Dear Mom - Letters to Heaven

Wednesday, August 08, 2012

Jerry Garcia Week The Days Between 08/08/2012


Happy 8/8/2012 Jerry Week continues- many years ago I stumbled into a little hippie shop in Richmond Virginia which was a notorious dead head enclave back in the day.  As I thumbed through their CD collection amongst incense and tapestries I found something called "Bay Area Boogie" that featured West Coast Shows from Berkley, Oakland and San Diego.  The San Diego slice is Cold, Rain and Snow from 1/10/1970.  The Berkley slice is Deal and Dark Star from 7/13/1984 and the Oakland selections are Slipknot/Franklin's Tower, One More Saturday Night and US Blues from 10/09/1978 and Shakedown Street and Samson and Delilah from12/28/1982.

I'm sure to hard core collectors these selections or even this collection is nothing new but to me finding this little gem in Richmond when I was going to be away from home for six months was a god send.  Thank you Bay Area Boogie for softening the road for me and for the wonderful mix - smile, smile, smile. 

Another disc I'll be getting to today features the classic "Eat at Dave’s".  If memory serves this is Jerry riffing on US Blues either because he forgot the lyrics or sang it so many damn times he had to goof it up for grins.  This disc arrived in my hands through a story of wrath and redemption all within a week which I have become all too used to in my Journey fooled by looks, manipulated by fear, fueled by pharmaceuticals, tarred and feathered all within 24 hours.  Fortunately for me I'm largely clueless as to the subterfuge that whirls around me and I just go plugging along.  This does leave me confused when people come and go abruptly or try to run circles around me, but I've learned to be undeterred.  In the end vindicated is a word I have sadly become all too familiar. 

This 1987 collection from New York is a peach and chock full of good stuff along with classics it features la bamba, devil with the blue dress on, good golly miss molly and the aforementioned eat at daves.  So here's to you NY if I can make it there I can make it anywhere!  And all of you out there who can and do eventually think for yourself....rock on!

Keep the vibe going and enjoy your simple twist of fate that has brought you to the here and now life is amazing, the planet is real and you are the song that the morning brings make it a good one.  Paul (~):D

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