Deadheads from various walks of life gathered last night to rally support for Vice President Kamala Harris‘ presidential bid at a virtual fundraising event billed as “Dead Heads for Kamala: Get on the Bus with Us.”
The event was organized by a committee comprised of Peter Shapiro (Dayglo, Relix), Acid Flashback host and entrepreneur Steven Leventhal, DNC Delegate Nancy Rotering, Golden Road Festival promoter Laina Cohn, and David Gans, host of Grateful Dead Hour and SiriusXM’s Tales from the Golden Road, who played M.C. throughout the two-hour livestream. Kicking off with an acoustic bluegrass rendition of “Touch of Grey” performed by Leftover Salmon‘s Vince Herman, Lindsay Lou, and more, the broadcast featured a number of speakers and musical guests. Over the course of the evening, the initial $10,000 fundraising goal gradually increased, and by the end, the rally drummed up nearly $50,000 for Harris’ campaign.
Among the many notable faces to pop up during Tuesday’s program were Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield of Ben & Jerry’s ice cream, comedians Marc Maron and Al Franken, and cosmic clown/peace activist Wavy Gravy. There were also many politicians, activists, and social workers who spoke up for Kamala, as well as members of the extended Grateful Dead family including photographers Jay Blakesberg, Rosie McGee, and Susana Millman, Carolyn Garcia, a.k.a. Mountain Girl, who was married to Jerry Garcia, audio engineer and producer Betty Cantor Jackson, Owsley Stanley‘s wife Rhoney Stanley, Bill Walton‘s wife Lori Walton, and more. The program was divided into a number of different themes including The Arts, Humanity & Immigration, Violence Prevention, Healthcare, Education/Next Generation, Our Environment, Global Relations, Women’s Rights, Unity & Equality, and Get Involved, and each speaker had two minutes to address their topic.
The highlight of the evening’s entertainment was a bevy of musical performances spread throughout the stream, some live, some pre-recorded. Naturally, most artists covered Grateful Dead songs: ALO played “Eyes of the World”; Dark Star Orchestra selected the poignant “Throwing Stones”; Holly Bowling covered “Let It Grow”; Eric Krasno did a solo take on “Ramble On Rose”; DJ Logic spun “Fire on the Mountain”; BERTHA: Grateful Drag broke out “Cumberland Blues”; LP Giobbi interpreted “Fire on the Mountain”; Grahame Lesh played “Standing on the Moon” solo on piano; and Mikaela Davis closed out the music accompanied by her band for “Ripple”—to name just a few. Songwriting powerhouse Steve Poltz was the only musician to compose an original tune for the event.
Possibly the most memorable performance of entire evening was Joe Russo with his wife Pooja Raj and their two daughters Annika and Mila. With Joe behind the drums and the other three gathered around a single microphone, together they played “Man Smart (Woman Smarter)” (starting at 1:47:50 in video below). The young girls’ enthusiastic vocals made for an especially cute rendition while also serving as a reminder that the future is very much at stake this November.
Watch the full Dead Heads for Kamala: Get on the Bus with Us stream below. For more information, visit Dead Heads for Kamala here.
Dead Heads For Kamala: Get On The Bus With Us
The post Marc Maron, Al Franken, Ben & Jerry, More Turn Out For Virtual ‘Dead Heads For Kamala’ Rally [Video] appeared first on L4LM.
