Between The Dark and Light – The Grateful Dead Photography of Jay Blakesberg
Renowned San Francisco photographer Jay Blakesberg presents his Grateful Dead slideshow/storytelling event about his adventure photographing the Grateful Dead experience over the last 40 years. The story kicks off with Jay’s colorful teenage years growing up in suburban New Jersey in the late 1970s, where he and his friends lived for the thrill of sex, drugs and rock and roll. He describes how his love for photography began in 1978 after his father gave him an old Pentax camera to shoot the Grateful Dead performing at the Meadowlands in East Rutherford, New Jersey. Back then, Jay would develop the photos in his mother’s basement so he could simply take this self-created memorabilia and plaster it on his bedroom walls.
He shares how after high school he embarked on a wild psychedelic ride, following the Grateful Dead with the music-loving circus of freaks and misfits known as Deadheads – camera in tow. In the mid-80s he settled in San Francisco and began to build a professional career as an in-demand commercial photographer whose work has been published in preeminent books and magazines - including Rolling Stone, Guitar Player, Vanity Fair, Esquire, and Relix – to name a few.
Today, Jay Blakesberg is one of the music industry’s most sought-after rock photographers, known for capturing the explosive energy of the live music experience as well as the intimate moments that happen offstage. Most significantly, Jay is a distinguished fixture on the Jam Band scene whose body of work in this arena makes up a comprehensive photographic archive of the modern day psychedelic rock-and-roll tribe.
This lively and highly entertaining presentation will take you on The Long Strange Trip YOU have all been part of for many years.
Roosevelt Collier
Soft-spoken by nature, south Florida-bred Roosevelt Collier does his hollering on the sacred steel guitar. Brought up in the tradition of the House of God Church, Roosevelt built his reputation alongside his uncles and cousins in The Lee Boys, known for their spirited, soul-shaking live performances. Seated front and center, "The Dr." leaves an indelible mark on listeners, flooring audiences with his lightning-fast slide work on the pedal steel. At festivals, he is a regular "Artist at Large," performing alongside many of music's most prestigious acts, from the Allman Brothers, to the Funky Meters, to Los Lobos to the Del McCoury Band. Whether on tour with the Lee Boys, bouncing from stage to stage at festivals, or hosting an allstar get down in Miami, when Roosevelt takes the stage, the ear-to-ear grins can’t help but be contagious.
Unlimited Devotion
Since their inception, Unlimited Devotion has developed a devoted fan following and a reputation as one of the America's most popular Grateful Dead inspired musical ensembles. Improvisation at its finest. Unlimited Devotion provides their own interpretation of the Grateful Dead songbook. Strong Jazz and Funk influences are evident in their performances. Unlimited Devotion is not a “clone band” and prefer to provide their own take on the music. Currently, UD is on tour with Roosevelt Collier throughout the southeast peforming the best of The Grateful Dead.
