Maybe the greatest signifier of the Grateful Dead’s influence is their ability to spill over into other genres, particularly the indie/alternative rock world. Some of the best covers of the band’s material have come from those you wouldn’t necessarily expect to be followers of the Dead. Artists like Wilco, The War on Drugs, Jenny Lewis and others, who have recently taken on the band’s music and continue to do so in the future, further push the Dead’s legacy on outside of the traditional jamband landscape.
This week, Stereogum published a lengthy piece on The National’s upcoming Grateful Dead tribute box set, which features guests like Kurt Vile, J. Mascis, Ira Kaplan, Unknown Mortal Orchestra, Phosphorescent, Lee Ranaldo and many others. It’ll be released next year, but this labor of love has been in production for about three years now and will finally see the light of day. In honor of that, take a look back at ten homages to the Dead from those in the indie (and for Billy Corgan, “alternative”) rock world. 

Wilco | “Ripple”

Norah Jones | “It Must Have Been the Roses”

The War on Drugs | “Touch of Grey”

Real Estate | “He’s Gone”

Billy Corgan | “Morning Dew”

The National | “Peggy-O”

Ryan Adams | “Wharf Rat”

Jenny Lewis | “Shakedown Street”

The Decemberists | “Row Jimmy”

Ryan Adams & The Cardinals | “He’s Gone”