Phil Lesh Imitates Pigpen & Enlists North Mississippi Allstars On ‘Darkstarathon’ Episode 6

Phil Lesh‘s Terrapin Clubhouse YouTube has been a source not only of fantastic music from Phil Lesh & Friends but also for amazing insights from the Grateful Dead bassist. The most recent example can be found in the latest installment of the Darkstarathon video series.

Darkstarathon Episode 6 is the first Terrapin Clubhouse video to feature North Mississippi Allstars guitarist Luther Dickinson and drummer Cody Dickinson. The siblings and longtime participants in Phil Lesh & Friends were joined for the performance by the bassist, his son guitarist Grahame Lesh as well as keyboardist Holly Bowling, vocalist Elliott Peck and guitarist Stu Allen.

Phil and the members of his band discuss how the Grateful Dead would collaborate on writing songs in the late 1960s and shared credit. “Dark Star” is one of them as are “The Other One,” “St. Stephen” and “The Eleven.” The bassist told his bandmates Jerry would bring in a fragment that the rest of the Dead developed. “That was really some of the most fun ever,” Phil exclaimed. “Sometimes you have pieces from two of three different jams that create the form for a whole other thing,” the 84-year-old legend said of an approach groups that have followed such as Umphrey’s McGee went on to utilize.

Cody and Luther spoke about the influence of the Ron “Pigpen” McKernan era of the Grateful Dead and the connection to his late father famed producer Jim Dickinson. Luther brought up McKernan’s penchant for improvised raps and Phil imitated the founding Grateful Dead keyboardist by spouting one of his signature lines, “Get your hands out of your pockets!” Phil added he was still creeped out by the Farfisa organ Pigpen would play.

Lesh first explained the Darkstarathon concept back in November. “I will be collaborating with many musical friends to create a ‘Dark Star’ that pauses but never ends,” Phil noted. “Each band will pick up where the last band left off and it will be a living breathing infinite piece of music. If you’re as crazy about this sort of thing as I am, please subscribe to the channel and join us on this journey. I promise to make it weird.”

The ensemble started the jam with a flowing improvisation featuring hints of “Dark Star.” Phil Lesh & Friends eventually found their way into a swampy version of the jug band classic “Viola Lee Blues.” The ensuing improvisation was long and expansive before landing on a Grahame-helmed “China Doll.” Stu Allen strung together one Jerry-inspired lick after another in the ballad with Luther, Holly and Grahame inserting inspired melodies into the mix.

Phil said he wanted to play the blues standard “Smokestack Lightning” with the band before the performance started. Lesh’s friends complied out of the memorable “China Doll” with Luther on lead vocals. Fittingly, after Phil’s Pigpen imitation earlier in the video, the session continues with a “Turn On Your Lovelight” sung by Peck and featuring a “Jessica” jam initiated by Grahame Lesh. The band threw in a Cody-fronted “Deep Elem Blues” for good measure and returns to a space as the infinite “Dark Star” will pick up in the next Darkstarathon video.

Watch Phil Lesh & Friends’ newest Darkstarathon video below: