At it again today! ALready got my coffee and a walk in, so I am essentially unstoppable this Thursday.
Happy Trails!
08/13/2026
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Peggy-O
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The Grateful Dead played Peggy-O for the first time at the Charlotte Coliseum in Charlotte, NC on December 10, 1973. This show was released as part of the "download series" in 2005 and actually is available on streaming services but not the grateful dead streaming service (play dead). But the encore ("greatest story ever told") is only on archive.org. Listenign to the grateful dead is kind of like a scavenger hunt sometimes.
Anyways, I finished the 1973 shows with this one, had to back track a little, and it was a real treat. Peggy-O feels very 1973 and really doesn't feel like 1972 dead much at all. I think in 1973, after the release of working man's dead, american beauty and the bob and jerry solo records + the around the world victory lap of europe 1972, the group feels a little more at ease with things. Like - this show is going to be three plus hours long - let's take it easy. This rules - but I can also see how this gives into the stereotypes about meandering jams and "boring" sets. It's all whatever you like but I am very into this lol
1974 promises to be an interesting year. This is the year of the "Wall of sound" which promises to be both chill and exciting.
I am feeling really at peace right now. I love my family and I am so proud of my kids. Looking at pictures and reminiscing.
Happy Trails!
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Pictures of lizards around my house
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Happy Trails!
07/15/2026
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Truckin'
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I had too much caffiene today and I am ANXIOUS! I am riding the wave but having a bit of a bad trip. Not quite a ken keesy situation but a very modern dad trip lol.
I really love coffee and tend to drink a lot of it when I am trying not to snack. I'm still losing weight but today I hit the coffee too hard.
We have espresso machines all over the hospital. I think healthcare workers need coffee - it is a safety issue - but I do think it is easy to overdo caffiene in healthcare.
I am chilling with the family and watching some food network and honestly some reflection is making me feel a little more at ease.
I am finishing the last few december shows - 1974 here we come!!!!
Happy Trails!
07/14/2026
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Wharf Rat
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I'm playing jazzz music!!!
Happy Trails!
07/09/2026
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Eyes of the world
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My son has dyslexia and ADHD. This has been a challenging diagnosis for my son and our family, but he has really managed to overcome a lot in his 8 years of life. I am so proud of him. We work with him a lot but he is really getting there in terms of his reading.
Having a child with learning differences really leads to a lot of soul searching consternation on the part of the parents. What did we do wrong? Where did we come up short? Apparently a lot of it is genetic. This leads to reflection and the realization that my wife and I have some component of ADHD and I likely have very mild dyslexia.
I realize that I am reading and writing and typing all the time, so it feels like this shouldn't be an isssue. But looking at what I produce there are often significant spelling and grammtatical errors (beyond what is normal). This feels strange because I have always written a lot but I do have to edit significantly. In residency my reports were always messy, and I got yelled at a bunch. Anyways I have adapted pretty well (I like to think), but I am a slow reader. To combat this, I have the computer read a lot of my text, whcih works well for my learning style. I don't know how I feel about it, but I guess I just have to embrace it!
I am digging through the remaining 73 shows - have actually been listening to a book! More on that later
Happy Trails!
06/30/2026
The race is on
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I came back from vacation yesterday. How cool would it be if you could just turn your email off instead of using an out of office reply?
I am well-rested and I actually started jogging again. I am also listening to some rock n' roll music. I have been doing "grunge runs," so lots of pearl jam, dinosaur jr, nirvana, soundgarden albums.
I am moving from november 1973 into December 1973 and preparing for 1974.
Tired but hopeful this morning!
Happy Trails!
06/16/2026
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Morning Dew
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The internet is increasingly exhausting to me. As someone who has grown up with the internet, it has been a big part of my life for a long time. Growing up, it felt like it was mostly kids and weirdos online, but now EVERYONE is online all the time.
Where does that put me? I think I have always used the internet as an escape from other people but now everyone is here. So I guess I am carving out my own space?
Having a space for me is fun and I love it as an outlet but I still spend too much time on internet garbage, scrolling, mindlessly watching etc.
I'm always overdoing it and then trying to find balance. How can I spend less time online in 2026 a man asks his blog...
