A familiar, country-flavored groove, spun from tie-dyed infinity, permeated the Peanut Barrel on the cold afternoon of Feb. 3. Diners put down their burgers, and servers slowed to a standstill. The fries got cooler, and the beer got warmer, but nobody cared. The comfort food was already in the air.
There’s a 50-year spread between the oldest and youngest members of the eight-piece Grateful Dead cover band Quality Jerry. Whether it comes wafting through fading memories, bootleg recordings or living avatars, the Grateful Dead’s multi-generational spell shows no sign of dissipating.
A mix of seasoned musicians and devoted amateurs, Quality Jerry sounds like it’s been together for decades. But for all three (yes, three) Lansing-area Dead cover bands, it’s been a short, strange trip. None of the bands were around two years ago…