Phil Lesh
620 N. Route 31, Suite C
Crystal Lake, Illinois 60012

A formally trained trumpeter from an academic and classically trained background, Phil Lesh began playing bass guitar on joining the Warlocks in 1965. An R&B act formed around
disaffected folk musicians, the group later evolved into the Grateful Dead. Lesh quickly became an intrinsic part of the group as an improviser and composer, although this latter role has decreased over the years. He was also responsible for editing and remixing the original tapes of the band's Anthem Of The Sun and Aoxomoxoa when they were re-released during the 70s. He made a significant contribution to If I Could Only Remember My Name, David Crosby's 1971 solo debut. In 1975, Lesh completed Seastones, an experimental collaboration with electronics wizard Ned Lagin. Described as "cybernetic bio-music" by a contemporary newsletter, the set used a battery of technological gadgets and computers to create impressionistic patterns of sound. Jerry Garcia, Grace Slick and David Crosby appeared on the project, but their contributions were masked by layers of treated effects. Lesh and Lagin also made live appearances showcasing similar material, but the bassist pursued a more orthodox sideline with Too Loose To Truck, a bar-band specializing in cover versions. Despite these outside activities, Lesh's strongest work has been made within the core of the parent group, none better highlighted than on "Dark Star" from Live Dead.

Following the death of Jerry Garcia in 1995 and the burying of the Grateful Dead name, Lesh became seriously ill with hepatitis. He received a liver transplant in 1998 and has made a full recovery, and is now performing regularly once more. He is a permanent member of The Other Ones, which also features Bob Weir and Mickey Hart, and has his own unit, Phil Lesh And Friends, which are often to be found on the same bill with Weir's other post-Grateful Dead outfit, Ratdog. Phil Lesh & Friends, featuring the excellent guitarist Warren Haynes released the excellent There And Back Again in 2002, proving without doubt that an ex-Grateful Dead member can still make the Billboard album chart. Whilst his voice leaves much to be desired, Lesh remains a remarkably inventive, meandering bass player with occasional breathtaking bursts of fretboard genius. Need tickets to see Phil Lesh? Click here