After Grateful Dead’s death, music plays on with Weir’s RatDog
Published 12:58 pm Thursday, June 19, 2008
From young folkie to rock legend, from an important spoke in the Grateful Dead wheel to leader of his own band, vocalist-guitarist Bob Weir continues to follow his often contrarian visions with RatDog.
It was easy to overlook Weir, who played rhythm guitar to Jerry Garcia’s lead, but he long ago established himself as one of the best rhythm guitarists in rock.
Weir is also a successful songwriter, with “The Other One,” “Truckin’,” “Sugar Magnolia,” “Playing in the Band,” “Cassidy” and “Mexicali Blues.” He also worked on non-Dead projects, including a duo with Rob Wasserman and the blues band RatDog Revue. The musicians changed and RatDog emerged in 1995 as a rock band after Garcia’s death.
Expect mostly covers of Grateful Dead classics combined with original material. Gov’t. Mule is touring with RatDog this month.
Tim McGraw: He’s played a bitter widower whose wife died in a terrorist attack (“The Kingdom”), co-written “Nine Lives” with a few Def Leppard musicians, had nine straight country albums debuting at No. 1 on the Billboard chart and more than 25 singles top the Hot Country 100, is minority owner of the Arena Football League’s Nashville Kats, and currently is on his first solo tour in nearly three years. At age 11, Tim Smith learned that he was the biological son of pitcher Tug McGraw, thus his last name.
Railroad Earth: Say “Amen!” to the bluegrass-plus sextet’s first studio album in four years, “Amen Corner,” released June 10. Railroad Earth blends bluegrass, country and folk, otherwise known as Americana, from hill-country to introspection, from dance-inspired tunes to slow-beat melodies. As usual, Tim Carnone’s violin solos are to die for, whether sweet or speedy.
Maceo Parker: The funk master and saxophonist has a two-night stand to offer music from his latest, “Roots &Grooves,” a tribute to Ray Charles. Although James Brown is credited with re-energizing R&B and soul music in the 1960s, it may not have been possible without his creative right-hand, Maceo Parker. After long stints with Charles, George Clinton and Bootsy Collins, as well as a solo career, Parker continues to march to his own musical visions to create a hot-lick hybrid of funk, soul and R&B.
Pine Leaf Boys: The young Grammy-nominated (“Blues de Musicien”) band combines rock ‘n’ roll energy with Cajun and Creole music to fill the dance floors with people and the hall with roots music. PLB could be the next generation of top-flight performers. If genetics helps, the band has that, too. It’s led by singer-songwriter and accordionist Wilson Savoy, son of Cajun royalty Marc and Ann Savoy. The music comes from an uncommon make-up for Cajun music a bi-racial band.
Jaymay: Her song “Sea Green, See Blue” was featured in a season-closing episode of “How I Met Your Mother.” The singer-songwriter delivers vignettes, emotional highs and lows, lyrical flexibility and Dylanesque-poetic, the last characteristic due to Bob Dylan being a major influence. She’s hit the late-night talk shows and has been earning fans on her tours.
Out and about: Robert Diggs (RZA in the technocultural world) brings his RZA as Bobby Digital hip-hop persona to Showbox SoDo (Tuesday). The founder of the Wu-Tang Clan has scored films and documentaries and performed in “American Gangster” … Above and Beyond shares the stage with MB &Miguel Alverado (tonight, Showbox at the Market) …
Grammy-nominated pianist-composer Mose Allison and guitarist Larry Coryell are a hot one-two jazz punch (Wednesday through June 29, Jazz Alley) … Toronto-based folk singer Hayden splits the bill with Haley Bonar (Tuesday, Tractor Tavern) … Young Dubliners bring Celtic rock ‘n’ roll (Wednesday, Tractor Tavern) … Singer-songwriter Ian Moore has a full band for his performance (Thursday, Tractor Tavern).
