New Supergroup of Grateful Dead Collaborators to Unite at Maybe It Was The Roses Music Festival as Dead Aces, Honoring Bobby Weir’s Debut LP
Previously, Maybe It Was The Roses Music Festival populated its May 29-31 itinerary, which teased the inclusion of a new ensemble dubbed Dead Aces. Without an explanation of the lineup or a chord that plugged in a detailed history, the chosen musicians instead shared a simple graphic: a skeleton adorned in a wolf spirit hood and holding up the ace card. This marker delineated their inclusion in the unknown group and impending festival format.
Arriving one by one on social media, each participating artist shared the aforementioned graphic, flexing their inclusion on the growing roster of Dead-associated collaborators. By the time the posts began to populate and gain traction, the artist lineup had swelled to feature Don Was, Aron Magner, Mark Karan, Reed Mathis, Dave Ellis, and John Molo.
Staking their claim of Dead-associated material, the group will offer a focus on Bobby Weir’s seminal 1972-released solo debut, Ace. According to the official press release, “The players all share a common connection that’s particularly relevant to this project: they’ve all shared the stage with Weir across multiple chapters of the same evolving songbook.
Dead Aces features three members of The Other Ones, two members of RatDog, a member of Bobby Weir & Wolf Bros, and two members of Billy & the Kids (which Weir himself has fronted on multiple occasions).”
Offering an increasingly detailed concept, they specify, “This is not a tribute act and it’s not exactly a cover band, despite the fact that the setlist will apparently be the same as the Ace tracklist. This group of seasoned improvisational vets are intent on launching fresh explorations of the well-worn material, as their work with Weir and other members of the Grateful Dead primed them for.”
Notably, Was had close ties to Weir, particularly during the late artist’s encore years, performing in the Wolf Bros. configuration and with symphonies.
Dead Aces is currently on the docket to perform exclusively at Maybe It Was The Roses Fest in Ventura, Calif., on Sunday, May 31. For tickets and additional information, visit: www.goldenroadfestival.com/.
