Photo credits: Thom Bloom, Sydne Kasle, Michael Chojonoski, William Morgan

One more Friday night... We had thought our previous show on March 25 would be the last before Justin returned to his main gig at Dead At The Winery and Dave took his hiatus to recover from heart surgery, but Otus had an opening on their calendar, and their artist liason (and RTD fam) DanAnn saw the chance for an encore performance.  And what a night it was!

The 7-member expanded lineup has become our standard, since adding Supercrunch drummer Chaim Tolwin to the rhythm section, and he and Joe brought the thump all night long.  We opened with Stranger, got the crowd jumping with a Justin-led Bertha, and then tore it down with Good Lovin', Dave declaring "I... Love... You!" in unison with the crowd.  Row Jimmy showed off our slow funky side, Next Time You See Me had Joe take the reins for a big bluesy jam.  Let It Grow was an expansive improv platform, and an obvious exit point for the band's first set.  Or was it?  Instead, we had lots of work left to do, with Help>Slip, and a curveball Easy Wind in the standard Franklin's Tower spot.  Joe finally declared we were gonna take a break ("and you can too!") 

When we returned, it was with a fully segued second set.  We inserted Viola Lee Blues into the Cryptical>Other One>Cryptical sandwich twice, expanding the form and making way for some crazy energetic playing.  Drums featured Chaim's talking drum and Space included his mouth harp.  Check out Justin's Farfisa-like wind samples playing against Dave's reverse-looped synth guitar at the beginning of Space, and stick around for the pretty improvisation that follows.  Speaking of Justin, he summoned the spirit of Brent Mydland on Blow Away, and it's a version not to be missed.  Matt took over with a haunting Stella Blue, and then rolled away the dew with a set-closing Franklin's. There was just one encore left to play, and that was Foolish Heart, appropriately sung by Dave for the first time.  

The show was live-streamed by Mike of TheFunkShop.com, and live sound was provided by Jay, who always does right by us. As always, Otus owner Thom Bloom is the host with the most.  You can hear and see our efforts on the live video stream below, or listen to a punchy and live soundboard/audience matrix mixed and mastered by Dave on our Archive.org page. 

RTD will return to Otus Supply on July 2, after a 2 and a half-month hiatus.  Look for projects with RTD members over the next few months by checking out our facebook page. 

4/15/2022 The Parliament Room at Otus Supply, Ferndale, MI
Set I: Feel Like A Stranger, Bertha > Good Lovin', Row Jimmy, Next Time You See Me, Let It Grow, Help On The Way > Slipknot! > Easy Wind
Set II: Cryptical Envelopment > Viola Lee Blues > The Other One > Viola Lee Blues > Cryptical Envelopment > Drums/Space > Blow Away > Stella Blue* > Franklin's Tower
Encore: Foolish Heart
*first time played

Play and download this show on Archive.org

Livestreamed video from TheFunkShop.com

“A Night Of Remembrance” for the departed Pops Waldecker and friends and fans we’ve lost was an exceptional and emotional show.  Returning to our home base, the Parliament Room at Otus Supply, we were joined by a hundred-plus friends to celebrate life and the Dead.  

Joining Bill, Matt, Laurie, Dave, and Joe were drummer Chaim Tolwin, and keyboardist Justin Lee.  On certain songs, guest guitarists James Waldecker and Matt Wigner also took the stage.  We debuted three songs, all with must-listen versions: “New Minglewood Blues,” Bob Dylan’s “A Hard Rain’s Gonna Fall” and “Death Don’t Have No Mercy.”  The afterglow from February’s Blues For Allah show continued as we took another ride through King Solomon’s Marbles, and Chaim surprised the band when he brought out a Fujara (a Slovakian shepherd’s overtone flute) during Drums.  

Dave announced that RTD will be taking a short break, as he will undergo open heart surgery on April 18 to repair an aneurysm caused by a congenital defect.  We are scheduled to return to Otus on July 11, although we may squeeze in one more show before the procedure - stay tuned!

