From “Loose Lucy,” the Deadcast jumps onto Dead tour in June ‘74, going under the hood of Phil Lesh’s new quad bass, behind the scenes at the tie-dye information booth, a private lunch at the Bank of Boston, & on a Mars Hotel-soundtracked summ

From the Mars Hotel 50: Unbroken Chain

16 days ago 2h 9m

The Deadcast explores Phil Lesh’s masterpiece “Unbroken Chain,” its mysterious lyricist Bobby Petersen, & digs into the luminous synth with Ned Lagin himself; plus, the story of the album title & art with the Grateful Dead Records crew & a visi

From the Mars Hotel 50: China Doll

30 days ago 1h 27m

The Deadcast explores “China Doll,” perhaps the most delicate Dead song, the innovative studio techniques pioneered for From The Mars Hotel, the formation of Round Records (& the making of Jerry Garcia’s sophomore solo album), & the infamous Wa

From the Mars Hotel 50: U.S. Blues

Mar 28th, 2024 1h 22m

The Grateful Deadcast begins the epic story of the Dead in 1974 with the writing of From the Mars Hotel’s album-opening “U.S. Blues” & the multiple debuts of the innovative Wall of Sound, featuring new interviews & never-heard archival audio. G

Trailer

From The Mars Hotel 50 - Trailer

Mar 21st, 2024 3m 9s

The Good Ol’ Grateful Deadcast is back for its 9th season of high adventure and historical storytelling, unlocking the secrets of From the Mars Hotel and going on tour with the Wall of Sound. Tune in starting March 28th wherever you get your po

Wake Of The Flood 50: Weather Report Suite

Nov 16th, 2023 2h 8m

The Deadcast finishes its season by examining Bob Weir’s ambitious Weather Report Suite with collaborator Eric Andersen & following the launch of Wake of the Flood on the band’s own label with company president Ron Rakow, plus Yo La Tengo’s Ira

Wake Of The Flood 50: Prelude/Tuesday Night Jam

Nov 7th, 2023 1h 27m

The Deadcast uncovers a most unusual lost studio session by Robert Hunter & the Grateful Dead, recorded at the Record Plant in November 1973, which we listen to in its entirety & annotate with the help of Donna Jean Godchaux-MacKay & others.Gue

Wake Of The Flood 50: Eyes of the World

Nov 2nd, 2023 1h 46m

Explore “Eyes of the World” inside & out with the studio multi-tracks, lost lyrics, archival audio of Robert Hunter, a meditation by Erik Davis, & a tour of the song’s evolution (yes, including that cool 7/8 ending).GUESTS: Ron Rakow, Ned Lagin

Wake Of The Flood 50: Here Comes Sunshine

Oct 19th, 2023 1h 18m

Wake Of The Flood 50: Here Comes SunshineWe explore the Beatlesque optimism of “Here Comes Sunshine,” its roots in the Vanport flood of 1948, & the story of the brand-new custom Doug Irwin guitar Jerry Garcia debuted on Wake of the Flood. GUES

Wake Of The Flood 50: Stella Blue

Oct 5th, 2023 1h 30m

A personal favorite of both Jerry Garcia & Robert Hunter, we explore how “Stella Blue” grew from New York’s fertile Chelsea Hotel into one of the great American songs, plus Bruce Hornsby on how Wake of the Flood made him a Dead fan.GUESTS: Elvi

Wake Of The Flood 50: Row Jimmy

Sep 21st, 2023 1h 13m

Wake Of The Flood 50: Row JimmyThe Deadcast explores the strange not-quite-reggae of “Row Jimmy,” featuring a long never-heard interview with lyricist Robert Hunter from 1977. GUESTS: Donna Jean Godchaux-MacKay, Robert Hunter, David Lemieux, Br

Wake Of The Flood 50: Let Me Sing Your Blues Away

Sep 7th, 2023 1h 21m

The Deadcast explores Keith Godchaux’s only song for the Grateful Dead, the unassuming but complex “Let Me Sing Your Blues Away,” the debut single from Wake of the Flood & Grateful Dead Records, co-starring Donna Jean, company president Ron Rak

