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turtlebros4u · 1 year

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Counterculture Terrapins (1/4)

I was thinking about doing something short but then I kept adding detail so here we are. Inspired by someone mentioning that Donnie does Raph's tattoos (I forgot when and who I saw that from or else I would link it cuz it was so cute). Also I have a rudimentary knowledge of how tattoos work I haven't gotten my first one yet so I've done my best to Google some things.

Also in case anyone is upset at the mention of needles, like me, I have avoided using that word when talking about tattooing.

Donnie

You're sitting next to Raph on the couch with one of his favorite soap operas on the TV. It's a bit boring, you know the cliché it's going for now. You look to the big guy but can barely see his invested glare over his massive delts. You gaze down in your boredom along his partial sleeve tattoo. It's so delicately done.

"Who does your tattoo?" You ask.

"Hm?" Raph says peeling himself from the drama as it hit a commercial break to look down at you over his shoulder, "Oh Donnie. He's got a real steady hand from making all those tiny 'lectronics and stuff. Why? Y' want one?"

"Uh well I was thinking about it..."

"I think you could rock one. You'd look even hotter." He drops that sentence so nonchalantly it makes you blush.

You don't say anything for a bit, letting Raph get back to the show after the commercials. You calm down as the Secret Twin trope gets revealed on screen. God it's such a cheesy show but maybe that's why he likes it.

You wait until the next break to ask, "How did you choose what to get?"

He thinks for a moment, "Uh, I wanted something that reminded me of the strength of my family and also looked cool as hell I guess."

Mikey sauntered into the room at this time whistling a tune.

"So a tattoo should be inspiring and cool?" You ask Big Red.

Mikey spins on his heels and lands his elbows onto the couch, "Angeeeelcaaaaakes! You thinking about getting a tattoo like Raph's?"

You laugh, "Ahh well not really. I'm not sure. I have been wanting one but I'm not sure what I even want yet. Do you think I should get a sleeve?"

"No one can tell you what you want except for you, sweet cheeks. Buuuut if you ask me I think you should get some bold text, like NO REGERTS or PIZZA TIME!"

He smiles widely, "Totally show me what you decide to get, pumpkin spice, Donnie's like a serious guru with that. You'd look so dope with a tat." And with that Mikey also left you blushing as he continued with whatever he was going to do.

The episode ended and Raph rambled a bit about how he wants to know who the real father of the baby was going to be and if it will be the secret twin of the dad or not. You smile softly, amused that he's invested in such goofy drama. Raph headed to his weight rack to do a couple of sets and left you scrolling on your phone on the sofa.

You sit there looking through tattoo ideas. The idea of asking Donnie is kind of growing on you. You weren't sure how to find a good artists anyways and talking to new people made you anxious.

How much would it hurt? Even if it did, to sit there under Donatello's gaze would counteract everything. You wonder how he would react to you asking.

"Hey Princess," Leo sashays towards you, a towel around his neck dabbing sweat. He must have just finished a training session with Splinter, "Mikey says you're going to ask Donnie for a tat."

"Uh well I really was just curious where Raph got his and I was looking for an artist I trusted anyways but I don't really know what I'm going to get yet." You say somewhat surprised that word is going around faster than pizza.

"Ah I see, Mikey was telling us about it while we sparred. He got very excited about tattoos and ended up going off about trying get a whole pizza pie tatted to his shell. Fun fact, you can't tattoo a carapace. Anyways, Splinter suggests doing something symbolic and simple. And if you want my opinion—"

"I do want your opinion, " you say knowing he was going to say it anyways.

Leo stuttered for a moment, thrown off his rhythm that you were actually asking for it this time. "W-well I'd say an elegant asymmetric pattern of some sort on your shoulder or thigh would suit your style well. Like a spider web or lighting or wrinkled plaid. "

"Wrinkled plaid? "

"Okay maybe not plaid, but something like that, I feel it suits you." He shrugs off the awkward suggestion and escapes towards the showers before putting more of his foot in his mouth.

You consider plaid for a moment longer and then shake your head of the silly suggestion. Leo often had great ideas but was very bad at explaining why or offering any useful context when it came to personalized things. He could make a life or death decision in a split second but he couldn't explain to you why he liked tile over rugs.

~*🐢*~*🐢*~*🐢*~*🐢*~*🐢*~*🐢*~*🐢*~

You've been mulling over it for a few days now. You have finally both decided what you want and also built up the courage to ask Donnie if he would do the honors.

You get to the lair and beeline for the lab. Leo and Mikey see that you hardly acknowledge their presence and they smirk at each other. They know you've finally decided.

You flip the plastic sheets away as you enter the lab.

"Donnie!" You say loud and proud.

Donnie perks up and spins on his stool to face you.

"What can I do for you, Sparkplug?" He asks setting down the tools in his hand and giving you his full undivided attention. A rarity.

"Would you be willing to give me a tattoo? I trust you and I want—"

"I thought you'd never ask." He says, a glint in his eye as he leaps up and goes to the industrial cabinet that holds all varieties of his tools and he opens the drawer for his tattoo work.

"Yesterday I finished prepping the attachment for human skin. I had initially made the pen for us, since we've got thicker skin—at least literally—than you. But this should work wonderfully. Are you ready for your consultation?"

"Yep, let's get started!" You say and plop down in another stool.

~*🐢*~*🐢*~*🐢*~*🐢*~*🐢*~*🐢*~*🐢*~

After a day of prepping the design, Donnie let's you know he's ready.

You had asked for him to design it based on some key words. You are excited to see what he came up with but even more hyped to lay down and let him work his magic.

You get to the lab and see that Donnie's set out some sort of MacGuyvered massage table? Or was it a dentist's chair? You took a seat anyways.

"So, Tattoo Guru," you joke to the purple banded terrapin, "where shall we put it?"

He scoots toward you on his rolling stool and slides just between your knees.

"May I?" He asks gesturing to you that he would like to look you over for the perfect location. He had decided he would design it first and pick a location later.

You nod and he begins. He mumbles to himself as he analyzes your body from top to bottom for the prime location. You try to fight the blush in your face when he runs his fingers across your thighs and down your calves. It's no use.

He gently lifts your shirt up to check your stomach and sides. Your shoulders and collarbone. His face is so close to yours. You can feel his warm breath on your neck.

"Are you nervous?" He asks, "Your heart rate is increasing and your breaths are shorter."

"N-no," you stutter somewhat embarrassed that he was noticing, "not about the tattoo. I trust you entirely. It's just you were studying me so intently I'm starting to wonder if you can see any flaws from this close."

His brows raised, "Flaws? What flaws?"

"Oh y'know. The blemishes and cellulite and the few gray hairs I've been trying to keep plucked but somehow elude me." You say trying to play it cool.

"Oh, you think those are flaws?" His voice rose in astonishment. You remember that he doesn't have hardly any clue about human beauty standards, and while he knows that humans are judgemental, it's on a totally different scale for him.

"Well yeah, people think they aren't very flattering." You admit, not proud to admit humans weren't all great.

"That's ridiculous. The whole point of being human is to be unique and live unique. And as you age you get little representations of the life you've lived. Like nature's tattoos. You can almost read my brothers' shells and find a mark from every year from some stunt we pulled. I find it quite fascinating to read all the little love notes that life leaves."

You face flushed with heat. If you had managed to hide it before you certainly couldn't now.

"I've decided your shoulder blade is the best." He said changing the subject very matter-of-factly. "Would you remove your shirt, here's a towel if you want to cover your frontwhen you lay down." He shifted the seat to be horizontal and scooted away. You take the towel remove your shirt and lay on your chest. The table was quite comfortable.

Donnie scoots back with his template, wipes down your shoulder blade and begins his work. While he preps the stencil his every touch makes you tingle. The air is cool on your back and his hands warm.

You definitely would not have had this experience with any other artist in New York. This was special.

"I'm ready to start inking. You ready, Sparkplug?" He asks gently. You confirm and brace for the sting.

It hits you but less painfully than you expected. It still takes a moment to adjust to the regular zing in your shoulder as he begins.

Through the corner of your eye you can see he is zoned into his work. His tongue sticking out a bit as he is apt to do when in deep focus.

