#barry sless

Archival “Unbroken Chain” Captures Phil Lesh & Friends at 2005 Apex

Despite more than 100 musicians passing through its revolving doors over a quarter-century of concerts, Phil Lesh & Friends were an “Unbroken Chain” anchored by their namesake former Grateful Dead bassist.

Released in wake of Lesh’s Oct. 25 death, an audience-shot video of the Oct. 9, 2005, lineup performing “Unbroken Chain” in New Jersey illustrates and soundtracks Lesh’s counterintuitive wisdom.

With Barry Sless on lead guitar, John Molo manning the kit and Mookie Siegel on keys, the band (with Larry Campbell and Chris Robinson playing electric and acoustic guitar, respectively) nails the “Chain”’s tricky tempo changes and polyrhythmic instrumental sections with the tightness of a seasoned group of players.

Lesh sings his composition passionately, while both holding down and pushing along the song with his inimitable style of bass playing. It serves as a reminder of the new ground Lesh continued to explore in his post-Dead career and stands as another reason to thank the folks who spent decades recording Lesh’s exploits so the rest of us may revel in them for decades more.

Song Review: Bobby Weir & Wolf Bros feat. Tyler Childers - “Mama Tried” (Live, April 3, 2022)

Bobby Weir & Wolf Bros are authentically outlaw, wrapping Tyler Childers in country immunity as he leads the band through “Mama Tried.”

Recorded professionally April 3, 2022, at Radio City Music Hall and freshly released, this owes more to Merle Haggard’s original studio recording than to the Grateful Dead’s live arrangement. Which is not only the aim with Wolf Bros’ instrumentation of pedal-steel and electric guitar, acoustic piano, double bass and drums, but well-suited for Childers, who dwells in that space.

Weir’s guitar solo could’ve - and should’ve - yielded to Barry Sless’ steel. But expecting Weir to cede that territory after ceding the mic to Childers is folly and this “Mama Tried” is a refreshing Dead-world take on a Grateful warhorse.

Everybody say, “Thank you, Tyler.”

Grade card: Bobby Weir & Wolf Bros feat. Tyler Childers - “Mama Tried” (Live - 4/3/22) - B+

Peter Rowan Leads Phil Lesh & Friends into the Woods on “Clubhouse Sessions”

- Big band includes Stu Allen, John Molo, Barry Sless, Holly Bowling, Elliott Peck, Jason Crosby and Dan “Lebo” Lebowitz

Peter Rowan came to the Terrapin Clubhouse and took Phil Lesh & (a large group of) Friends into the country and bluegrass.

With the octogenarian - but not in the way - Rowan and Lesh at the helm, a stellar band of relative whippersnappers featuring guitarists Stu Allen, Dan “Lebo” Lebowitz and Barry Sless (pedal steel); singer Elliott Peck; drummer John Molo; fiddler Jason Crosby; and pianist Holly Bowling added respectful modernity to songs from Old & In the Way, Rowan and the Grateful Dead.

Though this was a one-off band for Episode 4 of Lesh’s “Clubhouse Sessions,” it couldn’t have been more tight but loose on “Dupree’s Diamond Blues,” which peaked as first Bowling, then Crosby and Sless transformed the studio into a dusty, Old West saloon. It’s a magical bit of musical inspiration made possible by players adept at picking their spots, Molo’s agile, light-touch drumming and a sonic approach that left room for Lesh’s bass to gurgle to the surface.

There’s not a wasted second in the 40-minute performance video, bookended as it is with a version of “Midnight Moonlight” that nods slyly to “Throwing Stones” and a “Dire Wolf” that finds Sless recalling Workingman’s Dead-era Jerry Garcia on the sit-down guitar.

Peck sings “Ripple” beautifully with Lesh taking over as the band crosses the bridge and Rowan reminds listeners he can still yodel on “Land of the Navajo.”

Beyond grateful for this magical offering.

Read Sound Bites’ coverage of the previous “Clubhouse Sessions” here.

