Lesh Is More
Former Grateful Dead bassist gets by with a little help from his friends
by Lynn Farris
Creative Loafing, Charlotte, NC
CL Charlotte: Music
April 18, 2001

Last week, Phil Lesh launched his "Here Come Sunshine Spring Tour" in Florida (a.k.a. The Sunshine State), of all places, and that's hardly the only coincidence you'll find.

With a little help from his "friends," the former Grateful Dead bassist is celebrating the season of rebirth with a new band, new music and a new life. In 1995, after spending nearly 30 years on the road with the Dead (and shortly following the death of Jerry Garcia), Lesh decided to take some much-needed time off.

Of course it wouldn't be long before he'd find himself drawn back into the San Francisco Bay Area music scene -- the same scene he helped create as part of the Grateful Dead. It also wouldn't be long before this newfound interest in music would be sidelined by liver disease, a result of Lesh's contact with the Hepatitis C virus several years ago. His condition worsened, and in December 1998, Lesh required a liver transplant. Miraculously, in just four short months (in the spring of 1999), Lesh would return to the stage, with an all-star band that featured Trey Anastasio and Page McConnell of Phish.

The new incarnation, which called themselves Phil Lesh & Friends, played two successful tours of the US, including a summer stint with Bob Dylan. Lesh's group of "friends" would undergo changes -- at least until last fall, when Warren Haynes, Jimmy Herring, John Molo and Rob Barraco joined the bassist on tour and Lesh realized these were the "friends" he'd been looking for all his life.

Lesh explains, "Since April 1999, I had a rotating cast of 'friends.' Each one of these guys, in different combinations, had been part of an ensemble I'd had in the past. I was able to get this particular unit together for a tour last fall and it was absolutely extraordinary. First of all, the alchemy -- and I say that rather than chemistry -- between the players is exceptional. The fact that we could create really interesting music within two hours of the first time we all played together was unbelievable to me. Each performance we've played since has raised the bar for us. "I just felt like I really wanted to keep this band together and continue this music, which I feel is easily equal to the peak of the Grateful Dead," continues Lesh. "Everybody in the band has the capability to go outside themselves, to play outside their own personal envelope, and that's one of the most exciting things about this band. What we create together, of course, is greater than the sum of the parts." And although the band's early repertoire may have consisted of mostly Dead tunes, that's not the case these days. Lesh recently teamed up with songwriter Robert Hunter, who was responsible for countless Dead tunes, and the two have already penned three new songs. Lesh's friends are also bringing in new material.

"We started out pretty much working off all my old favorites from the Dead," explains Lesh. "And we also do covers, but as of late, we're also doing new material. In the last year, I've written six new songs. I actually just put together three new ones with Bob Hunter. Warren has brought new songs in and the other guys are also contributing material. We've got lots of new material coming in and we're very excited about that.

"For me, writing has become a very organic process. I got an electric guitar about a year ago. I'd had an acoustic for years, but the electric caught my interest and my imagination. The patterns you can make with your fingers on the fretboard, they just suggest musical ideas. I play around with them long enough, and pretty soon I have a song structure. If I play that long enough and listen carefully enough, ideas surface. If you listen deeply enough, the melodies and the words actually start surfacing. I've started to write my own lyrics as well. When I have time to sit down and just fool around, sort of let my mind wander, things occur. They start surfacing from the deep subconscious or they descend from a higher consciousness above. I don't know which it is, but I like it when it happens."

After so many years of playing with the Dead, and after performing probably thousands of shows, why is Phil Lesh still at it? He explains, "The music demands that I do this. This music wants to happen. What we do is we open ourselves up so the music can come through us. We don't create this music, it comes from another realm -- another level of existence that ordinarily we're not privileged to be in contact with. But when everything is right, that music can descend and be piped through us. I don't think there's any age limit on that -- or if there is, I don't think there should be. It may look a little ludicrous, but I think it's the sound that counts. "That's why I'd like to keep this current line-up together for as long as I can. This will be our third tour, and we also did a New Year's show together. We're also set for a summer and fall tour this year, and I'm hoping to keep it together beyond that. I'm that excited about this band. I haven't felt this way since about 1969."

In short, while Lesh is, umm, grateful about his former life with the Dead, he's equally thrilled to still be alive and kicking. Phil Lesh & Friends will perform at Cricket (Independence) Arena 7pm Friday, April 20. Tickets cost $30.50. Call Ticketmaster at 704-522-6500 for more details. *

CL Charlotte: Music


Back To Interviews Index