Although somewhat munade, every time he wipes away your shoulder, it feels so intimate. You close your eyes and just soak it in. The buzz of the pen, the warm hands and trained eyes.

May this will be one of those little love letters Donnie was talking about. You are glad your face is buried somewhat, your heart skips a little just thinking about how oddly poetic Donnie was when he said that.

Maybe that's the way Donnie sees the world. Every line of code, every chemical equation, every physics constant, every biological mutation was just poetic to him.

You were glad to have the opportunity to be one of the few who knew the brothers. You went through a wash of emotions.

First pride for almost having them to yourself, but then followed sorrow, that the brothers were limited in who they could trust and show themselves to without insighting the worst humanity had to offer.

Again you were grateful that you could be one of the people that didn't make them feel like they didn't belong here. You felt a twinge of resentment towards the outside world, because it took you this long to find a family this accepting and kind and optimistic about everything, you had felt your fair share of human cruelty both from people you once considered close as well as the system itself that felt so predatory.

When you were in this little pocket of sewers, turned into a cozy abode, under the city, you felt like you could step away from the rat race for once. Like it didn't really matter as much as everyone made it seem.

Overall you felt content. You loved the turtles and their fatherly rat, each with their quirks, but always trying to be better and never abandoning those they considered family.

"Aaaaand 100% completion. You may have outdone yourself Donnie," he said to himself, "I could compete with a RedSail laser cutter and win." His pride was bubbling up in the most adorably nerdy way.

"Let me just get you cleaned up and wrapped, let's keep it covered for a few days and then you can see, how's that?" He asks laying down the protective plastic over the fresh tattoo.

You nod trying to recover from being hopelessly lost in thought just moments ago.

He allows you to cover yourself again and you thank him for his work on your way out.

You send a text to Mikey to let him know that he can join you in the lab in two days to see your brand new tattoo.

~*🐢*~*🐢*~*🐢*~*🐢*~*🐢*~*🐢*~*🐢*~

You show up a little early and Donnie is busy soldering away at something or another.

He hears you come in and looks up from his hunched position and smiles, "Early as usual."

You take a seat and pull off the button up blouse you were wearing. Underneath was a tank top that revealed your entire tattoo. You were honest and hadn't looked at it yet, avoiding the chance to peak at it through the mirror in your apartment.

Donnie washed up and rolled over to you in his signature wheeled stool. He peeled the plastic off and took a damp towel to wipe it down.

He just finished when Mikey flung open the plastic sheets to the entrance of the lab announcing in one of his many comical voices, "And here were have the perfect human specimen, recently upgraded and equipped with the finest work our generation has to offer!"

You look at him in confusion at who he is talking to and see Leo and Splinter walking in behind him.

"Splinter?" You ask in confusion.

"My child," he responds intentionally not answering your implied question of why he was there.

"Cmon Y/n, spin around so we can see it. Mikey's been hyping it ul for days and he doesn't even know what it looks like." Leo said obviously just as excited as Mikey but showing it differently.

Somewhat nervous with such a crowd you freeze for a moment.

"Here," Donnie hands you a small mirror and holds up another so you can see the back of your shoulder when you turn around.

The tattoo comes into your sight. It's amazing.

"Donnie that's perfect." Leo commends.

"Angelcakes! Whoooaaaa that's so rad! Omygosh Omygosh Raph's gotta see this!" Mikey makes a break to sprint down the tunnels hollering for Big Red.

Splinter nods, "You've managed to capture my impressive aura I see. Excellent work." You roll your eyes and chuckle at the vain rat's comment.

You can't stop looking at your shoulder in the reflection. It really is amazing. It had everything you wanted. A symbol of new York in the classic sewer cap, simple representations of the five people you cared most about with Splinter's silhouette donning the masks of his four sons on his tail, and bold inspiring text through the middle of the sewer plate that reads, "WE'RE NOT MONSTERS".

You couldn't have been more proud to reclaim one of Mikey's most impactful quotes. And he seemed ecstatic to see them worn proudly.

Raph thumped in, "Calm down little bro, I've seen tattoos before, I'm sure it's cool." He stalks up and inspects it closely and quietly for a minute.

