“Keep dancing. Keep dreaming. Keep the music alive.”
– Phil Lesh
Phil Lesh, a long-time original member of the Grateful Dead, passed away in late October last year. I posted the song “Truckin'” that I played on ukulele just a few days later. Then the election happened, and of course, I, along with millions of others, was devastated to find that Trump won. How could this happen? I remember thinking this is horrible on so many levels. How will we get through the next four years? Would our country as we know it be destroyed?
Now, it’s a few months later, and it’s even worse than I imagined, worse than many of us imagined. My blood pressure is up for the first time in years. My boyfriend says I need to stop reading about the latest on the Trump regime, that it’s bad for my health. He’s right. He feels the same way I do, but he is also attempting to deal with it in his own way.
Then I remembered that just two nights after the election, a Grateful Dead tribute band called “Caught Dead Handed” was playing at Redgate Winery. I knew where it was because I’d often go there to see another Grateful Dead tribute band called “The Dead Band” with my close friend Erik, who passed away in 2021.
My boys have always been “Dead Heads,” though I taught them and encouraged them about the 1960s, the music, and the era. I was more of a Beatles freak, though I love and respect the Grateful Dead. They were the soundtrack of my childhood in Golden Gate Park, where I played. I always feel happy hearing their music, even their long jams, because those were the best times of my childhood.
Now, Stevie gets to sing the songs he knows and loves with a band. He’s in two other bands now, too. Of course, I attend as many of his shows as I can. He’s even in a band with my boyfriend, the neighbor, and his friend Ariel on keyboard and cello.
I drove down dark country roads to the Redgate Winery on a dark, cool Saturday night. My older son Stevie sang with a Grateful Dead tribute band.
I had been to the Redgate Winery several times in the past to watch another Grateful Dead Band, the Dead Band, with my good friend Erik. He passed away in 2021, and the Dead Band performed a tribute concert especially for Erik, a big fan. This band’s current member, Ron Rocci, was a member of the Dead Band.
I was tense that night, but I felt much better when I walked into the winery and heard the unmistakable Grateful Dead music. Stevie sang with so much heart. “The Music Never Stopped.”
People of all ages danced and twirled, happy and without a care. Of course, they cared, but at those moments, they were transformed by the music, just as I was.
When things seem hopeless, the best thing we can do is surround ourselves with our favorite people and music. Music that makes us happy and moves us. Dance to the music.
Like the Beatles’ music, the Grateful Dead’s stands the test of time. This band is intergenerational. Daniel, who is only 24 years old, is the founder of the band Caught Dead Handed. He learned to play guitar like Jerry Garcia during the pandemic. His dad was also a big Grateful Dead fan. His 27-year-old friend Sam, who plays rhythm guitar. Then he found Ron Rocci, who was the same age as my boyfriend and a drummer. My son Stevie, on lead vocals, is now 43 (how did that happen?), and finally, Summer is 44 on keyboards and backup vocals.
After several stellar songs and jams, the band went on break, and Stevie brought over two guys and said, “I think you know them.”
They remembered me immediately and said I hadn’t changed much at all. I’ve known his childhood friends, John and Rob, since they were all in third grade together. Stevie’s best childhood friends came to the show. It’s like all those years had just melted away, since my childhood, since my kids were young… all of it.
It’s all about music and love. We must remember this as we fight the raging revolution.