“THE GOOD OL’ GRATEFUL DEADCAST”
SEASON THREE LAUNCHES TODAY
Hosted by Rich Mahan and Jesse Jarnow, The First Five Episodes Will Celebrate The 50th Anniversary Of The Classic Skull & Roses Live Album
LISTEN TO FIRST EPISODE OF SEASON THREE NOW
Later Episodes Will Explore A Wide Range Of Topics In The Dead Universe And Feature Dozens Of New And Returning Special Guests
LOS ANGELES – “The Good Ol’ Grateful Deadcast,” the official podcast of the Grateful Dead, returns for a third season today. Singer-songwriter and producer Rich Mahan and author and WFMU DJ Jesse Jarnow will once again host and produce the Deadcast’s bi-weekly episodes as they continue to explore the music and mythology behind one of the world’s most enduring and influential bands. Launched in 2020, Deadcast has already generated more than one million streams and downloads to date.
Like an episodic documentary, the first two Deadcast seasons wove together voices from the Grateful Dead’s extended family to tell the story behind the making of the band’s iconic studio albums Workingman’s Dead and American Beauty. Beyond the music, Deadcast also used dogged research, revealing interviews, and rare audio from the band’s archive and beyond to uncover forgotten and surprising parts of the Dead’s trailblazing history.
That winning combination returns today with new Deadcast episodes dropping every two weeks on Thursdays. Season three picks up the band's story where last season's dive into American Beauty left off, devoting its first five episodes to the beloved live album Grateful Dead (aka “Skull & Roses”), which is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year. In the extended, 90+ minute first episode, which launched today, more than 15 guests will share stories about that era, including previously unheard audio of Jerry Garcia. Click HERE to listen to the new episode.
The first five Deadcast episodes will give fans a new perspective on the live album right before Rhino releases a newly remastered edition of Skull & Roses on June 25. In addition to newly remastered audio, the set also boasts more than an hour of previously unreleased live tracks that were recorded on July 2, 1971 at the Fillmore West, which was the band’s final performance at the historic San Francisco venue.
Known for its expansive roster of special guests, Deadcast will not disappoint in the upcoming season. Returning guests include singer-songwriter David Crosby; co-producer Bob Matthews; tour manager Sam Cutler; and David Nelson of the New Riders of the Purple Sage; plus regular Deadcast correspondents: Grateful Dead archivist and legacy manager David Lemieux; and Gary Lambert, who wrote liner notes for the new Skull & Roses collection and attended virtually every show included on the recording.
Throughout the new season, their voices will be joined by new guests that include tie-dye pioneer Courtenay Pollack; longtime Grateful Dead lighting designer Candace Brightman; photographer and Dead family member Rosie McGee; Fillmore East crew member and future Hollywood director Allan Arkush (Rock and Roll High School); and Dr. Stanley Krippner, who oversaw the so-called dream telepathy experiments at the Capitol Theater in 1971.
In addition to new guests, the Deadcast format will evolve this season as well. The deep focus on a singular subject that was the hallmark of the first two seasons will expand during the second half of season three with standalone episodes touching on a wide variety of topics from the Dead universe.
Along with regular episodes, fans can also expect some surprises along the way, including bonus episodes like the one released on April Fools’ Day. Titled “Hug the Heat, or the Story of the First Dead Tape,” the podcast tells the story of the first-known live Grateful Dead tape and reveals what happens when you try to shut down an Acid Test. The episode features Merry Pranksters Ken Babbs and Denise Kaufman, with additional storytelling by Jerry Garcia.
All episodes of “The Good Ol’ Grateful Deadcast” will be available via iTunes, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, Google Play, Pocket Casts, Overcast and the Rhino channels on YouTube and SoundCloud.
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