Interview: Meet Brown Eyed Women – An All-Female Grateful Dead Tribute Band

Brown Eyed Women are breaking new ground, billing themselves as “the world’s only all-female Grateful Dead tribute ensemble.” With outstanding musicianship, Brown Eyed Women deliver emotional and dynamic performances, with a serious attention to authentic tone and detail, offering a fresh and exciting female perspective on the Grateful Dead’s catalog.

Brown Eyed Women debuted in 2019 with a sold-out show in Florida. The band was inspired by a discussion on the radio show Tales From the Golden Road, when host David Gans highlighted female musicians who played Grateful Dead music. This sparked the formation of the band, which consists of Jill Simmons on lead vocals, Joni Bottari on lead guitar, Dana Carroll on bass, Caroline Killoh on keyboards and Denise Parent on drums.

“An all-female Grateful Dead band? Hell yes! And this is no novelty act: They’re all first-rate musicians who formed a strong musical alliance and hit the road running. An outstanding addition to this burgeoning musical community.” – David Gans

Bottari grew up on the Jersey Shore, where her love for the Grateful Dead began, and she currently leads the tribute band Spiral Light. Carroll, originally from Philly and now living in coastal New Jersey, has been playing bass since age 12, performing with many notable musicians and currently in the Lovelight Band. Killoh is dedicated to playing Grateful Dead music, having performed with various artists and tribute bands like Fennario and Don’t Let Go. Parent lives in Woodstock, New York, plays with The Deadbeats, and leads her own band, Rock City Junction. Simmons has a diverse singing career, finding her niche in the Grateful Dead scene with Pittsburgh’s theCAUSE in 2008.

Drawn from across the United States, the band members met in person for the first time just one day before their debut show. The band rehearsed for eight hours before taking the stage, immediately showcasing their undeniable chemistry. Brown Eyed Women have gone on to regularly perform shows celebrating the music of the Grateful Dead.

JamBase reached out to the members of Brown Eyed Women to discuss their journey, the inspiration behind their music, and what fans can expect from their shows.

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For those who may be new to Brown Eyed Women, what’s your background? How did the band come together?

Joni Bottari: In 2018, a caller to David Gans and Gary Lambert’s radio program Tales From the Golden Road questioned David as to whether there were female performers of Grateful Dead music. David responded that he knew of a few, and named myself as a lead guitarist and Denise Parent as a drummer and vocalist. Denise and I are avid listeners to David’s program and we made contact. Through our contact, we discussed other women we knew who also performed with Grateful Dead bands in the other roles of bass, keys and vocals.

I had been acquainted with the others, and Denise made contact with them via social media to see if there was interest, which there was indeed! We all communicated for a few months and ultimately all met for the first time at a marathon rehearsal in Florida, the day before our first tour. We are thankful for David’s role in introducing us and keeping the scene alive.

Was the intent always to form an all-female Dead tribute band?

Joni: Yes! Once Denise and I realized that we had all we needed to move forward, even though each of us lived in a different state, we knew we would find a way to make it work! We are all grateful to be a part of what is the first all-female tribute to the music of the Grateful Dead.

Missing Jerry!

What does it mean to be part of the first all-female band honoring the Grateful Dead?

Caroline Killoh: it’s an incredible honor, and I’m so happy to be a part of it. We’ve had the opportunity to meet some of those most influential people in the Grateful Dead community as a result of this project, we’ve seen really special places while touring, and we’ve all had instances of other women (and some men too!) stating just how important it is to them that this project exists, which is so amazing to hear.

Many different approaches to the Grateful Dead’s music have taken hold over the years, how would you describe Brown Eyed Women’s interpretation?

Dana Carroll: I would describe our interpretation as a fresh sound, combining a new vocal approach with a smooth and solid musical journey. I don’t believe we ever set out to conform to any particular style, our style is the result of just seeing what happens between us and allowing our chemistry to call the shots as we go. It is always exciting that these songs lend themselves so well to such a variety of flavors as we find in the tribute ventures.

Does being an all-female group impact your collective approach to the Dead’s music?

Dana: Each of us has performed for many years in more “traditional” style Grateful Dead tribute projects. I feel that our collective approach to the music as an all-female project is similar to that of any other venture, although our result is different and unique to us. I believe we approach the songs head-on, with the passion, energy, and emotion that the music commands.

Given the band members’ familiarity with the music of the Grateful Dead, was there an immediate chemistry when you first started? What’s the band’s approach to creating setlists for shows? Do you have a preferred era of the Grateful Dead?

Denise Parent: Brown Eyed Women’s first rehearsal was electrifying. You could feel the excitement from every one of us. Even though we all play in our own Dead bands in our home states, this was new to us. Having a woman in a band is one thing. Having a band full of women is another. We already knew we each had a deep appreciation for the songs and we all were well versed with the catalog of music.

