Dead & Company’s Jeff Chimenti Appears On ‘Comes A Time’ Podcast

Dead & Company keyboardist Jeff Chimenti appeared on JamBase partner Osiris Media’s Comes A Time podcast. Co-hosts Oteil Burbridge and Mike Finoia chatted with Chimenti about his favorite thing besides music, golf, as well as Bob Weir’s recent livestreams and more.

Oteil kicked off the conversation by greeting his Dead & Co bandmate, and some hair fashion banter ensued. Oteil then asked Jeff about his early music experiences. “Just starting by ear … my earliest conscious memories I was about four … I was brought up in a Catholic household so I was drug to church. Then when I came back I would hear the organist and I would go home and just mimic what I heard the organist play,” the keyboardist said. Chimenti then talked about his sister bringing him an Elton John book and starting to take formal lessons when he was seven, learning both classical and rock ‘n’ roll as well as Ragtime music.

Jeff also fielded a question from Oteil about his first experience with Kofi Burbridge. “Early on he was with RatDog and Derek Trucks,” Chimenti recalled. “I remember seeing Kofi play and I was like ‘oh my god, I gotta be like this guy.’” The band mates went on to trade family stories and also discussed Grateful Dead ballads. Finoia also asked Chimenti about his origins with the Grateful Dead family.

Additionally, Mike addressed Bob Weir’s recent livestreams with the Wolf Pack string and horn ensemble and how it changes some of the classic Dead tunes. “Constantly since I’ve known him, he’s always trying to push the envelope, push stuff forward,” Chimenti said in regards to Weir. “Sometimes it may sound like a crazy idea, but there’s always a method to the madness.” Jeff also extrapolated on the evolution of the songs. Oteil tied it all together with a conversation about taking risks and uses an apt analogy for Jeff, “sometimes it’s a hole in one.”

It’s a fascinating conversation. Wath the entire Comes A Time podcast with Jeff Chimenti below: