Andy Falco and Travis Book share a love for the music of Jerry Garcia, one born of a mutual respect and admiration for the music legend. Coming to the Boulton Center in Bay Shore on Friday, November 20, Falco & Book Play Garcia celebrates the musical legacy of one of American music’s most beautiful and colorful characters.
The “Jerry Duo” distills the essence of the music of Jerry Garcia, making it all about the songs, the melodies, the lyrics, and the spirit of Jerry’s music. They endeavor to present the full breadth of Jerry’s catalog: the stunning originals of the Grateful Dead, the folk oddities of Garcia & Grisman, the bluegrass standards of Old & In the Way, and the distinctive covers of Jerry Garcia Band. The musical legacy of Jerry Garcia is worth celebrating, and Falco & Book do it with unique reverence.
Falco and Book are both members of the Grammy Award-winning bluegrass band The Infamous Stringdusters. Inspired by their love of the music of Jerry Garcia, the duo branches off on their own for occasional tours to celebrate Garcia’s timeless songs.
“As a band, the ’Dusters all have connections, influence-wise, to the Grateful Dead,” says Falco to Acoustic Guitar Magazine in an article entitled “How Acoustic Musicians Are Carrying Forward the Songs of the Grateful Dead.” “Part of our musical DNA is the way we approach improvised jams that don’t have a plan… There are the psychedelic jams, but at the core of it all, a lot of Garcia’s parts and melodies are very much like an approach a bluegrass player would take… It’s interesting because for me, playing Grateful Dead music is like playing traditional music. Those are the songs we were playing around the house when we were kids. It’s part of our musical language.”
“This project actually originated backstage at ‘Dusters shows, where Travis and I would typically warm up with some (fun) Jerry songs,” Falco explains. “At some point we realized others might like to hear our take on this music.”
Stepping onto the stage with just their voices, a bass, and guitar, and no set list, they create an intimate listening room experience. This is a celebration of Jerry Garcia, not for the audience, but rather with them.
“Dressed in vibrant tie-dyed suits that seemed to echo the kaleidoscopic energy of the Grateful Dead’s heyday,” writes Jam and Toast, “[they] did more than just pay tribute to the legendary musician—they channeled his spirit and brought the crowd on a soulful journey through Garcia’s iconic repertoire… with an aura of reverence and excitement. From the first strum of their instruments, it was evident that this duo wasn’t just performing; they were communing with the essence of Garcia himself.”
“Performing this music as a duo allows us to explore the songs and jam in a way that’s unique,” says Book. “We typically hear these songs in larger ensembles, but the songs done with just bass and guitar make the melodies and lyrics stand out, without any distraction or obfuscation. It’s really a testament to the quality of the songwriting and songs themselves that this music translates so powerfully with a simplified and essential presentation.”
“It’s the way he emotes, the way he makes you believe the story he’s singing about; you really feel like you’re being told a story from the source,” Falco elaborates on the impact of Jerry’s vocals to 27 East. “He was such an extraordinary human being, especially when you hear him in interviews and telling stories, but at the same time, there’s something about him that’s also very ordinary, and you feel like you can relate to him.”
Being a duo grants them the freedom to take creative risks and extend the jam beyond the traditional allocation of their instruments with the flexibility to let the music take them where they need to go in the moment, whether journeying into an otherworldly space or foraying into something more delicate.
The pair released an EP, Falco & Book Play Garcia (Live), on Americana Vibes, which was listed in Goldmine’s Top 20 ‘live album’ releases for 2023, calling it an “outstanding live release where they brilliantly reconstruct their own interpolations of Jerry Garcia masterpieces. It’s an intimate listen, and it makes you feel like you’re right there in the room.”
They draw from Garcia’s solo material and his Grateful Dead catalogue, as well as the traditional songs Jerry loved to play. Anything from “Morning Dew,” “Russian Lullaby,” “and Ripple” to “Friend of the Devil” and “New Speedway Boogie” to “Sitting in Limbo” and “Rosalie McFall” and on to “Terrapin Station” and “Help on the Way/Slipknot.
Tickets for Falco & Book Play Jerry Garcia can be found here. Doors open at 7, show at 8pm.
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