Grateful Shred

After a meteoric rise from obscurity to a national touring band, Los Angeles-based GratefulShred has made the most of its time in the spotlight. The lineup, featuring Dan Horne and AustinMcCutchen alongside keyboardist Adam MacDougall woke the Grateful Dead cosmos with aunique laid-back harmony driven sound. The band literally went from playing the ShakedownStreet vendor area prior to Dead and Company shows to touring the United States.The moment that sent the band’s popularity soaring is the “Busted at the Bowl” video, aYouTube video that features Shred members starting an impromptu set in the parking lot of theHollywood Bowl before a Dead and Company show in 2017. They don’t get too far beforedrawing so much attention that the police shut them down. Instantly creating Shred-cred, thiswas a bit of good fortune that doesn’t get past McCutchen. “We’ve been dealt some pretty goodcards,” he states. “It’s been cool to roll with it and push forward and continually make stuffhappen. Things have gone ourway. Even that video happened magically. It was put together atthe last minute, and boom!”The thing is, Grateful Shred manage to channel that elusive Dead vibe: wide-open guitar tones,effortless three-part vocal harmonies, choogling beats, and yes, plenty of tripped out, Shreddedsolos. The look, the sound, the atmosphere. It’s uncanny. Far from being a historical re-enactment, Grateful Shred’s laissez faire vibe infuses the band with a gentle spirit, warmth, and(dare we say it) authenticity. From theirkiller merch game to their eminently watchableYouTube channel, they’re clearly having a rad time and spreading the love. Strangely enough, ina world overflowing with wax museum nostalgia and Deadly sentimentalism, we need the Shred,now more than ever.Grateful Shred is: Austine Beede, Dan Horne, Alex Koford, Zeph Ohora, Adam MacDougall,Austin McCutchen, John Lee Shannon

Indie-rock songwriter and comix artist Jeffrey Lewis began recording homemade cassettes in New York City in 1998; his critically acclaimed, unusual and word-dense songs lead to Jeffrey signing to Rough Trade Records in 2001. Many albums and comic books later, Jeffrey still lives in NYC and has played hundreds of gigs all over the world, both solo and with bandmates, habitually assembling different set lists for each night to weave in old songs, new songs, artwork, stories and surprises. His most recent official album is “Jeffrey Lewis & The Voltage: Bad Wiring” released on Don Giovanni Records (USA) and Moshi Moshi Records (internationally) in November 2019 (garnering rave reviews), but Jeffrey has also digitally self-released three DIY albums from his apartment since the pandemic started. Jeffrey continues to wring folksy spiel and garage bohemianism from his ramshackle guitar, whether with his band or solo, while sometimes incorporating his often politically subversive visual artwork and cartoons into live appearances.  Some of these audio/visual projects have been hosted on History.com, such as “The Story of Sitting Bull,” a Jeffrey Lewis illustrated songwhich won a Webby Award in 2011 for “Best Writing on the Internet.”