[garciafan]

Hi- been lurking around here for a while and love the discussions about gear and The Grateful Dead. My name is Richard...I've been playing since the late 1970's. Spent a lot of the 1970's through 1990's playing in the New York punk rock scene. Now playing a lot of rock and roll and blues influenced stuff. Favorites include The Grateful Dead, The Who, Hendrix, Dylan, Clash, Ramones, Stones, etc.

My gear? My pride and joy is my 1960 sunburst Les Paul Standard (yea, the real deal), a 1955 Les Paul Custom, and a Travis Bean. I just bought a 2nd hand Scarlet Fire Wolf guitar and I am waiting for it to be delivered. Also, for acoustic using 1964 Gibson Hummingbird and 1930 National Duolian.

I use black panel Fender amps from the early to mid 1960's. 1 1964 Fender Deluxe Reverb, one 1966 Fender Vibrolux Reverb, 1966 Fender Princeton Reverb and a 1965 Fender Deluxe.
I don't lug out my 1965 Fender piggyback Fender Bassman anymore, but still use it on occasion. Pedal chain is my tuner, wah, and overdrive.

So...great to be part of the community!

Richard

[tatittle]

Welcome Richard.....

[tcsned]

Welcome aboard, Richard! That's a nice collection of toys you've got. I just got my Scarlet Fire Wolf last week and it's an amazing guitar, I'm sure you'll enjoy yours.

I dig your musical influences. I have a punk rock streak in me too, I looooove the Ramones too . . . and the Clash and others. I went to high school in DC and went to a bunch of punk/punkish shows at the 9:30 Club. Have you heard that interview where Jerry talks about the punk scene? It's pretty cool. I've kinda always wanted to play in a punk band. It's on my bucket list

You should post some pics of your toys!

[garciafan]

I'm going to take a nice group shot later when the Scarlet Fire Wolf gets here later today. I'm excited about that!

Re: Jerry and punk/New Wave. I believe that, although maybe not intended, there was even an influence there. Some of the Dead's most aggressive performances was during 1978.

And, believe it or not, many of the earlier New York punks loved the Dead. Many of the first wave were big fans growing up and seeing them at the Fillmore.
Most of those guys went on to play CBGB.
I only saw 4 Greateful Dead shows...Englishtown, Roosevelt Stadium in the '70s...Rutgers in 1981...and MSG one night in the early 1990's. (My wife was a Deadhead.) At that show, I could swear the rafters were moving and the crowd was more enthusiastic and rocking than ANY of the Garden shows I had previously seen (some big ones in the '70s...The Who (my favorite), Zeppelin, Stones, Bowie, and even the Stones didn't get the crowd going like the Dead did. Magical evening. I believe Hornsby played piano.


Anyway, most of us New York punks turned out to be really hippies as we aged hahaha.
Anyway...pics of some guitars later!

[garciafan]

Ok! Got the Scarlet Fire Wolf today!



Her's the 1960 burst, '55 Les Paul Custom, Scarlet Fire Wolf, and the Travis Bean. I have my work cut out for me today!

[tcsned]

I'm going to take a nice group shot later when the Scarlet Fire Wolf gets here later today. I'm excited about that!

Re: Jerry and punk/New Wave. I believe that, although maybe not intended, there was even an influence there. Some of the Dead's most aggressive performances was during 1978.

And, believe it or not, many of the earlier New York punks loved the Dead. Many of the first wave were big fans growing up and seeing them at the Fillmore.
Most of those guys went on to play CBGB


Anyway, most of us New York punks turned out to be really hippies as we aged hahaha.
Anyway...pics of some guitars later!

I think those edgy '78 shows were influenced by the times . . . and awesome. Henry Rollins was a well known deadhead too. The whole don't care what anybody thinks attitude transferred well back and forth.

Awesome collection of guitars!

[garciafan]

My buddy, who is a pretty famous and successful NYC drummer and has toured and recorded with some of the more famous punk/new music bands since 1980, contends that the Grateful Dead were the "the first and the best punk rock band ever". I can't tell you how many hours we spent at the local bar discussing this! People thought we were nuts!
They were as they had many take no prisoners shows and developed a whole new and different interpretation of the blues. And we all agree that Pigpen was a badass!

