Airwaves

by Brian Goslow

Host George Jodaitis will air portions of a recent phone interview with former Grateful Dead keyboardist Vince Welnick on the May 24 Grateful Radio, which airs every Sunday from 10 p.m. to midnight on WCUW (91.3 FM). Welnick's currently on the road with the Missing Man Formation. Jodaitis will intersperse portions of his talk with Welnick (who replaced the late Brent Mydland in 1990 and filled the stool till the group dissolved in 1995) with music, including selections from Missing Man's self-titled debut CD (Grateful Dead Records). Jodaitis says he's also sure to feature live material from their 1997 tour as part of the Pirate's Ball (they performed with Starship and the Band).

The Missing Man Formation include John Wedemeyer (who performed with bluesman Charlie Musselwhite and Jimmy Witherspoon), drummer Trey Sabatelli, Bobby Strickland on reeds and synthesizer, and bassist Robin Sylvester.

Their eight-song Missing Man Formation includes two Welnick originals that feature words by Dead lyricist Robert Hunter ("Golden Days" and "Samba in the Rain"). During live shows, they feature a version of the Grateful Dead's "Here Comes Sunshine."

Jodaitis's interview came about after discussions with Grateful Dead publicist and biographer Dennis McNally, who used the Internet in search of deejays keeping the spirit alive. "With the end of the Dead, he's decided to seek us out and keep us updated with new material." He sent Jodaitis a copy of Dick's Pick's #10. "It comes from the Grateful Dead archives which are curated by Dick Latvala. . . . The material comes from the master tapes, so it's the best quality stuff you're going to get."

Number 10 features the Dead at Wonderland in San Francisco on December 29, 1977. "It's pretty much no let-up from start to finish," explains Jodaitis. "The second set has a great `Playing in the Band' that goes back and forth, intersperses with `China Cat Sunflower' -- which was the first time they played it in three years, so it was a big to-do in Deadland." The show captured the band in high form. "It was a great year. They were steamrolling ahead, and Jerry had brought out his wolf guitar for the tour."

Other Dead alumni are about to take to the road as the Other Ones, who feature Mickey Hart, Bruce Hornsby, Phil Lesh, and Bob Weir. "They'll be doing their tour starting out West and working out here. It'll be starting soon." After playing a benefit for the Rainforest Action Network at the Warfield Theatre in San Francisco on June 4, they'll work their way east to kick off of the Further Tour on June 25 in Atlanta. It reaches Great Woods on July 1. While you would almost take for granted Grateful Radio would be airing one of the shows shortly after the tour moves out, Jodaitis has one small problem. "My tape deck is on the fritz. If you know anyone with a cassette tape deck, a TEAC, Kenwood, or Sony, it doesn't matter. I just need it to play back tapes." And if you're one of those legendary Dead fans with hundreds of recordings, he's looking for you, too. "I'm always trying to get people to bring me tapes to play."

On recent shows, Jodaitis has been played selections from Robbie Robertson's new Contact from the Lost Underworld of Red Boy CD (Cema/ Capitol). "He has some kind of hip-hop and techno influences in there with an ambient sound. It's really spiritual and still on the theme her started on the Music for the Native Americans soundtrack."