you but I believe this would be illuminating to any fan of the music. It’s a new feature on the official Grateful

Tagged with: , , , , , , , ,
Posted in Classic Rock, Grateful Dead, Jam Band, Music Appreciation and Analysis

“Want Some Garcia With Your Salsa?” . . . : Jerry Garcia with Carlos Santana and Ruben Blades

As a music nerd I always got a kick when a musician you love and admire plays with another one of your musical heroes. It’s especially cool when it actually sounds as good as you hoped it would. Such is

Tagged with: , ,
Posted in Grateful Dead, Improvisation, Jam Band, Music Appreciation and Analysis, Uncategorized

“Play Dead”. . . : Good Ol’ Grateful Deadcast Talk Dead Cover Bands

This is not the first time I’ve talked about the Good Ol’ Grateful Deadcast (see https://roymusicusa.com/2020/10/12/playing-to-the-tide-the-good-ol-grateful-deadcast-deep-dive-into-workingmans-dead/ and https://roymusicusa.com/2021/06/13/skull-roses-the-grateful-dead-as-we-know-them-today/) but the two recent episodes below hit a particularly special note with me (pun intended). They talk about the Grateful Dead as

Tagged with: , , , ,
Posted in Grateful Dead, Jam Band, Music Appreciation and Analysis

“Skull & Roses” . . : The Grateful Dead As We Know Them Today

I have written previously about The Good Ol’ Grateful Deadcast, the official Grateful Dead podcast (see https://roymusicusa.com/2020/10/12/playing-to-the-tide-the-good-ol-grateful-deadcast-deep-dive-into-workingmans-dead/). The first two seasons went into deep dives of the classic Grateful Dead albums, Workingman’s Dead and American Beauty respectively. For season three,

Tagged with: , , , ,
Posted in Classic Rock, Grateful Dead, Jam Band, Music Appreciation and Analysis

Guitarist Tony Rice 1951 – 2020

On Christmas Day, 2020, guitarist Tony Rice passed away at the age of 69. Rice was a pivotal figure in bluegrass guitar. His music spanned from traditional bluegrass to jazz-influenced New Acoustic music to songwriter-oriented folk. I first became aware

Tagged with: , , , , ,
Posted in Country/Bluegrass, Improvisation, Jam Band, Music Appreciation and Analysis

“A Merry Jerry Holiday” . . . . . . . . : 25 Days Of Jerry

Happy Holidays everyone, we made it through a year in hell. Weeping Willow Guitar Lessons is an excellent YouTube channel for Deadhead/ABB fan guitarists (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCSqUU4fjNPVq6NvKtNIWKOQ). He’s been putting out some serious high quality content: solo transcriptions, breakdown of guitar parts

Tagged with: , , , , ,
Posted in Grateful Dead, Improvisation, Jam Band, Music Appreciation and Analysis

“If You Get Confused Just Listen To The Music Play” . . : A Video Asks, “Was Jerry Garcia a Jazz Improviser?”

As a musician and as a Deadhead, I have had on more than one occasion a conversation with non-Deadhead musicians who dismiss Jerry Garcia as someone who just plays scales up and down, someone who “noodles”. This pisses off Deadhead

Tagged with: , , , ,
Posted in Grateful Dead, Improvisation, Jazz, Music Appreciation and Analysis, Music Theory

“Don’t You Let That Deal Go Down” . . . : Learn Jerry Garcia’s Solo From Deal (7/4/89 Buffalo)

I had lunch the other day with my old friend Errol. Errol is an excellent guitarist and we have been in bands together on and off for about forty years. Errol is currently in an excellent Jam band based in

Tagged with: , ,
Posted in Classic Rock, Grateful Dead, Improvisation, Jam Band, Music Appreciation and Analysis, Music Theory
Archive
Follow RoyMusicUSA on WordPress.com

Enter your email address to follow this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.