[tatittle]

Funny I thought there was some skepticism of virtuosity and that long jams were widely seen as self-indulgent in the punk scene. I can certainly understand the boredom that comes from less capable guys aimlessly noodling for 30 minutes a stretch! That is a medium best left to high caliber players. One school of thought Ive heard is the notoriously short Ramones performances (17 mins was like their longest for years from what Ive heard) was a swing in the opposite direction from 45 minute Playin in the Band shows
I suspect it had more to do with a short list of tunes they knew though. I think I heard Johnnie say they immediately started writing their own songs bc they didn't know any others (or they were too hard to play). Necessity is the mother of invention.
Of course the whole "day job? me?" kind of individualism is shared...not uncommon in artistic scenes though, at least good ones.

[garciafan]

I could never understand musical elitism; people who criticize other music without at least giving it a listen. I'm afraid many of the punks and also the metalheads were guilty of that.

Even Dylan's fans booed him when he went electric.

I listen and learn...and then I make a judgment.

[tcsned]

I could never understand musical elitism; people who criticize other music without at least giving it a listen. I'm afraid many of the punks and also the metalheads were guilty of that.

Even Dylan's fans booed him when he went electric.

I listen and learn...and then I make a judgment.

Exactly, there's plenty of all music fans from all types that turn their noses up at music without ever giving it a good listen. Virtuosity is great but it's neither the end all, be all nor a requirement to making good music. There's heart, feel, soul, and attitude. Even sans great talent these things can make for some awesome music. Having the "It" factor is more important than executing a perfect gymnastic routine on a guitar. The Ramones had "It" in spades, so did Jerry, just different paths to get there.

*edit*
This conversation reminds me of a local band from here in Blacksburg from the mid 80s. Their name was Bad Tequila Experience. Their musicianship was suspect on a good day but the reckless abandon with which they played was infectious. They did the best/worst cover of Tom Petty's Breakdown I've ever heard. I can't listen to that tune without thinking of their cover. They asked a local blues great who was also one who would show up at their shows for a quote to use on flyers and promo stuff, here's what he gave them: "they're a lot better than most bands who don't know that they're this bad" - perfection.

[Tennessee Jedi]

My buddy, who is a pretty famous and successful NYC drummer and has toured and recorded with some of the more famous punk/new music bands since 1980, contends that the Grateful Dead were the "the first and the best punk rock band ever". I can't tell you how many hours we spent at the local bar discussing this! People thought we were nuts!
They were as they had many take no prisoners shows and developed a whole new and different interpretation of the blues. And we all agree that Pigpen was a badass!

The 1st album has that energy IMHO

[garciafan]

If you were ever lucky enough to see the band "Television" at their peak, you would have heard layered guitars that would take off into 25 or 30 minute improvisations. Clearly influenced by The Grateful Dead. Like the Dead, Television were fearless in their musical explorations. Their 1977 record "Marquee Moon" is a classic that has never been out of print in 37 years! It's also one of the top guitar records of all time. And they were the FIRST and The BEST of the mid '70s CBGB NYC scene bands.

[tatittle]

Television was Richard Hell right? Yeah Ive heard about their guitarist and his original style, he was older than the rest of the band if I recall correctly. A lot of punk stuff (live) I find pretty hard to stomach for more than a few songs, but everyone outside the Philharmonic has bad performances. I am often still intrigued by even the bad performances though...so I imagine that x factor was even more pronounced if one was really there. I've been researching the internet a lot recently re: that whole downtown 70's into 80's NYC scene. Boy has NYC changed!

I also find it really true that inspired playing of any caliber is the most moving, especially when younger. Authenticity is what I chalk it up too mostly. Somebody who obviously believes in and manifests their music courageously, and isn't to uptight to be vulnerable. Stage presence and charisma is part of that asset...but it is also something that the music alone can exhibit. As get older I am beginning to appreciate mere sophisticated stuff more (even without a good amount of x factor inspiration), but it is more from an analytical musician perspective than just a human one.

[garciafan]

Well...Richard Hell was involved in the first incarnation of Television, but the weaving guitars that they are famous for were played by Richard Lloyd and Tom Verlaine. These guys were rock guitar geniuses. My point is that neither genre is exclusive of each other. I was in the car today, driving listening to Live/Dead, The first Johnny Thunders and the Heartbreakers record, The Gun Club (L.A. blues punk) and Europe '72. I drove down route 78 at 65 mph with a smile on my face all the way!

[garciafan]

I had nothing to do with this recent article lol!

http://flavorwire.com/471006/the-gratef ... d/view-all