Our entire show in glorious soundboard audio is on our Archive.org page.  Check it out below!

3-25-2022 Otus Supply, Ferndale, MI
I: Here Comes Sunshine, Hell in a Bucket, New Minglewood Blues*, Deep Elem Blues, El Paso, Loser>Jack A Roe, A Hard Rain’s Gonna Fall*@, Promised Land@#
II: China Cat Sunflower>I Know You Rider#>Sugar Magnolia>Eyes of the World>The Music Never Stopped>Drums%>Space>King Solomon’s Marbles, Death Don’t Have No Mercy*@#>St. Stephen@#>The Eleven@#
E: Dead Flowers@#, Not Fade Away@#
*=First time played
@=James Waldecker on guitar
​#=Matt Wigner on guitar

Two is better than one!  This might just become a habit: our drummer Joseph Waldecker was once again joined by a second drummer, this time Chaim Tolwin of Supercrunch fame. Once again, Justin Lee from Dead At The Winery proved an awesome chairman of the boards. The Super Smash Brothers propelled us through a late night of killer Dead and if you were there, you know it was a night to remember!  

Highlights included our first Sailor>Saint since Halloween 2020, an amazing 40-minute trip through the heart of the Blues for Allah album, with drums and space and Sage and Spirit sandwiched inside the song Blues for Allah.  Add an Alabama>Greatest Story encore and... Well, you should just check it out below!  

This same lineup will perform at Otus Supply this Friday, March 25 at Otus Supply.  See you then! 

On March 3, 2022, members of RTD performed "Jerry's Tone: A Tribute to Jerry Garcia" at The Parliament at Otus Supply. The show started with a tribute to the Jerry Garica and John Kahn acoustic duo with RTD's Matt Cole (playing a Martin D16) and Richard Rickman (from Anna Lee's Company and Back Forty) playing the upright bass. 

Jerry's Tone Acoustic Duet 3-3-2022, Ferndale, MI
Dire Wolf, Deep Elum Blues, Friend of the Devil, Spike Driver Blues, Wang Dang Doodle > Bird Song, Oh Babe It Ain't No Lie, When I Paint My Masterpiece, Ripple, Goodnight Irene.

Two electric sets followed with RTD's Laurie Lester (vocals), Justin Lee (keys), Joe Waldecker (drums), and Matt, along with John Lyle (bass, from Dead Again, and Deep Space Six), and Chaim Tolwin (drums, from Supercrunch). RTD's Dave Martin joined us to sing Sisters and Brothers. We had a great show and really enjoyed playing the Jerry Garcia Band repertoire to a nice audience at The Parliament Room (once again, we thank Thom Bloom for all the love and support). Joe and Chaim really hit it off and we're excited that they will be playing together at the next two RTD shows, March 18 at the Tangent Gallery, and March 25 at The Parliament at Otus Supply. 

Jerry's Tone Electric Band 3-3-2022, Ferndale, MI
Set 1: After Midnight, They Love Each Other, Stir it Up, Cats Under the Stars, Catfish John, Run for the Roses, Deal
Set 2: That's Love Will Make You Do, Deep Elum Blues, Tore Up Over You, Second that Emotion, Sisters and Brothers*, Gomorrah, Midnight Moonlight. Encore: Mighty High
*with Dave Martin on vocals

Come check out a show featuring members of Raising The Dead, Dead Again, Dead At The Winery, and Supercrunch, along with some very special guests. 

Doors at 7:30 pm.
Advance Tickets $10, $13 Day of Show.
*Proof of vaccination or negative Covid test within 48 hours of doors, required for all shows*

About the Band:
Composed of local musicians from the metro Detroit jam band scene, "Jerry's Tone" is a musical dive into the acoustic and electric stylings of the music of Jerry Garcia.