When we started to play that first song together, our passion for the music transformed the songs into something a little different. As we continued through that rehearsal we noticed that our connection and unique energy made it special in ways we hadn’t experienced before. Since then, we have continued to flourish in surprising ways. We do know this is different than our other Dead bands and it’s not something we take for granted. As we grow together over the years, we discover even more musical moments of magic.

We play songs from all the eras of the Grateful Dead. Each singer and soloist pays tribute in her own way, and every band member puts her own touch on things. Of course paying tribute is what we are about. These songs are the soundtrack of our lives.

When we write setlists, we use the template that the Dead used in the late ‘70s through the ‘90s. They alternated back and forth between Jerry [Garcia] and Bobby [Weir] singing lead, with a nice speckling of songs by Phil [Lesh] and Brent [Mydland]. They showcased their harmonies. They warmed up and then they got going. They had many danceable moments and they had moments where you rocked and swayed, holding your heart or the person next to you. After all the years The Dead wrote setlists, they figured out what worked and they built on that.

In our setlists, we get the benefit all of their knowledge and experience. We get to play some ‘70s style ballads, which draws on the sweet harmonies of Bobby and Donna [Godchaux]. We also get to rap on some ‘60s Pigpen [Ron McKernan], and yet we sing it with a woman’s perspective. We can pay tribute to all eras of Jerry and dive into his ocean of guitar tones. We can kick it with his bluegrass ditties and slow it down to soothe your soul. We weave the drums and bass together as the foundation of the powerful rhythm of the Grateful Dead.

There are those moments during shows where we all get swept away by the patterns and pulses, and those poignant and personal messages. We feel the lovelight of the Grateful Dead. We want to play shows that leave you feeling the way you felt when you walked out of a Dead show — with a smile on your face, and the feeling of being part of something good.

Have you learned anything new about the Dead’s music from playing in Brown Eyed Women?

Denise: Much like your favorite piece of art that hangs on a wall in your house, some days you see something new in it. Somedays you catch a glimpse of something you may have not seen before. There is always something new to hear when listening to an old Dead song, or even playing one we’ve played for years. It happens when we hear a new Dead & Company version of an old Dead song. Phil’s take on things with any one his latest configurations; each has something different about it. The music is still evolving.

Playing the music of the Grateful Dead means playing off the moment. It means coming together to create a tapestry of music. It means taking things in and sitting with it for a moment. Parts and pieces flow in and out of each other. The tempo of one song might be faster one day and that might lead us to experiment with a new bassline and kick drum connection. A slower version might allow the soloist to hold the note a little longer, emoting even more of that soulful feeling. At our five year mark, we are still figuring out how best to support each other. We are still learning to see things with a fresh perspective, all while capturing the elements that make the song special.

Do you have a favorite Grateful Dead song to perform? What makes it special to you?

Jill Simmons: this is such a hard question to answer, because there are so many favorites. When singing with Brown Eyed Women, “Morning Dew” really stands out because it’s not a song I do with my band (theCAUSE) and because it’s such a heartbreakingly beautiful Jerry ballad. I have to work hard to live up to the emotion that Jerry puts into that song. When we nail it as a band, it’s incredibly special.

After one of our shows, a self-described “old Deadhead” said to me, “I saw Jerry hundreds of times and yours was the best ‘Morning Dew’ ever.” He blew me away, and that compliment will stay with me forever.

Has the response from Deadheads who see your shows been positive? Has the band encountered any negativity or pushback for being all-female?

Caroline: generally, our response has been overwhelmingly positive! Some feedback we often hear is that people were pleasantly surprised at how much they enjoyed the show. So that makes you sort of assume maybe their expectations were lower going into the situation … we’re not sure why that is, but generally after people have seen our live performance, they only have great things to say! Also musicians in the Grateful Dead scene seem to be extremely supportive of our project as well.

Other than the Grateful Dead are there other musicians or bands who you draw inspiration from?

Jill: there are so many for me! Before getting on the bus, I was a blues and jazz singer, and I studied the greats: Bonnie Raitt, Ella Fitzgerald, Susan Tedeschi, Eva Cassidy, Aretha Franklin. I admire musicians who are experts at delivering an emotion and groove with a song.

In the last few years, I’ve gotten hooked on Eric Krasno and Lettuce, Anders Osborne, The California Honeydrops, and, in my opinion, two of the best singers on the scene right now, Kanika Moore and Jennifer Hartswick. I get chills just thinking about their vocals.

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Catch Brown Eyed Women in concert at an upcoming show or festival appearance. Visit their website for more about the band and view their tour dates below.

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