Untitled Document

BOSTON GLOBE

ROCK NOTES

With Haynes on board, the Dead are alive and well

By Steve Morse, Globe Staff | July 30, 2004

Life is sweet at last for the Dead. "These are really good days for the Dead," says drummer Bill Kreutzmann. "I'm tempted to call our name the Grateful Living. I don't know how that would go over, but I feel like that. I'm grateful to be alive and healthy."

The Dead brings its "Wave That Flag Tour" to the Tweeter Center tonight and tomorrow. The band is also ushering in a new singer/guitarist, Warren Haynes -- yes, the same tireless chap who plays in the Allman Brothers Band and Gov't Mule and Phil & Friends, a Dead spinoff group starring bassist Phil Lesh.

"Warren works more than anybody I've ever seen in my life," says Kreutzmann. "He has also opened some of our shows -- and he'll open in Boston. Yet somehow, he still has enough energy to play with us."

Haynes is humble about his role. "Music is very inspiring to me," he says. "The traveling is the hard part. You wish there was less of that, but you wish there was more of the music. Having the opportunity to play more music is a real positive for me."

It appears to be a major plus for the Dead. "Warren has learned very quickly. He has that type of musician mind where he can hear it once and he gets it. . . . I have to hear it a few times before I get it," says Kreutzmann. "Warren plays wonderfully and listens big time and he really knows music. He's really good for us."

Haynes was brought in after last summer's touring member, Joan Osborne, departed. "She wanted to get pregnant. I think that's OK to say, because it's the truth," Kreutzmann says.

There's no telling how long Haynes will be in the band ("We just go in and see how this year goes -- that's as real as it can be in that moment," says Kreutzmann), but Haynes is making the most of his time. He sings a lot of Jerry Garcia's vocal parts as well as a new song, "Strange World," with lyrics penned by Dead drummer Mickey Hart.

"The lyrics talk about political unrest and ecological contamination," says Haynes. "And there also are some other new songs. Me and Mickey and (Dead lyricist) Robert Hunter wrote `You Remind Me,' which is like an old R&B ballad, and there's another song that Bob Weir and I wrote called `Time Never Ends.' . . . Plus, we're digging up a lot of songs the Dead haven't played in a long time."

"The new songs sound pretty funky," says Kreutzmann. "They don't sound like traditional Dead tunes at all. The grooves are a lot different. They've got more stuff in them -- more earth, you might say. And we're doing a lot of cover songs, including Van Morrison's `Into the Mystic.' "

Haynes sounds like a true disciple when he praises the late Garcia's contributions to the Dead.

"I loved his songwriting, and even though he was known for his guitar playing, I think his singing and guitar playing were equally important to me. It all displayed a similar vulnerability, which was so beautiful." Haynes also has the unique perspective of being able to compare the Dead to the Allman Brothers Band.

The Dead and the Allmans are inextricably linked historically -- having started the jam-band movement -- though Haynes notes a crucial difference. "The ingredients are similar, but the approach to the jam is different," he says. "The Allmans are more about creating the intensity and making it happen, while the Dead are more about relaxing and waiting for the magic to happen."

The magic was on display at the recent Bonnaroo Festival in Tennessee, where the Dead were acclaimed as jam heroes by a younger generation. "There were about 80,000 people there, most of them in the 18-to-25-year-old age group," says Kreutzmann. "I was so happy to be playing to people that young, and they were digging it. For many of them, it was their first Dead concert ever. . . . It was nice to see a new young audience out there."


BOSTON GLOBE ROCK NOTES With Haynes on board, the Dead are alive and well By Steve Morse, Globe Staff \| July 30, 2004 Life is sweet at last for the Dead. "These are really good days for the Dead," says drummer Bill Kreutzmann. "I'm tempted to call our name the Grateful Living. I don't know how that would go over, but I feel like that. I'm grateful to be alive and healthy." The Dead brings its "Wave That Flag Tour" to the Tweeter Center tonight and tomorrow. The band is also ushering in a new singer/guitarist, Warren Haynes -- yes, the same tireless chap who plays in the Allman Brothers Band and Gov't Mule and Phil & Friends, a Dead spinoff group starring bassist Phil Lesh. "Warren works more than anybody I've ever seen in my life," says Kreutzmann. "He has also opened some of our shows -- and he'll open in Boston. Yet somehow, he still has enough energy to play with us." Haynes is humble about his role. "Music is very inspiring to me," he says. "The traveling is the hard part. You wish there was less of that, but you wish there was more of the music. Having the opportunity to play more music is a real positive for me." It appears to be a major plus for the Dead. "Warren has learned very quickly. He has that type of musician mind where he can hear it once and he gets it. . . . I have to hear it a few times before I get it," says Kreutzmann. "Warren plays wonderfully and listens big time and he really knows music. He's really good for us." Haynes was brought in after last summer's touring member, Joan Osborne, departed. "She wanted to get pregnant. I think that's OK to say, because it's the truth," Kreutzmann says. There's no telling how long Haynes will be in the band ("We just go in and see how this year goes -- that's as real as it can be in that moment," says Kreutzmann), but Haynes is making the most of his time. He sings a lot of Jerry Garcia's vocal parts as well as a new song, "Strange World," with lyrics penned by Dead drummer Mickey Hart. "The lyrics talk about political unrest and ecological contamination," says Haynes. "And there also are some other new songs. Me and Mickey and (Dead lyricist) Robert Hunter wrote `You Remind Me,' which is like an old R&B ballad, and there's another song that Bob Weir and I wrote called `Time Never Ends.' . . . Plus, we're digging up a lot of songs the Dead haven't played in a long time." "The new songs sound pretty funky," says Kreutzmann. "They don't sound like traditional Dead tunes at all. The grooves are a lot different. They've got more stuff in them -- more earth, you might say. And we're doing a lot of cover songs, including Van Morrison's `Into the Mystic.' " Haynes sounds like a true disciple when he praises the late Garcia's contributions to the Dead. "I loved his songwriting, and even though he was known for his guitar playing, I think his singing and guitar playing were equally important to me. It all displayed a similar vulnerability, which was so beautiful." Haynes also has the unique perspective of being able to compare the Dead to the Allman Brothers Band. The Dead and the Allmans are inextricably linked historically -- having started the jam-band movement -- though Haynes notes a crucial difference. "The ingredients are similar, but the approach to the jam is different," he says. "The Allmans are more about creating the intensity and making it happen, while the Dead are more about relaxing and waiting for the magic to happen." The magic was on display at the recent Bonnaroo Festival in Tennessee, where the Dead were acclaimed as jam heroes by a younger generation. "There were about 80,000 people there, most of them in the 18-to-25-year-old age group," says Kreutzmann. "I was so happy to be playing to people that young, and they were digging it. For many of them, it was their first Dead concert ever. . . . It was nice to see a new young audience out there."