That really was Sunshine Becker carefully placing roses on the microphone stands before taking the stage at Brooklyn Bowl. The former half of Furthur’s vocal duo joined Melvin Seals earlier this year along with Lady Chi, as part of the modern-day iteration of the Jerry Garcia Band. The other recent addition is guitarist Zach Nugent, who stepped in for long-time member Dave Hebert in 2016. Seals has remained dedicated to Jerry Garcia’s solo work for decades, celebrating under-appreciated tunes from the expanded vault.
Melvin Seals dusted off many of Garcia’s faded diamonds this past Friday, highlighted by “Run for the Roses,” the title track off of Garcia’s 1982 solo album. Seals played with Garcia on the 1982 album, and thankfully Melvin has kept this little gem alive. It’s a sprightly tune along the order of “Ruben and Cherise”, that allows Nugent, a native of Vermont and as far as we can tell has no relation to the crazed guitarist turned right-wing nut job from the Motor City, to showcase his guitar and vocals. Nugent’s a killer in the musical sense. Playing an anniversary edition of Garcia’s hand-crafted Tiger guitar, Nugent stacks up with the best of guitarists who nightly channel Jerry’s enduring sound.
Fellow New Englanders, Roots of Creation set an appropriate tone with reggae-laced takes on “Shakedown Street,” “Casey Jones,” “China Cat” and “Fire on the Mountain,” but Seals and crew took things to another level. Alternating between JGB favorites such as “Second That Emotion”, with lively covers of “I Saw Her Standing There” and “Let’s Spend the Night Together,” the band touched all the bases. Bob Dylan was also well represented with Melvin’s soulful vocals on “Knocking On Heaven’s Door”, followed by a hard-rocking “Serve Somebody.” Adding to the eclectic mix was saxophonist Ron Holloway, an accomplished jazz and R&B player who’s toured with the likes of Dizzy Gillespie and is a current member of the Warren Haynes Band.
There’s so much Grateful Dead music out there, that it takes something special to stand apart from the pack. Jerry called Melvin Seals “Master of the Universe,” so it seems fitting for the big-hearted keyboardist to carry on the JGB legacy. Melvin Seals’ “How Sweet It Is Tour” is wrapping up its east coast leg, before heading to California for a series of shows at the end of October.
For more information on upcoming shows and tickets, head to the band’s website here.
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