Live and Local: Jimmy P, and other local doings

So I have seen the Grateful Dead more often than any other live act. That’s not to say the Grateful Dead is my favorite band of all time (I like them quite a bit, but they’re not), nor even my favorite concert that I’ve seen (some of the Dead shows I’ve been to are up there, but I’d have to give that nod to Tom Petty, honorable mention to the Stones and Bowie). But I do really love listening to the Dead, and I have a few of the old “bootlegs” that got famous in the early 80s, where some fans openly recorded their shows and they more or less looked the other way.

The Dead’s music is like Guiness Stout to me. It’s not my overall favorite, but if it’s offered to me, I’ll almost always take it. Guinness isn’t my favorite beer…it’s not even my favorite stout. But…for example, if I’m at a bar and they have a really shitty beer selection, I will almost always land on a Guinness. Firstly, because you can almost always get one, secondly because it’s good. It’s not great…I never say “Holy shit, after all the shit I just dealt with, one thing for sure is I need me a Guinness”.  But it’s good, and it’s been doing it for ages, and if you get Anne to pour you one at the GO, you’ll never be sorry.

That’s how I feel about the Dead. And, now that I think about it, Led Zeppelin, too. I think it’s because I listened to their stuff just so much when I was younger, now it’s like I don’t even really hear it any more. It just clicks something in my brain that’s positive.

I mention all of this because Jimmy is playing on the square next month with Brahman Noodles. I’ve heard a lot of people play dead songs…and The Noodles are the magic, for sure. Jimmy sings and plays like Jerry, has that aggressive, percussive attack along with the smooth melodic lines and phrases. You just get lost in it, and it’s been quite a while since I’ve seen them play in town.

Used to be, Brahman Noodles didn’t play in Gettysburg a lot, but you could catch Jimmy solo (which is worth finding if and when you can and I wish he’d do it more often). Jimmy is also an incredibly nice guy. They kind of nice guy that makes me reflect upon what an asshole you actually can be by comparison.

I’ll write in more detail about Brahman Noodles after I see them again. My lovely companion doesn’t much like the Dead. Or Dylan, for that matter. I have a good friend who is a long-time singer and performer (he used to do an incredible Jimmy Durante act about 10 years ago, but covid happened and he kind of retired). He can’t stand the Dead.

One time, I was at a cigar store with him and a bunch of guys, talking about the Dead to one of the other patrons who was more receptive, when Joe had had enough.

“You know why I don’t like those assholes? I’ve played some of their shit in bands before, but you know what? Every goddamn one of their songs, when you listen to it, all the vocals are half a step flat! Even when they harmonize, they’re a half step flat off the music. I don’t know how you can listen to that shit, it makes my teeth ache!”

We were all quite taken aback by this outburst, and there was a moment of silence. Then, because I’m something of an asshole (as mentioned above), I broke the silence to say...”Even the later stuff, like Touch of Gray?”… which, or course set him off again, whereupon he proceeded to tell us how much the Eagles also suck, and not to even get him started on U2.  

Now, before you local musicians start making a point of adding Eagles songs to your sets to annoy me, I have to clarify that these are the opinions of a third party, and may or may not reflect the opinions of The Flatted Fifth and its affiliates.

I never saw much of the related acts, like Jerry Garcia Band, or Bobby and the Midnights… never even got out to see Dead and co. I went to a couple of Phish shows, but I have to say, they did nothing for me. One side note is there was a group about 10 years ago that took Dead songs and basically recomposed them as jazz tunes, called Jazz is Dead. I never saw them live but I really love that album. You should check it out.

Stable Shakers does a dead show some times, and that is certified banging, no question. Everything they do is. But I have to say, I am looking forward to throwing on my tie-dye Noodles t shirt and catching them on the square. It’s been too long, and I’ll write more specifically about them after I see them.

In other local news, Morris is showing up on the square this week w/ Bad Naked, first time in a while. At his request, I’ve loaned him a guitar with single coil pickups…we will see if it burns his fingers to play it, like a vampire with a cross.

Also, I should mention Guernsey Beat Rocks is coming up next month, so gird your loins for that one. Tons of music, hopefully raising tons of money for the kids. Get your asses out there to catch as many acts as possible. Buy merch! Throw cash in the buckets! It’s a great cause, and it’s also a great thing for local music, giving you a chance to see a bunch of acts that you’ll probably want to see again.

Thanks to Rob/Ben/Deano, the Guernsey Beat Mafia, for pulling this off again, aligned with the Saintly Mike Calandrelle of Gettysburg Rocks fame. You see any of them out, buy them a beer.

Shout out to Jenni Joy, who is competing and has made it through a few rounds of an a cappella contest in Chambersburg, and is likely to crush it like a grape.

It also occurs to me that I may have misspoken before… I said I had seen the Dead more times than any other live act, but I realize now, that is no longer true. I’m pretty sure that title now belongs to Neil and Shannon.

Jerry would be pleased.

Belated Happy Fourth. Mine eyes have seen the Glory, y’all.