October 22, 2009

New York Historical Society party

Last night's benefit fundraiser for the upcoming exhibit of Grateful Dead Archive material at the New York Historical Society was a big success. Loads of people attended and lots of music happened. Read more and see some early photos of the event at:
http://rismedia.com/2009-10-22/real-estate-leaders-jam-with-grateful-dead%E2%80%99s-bob-weir-and-phil-lesh-at-benefit-for-band%E2%80%99s-archive-exhibition-at-new-york-historical-society/

October 19, 2009

Mouse full circle

Currently showing at the Marin Museum of Contemporary Art is: The Evolution of Stanley Mouse: Full Circle.
Mouse is of course, responsible for many of the most iconic imagery affiliated with the Grateful Dead and his album covers and posters for other bands such as the Beatles are legendary. To see more of his fine art, rock art, and monster art go to his web site at http://www.mousestudios.com/rockart_rock.htmAnd make sure to see his exhibit at MarinMOCA; it's up through November 1st and is free to the public.

Live from New York it's ....

The intersection of Fifth Ave and West 34th Street in New York City has never looked so good. Check out this tie-dye on one of the seven wonders of the modern world:

http://www.flickr.com/search/?w=all&q=empire+state+building+tie+dye&m=text

October 18, 2009

Tie Dye Sky

Tie dye will soar more than a quarter mile into the atmosphere above the heart of Manhattan as New York celebrates the Grateful Dead. The Empire State Building is being colorfully lit in honor of band member's appearances this coming week in the Big Apple. Bob Weir & RatDog will be at the Grand Ballroom on the 19th and 20th and at the Beacon Theatre from the 22nd to the 24th.
Both Bob Weir and Phil Lesh are making guest appearances at the New York Historical Society's benefit for the exhibition: The Grateful Dead: Now Playing at the New York Historical Society. This exhibit will premier material from UCSC's Grateful Dead Archive in Spring 2010. See more about this exhibition in the "News" section of our web page: www.gratefuldeadarchive.org.

Most popular music in the land

It seems like there are an awful lot of "forty year old" events to commemorate this year -- events that reflected social conflict and contention and often put a spotlight on the difference between generations. Forty years ago Apollo 11 landed on the moon and the Stonewall riots took place in New York; there was Woodstock and then Altamont; the My Lai massacre and the march on Washington against the Vietnam War. The last public performance of the Beatles took place on the roof of Apple Records in 1969, and John & Yoko got married that year and the bed-ins for peace happened.
Now in 2009 Paul Taylor and Richard Morin at the Pew Research Center in a Social & Demographic Trends Report have released the results of a study, which documents that there are still big differences between younger and older adults in their values, use of technology, work ethic, and respect and tolerance for others. (79% of Americans say there is a major difference in the point of view of younger and older adults.) There is, however, one area where the generation gap does not seem to be apparent: music. And surprise, two thirds of respondents to the Pew survey say they most often listen to rock music, placing it ahead of six other genres. For every age group below 65 rock is at the top of the charts. Taylor and Morin compare these results to a 1966 national survey where rock and roll was by far the most unpopular music in the county, and 44% of adults said they disliked it.
The entire report is released at the Pew Research Center's site, and it is quite revealing to see which performers sustain popularity. (The Grateful Dead really hold their own.) See: http://pewsocialtrends.org/pubs/739/woodstock-gentler-generation-gap-music-by-age