Then a moment later Donnie is spinning out of control on his stool with Raph bellowing, "Who said ya could give someone else a cooler tattoo than what you gave me. I told you specifically to give me the most badass tattoo and obviously mine is second best now."

Leo and Mikey bust up laughing. Splinter chuckles heartily. You can't help but giggle as Donnie recovers, shaking his head of the dizziness and smiling like an idiot. He took Raph's reaction as a full blown compliment and it truly was.

You leap towards Donatello and wrap your arms around his neck. He catches you and pulls you close.

"Thank you," you mutter, "Raph is right this is the best tattoo. I'm so proud to have it. You guys aren't monsters, you are the best family I've ever had!"

~*🐢*~*🐢*~*🐢*~*🐢*~*🐢*~*🐢*~*🐢*~

Totally forgot my taglist on these 😅

@turtle-babe83 @thelaundrybitch @geeksauruse

#tmnt bayverse #bayverse tmnt #my tmnt art #bayverse donnie #my tmnt fic #Counterculture Terrapins

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architectnews · 3 years

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Scarlet Fire Cannabis Dispensary, Toronto

Scarlet Fire, Canada Cannabis Dispensary, Ontario Shop, Canadian Building, Architecture Images

Scarlet Fire Cannabis Dispensary in Toronto

11 Aug 2021

Design: SevenPoint Interiors

Location: Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Scarlet Fire

The unexpected, one-of-a-kind store celebrates Dead Head founder David Ellison’s passion for cannabis, music, magic, and psychedelia

Former Toronto securities lawyer, David Ellison, tuned in, turned on and dropped out of the rat race to open a Grateful Dead inspired cannabis store Scarlet Fire Cannabis Co., that Marijuana Venture Magazine calls “a dispensary experience unlike any other”. The offbeat and funky cannabis retail store reflects the founder’s love for the iconic American counterculture band where Dead Heads and those looking to experience the band’s magic can revel in mesmerizing decor and wax cosmic with the highly knowledgeable team of cannabis experts while listening to the Grateful Dead and other jam bands the Dead inspired.

The store was designed by SevenPoint Interiors, an acclaimed design and manufacturing firm specializing in cannabis retail. The team transformed what had been a soulless check-cashing store into a colorful, sophisticated tribute to the iconic band’s aesthetic with the intention to transport customers to an altered state of consciousness. Outside the front window, people first see a series of portholes cut through scarlet-stained panels backdropped by a circular screen of moving psychedelic images—dubbed “The Rabbit Hole”. This creates a somewhat hallucinatory optical illusion to curious passersby that often stop and curiously stare at the unique psychedelic visual trying to figure out what it is. Once inside the store, customers realize what they saw was not an illusion, but in fact very real and entirely different from what they thought they saw from outside.

“At Scarlet Fire, we wanted to create a customer engagement so different from what they are used to,” says Ellison. “We start our customers on a journey and educate them. We’ve created a place where cannabis, music, magic, and psychedelia merge.”

The design of Scarlet Fire provides Dead Heads and non-DeadHeads alike with a visual glimpse into the band’s magical ability to create a one-of-a-kind psychedelic experience. The aesthetic also brings in a chill recording studio vibe with the “Dave’s Picks” section, which is home to the always changing best products in the store collaboratively chosen by the store’s staff.

The “Wall of Sound,” a replica of the Dead’s mammoth touring sound system that allowed sound to travel for one mile without distortion, sets the stage behind the POS cash desk. The store is tastefully adorned with Ellison’s personal collection of Grateful Dead memorabilia, gathered from his more than thirty-year long, strange trip chasing the Grateful Dead and the ultimate psychedelic experience. The display includes Jerry Garcia replica guitars, album covers, tour posters, and T-shirts. Perhaps the most beloved piece in the collection is Ellison’s first Grateful Dead T-shirt, purchased at a Florida flea market when he was 16 years old.

Ellison first attended a Grateful Dead’s concert in Clarkson, Michigan at the age of 17 and that experience transcended that of anything else he had ever experienced before.

