Mark Karan and Robin Sylvester will be part of a benefit for Michelle McFee, a poet and an old friend of the scene, in particular of NRPS, who’s battling cancer.  The show, “Words and Music,” will be at the Glaser Center, Santa Rosa, December 19th at 7:30 pm.  It’ll feature David Nelson & Friends (MK, Pete Sears, Peter Albin, Jimmy Sanchez, and David Getz), Rubber Souldiers (Chris Rowan, Lorin Rowan, David Gans, and RS), and Bill Cutler & Friends.
 
For more info, go to http://www.kinkaidfoundation.org
 

 It was coincidence that had the Dog in Our Nation's Capitol  
for two shows just after the most remarkable presidential election of our lives, and perhaps they'd have been inspired anywhere in the land.  But it sure didn't hurt to be just a few blocks from the White House.  The crowd was chanting "Yes we can" as they took the stage, and they launched into their first-ever performance of "Dancing in the Streets",  earning an especially loud roar on "dancin' in Chicago".
          A stunningly strong show followed, including an exceptional Morning Dew.  And of course the encore was - had to be -"U.S. Blues," with Hippie Bill wearing an SYF/Obama T-shirt.  As the band  took its bow, the crowd chanted "O-Bam-A, O-Bam-A."
         And the Chief responded with a superb exit line:
"Yes we will."
          Hmm.  Enthusiasm and inspiration and hope about ourselves as a people and a nation - it's a great concept!

    RatDog's show day starts around 10:30 am, when the first crew members come off the bus looking for cups of coffee.  They'd finished loading out from the previous night around 1, then ate, drank, and climbed into their bunks for the three or four-hundred mile drive.  It's not an easy life, and while it's frequently fun, it's not at all glamorous.  It's just completely necessary.
    So being a crew member means you're a team player.  Anthony Joseph A.J.  Santella is that guy for RatDog.  He hasn't missed a gig since 1996.  He's filled in at various jobs onstage as the need and occasion dictated.  As you sit in the audience, he's off to the left side of the stage, probably not visible, where Bobby's guitars stand racked.  A.J.'s Bobby's guitar tech, but in a close, cohesive group like RatDog, he's what the situtation calls for.
    A.J. grew up in New Jersey in what he thought of as a regular American family.  He recalls his first musical memory as the time he broke his father's acoustic guitar over his big brother's head, and you can't much more regular than that.  In his high school years the family moved to Arizona, and fairly soon thereafter he fell in with low company - a drummer.  
    All his new friends seemed to have an instrument of one sort or another, and so he bought a small p.a. and joined the band as vocalist.  They rehearsed in a room so small - how small was it, A.J.? -It was so small I had to stand outside to sing.You also have to understand that A.J. is one of the funnier guys in RatDog -but he wasn't joking about the small part; the room really was so small that the microphone caused feedback if it was inside.  They were called The Loop and played Black Sabbath, Led Zeppelin, and a particularly bad version of Welcome to the Jungle, he says.
    He attended the local community college and knocked down a 4.0 in scuba diving. “ I decided to quit while I was ahead“ and put his energy into the band, which had added a Dead Head guitarist and some blues songs and become Gypsy Circus.  Eventually we'd come 80% across the country to Phoenix, so we figured to complete the trip. Gypsy Circus moved to San Diego and settled into the club circuit.  They bought a funky old school bus, kind of ahome made RV,  which led to replacing the engine four different times on the side of the road.  A.J. really knows something about the road.
    They wound up in San Francisco and, as almost all bands must, eventually fell apart.  A.J. became a carpenter in Marin County, and also spent a year as a tender on an abalone boat out of Mendocino.
    And then one day in 1996 Gypsy Circus's rhythm guitarist, who'd gone to work for Mickey Hart as a sound tech, told A.J. about Bob Weir's relatively new band Ratdog, which was gigging at the Sweetwater, in Mill Valley, and needed somebody to drive the truck.  There was a minor glitch/panic attack when he discovered his license had expired, but he got that fixed and hit the road.  Being the kind of guy he is, in addition to driving the truck he helped, setting up drums and then keyboards.  The lineup changed, both for the band and crew; A.J. stayed.
    Robin became the last piece of the puzzle in the band, and what A.J. called this big dysfunctional family of mostly men had fully come together.  This is our hunt.  We got out every couple of months and have our say. I love the m.o. of the band.  The guys are all real with each other.  As a brother you can say anything to anybody.  I'm a lowly roadie, but I can talk to Weir like I talk to you.  There's no clear division between band and crew; we're a team, offense and defense.  Bob's the captain, and he makes us want to come back and do it again.
    He's watched Bone Heads get younger and younger. A lot of people have been turned on that might not have been alive for G.D. or even the beginning of the Dog, and that's a major satisfaction.
    And when the band gets an off-day and the crew actually gets hotel rooms, A.J. doesn't leave his bed, right?
    Uh, no, that'd be A.J. hoisting the golf bags along with Jeff Chimenti and band bus driver Donny Silva.  8 a.m. after a six hour bus ride, and they're off for 36 holes of fun and refreshment before going back to where they belong - the next show.

Buy it Tonight! Get it Tonight!

Coming out to a show this Fall? Don't forget to pick up the ultimate Hi-Fidelity souvenir recordings available to you just minutes after the end of the show! That's right, every show! Don't forget to purchase & reserve your copy early at the T-Shirt Stand. Take more than your memories home with you! Take the show home with you!

