NEWS

John Mayer Reflects on Dead & Company’s Golden Gate Park Concert Series, Playing with Trey Anastasio, Grahame Lesh and More

Following Dead & Company’s three-night concert series at San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park in celebration of 60 years of Grateful Dead music, lead guitarist of the modern offshoot, John Mayer, reflected on the weekend’s events. In a post on Instagram, the world-class musician commented on trading licks with night three’s special guest, Trey Anastasio, and extended thanks to original bassist Phil Lesh’s son, Grahame, for his contributions before recognizing the original ensemble and his intended role in rendering the native spirit of the songs.

NEWS

Steve Martin and Alison Brown to Host 2025 IBMA Bluegrass Music Awards

The International Bluegrass Music Association has announced the hosts for its 2025 IBMA Bluegrass Music Awards. For the 36th annual presentation of the esteemed ceremony, the organization will welcome actor, comedian and banjo aficionado Steve Martin and acclaimed Grammy-winning banjoist and guitarist Alison Brown. Beyond their emcee position, the duo is up for several high-profile prizes at this year’s ceremony for their recent single “5 Days Out, 2 Days Back,” featuring Tim O’Brien and released in advance of their forthcoming full-length album Safe, Sensible and Sane, arriving via Compass Records on October 17.

Wake of the Flood… But Not the One You Know

This rare, sealed 1974 pirate pressing of Wake of the Flood tells a pivotal story in Grateful Dead history. As the band launched Grateful Dead Records to take control of their music, bootleg copies like this began circulating, undermining their efforts. Retailers unknowingly sold these low-quality pressings, leading to widespread returns and costing the band nearly half of their potential sales.

What could have been a triumphant independent debut became a cautionary tale, and a turning point. Few of these pirated editions survived; this one remains in exceptional, sealed condition, complete with the printed track listing on the back.

Far more than a bootleg, it’s a symbol of both the risks and resilience that defined the Dead’s journey. A striking piece of music history, this artifact captures a moment when everything was at stake, and the band chose to push forward, against the odds.

Our From The Vault auction featuring a trove of vintage and rare Grateful Dead concert posters is LIVE. Bidding ends Friday, August 8th at 5 PM EDT.

NEWS

Joe Russo’s Almost Dead Drop New Midwest and California Tour Dates

Joe Russo’s Almost Dead, the prominent Grateful Dead cover band featuring namesake and bandleader, Joe Russo, Dave Dreiwitz, Scott Metzger, Marco Benevento, and Tom Hamilton, has extended their touring endeavors into the fall. The band has shared a short series of early October dates that will take them to the Midwest, before following up at the end of the month on the other side of the country, in the Golden State.

Daniel Donato’s Cosmic Country Offers Relix-Exclusive Red Vinyl Variant of Horizons

Daniel Donato’s Cosmic Country and Relix have announced the late August release of a special red vinyl edition of the band’s impending studio effort, Horizons, their second set of all original music. The impending 15-track collection of songs maintains the four-piece’s capacity to blend modes of country, rock, bluegrass, funk, and psychedelia to produce their unique brand of cosmic country, characterized by the improvisational heat administered by bandleader Donato. The newly unveiled pressing is limited to 500 copies and sold exclusively through relix.shop.

FEATURE

All Blues: Greg Koch Connects with Devon Allman and Revisits His Record Collection

As Greg Koch prepared to release his first album for Devon Allman’s label, he faced a quandary. Allman wanted to start things out by issuing a record that would serve as an introduction to Koch’s music by offering a retrospective of the material that the guitarist’s guitarist had released over the preceding three decades. Koch recalls, “At this point, I’ve got over 20 records, and Devon said, ‘Why don’t you pick out a dozen tunes and we’ll put that out.’ So I told him: ‘Dude, my stuff is all over the map.’”

NEWS

Umphrey’s McGee Set Blueprints Album Premiere at Garcia’s Chicago

Umphrey’s McGee have announced a premiere event for Blueprints, the genre-bending jam quintet’s 15th studio album and first since 2022’s Asking for a Friend. Umphrey’s McGee’s release show is set for Monday, Sept. 8, just before the record’s release on Sept. 12, at Garcia’s Chicago, the intimate and acoustically refined new venue, restaurant and jam haven in the heart of the band’s Windy City stomping grounds.

NEWS

Eggy to Tour as Trio as Mike Goodman Takes Mental Health Hiatus

Today, Eggy announced that bassist Mike Goodman will take a break from touring to prioritize his mental health. While Goodman steps away for an unspecified period, the rapidly rising jam quartet will continue its summer touring as a trio. The band disclosed the temporary lineup change in a post to its social channels addressed to the “Eggy family.”