“That’s what I think our music experience should be – like the church. People come to church because they’ve had a hard week and they need help, they need to hear the word, they need to hear a good choir, they need their spirit lifted. And these fans that come to hear this music, same thing. It’s the same thing. It’s church. – Melvin Seals
In Episode 2 of Comes A Time, Mike & Oteil chat with musician Melvin Seals, longtime friend and collaborator of Jerry Garcia. Melvin tells Oteil and Mike about growing up in the Bay area, learning about music in church and through watching shows like American Bandstand and Midnight Special. They discuss the protests and Black Lives Matter movement, and Marvin discusses his own experiences with racism. They agree that performing with The Grateful Dead and The Jerry Garcia Band is like performing in church, and Melvin explains how playing with Jerry changed the way he hears music.
Melvin Seals is best known for his long friendship and musical partnership with cultural icon and guitarist Jerry Garcia and the smile of his that lights up the room. Melvin spun his B-3 magic with the Jerry Garcia Band for 18 years and in doing so helped pioneer and define what has now become “Jam Band Music”. Current projects include Melvin Seals and JGB, Oteil & Friends, The Rock Collection, Terrapin Flyer and The Mix.
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Comes A Time is brought to you by Osiris Media. Hosted and Produced by Oteil Burbridge and Mike Finoia. Executive Producers Christina Collins, RJ Bee and Kirsten Cluthe. Production, Editing and Mixing by Eric Limarenko. Theme music by Oteil Burbridge. To discover more podcasts that connect you more deeply to the music you love, check out osirispod.com.