RatDog Live is happy to announce our 5th year of offering top quality recordings sold at the show directly to you from Bob Weir and RatDog. We have been going through some great changes and are happy to see our project grow with the support from all you awesome boneheads out there!

We have been working hard this year and are excited to roll out a few cool new promotions and celebrate some exciting milestones. Check out our Tour highlights below for some new and exciting things to come.

Again, thank you for your continued support.

300th release anniversary • Munhall, PA - November 1st

RatDog Live is hitting an exciting milestone on this fall 08 tour. The November 1 show in Munhall, PA will be our 300th live release. We wanted to take the time to doing something special and thank everyone for supporting us over the past 5 years.  As a special commemorative, everyone that buys a disc that night at the Munhull, PA show on the 1st will receive a surprise gift! (gift only available at show) Come out to the show and celebrate with us.

Where does the time go? It seems like just yesterday that we started. Actually it was The Suwanee Music Festival 10/11/03!

Heads Up! Don't miss your chance to own the Boston Orpheum Show

Due to circumstances beyond our control the show on November 8th will only be available at the show! Your heard correct, this show will not be available online.
However, have no fear, the show will be recorded and available that night at the show. Make sure you pick up your copy. If you cannot make it to the show and you want to own a copy, be sure to get someone at the show to buy one for you. We will make a few extra to sell that night to make sure that everyone has a chance to own one. Always a great show at the Orpheum! Don't miss it.

Hey, Bone Heads:  rock CAN roll is an organization that gathers food for food banks and such on Long Island.  They're asking you  - and we join them - to pick up a couple of cans (or any food that's healthy and won't spoil) and bring them along to the shows on October 30th and 31st.  Hard times for food banks these days, and you know it'll make you feel good.  They'll also be auctioning off Bob Weir-autographed tote bags -  see their table in the lobby.

Hey now – we got some nice shots from the Dead show for Obama at Penn State, and thought we’d share them with you.  They come from Buddy Fulginiti and Jeff Millman, who are regular ‘Dog shooters, and Leilani Münter, one of the Chief’s sisters-in-law, and one of the very few vegetarian environmental activist female race-car drivers around.

Also:  Hey, who Bob and the rest of us here at RatDog HQ prefer in this election is kind of obvious – but the only thing we’re absolute about telling you is this:

VOTE.

Merl Saunders died of a systemic infection - essentially, the lingering results of the stroke he experienced six years ago - today, October 24th, at Kaiser Hospital, San Francisco.  Our chief said, "Merl was the sun rising over the keyboards every time I looked over at him."

Yup.  Fare thee well, Merl.  May the four winds blow you safely home.

Message from Merl Saunders’ family:


Merl Saunders stood for music and love – his smile alone told you that.  We loved him very much – and we know that you, his fans, did too.  Sad as we are to lose him, we’re very aware of being comforted by the affection coming from all those touched by that smile and that wonderful music.  He was a special man, a beautiful companion, father, grandfather, and family patriarch, and the proof of that spirit is in the way you’ve reached out to us at his passing.  From our hearts, thank you.  And we know Merl thanks you too. 

Keep on keepin’ on, The Saunders Family



A memorial service will be held on Wednesday, October 29th, at 11 am at First AME Zion Church, 2159 Golden Gate Ave., San Francisco. 

In lieu of flowers, we request that donations be made to either the Rainforest Action Network (www.ran.org) or the Haight-Ashbury Free Clinic (www.HAFCl.org).


After a while, the Chief noticed that his thought about Merl was actually a haiku, one of those life snapshots;

Merl was the sunrise
over the keyboards every time
I looked over

Our friends at HeadCount are auctioning some unique collector's items to help fund their ongoing "Get Out the Vote" campaign. They are also giving away a free download to make sure everyone gets to the polls on Nov. 4th. Visit www.HeadCountAuction.com to view or bid on a guitar signed by each member of Bob Weir & RatDog and the Allman Brothers Band, as well as Congas played by Jay Lane when he accompanied Bobby at a private party last Spring (they are signed by Jay and Bobby). Not in the market for collectibles? well you can get a FREE download  of the Beatles' classic "Come Together" performed by Bobby with Phil and Friends at The Warfield Theater in San Francisco on May 18th. 2008. All you need to do is visit www.HeadCount.org and "Pledge to Vote." See you at the polls!

Slide Ranch is a camp in West Marin (see "Two Djinn") where urban kids are introduced to environmental concepts and a somewhat different understanding of the food chain (no, potatoes don't just appear on plates; they get grown!).  It started in the early '70s, and lots of the children from the greater Dead family were part of the Slide scene - during the 1974-1976 hiatus, Dead manager Danny Rifkin volunteered there. So on Monday night Bob went to accept the "Silver Trowel" award on behalf of the band, and gave some heartfelt remarks about the band and its environmental tradition. He was joined by his old partner John Barlow, as you can see from these pictures.

The Pennsylvania Campaign for Change has just announced a Monday, October 13 concert fundraiser to benefit Obama for America featuring many Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees and other American music icons. Additionally, the show will be a very large voter outreach opportunity for the Pennsylvania Obama campaign, which has already built the largest volunteer‐based campaign in Pennsylvania’s history. The campaign has more than 70 field offices and thousands of volunteers preparing for an unprecedented Get Out the Vote operation. There are now more than 1 million more Democrats in the state than Republicans, an increase of 500,000 since 2004.
Tickets will be available at 12:00 p.m. EDT on Friday, September 19, and are $50 for the general public and $30 for University Park students with a Pennsylvania State University ID.
More ticket information is available online at: