Hey RTDeadheads - despite everything, 2020 was a huge year for our band of merry musical pranksters. Matt Cole, Joe Waldecker, and Laurie Lester all joined the band. We played 5 times at Otus supply, live streaming 4 of them, did a set of hits at The Beats Go On in Royal Oak, returned to The Cadieux Cafe and Watermark, and played our first gig at the Tangent Gallery. Each of the band members has selected a favorite song or sequence from 2020 to share with you once more. Enjoy these performances until we meet again in 2021. Matt Cole - Lead Guitar and VocalsMatt Cole’s pick is from the Labor Day weekend performance at The Beats Go On in Royal Oak. We performed a 30-minute set of hits, book-ending with Sugar Magnolia and Sunshine Daydream. But before Sunshine, we did a short medley of teases for the Deadheads in the crowd. Can you catch all 4 of them? Here’s Truckin>Sunshine Daydream. Bill Butler - Bass and VocalsBill Butler’s choice for his favorite moment of 2020 comes from our October 17 “Raising Jerry” show, which featured mostly songs from the Jerry Garcia Band repertoire. In the second set, we played the Hunter/Garcia penned “Gomorroah.” Listen carefully at the conclusion of the vocal, and you’ll hear the chord changes shift, as the band crescendos into a Joe Cocker style chorus of The Beatles’ “With A Little Help From My Friends.” Laurie Lester - VocalsLaurie Lester joined the band in the spring, but her favorite live moment of the year was on the October 1st Otus Supply live streamed show. The sumptuous series of segues has something for every Deadhead: Bird Song>The Music Never Stopped>Eyes of the World>I Know You Rider>Terrapin Station. Dave Martin - Rhythm Guitar and VocalsDave Martin’s favorite moment on stage in 2020 was on October 17 at Otus Supply, performing My Sisters and Brothers>Tangled Up In Blue. As soon as the song began out of the Mississippi Half Step tag, the feeling in the room shifted and everyone began to dance. It was an amazing feeling - and when the song segued into the Dylan classic, the energy jumped yet another level. Max Katz - KeyboardsMax Katz’s choice for the best of 2020 is the Crazy Fingers>Uncle John’s Band from our outdoor Cadieux Cafe performance on September 19, just as a chilly fall weather began to set in. This was our first time tackling Crazy Fingers, a harmonically challenging tune that led to some great soloing and an energetic climax and a seamless segue into UJB. The jam in Uncle John goes into deep space and returns triumphantly. Joe Waldecker - Drums and VocalsJoe Waldecker chose a moment from our very first show of 2020, February 28 at The Cadieux Cafe. Here’s what he has to say about that gig: “It was hard to pick just one moment of this year but I'm going to go back to the very beginning for this choice. I'm going with the first set closer segue of Liberty>Scarlet>Fire from my first gig with RTD. Truth be told, it took multiple people reaching out several times before I was willing to try and play this music again. I probably hadn't played a Dead tune since September and hadn't picked up a pair of sticks since November. I just wasn't sure that I wanted to play music anymore, but Dave and Sydne and Laurie and the rest of gang were quite persistent. I agreed to try out and got the gig! I was anxious to play, as you can tell by some of these tempos, but it was pretty tight. I remember looking out at all of these familiar faces and falling in love with playing live music all over again. Liberty was a nice way to kick this off and find our groove. Scarlet was bouncy, really a lot of fun the whole way through. The jam into Fire was a hoot, as we were really starting to figure out each others playing in real time. FOTM has always meant a lot to me, and to get to play and sing it again infront of my friends (old and new) and family was bringing me close to tears. Laurie isn't on stage for this one, but she is in the building smiling back at us. What a Night!”
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