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After entering his sixth decade of performing live, one would be inclined to think that David Grisman has grown weary of life on the road. But rather than growing stale, Grisman and company have aged like a fine wine. The current crew has remained the same for the past eight years, and has found a balance that eludes many other bands today.
In vintage DGQ fashion, the band began the show with Jim Kerwin alone onstage, plucking notes off the upright bass. Kerwin is the most senior member of the band, having been with the quintet since 1985. Grisman’s appreciation of him was evident after their first jam session together, after which he told Kerwin he was welcome to stay with DGQ for “as long as you want.”
Kerwin got the party started a bit after 8:30 with a delightful solo, and was next accompanied by percussionist/violinist extraordinaire Joe Craven. Craven is an incredible talent, and brings a certain flare to the quintet with his light-hearted antics onstage. Early on, the duo set the mood for the evening with tongue-in-cheek jams of “Wipeout” and “The Pink Panther” theme during the opening tune. Backstage, the band was loving every bit of it. Minutes before appearing onstage, Enrique Coria was already jamming backstage to what Craven and Kerwin were performing fifty feet away - making a seamless transition onstage.
Matt Eakle was so geeked out by the time he made his way into the fray, he could barely contain his excitement, grinning from ear to ear. His soloing was the least inspired initially, but he more than made up for it as the night progressed. Last up to the plate was the obvious crowd-favorite David Grisman, by which time the band had gelled together perfectly.
After the standard greeting to the Boulder audience, Grisman dipped into the archives and pulled out a nice version of “Telluride,” a tune that received its namesake from the annual bluegrass festival in Colorado. “Dawg Nation” followed suit, and Joe Craven emerged with a number of notable percussive endeavors, leading Grisman to note that Craven “can play anything: jugs, hubcaps, hotel walls, you name it!” Grisman then came out with a blast from the past, with a song he sent “out to Jerry Garcia.” The band launched into “16-16,” a centerpiece off Grisman’s 1977 album that forged the beginnings of what became known as “Dawg Music.” The set ended with what Grisman termed a “rather frivolous, but fun tune called ‘Bluegrass at the Beach,’ which is more beach than bluegrass.” The song proved to be much more fun than it was frivolous, and the band left the stage jubilant, exchanging high-fives as they made their way backstage for the setbreak.
After a forty minute break, Grisman made his way back onstage with coffee in hand. Whereas the first set offered a number of great songs that were peppered with stage banter, the second set proved to be the true musical masterpiece of the evening as the band was firing on all cylinders and had a number of inspired jams. Grisman was visibly enjoying himself, bobbing his bushy gray hair to the extent that it was becoming a fire hazard. Feeling more confident, the band next ventured into a few covers of their favorite artists. One highlight was a gorgeous performance of an old Django Reinhardt song, one of the melodic gems of the evening.
The band exited the stage for a quick breather, as Enrique Coria serenaded the crowd with his robust flavor on acoustic guitar. In the words of David Grisman, “No bedroom is complete without a copy of Enrique’s CD!” The band eventually made its way back onstage for a few more numbers before closing the set with a complex tune written by “a rabbi from Brooklyn at the turn of the century.” The crowd gave them plenty of love as they exited the stage at the end of the second set around 11:30.
The audience was worked into a frenzy as the band reappeared for the encore. Grisman’s reaction was classic: “Geez. You know, that’s really unnecessary… we were going to come back out anyway!” He thanked the crowd for its attentiveness throughout the night, and the band started off with an extended jam that brilliantly segued into “Shady Grove,” the title track from Grisman’s most widely-recognized work with Jerry Garcia. “Shady Grove” featured the only vocals of the evening, as Grisman sang the opening two verses of the tune. The band then proceeded with a complete deconstruction of the song, until only vestiges remained. Starting from scratch, they rebuilt the rhythmic progression until climaxing with a return to the hook of the song. For many, the encore stood out in a night that had a number of highlights. The band seems to be having the time of their lives, and it becomes evident as their instrumental conversations have grown better with the passage of time.
Scheduled DGQ tour dates for 2003:
6.01 | Asbury Park, NJ
6.20 | Escondido, CA
6.21 | San Rafael, CA
7.13 | Mariaville, NY
7.17 | Salt Lake City, UT
7.19 | Charleston, WV
7.20 | Lexington, VA
7.22 | Alexandria, VA
7.24 | Charlotte, NC
7.26 | Lyons, CO
8.02 | East Hartford, CT
8.09 | Bear Valley, CA
8.15 | Greensboro, NC
8.16 | Floyd, VA
8.30 | Bayfield, WI
9.06 | Big Sky, MT
9.07 | Missoula, MT
8.23 | Bellvue, CO
8.24 | Bellvue, CO
9.20 | Reno, NV
9.27 | Harrodsburg, KY
10.03 | Carmel, CA
Words by: Nathan Rodriguez
Photos by: Tony Stack
JamBase | Colorado
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