| The adventurous spirit of the Dead has incarnated itself in many musical forms. The following acts are closely associated to the Grateful Dead by personnel, material, and/or musical approach. For those who really need a Dead Fix, these can help. |
| Hot Tuna - Jorma and Jack Cassady, founding members of Jefferson Airplane, departed for the delta way back when the Dead first went country. These guys are very talented and play a lot of country blues like "Death Don't Have No Mercy" and "Walking Blues," but their electric band really rocks and was the highlight for us at Furthur '98. |
| Robert Hunter - The longtime lyricist for the Grateful Dead also writes for Zero, Missing Man Formation, and hopefully The Other Ones someday. The master story teller and true voice of the Dead, he sounds surprisingly psychadelic for a one-man show. |
| David Grisman (Dawg) - Jerry's frequent acoustic partner fronts a Quintet of incredible players. The roots are bluegrass and the instruments are acoustic, but this allstar ensemble has a huge sound, transcends musical styles, and segues songs with Space Jams that are quite literally mind blowing. See them outdoors at sunset and you might get the psychadelic hoedown. |
| Jake's Leg - God forbid you are stuck in the midwest and need a Dead Fix, Jake's Leg will deliver you the best. This band has been playing St. Louis' 20 North for almost 20 years, covering Dead, JGB, and Little Feat featuring an exciting and inventive lead guitarist with a very fine rhythm section. Specialty: heavy metal country rock. |
| Jazz Is Dead - This fourpiece includes the rhythm section of Bobby & the Midnights, the keyboard player for Dixie Dregs, and Jimmy Herring, the awesome guitarist from Aquarium Rescue Unit. They turn the corners hard on Dark Star and Blues For Allah-era dead stuff. |
| Merle Saunders and the Rainforest Band - Jerry's dynamite pal still tours regularly thru intimate venues. Merle rocks and his band rocks. For those who like to boogie. |
| Missing Man Formation - Vince Welnick, the only surviving full-time keyboard player of the Dead fronts a band we have not heard yet, but the setlists are very enticing. They play a mix of Beatles (ex. Tomorrow Never Knows), Dead (St. Stephen) and The Who (Tattoo). |
| David Nelson Band - David Nelson was in The New Riders of the Purple Sage and played with Jerry in his acoustic bands. Current band is more electric and less country than you would expect despite some very engaging pedal steel playing. We recently heard them play excellent versions of Dark Star, Cumberland Blues and Box of Rain. |
| The Other Ones - The 8-piece Dead Resurrection Band pleased most who needed a Dead Fix during the summer of '98. Bob, Phil, Mickey and Bruce lead an 8-piece ensemble through the old catalog. The Other Ones seem to be at their best on Weir's newer material (Corrina, Banyna Tree) and old favorites that benefit from Bruce (Ramble On Rose). The pirAnts would like to hear guitarist Kimmock step up a bit more and less saxaphone, which often sounds like Easy Listening Dead. |
| Phil Lesh and Friends - This Bay Area jam band, last time we saw them, consisted of Phil Lesh, Bob Weir, Steve Kimmock, Dave Ellis, with a prairie dog on drums and a keyboard player. We found them more exciting than The Other Ones, as this is where the "Dare to Fail" philosophy really pays off. They might play anything but not necessarily sing it. They rock. |
| Planet Drum - For those of you who attended the Dead's later years mainly for the drums/space jams, this is the band for you. Mickey's percussion band continues to break musical boundaries with innovative instruments (computer aided) and tribal intensity. Most recent album release is "Supralingua." |
| Zen Tricksters - Very well rehearsed quartet sounds like Phish playing Dead. Technically brilliant but not very convincing with the country charm. Recommended for tthe hard rock tweakers. |
| Zero - This is new Dead Slinger Steve Kimmock's other band. Robert Hunter's lyrical contributions guarantee at least one kind of Dead Fix, but for onhabitants we recommend Zero as a good Dust Stomping Band (it's no coincidence that they play the Oregon Country Fair as often as possible.) |