Almost done with the 1973 shows. I am using the new dead streaming service which is actually really neat (wish every show was on there!)
Happy Trails!
06/02/2026
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The Music Never Stopped
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One thing about having a mid-life crisis in today's world is that you know exactly what to call it. You read think pieces about it. You can google it. But it still doesn't change the bittersweet feeling of waking up as a "has been" or "never was" - waking up knowing the new, hip thing is not for you. But you know what I do have - Perspective baby!!!!
I have been told that my defining feature is my stubbornness. And I guess if it keeps me going that's a good thing.
I listened to the back half of Abbey Road by the Beatles and was really struck by how much of it just felt like Paul doing most of the heavy lifting. I have historically thought of the Beatles as a group, but it does seem like Paul was carrying the weight at the end. Then he kept going. He's still putting out records. Maybe Paul is the stubborn one?
We have to keep going, or at least I do. Out of love or out of spite I am going to keep pushing and doing my best today. I listened to the 10/23/73 show today and the end of the show was interupted by a fight - it got broken up and then the band played the greatest story ever told.
Happy Trails!
05/20/2026
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Around and Around
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My daughter only wants to listen to the encanto soundtrack. For the uninitiated, lucky ones, among us, encanto is a line manuel penned Disney movie. It is good, even great sometimes but I have a contentious relationship with any Disney media. I am a dad in a Disney family that tolerates Disney culture because I can't embrace it.
We watch the same movies, listen to the same songs, see the same characters over and over forever. It's a lot.
Anyways this is limiting my ability to get through dead shows in the car. I am stalled on the September 73 shows. I am on the 9/26 show - it is just tough to find 2-3 hours for a dead show when you are limited in your car listening.
That being said, I am also starting to play/listen to more jazz music which is cutting into my dead consumption. That being said happy to go back to my Disney world every once in a while (archive.org!)
Happy Trails!
05/7/2026
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I Know You Rider
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One thing about being an adult is that you kind of do the same thing every day. Like you might eat something weird for lunch or have to go to an appointment but for the most part everything is the same. I guess that is the goal on a certain level – like I feel like it would be hard to eat and stay healthy if something completely strange was happening everyday.
For all of the ink spilled on every grateful dead show being different, having listened to nearly 200 shows I can tell you there is comfort in the familiar as well. The beautiful thing about it is that although setlists evolve slowly and feature similar songs, it's the flourishes that make things interesting and exciting.
Adult life is a lot like a dead show. There is so much familiar every day and sometimes that's all it is, but it makes the small flourishes all the more exiting. I’m thankful to wake up and do it today – what excitement will the new day bring?
Happy Trails
04/22/2026
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Big River
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Me and my son saw a freaking snake. I google reverse image searced it and it is apparently called a rat snake. How cool is that?
Work has been insanely busy. I teach a course for the fourth year medical students and this was my week. So three days of three hours of lectures. Nine hours of talking about blood. Kind of cool huh? Also have had a lot of projects wrapping up. A lot of things in healthcare kind of move of their own momentum once they are set in motion but lately I have been on the hook for a lot of oversight. Again, it is cool to have the priveledge to help out but it is also a big lift.
1973 is wild. The guys sound TIRED. I wonder what was going on with the band at this point,. THey ahve mentioned that they had spent some time in the studio, which I know wasn't always a good experience for the group but some of the performances sound a little more road weary then usual. Things are buoyed by new material and more adventurous playing though. Also now some saxophone and more keith... not sure how i feel about those additions - we'll see!
I feel like I am living a very full life right now. I am very happy and thankful these days.
Happy Trails
04/16/2026
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Not Fade Away
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Love is real - not fade away!
Lot's of people like to dunk on the dead for doing all of these rock n' roll covers, but I sincerely enjoy them. Looking at Jazz music, everything was about taking a standard and approaching it in a creative way, which really isn't all that different from the dead re-interpreting early rock n' roll songs. They do sound hokey at times, but I think it is meant to be a little tongue in cheek rather than earnest all the time. THat being said "Not Fade Away" seems to take on additional meaning in a lot of performances. As opposed to a teenage love that will last, which is what I think Buddy Holly is trying to talk about, I think the dead present it as a statemtns of resolve - they are here - this will not fade with time.
