The music that Sam’s father and friend of the program, Mr. David Grisman and his close friend, Jerry Garcia, made in the early 90s (in the house that Sam grew up in) is not only some of the most timeless acoustic music ever recorded, it also triggers his oldest and fondest musical memories. What Sam finds most inspiring about this material is the way their camaraderie and their love and joy for the music, simply oozes out of each recording. It is also impressive how deeply they get beneath their favorite songs—whether they are originals, covers or traditional/old time tunes—and how expertly that material was curated. The goal in starting Sam Grisman Project is to build a platform for his friends and himself to showcase their genuine passion and appreciation for the legacy of Dawg and Jerry’s music. By playing some of their beloved repertoire and sharing the original music that their own collective has to offer, they will also show the impact that this music has had on their own individual musical voices. Ultimately, there is nothing that makes Sam happier than playing great songs with his best friends and the true hope is to share that happiness with audiences all over!
I had the pleasure of hanGin’ out with Sam ahead of the September 21st event at the Stoughton Opera House when he brings over the Sam Grisman Project for a little good time acoustic music. We get into the music, the love for and of it, the love and friendship between his friends who help him make the sounds go for the rest of us and how they all gained a deeper respect for the music over the years. We talk about the relationship between his dad and Jerry Garcia, and how playing some of the tunes they worked on has enlightened him as an artist and frankly, we just had a good time, like we were sitting out on the back porch catching up. Sam had recently both PHIL’d in for Phil Lesh and played with Peter Rowan, so I had to find out about those times. As I suspected, cool cool cool. I have a good, maybe grateful feeling that anyone who goes to see Sam and his pals live, or finds a way to get their hands on the new music when it comes out, will be reminded of times gone by and friends that will always be near and dear.
