Song Review(s): Phil Lesh & Friends - “Crazy Fingers,” “Viola Lee Blues” -> “Not Fade Away”
No matter what their weaknesses - vocals, tempos, weird arrangements, lyric changes or lack of rehearsal - Grateful Dead spin-offs pretty much always nail “Viola Lee Blues.”
And so it went with Phil Lesh & Friends - the Grateful Dead bassist joined by guitarists Grahame Lesh and Stu Allen, keyboardist Jason Crosby and drummer John Molo - April 10, 2022, at Skull & Roses.
With both Leshes and Allen at the mic and a deep-space breakdown buried inside the insistent groove, this “Viola” smoldered as Grahame Lesh played slide counterparts to Allen’s Jerry Garcia-esque tone.
Allen worked with Garcia’s Alligator guitar and the band performed under a depiction of the Wall of Sound. Molo employed woodblocks and cowbells to add to his percussive arsenal.
As released on professional video, “Viola” was bookended by a full-stop “Crazy Fingers” and the “Not Fade Away” it segued in to.
The former was a bit of a mess with botched lyrics and Grahame Lesh amusing himself by singing of his dad: Strange Phil by my side.
“NFA” was stronger. Locked in with the front three adding an extra syllable to the last word of each line and slowly fading out while singing: Love is real, not fade away, it, like the “Viola” that preceded it, played to this group’s strengths, weak vocals notwithstanding.
Grade card: Phil Lesh & Friends - “Crazy Fingers,” “Viola Lee Blues” -> “Not Fade Away” - C/A/B