Continuing to listen to a bunch of shows (I'm currently in the September 73 show), and I am still trying to finish 1973 before summer starts. I do have some extra time though if I wangt to get through 1974 before the end of the year because that is only like 40 shows.
We went on vacation last week, so I am digging out from under a pile of emails. It feels good to hit little achievements throughout the work day, and at least there is plenty of coffee to be had!. Kids and family are good.
Happy Trails
04/09/2026
Greatest Story Ever Told
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I have a blog...Almost forgot there for a second!
We just wrapped up spring break and actually had a really great time. We went to Buc-ee's three times during the road trip. I love that place, I ate so much barbecue. I didn't get to listen to much dead because I was on an audience recorded show (7/31/73) and couldn't convince my family to listen to it in the subaru.
I am really starting to hit a groove with my guitar playing which is fun. People talk about reaching fretboard fluency - I don't know if I am there yet- but I defintely have a better feel/understanding. I wish I had more time/opportunities to play with people. I think that is one thing about being a parent, as much as you want to invest in your hobbies, kids will always be the priority. I think that gives me some much needed perspective. Sometimes you have to be able to be where your feet are and care about someone else. I may never be a great guitarist but I am doing my best as a dad and that's what matters.
I hit 1,000 pageviews on the blog - thanks for checking in on me! I was incredibly weary when I started getting into the dead and doing this blog, but now I am feeling really good. I am healthier and my relationships are better. My children are doing well. Now if I could just get everyone in my life to start willingly listening to dead shows. What a long strange trip it's been!
Happy Trails
03/23/2026
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Death Don't Have No Mercy
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I'm going to quit engaging with politics. I'm going to stay informed because I think that is important, but obsessing about it isn't healthy!
I'm trying to find a good Jerry Garcia tone on guitar. This feels kind of crazy to me because his tone has always seemed pretty straightforward, but it is actually difficult to dial-in and match I am finding. It is not simple - it is understated. It has clarity but presence. ANyways, it's a work in progress. I am trying to find a clean tone that is clear and full but not glassy. I will continue - searching for the sound!
The 1973 shows continue to be a treat; however, I am becoming increasingly interested in the 60s stuff when everyone was high on acid. These early jam shows are bluesier and more heady. Everything still feels wild, certainly less subdued than where they were headed.
Happy Trails
02/25/2026
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I know you rider
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I'm really bad at HTML. HOWEVER - I know enough to maintain this website, so that is cool. Parenting is very similar in the sense that I don't feel like I am good at a lot of things, but functionally I can accomplish a fair bit. UNLIKE THIS WEBSITE - I am compelled to do a good job on life things - sometimes that's a lot of pressure!
That being said, I feel like I am doing a better job at life things which makes me feel proud and good. I gave my daughter her antibiotics this morning (WHICH SHE HATES) and I read with my son last night. Sometimes I have to step back and say that good is not the enemy of perfect and taking the time to get these things done as best I can really is not only good enough, but exactly what my family needs. That's a run-on sentence - who cares!
The grateful dead are mentioned in the epstein files which is kind of wild. It looks like a ponzi scheme which likely didn't have anything to do with the group (the guy was also trying to flip Hamilton tickets), but wild to think about how financially lucrative the grateful dead IP is. I think initially they were just trying to make money to keep the thing going, like paying bear and the crew etc but eventually things obviously got out of hand. For example, Jerry Garcia ties are kind of hilaroius and awesome but at this point there is an abundance of official, unofficial, cheap and exorbitantly expensive crap. Like I found a $2,000 grateful dead electric bicycle, what does that have to do with music?
The music is bigger than the crap, and I am guilty too - I have a bunch of grateful dead knick knacks I don't need - but it is part of the culture. Things only have the meaning that we give them but I do think it is lame that the band and the music are so comodified. Fortunately I think the subject material does hold up. The one caveat is that it makes me wonder about what the late era band memebrs where thinking. Were they just money hungry? Did they care as long as the checks were coming in? There's no ethical consumption in capitalism - so where does that put Bob, Phil, Bill, and Mickey?!?
