After taking their final bow in 2004, the members of Phish walked off of the stage not knowing what the future would hold. Each member explored new musical outlets, saw more family time and generally just decompressed from the mighty weight of a huge organization and a mass following. Shortly after the group’s high profile reunion shows in Virginia this winter, Executive Editor Dean Budnick went behind the scenes with Phish bassist Mike Gordon to find out what the future holds for Vermont’s most famous quartet. 

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Exclusive: 40 years of the Allman Brothers Band

The Allman Brothers Band has survived devastating losses, weathered addiction and overcome personal strife to emerge as one of the country's most enduring live acts. On the occasion of the group's 40th anniversary at the Beacon Theatre, we look back on four decades of music with founding members Gregg Allman, Butch Trucks and Jaimoe, as well as latter day Brothers like Warren Haynes, Chuck Leavell, Derek Trucks and Oteil Burbridge. Elsewhere, we explore Duane Allman's continued influence on popular music, go inside the group's famed Big House with tour mystic Kirk West, look back on the hit-making days, dust off the lost years, and hear from longtime friends like Dr. John, John Hammond, Boz Scaggs and many, many more.

Want to read more? There are three ways to get the goods:

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AFTER NEARLY 5 YEARS OF EXPLORING THEIR INDIVIDUAL MUSICAL ENDEAVORS, THE REMAINING 4 MEMBERS OF THE GRATEFUL DEAD REUNITE TO ONCE AGAIN LET THE MUSIC PLAY. 

The Grateful Dead are back, in a new iteration— call it Dead 3.0. The surviving core members— guitarist Bob Weir, bassist Phil Lesh and drummers Bill Kreutzmann and Mickey Hart— formally retired the Grateful Dead moniker when guitarist Jerry Garcia died in 1995. But in the years since, they’ve played sporadically in various permutations, as The Other Ones, The Dead, and even Deadheads for Obama.

Dead 3.0 is a decentralized world, a social network. They’ve dismantled the family business and farmed out the work on all vault releases to L.A.-based Rhino Records. A vast constellation of peers and musical offspring reinterprets the music, sometimes linking with the core members to reinform their arrangements and understanding. We’ve seen Dead bluegrass, Dead jazz, straight Dead tributes and even a Grateful Dead Symphony. A whole improvisational rock sub-genre sprouted over the last 14 years from the Dead’s mushroom spore — and it, too, has grown, collapsed and sent out new shoots. Now, The Dead has stripped down the lineup, returning to form to tour for the first time in almost five years. Joining Weir, Lesh, Kreutzman and Hart are Warren Haynes on guitar and Jeff Chimenti on keyboards.

Relix asked three like-minded musicians —DAVE SCHOOLS from Widespread Panic, KELLER WILLIAMS and BILLY MARTIN from Medeski Martin and Wood — to interview the individual members for a deep understanding of what this new tour means.

Want to read more? There are three ways to get the goods: 1) Pick up a copy of the February/March issue of Relix magazine with THE DEAD on the cover at a newsstand near you; 2) subscribe to Relix by clicking HERE ; OR 3) get a lifetime digital subscription to Relix for FREE!  All you have to do is go to www.relix.com/digital and register. 

Photo Neal Casal

 
The restless wunderkind sheds a storied solo career to become part of a band, The Cardinals

JUST SHY OF AN HOUR BEFORE I’M SUPPOSED TO INTERVIEW RYAN ADAMS, I get a text from his tour manager: “Can we make it closer to five? They’re going to swing by a guitar shop.” Swing by a guitar shop. Right. Even the layperson knows that musicians don’t just “swing by” guitar shops. Rerouting myself to catch them, like kids in a candy shop, I come to find this is no ordinary guitar store, either. This is the HOG.

The House of Guitars in Rochester, New York has been a beacon to any musician worth his or her salt since it was founded in 1964. Adams and his Cardinals are no exception, as guitarist/second vocalist Neal Casal and pedal steel player Jon Graboff trickle in before him, gazing upon the guitars three high throughout the store.

Adams quickly snaps up a Kramer guitar, most likely from the early to mid ‘70s that he likens to those made by Doug Irwin for Jerry Garcia. He also snags a late ‘60s Ampeg scroll bass, the kind that Rick Danko played in The Band. As he makes his way back toward the front of the store after giving each a test run, he stops in his tracks with one of the store clerks.

Want to read more? There are three ways to get the goods: 1) Pick up a copy of the December/January issue of Relix magazine with RYAN ADAMS & THE CARDINALS on the cover at a newsstand near you; 2) subscribe to Relix by clicking HERE ; OR 3) get a lifetime digital subscription to Relix for FREE!  All you have to do is go to www.relix.com/digital and register.