“I tumbled down a rabbit hole big time that day,” Ellison explains, reminiscing about his first Grateful Dead experience. “I’m happy that I never found my way out. In fact, I’m still tumbling. There are two types of people in the world: those who collect things to put on their shelves and those who collect experiences. I consider myself part of the latter group. Every Grateful Dead show is different, and chasing the Dead is the last great American adventure, the last piece of real magic that exists in the world. I wanted to bring that magic and sense of adventure to my shop.”

Scarlet Fire staffers include pioneers in the Ontario legal weed scene, and leaders in cannabis education. They bring that expertise to every conversation with customers, teaching more than selling, about the subtleties of the store��s top shelf craft cannabis inventory. Visitors are invited to hang out and talk about weed, music, the Dead, or whatever is on their minds, without a focus on customer turnover. Scarlet Fire uses its display space as an educational tool.

Called Terpene Station, a play off the name of the Grateful Dead’s 1977 album, Terrapin Station, the display wall helps explain the value of the many different aromatic oils found in cannabis, called terpenes. Ellison explains. “Some terpenes will add or potentiate psychotropic effects, while others may have analgesic or anti-inflammatory effects. We have customers come asking for the weed that has the highest THC. When customers return asking for the weed that has the highest terpene count, that’s when I know we have been successful at what we set out to do.”

Scarlet Fire is proud to offer a curated selection of high-quality craft grown cannabis from growers that puts the consumer first and ahead of the bottom line. The aim is to ensure that the consumer is getting the best weed for the fairest price, maintaining a relationship of mutual respect. Scarlet Fire’s General Manager and Head Cannabis Curator, Moe Berghaus, does a serious deep dive into the growing practices of any grower before Scarlet Fire decides to carry their products. “Ultimately, it’s our reputation that’s on the line,” says Berghaus. “I look for growers that grow in small batches, hang dry, hand trim, meticulously cure and hand package their cannabis. Those are the growers that put the consumer first.”

Scarlet Fire, in different and creative ways, tries to incorporate the unique interactive experience of a live Dead show between the band and the audience into the customer’s shopping experience. Inspired by the Grateful Dead song “Candyman”, Scarlet Fire has introduced the Laughing Bones Loyalty Program, which awards customers with points for every purchase made. Once customers reach a certain points level, they can redeem those points for a roll of two giant foam dice and receive a 5%-20% discount. Scarlet Fire even offers free slushies to its loyalty members, a perfect treat to mix with the dissolvable THC powder Scarlet Fire sells.

“We’re real and passionate weed smokers,” says Ellison. “The other stores are corporations. Scarlet Fire was built by passionate cannabis users, for passionate cannabis users. We’re here to share that passion and pay it forward. We’re here to do it ‘no particular way but our own,’” quoting a line from the Grateful Dead song, Eyes of the World. Scarlet Fire is located at 3852 Bathurst Street, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

About Scarlet Fire Cannabis Co thermecanada.comScarlet Fire is an independent cannabis dispensary located in Toronto, Ontario, founded by former securities lawyer David Ellison. Ellison left his career as a lawyer to pursue his passion for the rapidly growing cannabis industry, as well as to form a tribute to his favorite band, The Grateful Dead. His goal has been to embody the psychedelic experience of attending a Dead performance, elevating the consumer to an altered plane of consciousness. The customer-friendly, easy-to-shop store retains a focus on connoisseur-quality cannabis that is carefully crafted by artisanal growers and processors who put art and love into their products.

Scarlet Fire Cannabis Dispensary, Toronto images / information received 110821

Location: Ontario Place, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Toronto Architecture

Toronto Architecture Designs – chronological list

Oakville Trafalgar Community Centre, Oakville, Ontario, Canada photo : Tom Arban Photography Oakville Trafalgar Community Centre

Markham Centre Campus, Regional Municipality of York, Southern Ontario, Canada image : Diamond Schmitt Architects Markham Centre Campus

Ontario Architecture News on e-architect

Edition, Wychwood-Cedarvale neighbourhood, Midtown Architecture: StudioAC photograph : Double Space Photo Edition’s Second Location

Former Bata Shoe Factory, Batawa, ON Architects: Dubbeldam Architecture + Design and Quadrangle photography : Scott Norsworthy; Nanne Springer (suite interiors) Former Bata Shoe Factory, Batawa

Toronto Architecture

Comments / photos for the Scarlet Fire Cannabis Dispensary, Toronto design by Diamond Schmitt Architects page welcome

The post Scarlet Fire Cannabis Dispensary, Toronto appeared first on e-architect.

