Dead Again

Glen Phillips was performing in a small venue in Philadelphia.  This was after he was the lead singer of Toad the Wet Sprocket.  I want to say that it was the late, late 90s.  Opening for him was this attractive, young dude which is why all of the college girls were there.  Toad was a bit more of an acquired taste and not still terribly popular.  This opener was that solo, coffee-house guitarist who, more typically, made the rounds on college campuses.  His voice was Dave Matthews-esque.  His lyrics were predictable and not necessarily complex or deep almost to the point of cheesy.  However, his guitar chops were ridiculous.  I remember him playing a number or two with Phillips where Phillips was all about capo and chords, and the kid-opener was just absolutely shredding the guitar.  What’s amazing is that, just about a month later, sitting in a movie theater, I heard one of this kid’s songs…something that I had grabbed from Napster in a bid to hear more of that incredible guitar work (a fail).  “Your Body is a Wonderland” played before whatever movie I was seeing and I was shocked that someone I had just seen in a bar-sized club was finally making it…with something as saccharine and simple as this particular song.  And, from then on, John Mayer blew the hell up. 

Fast forward to last Saturday night, where performing with Grateful Dead founders Bob Weir, Mickey Hart and Bill Kreutzmann (to a lesser extent, Donna Jean) at Citi Field in Queens, was Mayer...this time lending his guitar chops to the restructured Dead & Company.  And, it didn’t suck.  Fortunately for us (the audience), the Dead, as lyrical as they can be, tend to rely on the music more than the sung verse.  And, after 50 years, the music is still king.  Mayer, like Trey Anastasio a year ago, has been thrust into the lead (read: Jerry) guitar role, and therefore is a main focus of nearly each song.  Jerry Garcia’s sound was unique, and it was touched on here, with similar guitar effects in order to provide the classically nuanced flavor of Dead shows past.  Mayer held his own, playing the scripted melodies followed by rampant, blues-inspired improvisation which was/is a cornerstone of the jam band.  However, as to be expected, it was different.  Mayer played with a velocity that Jerry might have been able to replicate were he sober and focused (never happened).  Mayer’s style was that of implied impatience…get as many notes in this run as possible.  And, as a consummate musician, JM was able to do so with precision and accuracy.  He didn’t flub a note.  He was always in synch with the band, in the right key and made his entrances and flourishes with an exactness that belied his youth (he’s 38).

Jerry Garcia didn’t have such compunctions about accuracy or being precise.  It is/was what gave the Grateful Dead such a unique laid-back sound.  Evolving as a music group around the time of Dylan, vocal stylings became less important than the music and lyrics themselves, and Jerry (like Dylan) wasn’t the best singer.  That honor would go to Bobby in my opinion (Pigpen as a strong second).  With that standard set in the minds of Heads, John Mayer appeared too clean and/or too able.  His voice didn’t waver or crack.  Dude was “on” and thusly, his part came off as a departure from the sexagenarians he was playing with, plus Oteil Burbridge (51) and Jeff Chimenti (48). 

But, I’ll say this: in 20 some years, the music will (hopefully) still be as relevant to me as it is today.  It's been 50 years and they still fill a stadium.  And, I’m going to want to see it performed.  There may be a time when John Mayer’s sole qualification will be that he did, in fact, play with the originators of the genre.  He played with the Grateful Dead, man, and he may be the one to carry the torch for years to come.  I find myself really happy to have gone after initially having doubts about this “new” dude sitting in with the greats.  The set-list was strong, favorites were played, and even Donna Jean was kept in check, her mic being well regulated by the sound engineer.  In 20+ years, I’m going to be the guy telling my son that “Mayer sounds just like Jerry” and by then, my sexagenarian brain will believe it to be so, over the moon to still be able to hear live Grateful Dead music.  And, who knows, by then its popularity may have waned, where once again, I’ll be seeing John Mayer in a small club in Philadelphia, playing to a slightly different (older) crowd than last time, still marveling at his musicianship while giving him a pass for his voice.

JamBase's review of the show is here, but it's less important.

An un-fortune-ate start

Wow, what a terribly sad Father’s Day.  I still can’t get over what happened in Orlando.  And, there’s nothing I could write here not that I didn’t already say here, here, here and here.  But, another week has gone by, I write a (mostly) weekly blog, and it’s all I can think of.  I guess this is due to expanded media coverage.  I guess this is due to late-night pundits taking time out of their (usually) funny shows to address the 800-pound gorilla in the room (that story too has run its course…too soon?).  And, then you had a 2-year-old drowned in a terrible accident on Disney’s property by an animal just being itself (last count was 5 euthanized (read: dead) alligators to determine if they were the responsibly party). 

