Mastodawn

If you haven't already heard, I am pleased to inform you that the #gratefuldead 1975 Ace’s studio sessions have finally been sorted. Choose from everything (24 hours) or a curated selection (11 hours). Amazing music assembled with archival and scholarly rigor. https://saveyourface.posthaven.com/grateful-dead-the-1975-aces-sessions-2026-edition

John Hilgart Jan 11

Here’s an excerpt from the 11/12/72 Kansas City #gratefuldead performance of “He’s Gone,” featuring ONLY Garcia and Weir’s guitar parts.

John Hilgart Jan 11

R.I.P. Bob Weir, my GOAT rhythm guitarist. I got into #gratefuldead via tapes of 1972-1974 improvisation, and the secret sauce for me was Bob Weir’s guitar. His rhythms, interjections, and harmonics were constant elements of surprise and delight to me. I danced to him. He had to create a space for himself in the Dead’s music, and he did so brilliantly and uniquely. I’ve never been able to listen to Dead tapes on which I can’t easily hear Weir’s guitar.

John Hilgart Jun 28, 2025

I can’t let June 28 pass without appreciating (for the 1000th time) these six minutes of pure improvisation by #gratefuldead from 6/28/74, in Boston. This is the first thing I play for non-Heads to illustrate jazz Dead. It’s a one-off, but it develops like a planned event, turning corners tightly, orgasming repeatedly. (The tension and release from 2:30-3:00!) Short, self-contained Dead perfection. It should have a name.

Show thread

John Hilgart Jun 11, 2025

It occurs to me that many of the Hunter/Garcia songs not included on this 1993-1994 mix *do* appear on this SYF 1987 mix - which is also organized around Garcia singing wonderfully, within a great band performance and a great SBD mix. #gratefuldead

Streaming:
https://archive.org/details/grateful-dead-save-your-face-garcia-sings-huntergarcia-sept-87

Notes & mp3s:
https://saveyourface.posthaven.com/grateful-dead-shortlist-garcia-sings-hunter-slash-garcia-september-1987

John Hilgart Jun 4, 2025

NEW MIXTAPE: This is one of the most personally important Grateful Dead curations I’ve assembled under the Save Your Face moniker.

#gratefuldead #jerrygarcia

https://saveyourface.posthaven.com/grateful-dead-garcia-sings-1993-1994

Garcia Sings: 1993-1994

John Hilgart May 11, 2025

Need some springy spring grooves? Here are all seven of the May 1977 #gratefuldead “Dancin’ in the Streets,” edited into instrumentals and glued together into a continuous 67-minute dance party.

Streaming:
https://archive.org/details/grateful-dead-save-your-face-may-1977-dancin-in-the-streets-jams
…or…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q68tPCA1wRw&t=14s

Notes & mp3s:
https://saveyourface.posthaven.com/grateful-dead-may-1977-dancin-in-the-streets-jams

Grateful Dead - Save Your Face: May 1977 Dancin’ in the Streets Jams : John Hilgart : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive

Grateful Dead Save Your Face: May 1977 Dancin’ in the Streets Jams By John Hilgart...

Internet Archive

John Hilgart Apr 28, 2025

I can’t let April end without my annual recommendation to check out the 1979 #gratefuldead Brent Mydland rehearsals, via the Save Your Face edit.

Numerous wonderful and wildly different explorations unlike any 1979 you’ve heard.

Streaming:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8VGseeRO_P8&t=33s

Editing notes and mp3s:
https://saveyourface.posthaven.com/jamming-with-brent-april-79-rehearsal-remix

Grateful Dead - Save Your Face: Jamming with Brent (April '79 Rehearsal Remix)

YouTube

John Hilgart Apr 26, 2025

Forty years ago (4/27/85) in Palo Alto, CA, #gratefuldead played an exemplary “My Brother Esau,” captured powerfully on SBD.

John Hilgart Apr 12, 2025

When Save Your Face was an active mixtape project, I cut the blown vocals out of a lot of good Help>Slips and excluded Franklin’s when it was mundane. That produced an abrupt ending to Slipknot. What I didn’t realize until last year is that anytime the #gratefuldead ended Franklin’s with the Slipknot coda, it is possible to land a standalone Help>Slip edit properly.

Here’s an example of that edit from the performance at the Rosemont Horizon, 3/11/93.