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musiccomplin03 · 6 years

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Remembering Jerry Garcia's Musical Impact

Guest post by Elyadeen Anbar. This article with full links originally appeared Soundfly's Flypaper

Jerry Garcia was the lead guitarist of the Grateful Dead, a rock band formed in 1965 in San Francisco that forever changed how music is written, performed, distributed, and engaged with on a global scale. The Grateful Dead performed their last show on July 9, 1995, and Garcia was found passed away on August 9, 1995. He had just turned 53 years young.

Garcia lived a life dedicated to music, and has inspired my own life to be as musically-centric as possible. While many considered him the leader and spokesman of the Grateful Dead, he resented such responsibility and insisted that the group operated without leadership.

Garcia was also part of many different musical projects throughout his career, including his own band The Jerry Garcia Band, as well as various bluegrass and folk ensembles. Garcia contributed the pedal steel guitar solo to Crosby Stills Nash and Young's “Teach Your Children,” and worked with other Bay Area rock bands such as New Riders of the Purple Sage and Jefferson Airplane. The Dead would often perform in collaboration with other musicians, wherever they were in the world, such as Bob Dylan, Neil Young, Hamza El Din, Ornette Coleman, Etta James, and Branford Marsalis, just to name a few.

People tend to pigeonhole the Dead as being one single thing, whatever that is for people who haven't opted to give them very much ear-time, but they played the blues, straight rock, folk and bluegrass, jazz, and spent time exploring experimental approaches to sound-making and studio recording, and part of what made their live shows so incredibly unique given what else was happening in the '70s and '80s, was this sense of unpredictability and exploration.

Garcia and the Grateful Dead performing a free concert in the Haight, March 1968.

The story of the Grateful Dead is dense, rambling, and nearly unbelievable - and luckily, there's no shortage of literature out there on that subject if you want to explore. The band was at the center of the 1960s counterculture movement, and was born out of the ashes of the Beat generation, spearheaded by Ken Kesey, Neal Cassady, and Jack Kerouac. They were responsible for changing the way concert-goers experience live sound, as their Wall of Sound was the first ever PA system was designed to project clear, non-distorted sound across a great distance. (Imagine if the Beatles had one!)

The Dead also revolutionized concert promotion by allowing their fans to tape their shows and distribute them amongst each other freely, without worrying about obtaining rights or permission. This has since led to hundreds of “bootleg” live concerts being mixed, mastered and released commercially, further cementing the band's influence on millions of listeners.

Garcia was a wonderful intellectual, and always had profound and interesting things to say. He struggled with his vices for most of his life, and ultimately passed away due to a number of long-standing health issues. While nothing would satisfy me like a detailed retelling of the history of the his life and the Grateful Dead, I'd rather focus on Jerry Garcia the guitarist, and highlight a few musical moments of his that changed my life personally. So let's check out some music!

“Death Don't Have No Mercy” from Live/Dead (1969)

Live/Dead was the band's first live concert recording, and it also happened to be the first album ever recorded to 16-track tape. This recording features passionate performance from Garcia and the rest of the band, an incredible demonstration of their early blues-band model as it was filtered and experimented with through their acid test years. The album itself is notable for bringing the energy and abandon of their live shows directly to people's homes, as they had struggled to find artistic fulfillment in the studio up until that point.

“Box of Rain” from American Beauty (1970)

It never ceases to amaze me that the band you heard in the previous recording put out this record just a year later. The Dead explicitly decided to work hard to put out an album of American music that they could be proud of, one that focused on songs instead of wild exploration. American Beauty and it's companion record, Workingman's Dead, were both released in 1970, the result of a wonderfully prolific writing period, out of which came songs that were staples in their live shows for the next 25 years. Choosing between all of the songs to represent this album was a challenge, but I settled on “Box of Rain” for it's sublime chord progression, haunting guitar solo, and lyrical imagery. This lead vocals were sung by the band's bassist Phil Lesh. Other standout tracks include “Candyman,” “Friend of the Devil,” “Ripple,” “Brokedown Palace,” and the band's hit single, “Truckin',” but the entire album is a masterpiece and a necessary companion for your next road trip for sure!

