Episodes
From “Loose Lucy,” the Deadcast jumps onto Dead tour in June ‘74, going under the hood of Phil Lesh’s new quad bass, behind the scenes at the tie-dye information booth, a private lunch at the Bank of Boston, & on a Mars Hotel-soundtracked summer road trip with Sonic Youth’s Lee Ranaldo.
Published 05/09/24
The Deadcast explores Phil Lesh’s masterpiece “Unbroken Chain,” its mysterious lyricist Bobby Petersen, & digs into the luminous synth with Ned Lagin himself; plus, the story of the album title & art with the Grateful Dead Records crew & a visit from Animal Collective’s Avey Tare.
Published 04/25/24
Published 04/25/24
The Deadcast explores “China Doll,” perhaps the most delicate Dead song, the innovative studio techniques pioneered for From The Mars Hotel, the formation of Round Records (& the making of Jerry Garcia’s sophomore solo album), & the infamous Wall of Sound test at the Cow Palace.
Published 04/11/24
The Grateful Deadcast begins the epic story of the Dead in 1974 with the writing of From the Mars Hotel’s album-opening “U.S. Blues” & the multiple debuts of the innovative Wall of Sound, featuring new interviews & never-heard archival audio.
Published 03/28/24
The Good Ol’ Grateful Deadcast is back for its 9th season of high adventure and historical storytelling, unlocking the secrets of From the Mars Hotel and going on tour with the Wall of Sound. Tune in starting March 28th wherever you get your podcasts.
Published 03/21/24
The Deadcast finishes its season by examining Bob Weir’s ambitious Weather Report Suite with collaborator Eric Andersen & following the launch of Wake of the Flood on the band’s own label with company president Ron Rakow, plus Yo La Tengo’s Ira Kaplan, Erik Davis, & more.
Published 11/16/23
The Deadcast uncovers a most unusual lost studio session by Robert Hunter & the Grateful Dead, recorded at the Record Plant in November 1973, which we listen to in its entirety & annotate with the help of Donna Jean Godchaux-MacKay & others.
Published 11/07/23
Explore “Eyes of the World” inside & out with the studio multi-tracks, lost lyrics, archival audio of Robert Hunter, a meditation by Erik Davis, & a tour of the song’s evolution (yes, including that cool 7/8 ending).
Published 11/02/23
We explore the Beatlesque optimism of “Here Comes Sunshine,” its roots in the Vanport flood of 1948, & the story of the brand-new custom Doug Irwin guitar Jerry Garcia debuted on Wake of the Flood.
Published 10/19/23
A personal favorite of both Jerry Garcia & Robert Hunter, we explore how “Stella Blue” grew from New York’s fertile Chelsea Hotel into one of the great American songs, plus Bruce Hornsby on how Wake of the Flood made him a Dead fan.
Published 10/05/23
The Deadcast explores the strange not-quite-reggae of “Row Jimmy,” featuring a long never-heard interview with lyricist Robert Hunter from 1977.
Published 09/21/23
The Deadcast explores Keith Godchaux’s only song for the Grateful Dead, the unassuming but complex “Let Me Sing Your Blues Away,” the debut single from Wake of the Flood & Grateful Dead Records, co-starring Donna Jean, company president Ron Rakow, & a gaggle of early Dead tapers.
Published 09/07/23
The Deadcast begins our deep dive into Wake of the Flood, including multi-track breakdowns for Mississippi Half-Step, never-heard outtakes, studio memories from Donna Jean Godchaux-MacKay, & the origins of Grateful Dead Records with co-founder Ron Rakow.
Published 08/24/23
The thrilling conclusion of our visit to the record-breaking Watkins Glen Summer Jam, featuring John Belushi crashing the backstage, a super jam onstage, a teen-run pirate radio station, & the birth of a new generation of Dead Heads.
Published 08/10/23
Musicians, organizers, & fans tell the epic story of how the Watkins Glen Summer Jam started as a giant rock show & turned into history when more than a half-million came to see the Grateful Dead, the Allman Brothers, & The Band.
Published 07/27/23
Our stadium-sized season finale visits the Dead’s June 1973 mega-gigs with the Allman Brothers Band in Washington DC, featuring the Allmans family, legendary tapers, searing heat, super jams, backstage brawls, & the manifestation of the Ouroboros.
Published 06/01/23
The Deadcast visits one of the Dead’s most legendary hometown shows with the band, crew, & Bay Area Dead freaks, featuring 3 sets in the Golden Gate Park sunshine, technological innovations, & an important paper by the Haight Street Free Medical Clinic.
Published 05/25/23
Feel the ocean breeze and spend a sunny Sunday with the Grateful Dead as the Deadcast visits Santa Barbara ‘73 with first-time showgoer Al Franken, archivist David Lemieux, the show’s promoters, and more.
Published 05/18/23
We time-travel to the Dead’s massive 3-set show in Des Moines, May 1973 (& the first show on the new Here Comes Sunshine box) with stories from Donna Jean, the show’s promoters, & the Dead’s office staff, plus custom gear, big jams, an indoor fireworks fight, etc.
Published 05/11/23
The Deadcast takes a special side trip into Jerry Garcia’s extracurricular projects in 1973, exploring his partnerships with organist Merl Saunders & the legendary bluegrass group Old & In the Way with guests David Grisman & Peter Rowan, & how they impacted the Dead’s music.
Published 05/04/23
The Deadcast sets course for 1973, diving into the newly announced Here Comes Sunshine box set with firsthand tours of the ambitious family businesses in orbit around the Dead in 1973, including an independent record label, booking company, travel agency, clothing boutique, & more.
Published 05/02/23
Ladies and gentlemen, fellow deadheads, today’s regularly scheduled DeadCast will be coming in the not too distant future, fear not we have all the Golden Yummies lined up for your listening pleasure.
Published 04/27/23
The Deadcast is honored to welcome Tom Constanten to discuss his remarkable tenure as Grateful Dead keyboardist from late 1968 through early 1970, his work on 3 classic albums, & his adventures before & after the Dead, including his current band Dose Hermanos.
Published 04/13/23
The Deadcast returns to the Fillmore East and digs into the Dead’s 1st archival live album, History of the Grateful Dead, Volume One (Bear’s Choice), produced by former LSD alchemist Owsley Stanley & released as a tribute to Pigpen just after his death.
Published 03/30/23