I know what you’re thinking.

Another fucking Grateful Dead cover band?

Really?

How do you insert originality and your own personality when trying to emulate another group?

How do you keep true to your own roots while constantly paying homage to someone else’s?

How does your band have chemistry while alluding tosomething that came before?

For Grateful Shred, a nationally touring Grateful Dead cover band, open communication and knowing who you are trumps all else.

“It starts by the book, and then we try to forget that and let ourselves take over when we jam,” bassist and founding member of Grateful Shred Dan Horne told me when we spoke on the phone earlier this month.

I interviewed Dan as he prepared for the second part of the Grateful Shred East Coast Tour. Grateful Shred is made up of Austin McCutchen, Sam Blasucci and Clay Finch on vocals and guitars, Dan on bass, and a rotating cast of keyboardists and drummers for every tour. While the group is centered around their friendship, these relationships have been built over time through things like helping produce each other’s records to shared living experiences on the infamous Liberty Hair Farm in the Los Angeles area. A location that can be seen in many of the Grateful Shred videos.

Left to Right: Dan Horne, Clay Finch, Sam Blasucci, and Austin McCutchen

This group has been touring the country for a few years now and their popularity has only grown over time.

Thanks to popular videos and a very strong social media presence, the connection that has come from the jam community has started to make them a household name. Just like the original newsletter sent out by Jerry Garcia in 1971, that openness and dialogue with the fans has had a huge impact on Grateful Shred’s success.

“The fan interaction has been a fun, and BIG part of thisproject. Through social media, and Instagram and Facebook, being able to talk to Dead fans, has been really cool. Hopefully we can keep bringing themtogether,” Dan said. “It’s cool to meet people and learn about this community that has so much history and nuance.”

And there is so much for fans to enjoy with this band. What gives Grateful Shred their own personality is how their self-awareness has uncovered something new in a world surrounded by copycats. Their videos capture that early Grateful Dead multi-media experimentation, through classic Acid Test light shows and even green screen magic. Their retro aesthetic expresses something more than just the Grateful Dead’s music, it uncovers that edgy attitude often forgotten about the band. While the Grateful Dead were always pushing to see what was new and exciting, perhaps it’s finally time we see what made them so appealing in the first place.

Help On The Way/Slipknot>Franklin’s Tower

Filmed at Liberty Hair Farm

It’s also important to remember there was a time when all the cool people were going to Dead shows like John Belushi, Bill Walton, or Chevy Chase. It almost feels as though Grateful Shred has reconnected with that cool through their reserved yet explosive playing. And that is only possible by trusting yourself, even as a fan, to completely let go and see where the music takes you. Dan also thinks it’s something missing from people’s lives.

“It’s a cathartic meditation that just keeps getting bigger and bigger. In today’s society, it’s easy to forget that you have to do that. That’s kind of the whole point of the jam scene.”

The Music Never Stopped

Filmed at Liberty Hair Farm

Another quality that Grateful Shred tries to adhere to is honesty. Honesty in playing, honesty in their relationships, and honesty to the fans. “We’re always trying to be friends. It’s where we started so it helps,” Dan said about he and his bandmates. He went on to say, “There’s definitely a responsibility I feel personally to represent the music in a way that is respectful. I try really hard to bring a level of excellence. We feel a responsibility to the people and they’re coming out to our shows, and they have expectations and we try to deliver.”

Honesty and constantly being open to new possibilities is a perfect recipe for far out experimentation.

“We don’t really do anything on purpose. It’s like that Phil Lesh quote: ‘Never do the same thing once.’”

With that kind of attitude, how can you ever lose?





You can find Grateful Shred tour dates here, and be sure to follow them on Facebook and Instagram to see the latest news from the band.

All photos courtesy of Grateful Shred.