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

Raising The Dead (with guests James Waldecker on lead guitar and Justin Lee on keyboards) will perform at the Tangent Gallery this weekend for the memorial of fan and friend Brien Stetson.  Join us! 

Come Celebrate Brien's life as we bid him good night. Doors @ 7pm, Music @ 8pm-1am, Memorial @ 10pm 
Please come and share stories of Brien's life. $10 minimum donation. Proceeds will be gifted to his beautiful girlfriend, Lisa to ease her burden during this sudden loss. Please bring a photo of Brien to add to framed poster keepsake. Monster Foods will be there. 

2021 went out with a whimper: COVID spiked, and several members of RTD came down with disease, venues cancelled gigs after their staff got ill, and a really exciting set of December shows instead left us all wanting more.  Despite all that, 2021 was a pretty amazing year for your friendly neighborhood Dead tribute.  Here are some stats from our year:

18 shows (including duets and gigs with 3 or more members)
8 shows at Otus Supply in Ferndale, most live streamed by TheFunkShop.com
3 shows at the Tangent Gallery & Hastings Street Ballroom 
2 big shows in downtown Royal Oak for John Witz & Associates
1 live album released on all streaming services 
850+ fans entertained at the Detroit Red Wings Grateful Dead Night

Last year, we asked each band member to pick a favorite show, song, or moment from the year past.  With so many great memories to choose from, it’s a hard task, but we’re all about doing the hard work, just for you, dear reader.  Here’s our choices for “Best of 2021”

“Little Caesar’s Arena stands out as the highlight of 2021. It may of been one of the shortest sets we’ve played but certainly a monster, from Hell In The Bucket all the way until the end of Shakedown, the more than 850 fans were on their feet and the band was on fire. We said goodbye to our keyboard player and longtime member Max Katz, but overall what a way to end still another year of uncertainty of live entertainment due to COVID. May the Music Never Stop.”

“Dancin In The Street from the Red Wings gig, for the sole reason that my mom mentioned to me over the holidays that she loved the Mamas And The Papas song we did and that I was really belting it out. LOLZ!  It took a few minutes to realize she was talking about Dancin. And…Ya gotta love a Joe drum solo!”

​“The Oddly Specific Gathering in Jerome, MI. Strong soundboard recording. It was very cold on this late September night. Full Cord Bluegrass finished their set and we ate an amazing Michigan farm-to-table dinner. Hitting the grass stage for set 2 late into the night, the vibe was late summer outdoor Grateful Dead, picture Red Rocks 1984. Cold, but energy crackling from an intimate audience digging on every note. Set 2 of our Hunter birthday nod started with a Dark Star > Box of Rain > Dark Star sandwich. The space of Dark Star included some discoesque groovyness funk from which Box emerged. Then we played probably our tightest full Terrapin Suite of the year, followed by a Furthur rarity, Colors of the Rain. The show ended with the lyrics of Brokedown Palace flowing across the late night Jerome horizon.”

“Cadieux Cafe second set is my pick for the best of 2021.  During the show, I knew we were creating something special, weaving back and forth through some of the Dead’s most loved song segues, all mixed up and with 4 stops at Terrapin Station, like the bread in a Dagwood sandwich.  The cicadas were LOUD that night, and one landed on my leg during Terrapin Station (EXACTLY 1:08:00 on the video), pointed out by a fan during The Eleven (1:16:12).  It stayed on my leg the entire rest of the set, only jumping off after we finished the entire Terrapin Suite.  In the moment I named it “Hunter” after the Terrapin lyricist and took a photo, which I illustrated for the cover of our album release.  I listened to this set more than any other show we’ve ever played while mixing it for release, and I still love it.”

What was YOUR favorite RTD performance of 2021?  Let us know in the comments, and we'll see you in 2022 with more surprises, debuts, and big jams from the band beyond description.