Don’t Tell Me This Town Aint Got No
Heart!
Grateful Dead Tribute Band Deadeye Shakes up Downtown
Austin
By Joe Rossi
owntown Sixth Street, to many the heart of
Austin’s legendary music scene, is considered over-rated by many others,
because in recent years it’s become more about style and bar-hopping than about
good music. So as I strolled out of the Flamingo Cantina on Saturday on June 2,
having caught a show by Deadeye, a relatively new Grateful Dead tribute band
from South Austin, a line from the Grateful Dead song “Shakedown Street,” which
they opened their second set with, popped into my head.
Nothin shakin on Shakedown Street. Used to be the heart of
town.
Don’t tell me
this town aint got no heart you just gotta poke around!
Deadeye brought an ample amount
of the Dead’s legendary heart and soul to Sixth Street, while at the same time evoking a sense of originality and uniqueness,
which is what I want from tribute bands.
It evoked in me memories of legendary Southern California tribute band
Cubensis, headed by my old friend guitarist Craig Marshall. To this day,
Cubensis has always managed to imbue
their tribute with originality.I remember seeing Dark Star Orchestra, one of the country’s most recognized
Dead tribute bands when they visited Austin awhile back. And I remember walking
away with the sense that while it was good to hear the music and the band were
very professional and tight, it just did not come across as “genuine” as I
wanted, as there was in my view too much emphasis of being “just like the
Grateful Dead” as opposed to emulating the quintessential jam’s style and
bringing their songs to life with innovation and creativity.
Such was the case with Deadeye. The music felt real and not simply imitated
but rather emulated while staying true to the songs and the arrangements. I met and chatted with several members of the
band on the upstairs patio. Most of the members were too young to have seem the
band, so I shared my own experiences and memories. It was refreshing, to say the least, to see
such passion for a band from young people seeing how many young people have no
awareness of the band or its historical impact on music as the quintessential
flagship jam band. The band has been
together for about one and ½ years. They said that they a repertoire of 120
songs and are working on more. So embracing the legacy of both the originals
and covers that the Dead performed for 30 years shows how DEADicated Deadeye is
keeping the music alive.
A rocking first set opened with “Here Comes Sunshine,” followed by a
cover of Dylan’s “Stuck Inside Of Mobile With the Memphis Blues Again.” Other
Dead originals included “Row Jimmy “ and “Ramble on Rose.” Keeping up with his
job as Bob Weir’s vocals, drummer Shadd Scott did a great job with “Looks Like
Rain.” They closed the first set with a
blistering Help On The Way - > Slip Knot -> Franklin’s Tower. In addition
to “Shakedown Street,” the second set featured “Estimated Prophet,” “Truckin’”
and they closed the show with Chuck Berry’s “Johnny B. Goode.”
Deadeye is comprised of Joe Faulhaber on guitar and vocals, Trevor Nealon on keyboards and vocals, Shadd
Scott on drums and vocals, Lee Braverman on bass and vocals Keith Sennikoff on
guitar.
Upcoming shows include Stubbs on June 28th
The Texas Music Theater in San
Marcos on June 16th , The Rattle Inn on July 14th and Antones
on August 2nd.
For Booking: P.J. Harrington 513-518-4980