Song Review(s): Bobby Weir & Wolf Bros featuring the Wolfpack - “Loose Lucy,” “When I Paint My Masterpiece,” “Only a River” and “Silvio” -> “Tequila” -> “Silvio” (Live, Dec. 12, 2023)

Whether purposeful or coincidental, Bob Weir provided cheapskates like Sound Bites with a primer on the full range Wolf Bros music with the sampler from the group’s Dec. 12 show in New York State.

From the solo-acoustic “Loose Lucy” to the segue of “Silvio” -> “Tequila” -> “Silvio,” performed by the Bros plus the Wolfpack strings and horns - 10 musicians in all - the giveaway was generous in both songs and substance.

“Lucy” was choppy; “Silvio” -> “Tequila” -> “Silvio” was smooth. The former seemed on-the-fly; the latter well-rehearsed, nearly perfect save for some mumbled words.

The audience was part of the band, too, handling “Loose Lucy”’s thank you …refrain and singing the one, titular, lyric in “Tequila.”

Weir, still on acoustic guitar, played with bassist Don Was and drummer Jay Lane on “When I Paint My Masterpiece,” joining “Silvio” as the teaser’s other Bob Dylan cover, while keyboardist Jeff Chimenti and pedal steeler Barry Sless added countrified color to “Only a River,” the lone Weir solo cut in the gratis chunk.

The take away? More is generally more where Bobby Weir & Wolf Bros featuring the Wolfpack are concerned.

Grade card: Bobby Weir & Wolf Bros featuring the Wolfpack - “Loose Lucy,” “When I Paint My Masterpiece,” “Only a River” and “Silvio” -> “Tequila” -> “Silvio” (Live - 12/12/23) - B-/B-/B/A-

Song Review(s): Bobby Weir & Wolf Bros - “Samson and Delilah” (with Mickey Raphael) and “She Knows What I’m Thinkin’” (Live, March 12, 2023)

Bob Weir says the song “She Knows What I’m Thinkin’,” his recent co-write with J.D. Souther is “another one we never figured out how to end.”

Weir’s comment came as he played the track with Wolf Bros March 12 at the Ryman Auditorium and just before the group ended it more smoothly than any version of “My Brother Esau.”

In any event, “She Knows” has some potential, but is still being fleshed out and remains rough around the edges. And the lyrics - We are the chosen ones, is an oft-repeated line - aren’t particularly deep.

It followed “Samson and Delilah” as part of the free portion of the show’s associated livestream. Willie Nelson’s harmonica blower Mickey Raphael joined for this number and splashed some much-needed color on the otherwise-drab rendering.

Grade card: Bobby Weir & Wolf Bros - “Samson and Delilah” (with Mickey Raphael) and “She Knows What I’m Thinkin’” (Live - 3/12/23) - C-/C

Song Review(s): Bobby Weir & Wolf Bros feat. the Wolfpack with Rick Mitarotonda, Kenny Brooks and Sasha Dobson - “Brokedown Palace”  (Live, Feb. 10, 2023)

With guests Rick Mitarotonda, Kenny Brooks and Sasha Dobson on board and the humongous conglomerate of Wolf Bros and the Wolf Pack behind him, Bob Weir wrapped a recent run of shows with, appropriately enough, “Brokedown Palace.”

Pedal-steel guitar, acoustic piano, horns and strings, co-lead vocals from Mitarotonda and Dobson’s harmonies did not change the fact Weir is utterly unsuited to sing Jerry Garcia ballads.

So while the chorus - fare you well/fare you well/I love you more than words can tell - is truly lovely, Weir is the prominent weak spot on this Feb. 10, all-hands reading, just released on pro-shot video. The Dead man lends credibility - and Brooks’ presence alone was a gift to RatDog fans - but if he’d stuck to backgrounds, Weir’d have made the song better.

Grade card: Bobby Weir & Wolf Bros feat. the Wolfpack with Rick Mitarotonda, Kenny Brooks and Sasha Dobson - “Brokedown Palace”  (Live - 2/10/23) - B-