It was a week of getting back to basics with Kevin and Jason rejoining us for a full night of Deadstein freakiness. The type of freakiness that just pop in the room like Ken Levine with his roving band of drunken, merry pranksters. Doooh! as Kevin says. There is lots of stuff to try to recall and write about so let’s se what I can remember one day after.
We were in our cozy studio #2 and Scott was forgetful on the way to the jam. He forgot his nephew’s guitar he was dropping off for Jason to work on and had to go home to pick it up, then he forgot some check he had to give Kevin and also had to go home. 
Molly was tired of meeting him at the curb. Finally, he either forgot or chose not to bring his standard 6 shots of espresso. By the 3rd song he was scheming on how to get coffee delivered to Studio #2. He worked with generic studio guy to get a delivery of 8 large coffees that were terrible, black and without condiments. What a disappointment. It was good for nothing but for Ken Levine to knock over as soon as he got into the studio. Additional, the total sloshed lady, I’ll call her Dolly because I never asked her what her name was, accidently kicked out Jason’s power strip when she staggered across the room late in the evening. We we not setup for this type of experience.
The evening started like most Deadstein nights with the core-4 of us standing around the piano discussing the past week of life and what-nots. We got going with 3 or 4 Garband songs until Jason arrived. There were some good moments in there. We also did a Black Throated Wind during this introductory segment. The coffee arrived, then did Scott Bayer and his harmonica. Jason next arrived and away we went. Scott Bayer left us and then Ken Levine came in with a blackchick named Regina, the Real Estate Dude, Dolly the sloshed blonde and Ken himself looking dapper. She came in dancing and having the time of her life 3 sheets to the wind while Ken spilled the coffee but the band kept playing on.
We fulfilled a few requests like Dolly’s Deal that sent her back to an old fashion flashback. We really rocked her world, but in her state it wasn’t a tremendous accomplishment. Actually we played well at times but also had major brain farts at other times, but the band keeps playing on.
Eventually two more of Ken Levine’s buddies come skipping in, Fred and Jo. They were celebrating Ken and Fred’s 40-year anniversary when they enjoyed some great Grateful Dead trip 40 years ago when they first met. Something like that. It was also Fred’s one-year annivesary of seeing Deadstein and he was sharing that with us also. I guess Fred is into the whole anniversary thing and we should expect to see him some time again in mid-June 2010. 
Fred and JoAnn also both became mesmerized by the Deadstein vortex. I think everyone left in a stooper thrusted upon them by the Deadstein musical vortex. The Real Estate dude and Regina were the first to leave. Then went Ken and Dolly. Finally Fred and Jo left and we couldn’t say good bye to them enough and vice-versa. What a freak show. And the band keeps playing on. And we did do the Music Never Stopped. I eventually drove everyone out with my rendition of One More Saturday Night. “I turn on Channel 6 the pretender comes on the news . . .”
It was eventually the five of use remaining. I broke out the big bag our Sour Patch Kids and they were devoured in about 60 seconds. We did the entire Weater Report Suite. I had finally learned most of it during the the week but was disappointed in my execution of it when it came to brass tacks. Oh well, the bands keeps playing on. We transitioned the Let it Grow into a Me and My Uncle that was for the most part a train wreck and that was the end of the night. Jason bolted on the first elevator down and the rest of us followed shortly thereafter.
A night to remember more for the experience than the music. Who knows, maybe the recording will show us something different, but I’m not expecting it. Till we do it again.
We got in a couple of songs while Jason was gettng ready including a How Sweet It Is followed by a Ramble on Rose. Kevin’s been listening to Fox Theater 5-19-77 and was in the mood to play some ’77 Dead so the Ramble on Rose it was. Jason strapped it on and we did the Cassidy that went places we’ve never gone before. Really solid stuff. We struggled and never made it through the Big River but the Looks Like Rain and Desolation Row were top notch for us. We also ended the night with what is probably the best Don’t Ease Me In. Overall we played pretty well this night and it was satisfying and not tiring.
my Steal Your Space book 