“He's Gone” and “Morning Dew” from Europe '72 (1972)

Speaking of road trips, the album Europe '72 features material that blends the band's experimental, psychedelic comfort zone mixed with their newer, roots music influence. “He's Gone” and “Morning Dew” were both released for the first time on this album - these live versions are considered definitive among die-hard Dead fans, although with the prevalence of live concert recordings, Dead fans have a wealth of material to sort through for argument's sake. “Morning Dew” emerges after over 7 minutes of free jazz weirdness, and is a Dead favorite. The story of this recording is also told in the 2017 documentary Long Strange Trip, but you'll have to see it to find out!

“Crazy Fingers” from One From the Vault (1975, officially released 1991)

This concert was widely circulated as a bootleg among Dead fans until it was officially released as One From the Vault in 1991. In fact, it was the bands first ever official release of a full, unedited concert recording. The Dead had taken a brief pause and come back with a few new albums worth of material. This concert showcases music from their 1975 album Blues for Allah, which saw them writing in a more jazz-fusion color palette and writing complex, through-composed bridges. “Crazy Fingers” has always been a favorite of mine, and I love the way this one segues into a drum jam, and eventually into 'The Other One” (always keep listening!).

“Terrapin Station Medley” from Terrapin Station (1977)

In 1977, the Dead had signed with Clive Davis' new company Arista, and he insisted on pairing them with an outside producer, Keith Olsen. While the band was not particularly satisfied with the glossy production, I've always loved this version of the title track - a multi-part jazz-rock odyssey, complete with lavish horn and string arrangements, crisp and dry '70s drum tracks, and some gorgeous lead guitar harmonies courtesy of Garcia. If you're looking for a live version, check out any concert release from the band's Spring 1977 tour, fans tend to consider this their “tightest” period, and the performances from this time reflect this.

“Althea” from Go To Nassau (1980)

“Althea” first appeared on the Dead's 1980 studio album Go To Heaven, and I reserve a special place in my heart for this particular performance of the song. In fact, the whole concert was released in 2002 and spent most of my senior year of high school in the CD player of my car. Not much more to say about it, the '80s would prove to be the Dead's most commercially successful decade, so enjoy this nice slice of prime Deadery.

“I Shall Be Released” from Garcia Plays Dylan (1987, released in 2005)

Garcia also had a prolific solo career, and a band of his own that would tour with relative frequency. To say the guy never took a day off from music is an understatement. Garcia also loved singing the music of Bob Dylan, one of his great influences. This version of “I Shall Be Released” is from a compilation called Garcia Plays Dylan, and features a variety of performances by Garcia, some with the Dead, but mostly featuring his solo band. This 1987 performance features his JGB collaborator Melvin Seals on organ.

Garcia once said of the Grateful Dead, “we're like licorice. Not everybody likes licorice, but the people who like licorice really like licorice.” Well, I like licorice, too, and I love the Dead. The more I learn about the band, the more I develop a deeper appreciation for their willingness to take risks, have fun and also get serious about creating music that would last forever, in addition to improvisations that are over the minute they happen. I also love how witty and hilariously out of touch they were in interviews. Check out this gem from Late Night with David Letterman in 1982.

This is just the tip of the Grateful Dead iceberg, of course! For those curious to learn more, Amir Bar Lev's documentary Long Strange Trip was released last year on Amazon Prime, and the book Dark Star: An Oral History of Jerry Garcia are both fantastic resources, as are YouTube, Spotify, and the incredible, somewhat insane, wealth of freely lstenable fan recordings on archive.org.

Happy trails, friends!

Don't forget to sign up for our exciting new email magazine, Soundfly Weekly, and learn a new musical skill every single Tuesday in your inbox!

Elyadeen Anbar is a guitarist, writer and educator residing in Los Angeles, CA. He has had the pleasure of contributing music and production to some of his favorite artists, and graced stages the world over. His work can be found at elyadeenanbar.com, soundcloud.com/mrs-walrus, and selfesteemmusic.tumblr.com.

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