Acoustic Set:
Matthew Cole, guitar
Richard Rickman, bass

Electric Set:
Matthew Cole, guitar
Laurie Lester, vocals
John Lyle, bass
Justin Lee, keys
Chaim Tolwin, drums
Joseph Waldecker, drums

Every February, Dead.net holds a celebration of the music of the Grateful Dead by hosting a leaderboard and playlist of videos of musicians covering the Dead's songs.  This year, the theme is Europe 72, in celebration of its 50th anniversary.  Raising The Dead has participated in this for a few years, and this time we've submitted two entries.  The first, Tennessee Jed from our gig at Little Caesars Arena, has consistently been a top video this year, moving between ranks 4 and 5 on their YouTube playlist.  Half way through the month, Dead.net emailed an update and requested more takes on Bertha, Sugar Magnolia, and Morning Dew.  We have a fantastic take on Dew from our performance at the Tangent Lounge on 11-12-2021, but the video from that night isn't great.  So we've paired a visualizer that follows the music and submitted that as well.  

Every watch of these videos increases their rank among the more than 1,400 videos submitted so far - give them a listen and a like (and hit subscribe if you haven't yet) and help our takes hit the top of the playlist.   Thanks!

photos: William Morgan, Thom Bloom, Michael Chojonowski, Dave Martin

Help On The Way!  A big crowd of appreciative fans rolled away the dew with us in the second of our two-night stand at Otus Supply.  We were joined once again by Justin Lee from Dead at the Winery and Jake Wolf from Colorado's Sages and Spirits.  Part of the reason Jake decided to wheel to the storm and fly to Detroit was the promise to play the last few songs in the Dead catalog he'd never done - and we did them all!  Blues for Allah and King Solomon's Marbles were both checked off Jake's bucket list as part of our performance of the jazziest album in the Dead's catalog Saturday night.  

The evening started with a funky Stranger, and kicked into the album with the classic tryptich Help>Slip>Frank.  After a quick breath, we launched into King Solomon's Marbles at the speed of (not-so-lazy) lightning, showing off the percussive thunder only possible with two master skinsmen playing off each other.  Crowd favorites The Music Never Stopped and Crazy Fingers followed, respectively funky and reggae-tinted.  Dave grabbed his acoustic guitar for a solo rendition of Sage and Spirit, and our sound man Chris Hines turned up the vocal reverb for the psychedelic modalism of the titular Blues for Allah.  We capped the set with a rockin' One More Saturday Night, and a reminder that the evening was far from over. 

Having accomplished a musical goal we'd set over 2 months ago, we slid into a crazy fun second set - Scarlet > Fire > Dark Star > Playin' > Drums > Space > Unbroken Chain > Wharf Rat > Around and Around!  How about that? We called an audible and encored with Shakedown>Playin' Repise, ending at about 12:45 Sunday morning.  If you check out the song times, every song in that second set (if you count Drums>Space as one and add Playin' and it's reprise) was over 10 minutes.  We can say with certainty that everyone who came for a great show that night got their wish! 

We've published really great sounding audience recordings of both Friday and Saturday's shows to our Archive.org page (or in the player below).  Check them out to relive the show or to see what you missed - and if you did miss it, don't make that mistake again!  We got a great video of the show, and rumor has it that Jake took the board tapes back to Colorado to mix down with Dark Star Orchestra's Rob Eaton.  Make sure you're subscribed to our YouTube channel so you don't miss them!

Shout outs: Chris Hines: sound, Michael Chojnowski, lights and merch sales, Jody Bauman: live painting, Thom Bloom: Otus Supply Owner and Raconteur, Danann Griggs: Otus Artist Relations Manager, and Corey Faulkner: the tenderest of tenders.

2-5-2022 Otus Supply, Ferndale, MI

Set I: Feel Like A Stranger, Help On The Way>Slipknot!>Franklin's Tower, King Solomon's Marbles*, The Music Never Stopped, Crazy Fingers>Sage and Spirit*, Blues for Allah*, One More Saturday Night
Set II: Scarlet Begonias>Fire On The Mountain>Dark Star>Playin' In The Band>Drums>Space>Unbroken Chain>Wharf Rat>Around and Around
Encore: Shakedow Street>Playin In The Band Reprise
*First Time Played
With guests Jake Wolf on drums and Justin Lee on keyboards

Oh, what a night!  An amazing array Grateful goodness was played at the Parliament Room at Otus Supply last night. Dig the setlist, check out the photos, then join us for night two!  Pro tip: We've promised to play the complete Blues for Allah album one of the two nights, and we didn't play it last night (wink wink). 

