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The Rebirth Of Phil Lesh (Relix Revisited)

It was at the PhilHarmonia that the seeds were planted for the undertaking of the reunion of three of the surviving members of the Grateful Dead in a band that would be called The Other Ones. The following May, when the tour was announced, press releases stated that the group would include guitarist Stan Franks. Then, at the very last minute, Franks was dismissed, leaving the band to rehearse guitarists up until two weeks before the actual Furthur Festival tour.

Lesh explained the behind-the-scenes activity leading up to the tour. “When we were first discussing it, I was invited the night of the PhilHarmonia, as a matter of fact,” he admitted. “Those guys said, ‘Why don’t you come out with us next summer?’ My response was essentially, ‘I’d love to play with you guys, but let’s make a band out of it instead of having some forty-five minute jam at the end of seven hours of music, with you know, four or five warm up bands.’ I guess that they eventually agreed that that was okay, and we started talking about who was going to be part of it, and Stan was brought up. Bobby actually suggested Stan, since Bobby and I had both played with him on a David Murray gig at The Fillmore.”

Clearly it was a memorable gig for Lesh. “It was kind of funny,” he continued, “because Stan, Bobby and I were all on one side of the stage and the whole band was supposedly playing ‘Dark Star.’ We were on one half of the stage sort of playing ‘Dark Star,’ and then there was David and the other three horn players he’s got and his rhythm section there on the other side of the stage sort of playing what they played. I’ve never heard any tapes of it, but it was kind of amusing to perceive it. There were two different approaches to ‘Dark Star’ that never really quite blended. Bobby and I were both impressed by what Stan was doing that night, and it really fit in so we thought that he would be ideal for this because he’s nothing like Jerry. Nothing like Jerry at all. And he’s a fine musician. I made him the cornerstone of all my Phil and Friends gigs before the rehearsals started for the tour. But for some reason, I still don’t understand to this day, it just wasn’t working out. So, when we started rehearsals for the real thing, for The Other Ones, it became really apparent that Stan didn’t quite fit in.”

When it was suggested that the focus of a band playing the music of the Grateful Dead would need to be its lead guitar player and that Franks wasn’t a “step-out” player, Lesh readily agreed. “Not in that context,” he said, adding, “I’m sure he is in any other context, and we had to have that. We really couldn’t go on tour with just Bruce and Dave Ellis playing the leads. So, eventually we ended up with Mark (Karan) and Steve (Kimock). Mark had a certain sensibility, which was really a complement to Steve.”

Karan was originally tapped as the sole guitarist, while at the same time, local music fans touted Steve Kimock as the man for the job. Ironically, when Kimock first auditioned for the gig, he didn’t get called back immediately. It was evident, though, that Kimock had impressed Lesh. “I’d heard of him for a while, and I didn’t know what to think because everything that I heard about him was that he was pretty much following in Jerry’s footsteps, and all that,” recalled Lesh. “But then I started listening to some Zero tapes and some tapes of his band when they first started out—KVHW—and the more I listened, the more blown away I was, and the more I realized that here’s a guy that may have the same spirit that Jerry had, but he didn’t sound like him at all. I mean, Jerry would have loved to be able to do some of the things that Steve does, that just flow out of him. I’ve heard things that Steve does that I never dreamed could come out of a guitar. I mean, it’s just like a waterfall, almost like Coltrane shoots his sound. It’s really amazing. Once I got to that point, I was saying, ‘Oh man, I’ve got to play with this guy,’ (laughing), ‘I have to play with this guy.’”

Phil’s wish came true and surpassed his expectations. “Ultimately, we were able to play together,” he said, “although the best time I ever had with Steve before this last weekend (Phish) was when we did another Phil and Friends benefit—two shows in August of ’98 at The Fillmore with Bobby and the other guys from Ratdog—Dave Ellis, Jeff Chimenti and Prairie Prince. And man, that was the shit! And, of course, these last shows just keep reinforcing my love for whatever Steve plays. He’s the key to the Phil and Friends shows. I always want to work with him, while the other personnel will rotate. Steve is my other half.”

What is one of the most surprising aspects of the Phil and Friends shows is Lesh’s ability to bring newfound life into the songs of Jerry Garcia. Lesh’s passionate renderings of such songs as “Days Between,” “Ripple” and “Morning Dew” that are so identified with the late guitarist, now seem tailor-made for Lesh. The bassist agreed saying, “There are those songs which I believe deserve to be heard. If by doing them myself I can open the door for others to hear them also, then I think that is a good thing. But I believe in those songs. I believe in ‘Day’s Between.’ When I sing it, I try to sing it like I experienced all the things that went into that lyric. I was there for all of that. For ‘Morning Dew,’ that song is universal, and I try to put everything into it that I have, that I know about that,” Lesh declared proudly. “A lot of that, in a way, was the core of the Grateful Dead repertory.”

In discussing other selections, he noted that “since Bob works with me frequently on these Phil and Friends shows, I don’t feel quite as comfortable doing Bob songs. Although I’d probably like to take a whack at ‘Playing In The Band’ with the proper harmony at one point. That’s such a great jam tune, and ‘The Other One,’ too. Those two. Those are fair game as far as I’m concerned.”