Gratefulfest Part II

Peter Rowan
photo by: David Gans
www.dgans.com

The band Greyspoke started the festivities on Saturday.  Lead by Rob Eaton Jr. (son of DSO’s Rob Eaton Sr) on lead guitar, the band ran into some member troubles before the show even started.  All but two members of the band were able to make it but as we’ve come to know in the Grateful Dead community, one person’s problems become everybody’s solution.  With a plethora of talented musicians willing to help, a plan was quickly devised that saw Eaton Jr and bassist Rudy Kiburis joined on stage by Eaton’s dad, Rob Sr. on rhythm guitar and vocals, DSO’s Lisa MacKay on backup vocals, DSO’s Rob Barraco on keys and Barraco’s son, Rob Barraco Jr. on drums.  The band lead the crowd along one of the musical highlights of the day with the band jamming ABB’s “Dreams” and Eaton Sr leading Marty Robin’s “Big Iron”.  Talking with Eaton Jr after the show he agreed that sometimes, in the face of adversity, opportunity will arise, “It was my first time playing with my dad in a setting like this.  It’s something I’ve always wanted.  I’ve sat in with DSO a couple of times and played around the fire but nothing like this.  It was really a special thing.”

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Grateful Fest: Part I

JGB Band with Melvin Seals

Review and Photos By: Blair Babcock

Nelson Ledges
Fri. July 2, 2010 - Mon. July 5, 2010

read part II here

[editors note: With work in redesigning jambands.ca along with the coverage of Ottawa Bluesfest, this Grateful Fest review got lost in post produciton edit.  It has been faithfully remastered and restored in beautiful 1080p for your viewing pleasure.  Part II to follow...]

Canada Day started off with the normal excitement one works up when one knows their next 4 days will be filled with the sounds dearest to our hearts.  Sounds filled with warm tonality.  Sounds that take you on a journey in and through time.  Sounds of laughter and reminiscing.  Sounds of new voices that become familiar and familiar voices that never grow old.  Sounds that are home to some of us and, for others, sounds that are our home away from home.  

     We arrived Grateful Fest (Nelson Ledges Quarry Park, Garrettsville, OH) on Thursday evening to a community of brothers and sisters bound together by the soundtrack of the of our lives – the Grateful Dead. As we approached the gates, the energy in the air was palpable.  Even the tension from the ridiculous wait at the border melted away as an assembly of smiles, dreadlocks, patchwork pants and patchouli drifted by.   We went and set up camp and enjoyed the shade provided by the surrounding trees and friendly faces. After a while we went for a walk down Shakedown Street.  A number of vendors were set up with everything from engrained art to homemade clothing to paintings to beautifully handcrafted carvings to Dead-inspired tiling to music photographs to a build-your-own-hand-drum stand present.  Shakedown sucked us into its vortex and when it spit us out we found ourselves directly in front of the main stage with the quarry and beach only a coupled hundred feet away and the second stage only a hundred feet or so behind us.  A serene setting for a weekend of peace and harmony…….life seemed pretty good!  If one was so inclined, floating in the quarry while taking in all the weekend’s festivities and music was an achievable goal!

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