UPDATE: Full show audience recording audio from Archive.org added

2-4-2022 Otus Supply, Ferndale, MI
Set I: Promised Land, Ramble On Rose, Me and My Uncle>Big River, Friend of the Devil, Cassidy, Brown Eyed Women, Weather Report>Let It Grow>Deal
Set II: Hell in a Bucket, Althea, Estimated Prophet>Terrapin Station>Drums>Space>The Other One>Black Peter>Terrapin Suite
​Encore: Sampson and Delilah

So, our drummer Joseph Waldecker only has 4 limbs, but somehow he's able to simultaneously channel Bill Kreutzmann's swinging backbeat and Mickey Hart's fantastic fills all while singing lead, juggling flaming scimitars, and baking a perfect souffle (we might be exaggerating a little).  Anyways, among his musical heroes in the Dead-verse is Jake Wolf.  Jake is currently playing with the supergroup Sages and Spirits, with Melvin Seals, Rob Eaton, John Kadlecik, Rob Barraco, Jay Lane, and Skip Vangelas.  So, imagine our excitement when Jake chose to fly out to Detroit to join little ol' Raising The Dead for a weekend of double drummer delight?  

To add to the fun, we'll once again be joined by the funky sounds of Justin Lee of Dead At The Winery on keys.  And because Raising The Dead is the hardest working tribute in Michigan, we are tackling our few unclimbed mountains in the Dead catalog on Saturday, namely the complete Blues for Allah album.  

Let's talk this through: Help On The Way>Slipknot!>Franklin's Tower opens the album.  We've been playing those for a long time, great.  Next up is King Solomon's Marbles - here's one we haven't tried before!  We're rehearsing this intense 7/8 jam and it will be awesome, especially with Jake on board.  The Music Never Stopped is another RTD staple, as is Crazy Fingers.  The last two tunes are where the real fun is: Sage and Spirit is a classical Bobby Weir composition unmatched in its complexity.  Seek videos of the few times he played it with the Dead, and just watch Jerry's face as he ponders "What the hell is Bob doing?"  Dave will be playing a solo acoustic version of the tune, culminating 2 months of daily practice (no pressure!)  The album concludes with the odd, modal, spacey Blues for Allah suite, a very rare cut indeed.   

Tickets are on sale now.  Get yours and come out for a full weekend of fun!

Friday Feburary 4 Event & Ticket Link
Saturday February 5 Event & Ticket Link 

On Saturday, January 15, RTD was joined by special guests James Waldecker on lead guitar and Justin Lee on keyboards when we played for the memorial celebration for Brien Stetson.  The evening was a special gathering of friends and well-wishers, and several thousand dollars were raised for Brien's family.  Thanks to everyone who came out and supported them!  

The band had an amazing time playing and we think you'll see and hear exactly that when you check out these sets.  See you February 4-5 for our huge gig at Otus Supply with special guest second drummer, 2-time grammy winner and Sages and Spirits drummer Jake Wolf. 

01.15.2021  Tangent Gallery/Hastings Street Ballroom Detroit, MI
Set I: Brokedown Palace*, Run for the Roses*, I Need A Miracle* > Estimated Prophet* > Not Fade Away* > Eyes of the World ('73 ending) > Playin' in the Band > Loser, Jack Straw > He's Gone > Jack Straw
Set II: Good Lovin' > The Wheel > Mr. Charlie, Ship of Fools, Deal, Brown Eyed Women > Truckin' > Morning Dew > Playin' Reprise
*First 5 songs spell Brien
Entire show with James Waldecker on guitar and Justin Lee on keys