I do think the band had something special up to the end and I often wonder if they ever 'jumped the shark' in terms of veering from their initial intent. I think there is a creative spark that has persisted throughout and especially as new faces come and go - and I think that is really why people keep coming back. There is joy and creativity in all of it which is really special. Though, having listened to some late era shows, compared to the 70s catalog that I am deeply entrenched in right now, there are some big differences and I wonder if I will be able to throw my self int dead & co material the same way I did europe 72. Don't worry about tomorrow, because tomorrow will worry about itself!
Pinewood derby update - Ben got first place for the wolves!
Happy Trails
02/10/2026
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Wave That Flag
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Although the Grateful Dead rose out of the California rock scene, they are interesting to me in how they developed musically almost entirely in parallel to the rest of american pop culture. The 60s psych stuff was very of the time and the americana music of workingman's dead and american beauty were very similar to contemporary CSNY output (jerry even played on some of those records). But at a certain point in the 70s the really took a left turn and did their own thing (I think this probably happened around 1972-73).They still ended up putting out a disco song in the late 70s and doing radio rock in the 80s but so much of what they did was really out of the scope of regular popular music - I love that.
Growing up, I was always obsessed with underground music and at a certain point I lost track of it all. I never wanted that to happen, but with work and family and everything going on I just kind of lost track. And although I was still curious, I felt like the culture didn't represent me. Everything pop became uppercase POP - and all though I appreciated the energy - I felt tired! I became the 'aging hipster' I used to read about in music magazines - I was losing my edge - out of touch. What's more out of touch than only listening to grateful dead shows on archive.org on your headphones???
Something about being a little more aged and haggard made the slow burn of a three hour show seem rather appealing and dare I say relaxing??? Everything is so stressful and I needed a real escape. I needed something I could enjoy outside of what regular pop music had to offer.
Anyways, I guess that's how I got into the grateful dead - still having a lot of fun with it.
In other news - very busy with academic stuff at work which feels good - getting some papers out and doing a bunch of lecturing. Family is doing good. Feeling healthy. Pinewood derby this weekend!
Happy Trails
02/02/2026
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Weather Report Suite
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Anyone who has been on this earth long enough develops coping mechanisms. I find that I tend not to use coping mechanisms effectively and then overdo it when I get the chance. Overeat, overdrink, oversleep, etc. Over the past year or so I have really been trying to work on this but I will say - I am missing the snacking!
I am still enjoying the 1973 shows. I made it past the loss of Pig Pen which feels meaningful, although the band have yet to touch on it from on-stage (maybe they did and it isn't recorderd), but his absence feels stranger now.
It snowed in Texas so the kids have been out of school all week. I have had to go into work everyday but I am still working a lot from home to help with child care. I want to snack really bad but I am trying to remain steadfast.
Happy Trails
01/28/2026
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Box of Rain
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There is this design flaw with my wireless logitech keyboard where the batteries randomly pop out of place and it stope working. Since it is wireless though I am always wondering if it jsut disconnected or somethhing so keep I turning it off and on. Whatever, I think it is working now.
My wife and son are on a Disney cruise so I am just home with my daughter. I'm still surrounded by disney stuff but at least i'm not stuck on a boat! I don't want to go on a crusie - I want to hang out at my house and play guitar and drink too much coke zero. Is that too much to ask?!? Anyways I will be on a Disney cruise for Christmas this year - I am girding my loins!
It has been wild seeing the dead in the news because of Booby's passing. I am always thinking about the grateful dead but now other people are bringing it up which is interesting. I am oddly enthusiatic about John Mayer maybe doing something with the group's music moving forward. He is such a dweeb but he did a really good job playing "Ripple" at Bob's funeral service so he's a good guy in my book!
I'm enrolled in this jam band guitar course and I am learning a lot about playing musically but the guy does occassionally throw in guitar hero tricks. He has a lessons that he quickly conceded is just freebird-riffs. One thing that is great abouut rock and roll in my opinion is that for all of the ink spilled and high brow discussion sometimes it's just about playing loud and fast. It's so much fun
Me and my daughter had a really good saturday and tomorrow is another day!
