710 Ashbury... Helena Montana's Premier Grateful Dead Tribute

The hand is much improved.  There is still a bit of discomfort in my left hand but I'm at the point that I'm thinking a gig is in order.  The thought of not being able to play was pretty awful but the feeling that the troubles are behind me is pretty damn good.

Not sure if anyone is reading but I'll keep going.  I still like my 5 year period ('72-'77) for all the reasons I expressed the last time.  For my ears '74 is just as good as it gets.  The jams are just incredible.  I've also heard it discussed that the best era is ‘69-’74. I could easily be persuaded to change my choice to this one.  ‘69 could offer you some of that good ol’ primal Dead and days of the “an evening with the Grateful Dead" shows are pretty spectacular.  New Riders opening…acoustic sets and beautiful jams usually centered around Dark Star aren't too shabby either.  

My first show was in ‘78 and I probably saw the bulk of my shows in the late 80’s and early 90's but I still love those early 70's shows.  If you're looking for a treat go visit the Capitol Theater show from 2-18-1971.  The sequence out of Wharf Rat and back into Dark Star (often just referred to as “The Beautiful Jam”) is really something special.  

Just another rambling blog…hope all is well with you and yours.  Peace.

The saga with the hand troubles continues but but there does seem to have been some progress.  I'll keep working at it.  Played for about an hour and a half today…it was a sloppy mess but its getting there.

I've heard the question posed before and I've always enjoyed hearing answers.  Which 5 year era of Grateful Dead music is your favorite and why?

I'll go first…'72-'77.  We've still got Pig…but Keith is coming on strong.  I think ‘73 and ’74 are probably their strongest years.  It's just Bill on the drums and the group can often feel like a jazz combo.  You've got Europe ‘72 at one end and Barton Hall and the whole ’77 tour at the other.  I'm a big fan of the early years…early Dark Stars, the complete Other One suite and jesus…New Potato Caboose?!?….but you can only choose a 5 year period…and with that stipulation I've gotta land on ‘72-’77.  Be sure to comment …I could talk about this shit for hours.

Another Wednesday morning without a rehearsal on Tuesday night…bummer.  I've got a pinched nerve and my left hand is pretty weak.  Strangely enough, for a right-handed guitar player, it's the left hand that does a lot of the heavy lifting.  Our drummer, Tim Borsberry, has given me all sorts of advice and apparatuses (it feels like it should be apparati but I doubt it) to address my issue.  He's a good man to have on board for so many reasons.  Its been going on for a little while now and doesn't seem to be improving but I remain hopeful and hope to get back on the “pony and ride".   Meanwhile, there's another album up on the streaming services.  Some highlights from night one at Pine Creek in January.  Be sure to check it out.  I put another China Rider on this one (I like China Rider)…I like the jam we did on this one right at the beginning.  Truckin'>The Other One and a raucous Around & Around to finish things off.  Hope you enjoy it.  I'd cross my fingers if I could to ensure physical improvements…I'll keep you posted.

We try to rehearse on Tuesdays but it doesn't always work out.  The crazy thing is The Dead had such an enormous catalog that we could find ourselves constantly working on new numbers.  I'll be the first to admit that Help on the Way>Slipknot>Franklin's Tower was a killer.  Chris is always telling us that his nearly constant work on this triumvirate is what sustained him through the difficult times of Covid.  Tim jumped into the band and immediately requested on working on this number…and, as is often the case…when Eric came on board…he already knew it…quite well.  As of late we've been working on Lost Sailor/Saint of Circumstance.  Weir numbers always seem to present their own peculiar challenges, Sailor/Saint is no exception.  It's not particularly difficult ( I cheat some of the chord voicings…my hands just aren't nearly as big as Weir's).  But the sequencing of that tune can be a bugger.  Tim is the driving force behind this one…he grabbed hold of it and just won't let go…so…rest assured we'll keep working it until we get it Just Exactly Perfect….maybe we'll break it out on the 4/20 show at Lewis and Clark….maybe.

I needed something to get me to view and update the page on a regular basis.  I thought adding a blog might help. I just hope this will be a place to keep you posted on 710 Ashbury and what we're up to.  

First of all, lets wish a Happy Birthday to Eric McEwen.  Eric has been with us for a little over a year and his impact has been phenomenal.  We're glad to have him and hope the relationship lasts a good long time.

It was Eric's idea to release some of our music a little differently.  We love to record our shows and have uploaded a number of shows to Archive but we thought that providing access through the standard streaming services might be more convenient.  I've gone through some of our recordings and picked, what I consider to be, some of the better moments.  Using these e've begun to create our PRIME CUTS Series. We've created the albums through CD Baby and are able to distribute them via all the standard streaming sites: Apple Music, iTunes, Spotify, Pandora.  so head to your favorite streaming site and search for 710 Ashbury or simply click the link at the bottom of each page and start rockin' out some Good Ol' 710 Ashbury!