Virtual Crate Digging In The nugs.net App – Volume 5: Warren Haynes Covers Grateful Dead

Welcome to the fifth edition of Virtual Crate Digging in the nugs.net app, where JamBase’s editorial staff goes digging through the archives of the 10,000+ shows available for streaming via the newly launched mobile application.

Late last year, nugs.net launched their first subscription streaming service. For $12.99 per month or $129.99 per year, subscribers can gain unlimited access to the nugs.net app’s catalog of live sets (and studio albums) from artists such as Widespread Panic, Umphrey’s McGee, Pearl Jam, The Black Crowes, the Disco Biscuits, moe. and Gov’t Mule. Non-subscribers may access a rotating selection of “Featured Shows” and nugs.net radio completely free. The app is available for both iOS and Android devices.

Guitarist Warren Haynes recently completed his second tour with the Ashes & Dust Band which features members of Nashville’s ChessBoxer and drummer Jeff Sipe. Warren and the band filled each night’s setlist with many covers from classic rockers in addition to a bevy of originals. So far, the ensemble has covered four Grateful Dead songs and in this edition of Virtual Crate Digging we profile stand out versions of each from Warren Haynes and the Ashes & Dust Band’s 2016 tour.

Warren Haynes is no stranger to the music of the Grateful Dead. Not only was he a member of a handful of post-Jerry Garcia versions of The Dead, but he’s also a longtime member of the Phil Lesh Quintet. The guitarist has never hidden his love and passion for the Grateful Dead and he adds so much emotion to each cover of the band’s music he plays. Sipe has been a member of Grateful Dead tribute act Jazz Is Dead and has also backed Haynes on the 2013 and 2014 Jerry Garcia Symphonic Celebration runs. The drummer will reprise his role during a series of 2016 Jerry Garcia Symphonic Celebrations.

“Crazy Fingers” – February 20 – House Of Blues – Houston, Texas

The Grateful Dead cover Haynes and the Ashes & Dust Band have performed more than any other is “Crazy Fingers.” Warren’s vocal delivery tugs at the heartstrings, while the band provides the perfect backing. Ross Holmes’ fiddle adds delicious accents and he lays down a stirring solo as part of the cover. Jeff Sipe’s strong, reggae-tinged drumming serves as the sturdy base for the ensemble’s “Crazy Fingers.” The version Warren Haynes and the Ashes & Dust Band delivered in Houston on February 20, one of seven the group has played thus far, was a spot-on rendition of the Grateful Dead classic.

“Loser” – March 5 – The Egg – Albany, New York

On September 23, Warren Haynes offered the Ashes & Dust Band debut of the beautiful Robert Hunter/Jerry Garcia ballad “Loser” as part of the group’s first run of shows together. Haynes and the band have since played “Loser” three more times, including a gorgeous take on the tune at the recent tour closer at The Egg in Albany on March 5. Warren pours his soul into the Dead cover in Albany both vocally and through his blazing guitar solo in which he utilizes an effect similar to Garcia’s famed MuTron envelope filter. “Loser” also thrives thanks to the banjo and fiddle ChessBoxer adds to the cover.

“Friend Of The Devil” – February 26 – House Of Blues – Cleveland, Ohio

Coming into the tour, “Friend Of The Devil” was the odds-on favorite for the Grateful Dead cover Warren Haynes and the Ashes & Dust Band would perform. The song was just made for the strings ChessBoxer provides and Haynes has always done an admirable job singing “FOTD.” What has been a surprise is the lack of frequency in which the American Beauty classic has turned up. Haynes and his band debuted “Friend Of The Devil” at The Pageant in St. Louis on September 25, 2015. It has since only surfaced one other time, on February 26 at the Cleveland House Of Blues. Matt Menefee’s banjo work shines, while Holmes fits his fiddle into just the right spots. The best part of the cover is towards the end, when Menefee, Haynes and Holmes all solo at the same time. You’d expect three musicians soloing at the same time to turn into a trainwreck, but the blended sounds fit incredibly well together.

“Candyman” – March 3 – Penn’s Peak – Jim Thorpe, Pennsylvania

Warren Haynes and the Ashes & Dust Band waited more than 40 shows before finally unveiling their cover of the Hunter/Garcia ballad “Candyman” at Penn’s Peak in Jim Thorpe, Pennsylvania on March 3. The members of ChessBoxer show off their impressive backing vocal skills to give a lift to Warren’s lead vocals and the rhythm section anchors the cover nicely. Menefee broke out his mandolin for the stirring “Candyman,” while Warren delivers a short-but-sweet guitar solo before the cover’s rousing conclusion.