Wake Of The Flood 50: Mississippi Half-Step Uptown Toodeloo

Aug 24th, 2023 1h 21m

The Deadcast begins our deep dive into Wake of the Flood, including multi-track breakdowns for Mississippi Half-Step, never-heard outtakes, studio memories from Donna Jean Godchaux-MacKay, & the origins of Grateful Dead Records with co-founder

Watkins Glen Summer Jam ‘73, Part 2

Aug 10th, 2023 1h 50m

The thrilling conclusion of our visit to the record-breaking Watkins Glen Summer Jam, featuring John Belushi crashing the backstage, a super jam onstage, a teen-run pirate radio station, & the birth of a new generation of Dead Heads.GUESTS: Sam

Watkins Glen Summer Jam, 7/73, part 1

Jul 27th, 2023 1h 58m

Watkins Glen Summer Jam ‘73, Part 1Musicians, organizers, & fans tell the epic story of how the Watkins Glen Summer Jam started as a giant rock show & turned into history when more than a half-million came to see the Grateful Dead, the Allman B

Here Comes Sunshine: RFK Stadium, 6/73

Jun 1st, 2023 2h 9m

Our stadium-sized season finale visits the Dead’s June 1973 mega-gigs with the Allman Brothers Band in Washington DC, featuring the Allmans family, legendary tapers, searing heat, super jams, backstage brawls, & the manifestation of the Ourobor

Here Comes Sunshine: Kezar Stadium, 5/26/73

May 25th, 2023 1h 43m

The Deadcast visits one of the Dead’s most legendary hometown shows with the band, crew, & Bay Area Dead freaks, featuring 3 sets in the Golden Gate Park sunshine, technological innovations, & an important paper by the Haight Street Free Medica

Here Comes Sunshine: Santa Barbara, 5/20/73

May 18th, 2023 1h 9m

Feel the ocean breeze and spend a sunny Sunday with the Grateful Dead as the Deadcast visits Santa Barbara ‘73 with first-time showgoer Al Franken, archivist David Lemieux, the show’s promoters, and more.Guests: Al Franken, Jim Curnutt, Sepp Do

Here Comes Sunshine: Des Moines, 5/13/73

May 11th, 2023 1h 38m

We time-travel to the Dead’s massive 3-set show in Des Moines, May 1973 (& the first show on the new Here Comes Sunshine box) with stories from Donna Jean, the show’s promoters, & the Dead’s office staff, plus custom gear, big jams, an indoor f

Here Comes Sunshine: Garcia ‘73

May 4th, 2023 1h 44m

The Deadcast takes a special side trip into Jerry Garcia’s extracurricular projects in 1973, exploring his partnerships with organist Merl Saunders & the legendary bluegrass group Old & In the Way with guests David Grisman & Peter Rowan, & how

Here Comes Sunshine: Grateful Dead & Co.

May 2nd, 2023 1h 46m

The Deadcast sets course for 1973, diving into the newly announced Here Comes Sunshine box set with firsthand tours of the ambitious family businesses in orbit around the Dead in 1973, including an independent record label, booking company, tra

Bonus

A Quick Note From the Deadcast

Apr 27th, 2023 1m 6s

Ladies and gentlemen, fellow deadheads, today’s regularly scheduled DeadCast will be coming in the not too distant future, fear not we have all the Golden Yummies lined up for your listening pleasure. You’ll definitely want to join the party wh

T.C.

Apr 13th, 2023 1h 37m

T.C.The Deadcast is honored to welcome Tom Constanten to discuss his remarkable tenure as Grateful Dead keyboardist from late 1968 through early 1970, his work on 3 classic albums, & his adventures before & after the Dead, including his current

Bear's Choice 50

Mar 30th, 2023 1h 21m

Bear’s Choice 50The Deadcast returns to the Fillmore East and digs into the Dead’s 1st archival live album, History of the Grateful Dead, Volume One (Bear’s Choice), produced by former LSD alchemist Owsley Stanley & released as a tribute to Pig

The Adventures of Pigpen, part 2

Mar 16th, 2023 1h 25m

The Adventures of Pigpen, part 2The Deadcast concludes our tribute to Ron “Pigpen” McKernan, exploring his years with the Dead, featuring more documents from the McKernan family archives, his alleged firing, former housemate Tom Constanten, los