It’s a sad way to go into the true beginning of summer.  So, here’s my hope list for the next 2 ½ months.  It’s what I’d like to believe will happen…in fortune cookie form:

May common sense gun legislation guide you to fewer unnecessary deaths.

Confucius say: bird in the hand is better than lit fireworks (re: Pierre Paul of the NY Giants).  Lucky numbers: 7 remaining fingers.

May your summer vacation luggage follow you to your final destination.  Unlucky numbers: A320, 707, A380, 737, 727, etc.

May the sand stay on the beach, and not in your swimsuit.  (Learn to speak Chinese: irritation, 刺激 (Cìjī))

 

A wise man said: “Looking at cleavage is like looking at the sun.  Ya get a sense of it and then you look away.”  #WWJSD







You will be successful in business or become a successful Republican nominee, but probably not both, or even either…in bed. 







“Bern-ing” bridges you have yet to cross is a poor policy when needing to move forward.





Finish what you start with accuracy and expediency to avoid becoming a casualty in your own book.  What is dead shall never die.  Lucky numbers: Hodor.

When life distracts you from your phone, it may be time to hang up.

If you're "one in a million," there are then 1,357 people identical to you in China (and 1,252 in India).

Hashtags...you're it!

So, I’m on a campaign to bring forward some hashtags that you may or not recognize.  With most social media platforms recognizing them in search results, it behooves us to become familiar so that we are up with the times. 

#imwithher – This one speaks for itself, especially if you’re not living in a cave with your fingers over your eyes and your thumbs in your ears (a bit more creative than #berniesanders…granted, I do like #feelthebern).  It was easy to find Hillary supporters on Twitter by searching for this hashtag…but I prefer to be a bit more circuitous...

#imwithmeghan – Meghan is, as many are, a vocal supporter of Hillary.  And, rather than blindly support someone I’ve never met, I trust that Meghan is representing the truth in her posts about the Democratic front-runner.  In fact, I’ve been so obnoxious about it, I think this is the only thing I’ve posted on Meghan’s facebook page in over a month…over and over again.  Sorry Meghan.  Have worse taste and I wouldn’t agree with you as much.

#nottrump or #governot – Speaking of bad taste…these are two that I believe should be popular.  I’m certain that I’m not the only one using #nottrump.  In fact, FaceBook shows that over 92,000 people have used the hashtag in posts.  That’s cool.  The other is how I feel about the governor of NJ.  He’s been mentally out of the state for years.  Now he’s back here, if, for no other reason than it’s his job.  He’s vetoing things left and right, most recently disallowing pay raises for public employees in South NJ…people who haven’t gotten cost-of-living pay raises for his entire tenure as governor.  Yeah, he shot down 2%.  #whattayutz. (also trendy: #mygovernorcaneatyourgovernor)

#instagood – This one’s specific to Instagram users who are, presumably posting their absolute best images.  Sometimes, if the photo is really good, it’ll be featured on the Instagram page of the same name.  Problem is, everyone posting pictures to Instagram thinks their image is good enough to share, so whether the pictures are merely good or instagood is completely subjective.  Frankly, I would be more into an honest #instakindofallrightbutnotgreat.

#27nillas – This is how many Nilla wafers (Nabisco) I could fit in my mouth in the spring of 1994.  It’s been photo documented.  I handily beat Sean Durkin in a competition, and we must extoll our extraordinary accomplishments.  Granted, I’m far more mature now.  I could, with my current life experience, probably fit more.  #withagecomeswisdomandnillas.  Don’t judge. #imtalentedANDgoodlooking.

#butfirstfolgers – Don’t be a H8R, but some funny marketing has been going on.  Hashtags.org reports that one of the most popular hashtags on Twitter is this one…as the @shespeaks marketing company (“We connect influencers with brands & causes they care about. Join us for giveaways, Twitter parties & more. Bloggers: work with brands & grow your audience”) is giving away everything from Amazon gift certificates to Keurig coffee machines, and, yes, Folger’s coffee pods.  And, if we know anything about the history of Folger’s products, this may be the last thing you’d want to get for free.  

In truth, the best part about hashtags is that they can be anything that’s appropriate for your particular situation…which would then be searchable…however, the more creative you get, the less likely anybody but you will know how to do that.  Which is why I don’t use “#” for much more than #shitsandgiggles. 

#bloggies