On any given night, Grateful Dead cover bands are likely playing somewhere in the Hudson Valley, jamming out to classics like “Sugaree,” “Scarlet Begonias,” and “The Music Never Stopped.” Maybe it’s Stella Blue’s Band laying out an energetic set at the storied Towne Crier in Beacon, or it could be Gratefully Yours soundtracking a multi-generational outdoor dance party at their annual Family Picnic—held this past spring at Skydive the Ranch in Gardiner, as wave after wave of bright-colored parachutes glided down into the field behind the stage while the band kept playing on.
From Manhattan to Albany, Grateful Dead cover bands play venues ranging from small-town bars (where there are often more people playing the music than there are listening to it) to much more sizable venues like The Capitol Theatre in Port Chester. There, premier tribute acts like Dark Star Orchestra and Joe Russo’s Almost Dead (JRAD), as well as bands helmed by surviving members of the Dead—such as Dead and Company, led by rhythm guitarist Bob Weir (with John Mayer in the lead guitar role of Jerry Garcia), and Phil Lesh and Friends, featuring the legendary Dead bassist—take the stage.
Though hard numbers are tough to come by, it’s clear that the Dead tribute scene in the Valley has never been more thriving. That’s likely due to the enduring influence of the hippie community in Woodstock and environs, an influx of young musicians priced out of New York City, and legions of new fans brought to the music by the success of Dead and Company.
The sheer quantity of Dead cover bands in our area, many of remarkably high quality, is a testament to the power of the Grateful Dead’s music nearly 60 years after the group began playing raucous five-hour sets at pizza parlors and dive bars in the San Francisco Bay area. The band slowly amassed a cult following and eventually sold out the largest arenas and stadiums in the country. The original outfit broke up with Garcia’s death in 1995, but almost thirty years later, things have come full circle: with the proliferation of tribute acts across the country, the music has returned to its humbler, earthier roots.
Marco Benevento, the keyboardist for JRAD, which has attracted a large and fairly young following with their high-powered jams and broad command of the enormous Dead catalog, notes that the best tribute bands offer something original by changing the tempo of songs or swapping out different chords. But the Woodstock resident also enjoys a straightforward cover with good harmonies and masterful guitar playing.
This summer, as Dead and Company played in residency at the Sphere in Las Vegas, equally interesting interpretations of the repertoire were being offered in more intimate Hudson Valley settings: the classy, stripped-down improvisations of Jazz is Dead at Tarrytown Music Hall, or the tight, rootsy renditions of Deadgrass at The Falcon in Marlboro. Garcia’s, the bar next to The Capitol Theatre, hosts Dead tribute bands every Wednesday, while Maureen’s Jazz Cellar in Nyack hosts Deadheads Night on Thursdays. The Facebook group Hudson Valley Dead Heads offers a forum for the community to trade photos, recordings, and news. The website gratefuldeadtributebands.com lists upcoming shows in every state in the country.
“I love that the Dead is such a big part of people’s lives,” Benevento says. “It’s like opening a door to a whole universe. It’s hard to ignore the light!”
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