Just the facts? OK
Half Step Band (Dead covers) FREE (***)
Wed. July 21, 2021 @ 7:30 pm Seaman’s Neck Park
2700 S Seamans Neck Rd, Seaford, NY 11783
--a cool surrounded-by-water venue
*** well not exactly “free” – paid for by our tax dollars : )))
OK, a little subtle sarcasm...so let me practice being GRATEful...
“Thanks, Town of Hempstead for bringing the Dead to life! And, BTW, is there any hidden meaning to the first part of our town’s name?” “C’mon, be truthful and don’t blow any smoke at me...on second thought...”
I first saw Half Step with some friends a few years ago at a local library. They were “GRATE”...but the only downer was this eerie librarian...seeing how she looked, I thought she’d be more considerate...
--First, you’ll see the upcoming events like this one, then, if you dare, press “Enter” to explore "Furthur")
OKAY – You got the facts...so, if I’ve whet your musical or humorous appetites - or both, then join me in the fun house...Read on...IF YOU DARE...
Also, if you’ve been curious about who are the Grateful Dead and why they’ve been following YOU, read on. Half Step plays a wonder-filled role in introducing folks to this amazing experience...and they do it with their own unique vibe...They are full strength Grateful Dead with their own unique album cover...
..."So come on with me, or go alone, he's come to take his children home..."
“Got some time to talk a while here beside the rising tide...?”
INVITATION:
If any the following have happened to you or are now happening....fear not, there’s hope just "around some corner":
--your parents or grandparents told you about a band that used to follow THEM around the country
--a significant adult in your life keeps preaching the “Grateful Gospel” - as they walking around the house with a peaceful, easy feeling (oops, that’s another band), chanting “...Woah, oh, what I want to know...Is are you kind?”
--you keep meeting strangers in skeleton masks who wanna shake your hand
--you’re a thinker and wondering if there’s a deeper meaning to a phrase you once heard from someone you respect, “When surrounded by bears, play DEAD.”
--again, as a thoughtful person, you’ve often contemplated some lyrics you heard on your phone – “When life looks like Easy Street, there’s danger at your door...” – and realized how “dead on” this describes life as you see it.
--you keep bumping into this guy with long white hair and a smiling bear mask that greets you with "Have a Grateful Day"
"You're either on the bus or off the bus..."
Can I interest you in a bus ticket & sign you up? No monthly fees...and eventually, there comes a time when you don’t even need a device...you’ll simply relax and “let there be songs to fill the air...” – like August does in the movie “August Rush” (see “Furthur” down in this post).
Side trip (to never, ever land): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Furthur_(bus)
--03:40 video about 50th anniversary trip in 2014 of this famous bus - narrated by Merry Prankster Ken Kesey's son Zane
Oh, I see you’re a cautious soul and not ready to sell the family farm and jump on the bus, Gus. OK, I can dig it...I’ll give you another option...
...If you’re not yet ready to take a FULL step and join the living Dead by becoming a lifetime member of the Deadhead family...
...you can take a Half Step (full strength Dead in disguise - Read on)
“So,” you ask, “How do I get there?” Now, I could be a wise guy and quote the lyrics, “If I knew the way, I would take you home...” BUT, in this case, I DO know the way:
Long Island’s Half Step Band will take you as far as you wanna go...and then, if you want.. “Furthur”...
Wed. July 21, 2021 @ 7:30 pm Seaman’s Neck Park 2700 S Seamans Neck Rd, Seaford, NY 11783
It’s a cool park - right off the bay and surrounded by water...so, bring someone you love and “you can discover the wonders of nature, rolling in the rushes down by the riverside.”
And if at any time you feel lost, fear not - for you'll be guided...Deadheads are everywhere
"Walk out of any doorway
Feel your way like the day before
Maybe you'll find direction
Around some corner where it's been waiting to meet you"
MUSIC MOVIE RECOMMENDATIONS
--soundtrack includes the Grateful Dead’s “Uncle John’s Band,” “Sugar Magnolia,” and “Goin Down the Road Feelin Bad.” PLUS Dylan, Beatles, Buffalo Springfield, CS&N, Rolling Stones and lots more.
The premise of the story – music being used to help with a brain dysfunction – is exactly what Dead percussionist Mickey Hart has been doing for years, as he works with the world’s top neuroscientists on using sounds to help people with cognitive impairment.
--I saw both of these guys a few years ago at a show/exhibit at NY’s Hayden Planetarium and American Museum of Natural History. It was a cool “night at the museum” and I think I might have spotted Ben Stiller – who was in town and way off Broadway in a play “Mummy Knows Best.”
One more music movie recommendation:
August Rush Trailer (02:24)
“You know what music is...harmonic connection between all living beings.”
--Wizard (Robin Williams)
“(Music) it’s all around us...all you have to do is listen.”
--August Rush (Freddie Highmore)
MUSICAL MEDICINE
REGULAR STRENGTH: For those initiates who are willing to start with a Half Step (it's actually Maximum strength just bottled differently)
MEDIUM STRENGTH: I can see that the beach balls and hula hoops got you stoked...so let’s party hearty....
MAXIMUM STRENGTH: For those who’ve already taken the WHOLE step:
As CSN&Y sing, “Let’s Teach our Children Well”
One of my customs as I walk through life is to, when appropriate (and sometimes not), comment on the messages on folks’ hats, T-shirts, bumper stickers, etc. For example, when I see a Dad or his kid sporting the white interlocking “NY” I say something like, “Dad you’re bringing her/him up right – just like my Dad did with me.” It always gets a smile.
Same with Dead logos. They are mostly on adults or those of us pretending to be BUT, “once in while you get shown the light in the strangest of places IF you look at it right.”
Opps, my mental jukebox just dropped that one on the turntable... What I meant to say is, very occasionally, I’ll see a young person sporting Dead signage. When this happens, like a few days ago, I’ll ask them how they got interested and the most common answer is a parent, grandparent, “Uncle,” or other significant "influence" – someone that deserves credit for “teaching them well.”
--“Unlike previous frontiers.. there’s no end to this one...” (from video’s opening scene)
According to Uncle John’s Gospel, this next image – while not very kind...is very funny.
ENCORE: POST SHOW FUN - AFTER PARTY
If you like any of this serious silliness, please check out some other posts about music as medicine – while a theme I frequently visit...there’s music is just about every post I craft...
Music heals as told thru music, humor & images. Without music you'd be better off Dead.
Reconnecting after 40 years, I reflect on a friend's 70th trip around the sun & the ripples we've made.
Dead's drummer Mickey Hart’s & scientists using music to heal. With 12 artists incl. Playing for Change.
Grammy-winning pianist Peter Kater offers online concerts & mini-retreats. Musical Rx for such a time as this!
Fun day w/friends enjoying life together & some musical medicine from Grammy-winning pianist Peter Kater.
"Ain’t no time to hate...barely time to wait...”
“A true deadhead is an anti-racist. If you’re not, you don’t appreciate the Dead or anything they’ve ever done.”
Plus music from Playing for Change, CSN&Y and from the Poor People's Campaign
“Sometimes the light's all shinin' on me; Other times I can barely see." Well, today was a Light day...Join me on the adventure.
With a mix of silly and serious, we consider the question of how are we forming the minds of our youth...hopefully, music is in the mix
We're All Just Walking Each Other Home
"Half Step, Thanks for laying down tracks for our journey together..."
Jerry will..."Drivin' that train..."
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