Photo: Matthew Reamer
Grateful Shred have announced the forthcoming release of their debut album, an eight-track collection of Grateful Dead deep cuts and originals, Might As Well, set to arrive on June 6 via their own Liberty Hair Farm Records in both vinyl and digital formats. As a sonic focal point of today’s dispatch, the band unveiled the initial blues-soaked single, “Sweet Baby,” written by Donna Jean and Keith Godchaux, never officially tracked by the Dead, but performed with help from Jerry Garcia on Oct. 4, 1975 at the Winterland.
The core ensemble, Austin McCutchen, Dan Horne, Adam MacDougall, Austin Beede, Lee Shannon, and Alex Koford, are joined by frequent collaborator, Mikaela Davis, on their first-ever studio LP, of so-called “reimagined songs the Dead never committed to tape.” For fans of the original San Francisco band, Garcia and Robert Hunter’s “Lazy River Road” and JGB staple “Sitting in Limbo” represent highlights of the impending collection, which also features fan favorite material, “Cassidy” and traditional “Jack-A-Roe.”
As for rarities, Shred leans into the Dead-associated “Next Time I See You,” originally recorded by Little Junior Parker. The Grateful Dead began covering the song in 1966 and continued to do so during the years that followed. The track was performed around 70 times, but not after 1972 and the subsequent passing of the original member, Pigpen.
A staple of the impending set is the heartbreaker “To Lay Me Down,” which finds songstress Davis at the helm of the haunting number, an ode to love’s tenacious grip on the heartstrings. The singer creates a similar stir with today’s single, “Sweet Baby,” a feature of the 1975 LP, Keith & Donna, which presents her sweet presence and cadence to evoke the sound of the ‘70s in the act of expressing the candy-coated lines.
Might As Well was recorded in Glendale, Calif., at Horne’s UHF Studios, the producer and bassist commented: “We wanted to highlight some of the tunes we’ve worked up into our own vibe that shows off the essence of Shred. We tried to unearth some deeper cuts and rare gems. The concept we ended up going with were songs that the Dead never recorded in the studio.”
“We’re exploring the endlessly inspiring Grateful Dead songbook,” he continued. “We hope you love it!” Listen to “Sweet Baby” below.
While Might As Well serves as the band’s premiere studio set, they have previously released a series of live collections, Brooklyn, New York (Live, 3/3/23), Aladdin Theater, Portland (Live, 10/21/22), and Belly Up (Live, 12/30/21), in addition to a handful of EPs and singles.
Don’t miss Grateful Shred on tour, spring and summer dates are on sale now. For more information, visit gratefulshredmusic.com.
Pre-order now.
Might As Well Tracklist:
Jack Straw
Sweet Baby
Sitting In Limbo
Next Time You See Me
Cassidy
Jack A Roe
To Lay Me Down
Lazy River Road
Content shared from relix.com.