Dead to the Core: An Acoustic Celebration of The Grateful Dead

Dead to the Core is a collective of singer-songwriters and acoustic musicians who explore the musical world of the Grateful Dead—not through note-for-note re-creations but by playing the songs their own way, with unexpected instrumental colors and lush vocal harmonies.

This show features the all-star Syracuse-based Dead to the Core band: John Lennon Songwriting Contest winner Jeffrey Pepper Rodgers on guitar and Strumstick; Tim Burns (Two Hour Delay) on guitar and mandolin; Wendy Sassafras Ramsay (Starting Off Red) on accordion, flute, and clarinet; Josh Dekaney (Mary Fahl) on drums and percussion; and John Dancks (the Cadleys) on upright bass.

The band’s repertoire spans classics and rarities from the Dead, as well as Jerry Garcia Band, Garcia and Grisman, and Old and in the Way—sometimes mashed up with originals by Dead to the Core’s own songwriters.

Interspersed with the music are selected clips from Rodgers’ interviews with Jerry Garcia and Bob Weir, in which they reflect on the roots and evolution of the music.

A Dead to the Core show is an experience unlike any other Grateful Dead tribute: a night of deeply personal performances that illuminate the masterful song craft of one of America’s most original bands.