When it comes to The Grateful Dead I definitely feel the Jerry vibe more than the Bobby vibe. If I have to explain what I’m talking about you may want to move on to a different post (or keep reading).
10 Reasons I Love the Dead
Tonight is the first “Fare Thee Well” show in Chicago. As I look forward to joining in the music via webcast here are 10 reasons why I love the Dead. They’re not the first 1o. They’re not the last 10.
My NPR Debut
Yesterday my blog, The Rabbi’s Pen, was quoted on NPR’s fabulous program, On Being with Krista Tippett. How this came to pass is kind of a nice story. Here it is… On April 14, 2012 my good friend, Matt Coffman,
If the thunder don’t get ya…
One of the most interesting Grateful Dead tunes is “The Wheel.” It’s interesting musically and lyrically. It contains the lyric, “If the thunder don’t get ya then the lightning will.” Definitely a worldview expressed in that line! I thought of
Some people
A buddy of mine posted this picture via social media. Louis Armstrong was smart guy and this quote resonates with me. There are some people that if they don’t know, you can’t tell them. To put a positive spin on this we
Box of Rain Allegory
Yet another chapter in the Grateful Dead Passover genre… A few months back I had a chance to share the world-changingly beautiful tune, “Box of Rain” with a group of middle school students. In looking at the lyrics I asked
Grateful Passover
So I’m a not-so-secret Dead Head. Which means that every once in a while there’s a Grateful Dead lyric or tune that gets stuck in my head. Here’s an example… “Big boss man, can’t you hear me when I call?
Lead like the great conductors
As a musician I believe that music is a great teacher. The lessons that musicians are able to learn through music, if they’re willing to learn them, go far beyond the mechanics of playing any particular instrument. In this, one
The Gospel of Music: A Rabbi Goes to Church
Today I had the unique joy and honor of participating in an interfaith prayer service at the Historic Ebenezer Baptist church. I participated not only as a parishioner, but as a guest member of the house band, a composer of