Grateful Shred continues to build momentum on both coasts for the group’s take on the catalog of the good ol’ Grateful Dead. As we noted in a recent article, “Grateful Shred was born in 2016 when singer and guitar picker Austin McCutchen—who was short a band during one night of a residency—brought in his four housemates to play a Dead set. The gig offers snowballed from there. There’s a freshness and a hunger to Grateful Shred’s sound—this is a young band of players in their prime. Bassist Dan Horne plays with Cass McCombs, is a member of Circles Around the Sun and gigs with Jonathan Wilson. Singers/guitarists Sam Blasucci and Clay Finch perform as the psych- country duo Mapache. They’re not veterans of Dead tours; they’re rooted in California country rock and jazz. It isn’t a tribute, Horne insists. They’re not playing characters. They study a particular version of a song, or several, and from there, he says, they try to sound like themselves while keeping an ear to signature Grateful Dead musical tricks.”

Today we share a live video of the band’s take on the Dead classic, “Eyes of the World.” Dan Horne tells Relix, “This ‘Eyes’ was taken from Jerry’s birthday celebration at the Teragram Ballroom here in Los Angeles. The crowd had a great energy that night and we rode on their horses. They were boogieing! This song is a great showcase for Shred because everyone gets a spotlight. It’s a chance to show that we all play in no particular way but our own…Austin, Sam and Clay each sing a verse leading into the chorus three-part harmonies. Also, we all get a solo! Clay starts out the song ripping and then Sam shreds before the second verse…keys man, Frank LoCrasto, enters before the last verse and burns the house down. Drummer, Josh Adams, is pretty much soloing the whole time…and even I get a bass solo at the end, haha!!”

Grateful Shred Tour Dates