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Phil Lesh Appreciation Society: Enter the Philzone...

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#701
Big thumbs up to everything Edwin just said. The best way to be a good GD cover band is to not try to be a GD cover band. Learn the language of music, how to improvise and communicate musically with those in your group. Get inspiration from Blues, Jazz, R&B, gospel, country, bluegrass as well as Classical and Baroque traditions and then after all that, try to express yourself through your instrument with a unique voice. Trying to be spontaneous, original and passionate will embody the spirit of what Lesh and the Dead were trying to do more than dragging out the same tired covers.
 
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#702
spacebassed said:
[...]
Earwicker, listening to that Shakedown, it sounds like you've got a pretty solid grasp on what Phil's doing...
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Thanks, spacebassed. Appreciated.
Like I said, first gig, no rehearsal and a few years ago, but I'm not entirely ashamed.

[Edit] Listening back, I'm thinking I coulda thrown in a couple more 9ths. But getting the balance between being yourself and trying to be a Phil-clone just by throwing in the 'known' trademarks at regular intervals can be tricky!
 
#703
itchyfingers said:
Hey Philfans and Deadheads!

I posted this over in the Mike Gordon thread and figured I should drop the same info in the Philzone thread. There's a great new app for your smartphone that allows you to stream any Dead show in the catalog - all of them. Its a pretty cool site that contains reviews, show notes, and in some cases multiple recording sources (SBD and AUD). All those years of trading bootlegs, and now its all available at the tap of a screen - d'oh!

Just do a search in your app store for "Ramblingwood" and download the Grateful Dead App for free. You can thank me later! :D
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:hyper::hyper::hyper::hyper::hyper::hyper: Thank You!!!!
 
#706
I had the distinct pleasure of playing a gig last Sunday where Phil Lesh was in the audience!

I was one of 100 electric gu!t@r!$t$ playing in the Northern California debut of Invalid Link Removed

A couple hours before showtime I saw the promoter taping reservations to choice seats upfront. The guy I shared a music stand with was also a Deadhead, and when we saw "Reserved for Phil L" we both got excited. Bob Bralove (GD MIDI/sound design guru) was also there.

:hyper: :D :bassist: :)

I've gotta say, Phil smiles as much offstage as he does onstage! And the fact that he still checks out experimental music at 73 years young is a true testament to his lifelong love for the game. Unfortunately we had to strike all our gear off the stage right after the show, and by the time I was done Phil had left.
 
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#707
Wonderful to see such a great, supportive, communal vibe here!
My transcription skills are nill, but it was great to read the description of Phil's playing in Jerry's solo and then listen to it. I forget the quote (from Jerry I think) .... something like "when Phil is on, the whole band is on". You can tell Phil has some fire in him and he really does lift the band up at that point. Cool to hear the whole audience go with them. That's the kind of thing that gets me very high playing music, and keeps me coming back for more even if I might be down that particular day about my current music scene, or depressed about some other mundane thing. Creating music with others is a deeply spiritual endeavor and it never ceases to bring me into a more mindful and connected state of being.
 
#709
Trayster2 said:
Subscribed! Can I get a number?
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Absolutely! How's about lucky #99?

99. Trayster2

joe vegas said:
remember that Cap show with great fondness, several days after the skull-splittingly revelatory show at the beacon, june 14.

a mighty potent live-music era, for sure.

great post, StephenR.
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I love it when new footage from the 70's surfaces! There's so little of it. For some reason '76 often gets ignored. I dig a lot of that year... lots of unique (often more laid back) playing. It definitely had it's own vibe.
 
#711
great thread. Heads really are a special breed.

folks, i have no idea if this might appeal to ya, but since this mighty thread speaks a bit about transcription, here's an offering-
this is my 1992 avant-jazz orchestration of ''unbroken chain", which utilizes the "mars hotel" form (although with harmonic reworkngs, and a musique concrete' exploration prior to the 11/4 sections)..
i transcribed jerry's great solo for the solo section (starts at 4:11), which is played by the string quartet, gutar and tenor sax. section A of the solo is verbatim jerry, section B uses most of his solo along with my additions (allowing the strings some intriguing harmonic material), and section C of the solo does that as well.
the ending of the arrangement is a somewhat cinematic sweep into their final motif but instead into E major, as opposed to the Dead's E minor.

enjoy!



the Help/Slip uses Jerry's original studio solo in its entirety, played by strings and horns, and follows their form but takes it up into faster swing. "Sunrise" is completely reworked into a Vegas-noir "Man with the Golden Arm" early 60s vibe, quite different from its original. etc etc etc.

Sage & Spirit is arranged for string trio and uses Bobby's original form and many of his lines, with subtle harmonization.. i used a very light touch so as not to disturb the spun-glass luminosity of the original.

the great Ike Willis is singing "Estimated Prophet", and Granny-nom/Steely Dan/Letterman show-legend Catherine Russell sings "Samson & Delilah".
 
#713
moonliner said:
... but it was great to read the description of Phil's playing in Jerry's solo and then listen to it. I forget the quote (from Jerry I think) .... something like "when Phil is on, the whole band is on". You can tell Phil has some fire in him and he really does lift the band up at that point. Cool to hear the whole audience go with them.
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Glad my digging made you happy. I saw 18 shows from '82-'85. I enjoyed most of them, but I'm going to be a heretic here.

90% of why I dig the Dead is because of Phil. I took up bass in September of '80, based on music from McCartney, Lee, Lake, and Squire. When I saw the Dead live, I was floored by what Phil did. He was solely responsible for my continued efforts on this glorious instrument.

I have to be honest; given the duration and varied catalogue of the Dead, I really only listen to about 30% of it. I can't even listen to much of it, but those tracks I do dig are just about the best music I've ever heard. And Phil is part and parcel of that.
 
#714
FretlessMainly said:
Glad my digging made you happy. I saw 18 shows from '82-'85. I enjoyed most of them, but I'm going to be a heretic here.

90% of why I dig the Dead is because of Phil. I took up bass in September of '80, based on music from McCartney, Lee, Lake, and Squire. When I saw the Dead live, I was floored by what Phil did. He was solely responsible for my continued efforts on this glorious instrument.

I have to be honest; given the duration and varied catalogue of the Dead, I really only listen to about 30% of it. I can't even listen to much of it, but those tracks I do dig are just about the best music I've ever heard. And Phil is part and parcel of that.
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Yes you are a heretic! Now if I can just find my bag of stones . . .
 
#717
I just wanted to mention that there was a transcription of the studio version of "Scarlet Begonias" in the April 2008 issue of Bass Player Magazine. If anyone has that issue or wants to seek it out, it might be pertinent to the discussion.
 
#720
For some decades I've been wondering about the gloriously juicy noise Phil makes on American Beauty but I've found no reliable info on what bass/strngs he played. My guess: the Gibson EB3 strung with the 'telephone pole' strings (what could they have been?) and played with fingers, often. Anyone know more/ better/different?

[Edit] I've just checked http://dozin.com/phil/lesh.htm . Appears I've misremembered the chronology of Phil's basses. It was the stolen EB-O that was strung with telephone poles. So...?


On the transcription front: Lately I've been slowly, intermittently working on a transcription of Phil's line in The Eleven (Live Dead version). 21 bars done so far. If/when I reach the vocal entry I'll call it job done and be happy to share it with you guys.
 
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