Happy Trails
01/17/2026
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Big River
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One side effect of feeling good is that you start doing things! Lot's of wild and heavy stuff happening in the world at large, but on a micro-level I am making friends, playing guitar, and enjoying building a community with my family. I'm even more productive at work!
We lost Bob Weir over the weekend. Bob was the youngest member of the group and the last of the frontmen who covered vocal duties to go. I don't know what this means for Dead and Co. but it is really a beautiful thing to see that he was able to play and have love and community up until his last days.
Wrapped up the February shows today and actually had to listen to a commercial release! The archive.org February 28, 1973 show is somewhat truncated so had to use spotify (which I really need to quit paying for).
The set closes with "We Bid You Good Night" which works well as a eulogy for Bob - we will miss you down here on earth!
Lay down my dear brother, lay down and take your rest
Won't you lay your head upon your Savior's breast
I love you, but Jesus loves you the best
And I bid you goodnight, goodnight, goodnight
Happy Trails
01/13/2026
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Eyes of the World
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There was an active shooter alert at work yesterday. Not sure how I feel about it yet. IT was weird because we were all nervous but also just kind of perplexed. I sat in my office with the lights out trying to catch up on e-mails. It was simultaneously disconcerting and at the same time very pedestrian. Who's going to pick up the kids? Will I still be able to grab dinner on the way home? When can I leave?
Anyways - still alive!
Powering through these February shows. There is a liveliness to the playing and the new material compared to the roadweariness of the december 72 shows. I really like Eyes of the World, it is the first time post americana that the dead start pushing into a jazzy direction. It's not the jazziest chord progression in the world (I V IV) but they use a mjaor 7 which compared to all the straightforward chord voicings feels like a big change. I love that it is such a positive song and that it was a song for extended jams from day 1!
Still walking a lot and listening to the dead excited for things to come!
Happy Trails
01/08/2026
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Golden Road
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Had a good Monday today. I was very busy with meetings but I got a good walk in and enjoyed dinner. Liking the 1973 shows and still getting in 1-2 shows a day! Might try and get through 73-75 this year.
Today was my son's first day back at school. I think he had a good day too! I'm so proud of him. He and I are playing the pokemon card app on the ipad and he is so into it! He pulled a Charizard the other day and continues to rub it in my face lol. My daughter continues to speed run the entire disney animated catalog.
Having a hobby is something I really want to share with my children. Work and stress can be so much and I feel like giving them an outlet is a good lesson. I hope having hobbies, whatever they may be, will be a positive aspect of their lives as they grow and become adolescents and young adults.
I am dieting and it sucks!
01/05/2026
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Row Jimmy
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I did it - I listened to all the shows from 1972! I think it is like 85 or so? (I need to check). But anyhoo, I am so hyped - I have had a blast getting into the grateful dead. It has really been incredible to have a band you can really dig your teeth into. For a long time I have been searching for a group to sort of take a deep dive on and honestly not many groups have substantial depth to explore. More than that you are just limited to the studio output - the live stuff really only serves as a footnote for most artists.
To me the most incredible thing about dead shows is that it gives you a whole different way to experience songs. They grow and evolve, taking on new tempos, parts and meaning over time. "He's gone" picked up some Donna riffing as it was played more and more, Jerry's solos gain new changes, "Dark Star" becomes an hour long (jk it's usually liek 30 minutes at most). But for real the songs are great and I love getting to hear the nuance as they are performed night to night
As someone who can't really go to a bunch of shows, even if Dead & Co. were performing regularly at this point, having access to everything they have ever released is an incredible experience. I think a lot about dead fans who couldn't just pull up 30 years of live shows on their phone while they're stuck in traffic - crazy stuff.
Enough about that - let's dive into 1972. This was a huge year in terms of the number of shows played (>80) and number of locations (all over the states and a european tour). They just had bill on drums which gave them a little more freedom to explore. Jerry and Bob really come into their own as band leaders and the setlist rules. I don't know what to say, I will probably be unpacking 1972 for a while - more to come! Also FYI I have already listened to 2 1973 shows thus far and I am really enjoyning the new stuff as well!!!
Happy trails, weirdos!
01/02/2026
Archive
2025
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