DEADHEADS

This project was done with humor, truth, and sarcasm. At the University of California, Santa Cruz, UCSC, where I went to college, there were many fans of The Grateful Dead. They called themselves Deadheads. I had not heard of the band before attending the school. I listened to the music, and I didn't understand why people felt so passionately about the band. I was intrigued. So in 1986, I decided to try and understand these people and the music they loved, and to create a video of my quest. This documentary project is the result. Enjoy.

The Tao of Bluegrass: A Portrait of Peter Rowan

There are only a few Bluegrass Boys still around that played with the Father of Bluegrass, Bill Monroe. Peter Rowan was a bluegrass boy in the 1960's for only a short time, but Bill's influence and musical knowledge still resonates with Peter. Even as he branched out into his own music after leaving Bill's band, his bluegrass roots were never far away. This portrait of Peter expands beyond his music to his artistic and spiritual endeavors spanning four decades giving the viewer an in-depth look at a true legend within our Americana musical history. His lyrical quality and melodies are memorable; influencing the next generation of musicians, sharing what Bill taught him and what he has learned being a troubadour traveling the world.

The Hippie Temptation

CBS TV news special hosted by Harry Reasoner explores the way-out world of the Hippies and the Haight-Ashbury psychedelic 1960s LSD scene. Footage of LSDs users experiencing bummer trips. The Diggers, the Oracle and cool street and Golden Gate Park scenes with hippies tripping out. The Grateful Dead are interviewed and are shown performing "Dancin' in the Streets" on a flatbed truck in Golden Gate Park. The Hippie Temptation!

The Ralph Stanley Story

The Stanley sound is true old-time, mountain style bluegrass music. This film tells Ralph's story through interviews with Ralph, fellow musicians, and those who know Ralph best. Rank Stranger, White Dove, Pretty Polly, Man of Constant Sorrow, and over twenty other songs help tell the story. Ralph performs with Dwight Yoakam, Patty Loveless, Junior Brown, Larry Sparks, George Shuffler, Ricky Skaggs, and members of the Clinch Mountain Boys.

Bluegrass Country Soul

Capturing the sights, sounds, and magic of Carlton Haney’s 1971 Labor Day Festival in Camp Springs, North Carolina; a three-day outdoor festival—the first of its kind—featuring bluegrass veterans and future stars alike sharing the primitive wood and cinder block stage. More than just capturing one of the largest bluegrass festivals of that decade, this documentary is also an interesting mixture of live performances, interviews, impromptu jam sessions and crowd footage of live music set in a small town surrounded by the now long gone red clay and tobacco shacks of North Carolina.

The Other One: The Long, Strange Trip of Bob Weir

Drop out of school to ride with the Merry Pranksters. Form America’s most enduring jam band. Become a family man and father. Never stop chasing the muse. Bob Weir took his own path to and through superstardom as rhythm guitarist for The Grateful Dead. Mike Fleiss re-imagines the whole wild journey in this magnetic rock doc and concert film, with memorable input from bandmates, contemporaries, followers, family, and, of course, the inimitable Bob Weir himself.

A Kentucky Treasure: The Osborne Brothers Story

The story of Bobby and Sonny Osborne, better known as The Osborne Brothers, one of the most successful bluegrass groups of all time. Born in Hyden, Kentucky, they achieved world wide recognition with their 1967 single, “Rocky Top.”

Banjoes, Fiddles & Riverboats: John Hartford and the General Jackson

Steamboatin' stories from those who lived them, river history, authentic footage and stills, along with music and narration by John Hartford.

Long Strange Trip

The tale of the Grateful Dead is inspiring, complicated, and downright messy. A tribe of contrarians, they made art out of open-ended chaos and inadvertently achieved success on their own terms. Never-before-seen footage and interviews offer this unprecedented and unvarnished look at the life of the Dead.

A Kentucky Treasure: The J.D. Crowe Story

Fellow musicians talk about the career and impact of Kentucky native J.D. Crowe, one of bluegrass music's most accomplished and influential performers and bandleaders. Crowe was instrumental in the careers of Ricky Skaggs, Tony Rice, Keith Whitley and Jerry Douglas and was voted into the International Bluegrass Music Museum Hall of Fame in his own right in 2003.

The Grateful Dead

The Grateful Dead performs live at Winterland in San Francisco in October 1974.

You Gave Me A Song: The Life and Music of Alice Gerrard

You Gave Me A Song offers an intimate portrait of old-time music pioneer Alice Gerrard and her remarkable, unpredictable journey creating and preserving traditional music. The film follows eighty-four year old Gerrard over several years, weaving together verité footage of living room rehearsals, recording sessions, songwriting, archival work, and performances with photos and rare field recordings. Much of the film is told in Alice’s voice and via interviews with musical collaborators and family members who share the story of Alice and others chasing that high lonesome sound.

Bluegrass Journey

This passionate and affecting performance documentary celebrates the virtuoso artistry and joyous community of contemporary bluegrass music. Musically depicting many of the traditional roots and some of the more far-reaching branches of the genre by employing verite footage, thoughtful interviews, and vividly captured extended performances to weave a seamless tapestry that transports and enraptures the devoted fan and newcomer alike.

May It Last: A Portrait of the Avett Brothers

An intimate portrait of the acclaimed North Carolina band The Avett Brothers, charting their decade-and-a- half rise, while chronicling their present-day collaboration with famed producer Rick Rubin on the multi-Grammy-nominated album “True Sadness.”

Bill Monroe: Father of Bluegrass Music

No single figure in American music so dominated a genre as did Bill Monroe with bluegrass. BILL MONROE: FATHER OF BLUEGRASS MUSIC features performances by Bill Monroe & the Blue Grass Boys, Lester Flatt, Emmylou Harris, Paul McCartney, the Osborne Brothers, Dolly Parton, Ricky Skaggs, Marty Stuart, John Hartford and a once-in-a-lifetime Blue Grass Boys reunion featuring Del McCoury, Chubby Wise and Bill Keith. The film features archival footage and rare 1990s performances from Monroe's final years including many of the greatest songs from his six decades of recording.

Alison Krauss and Union Station Live

Dead & Company: 2023-06-21 Citi Field, New York, NY, USA

Set 1: Shakedown Street(Grateful Dead cover) (Bob and John shared vocals) (>) Bertha(Grateful Dead cover) (John and Bob shared vocals) (>) Ramble On Rose(Grateful Dead cover) It Hurts Me Too(Tampa Red cover) (John Mayer on vocals) Dancing in the Street(Martha Reeves and the Vandellas cover) (John and Bob shared vocals) Althea(Grateful Dead cover) (John Mayer on vocals) Let It Grow(Grateful Dead cover) Set 2: China Cat Sunflower(Grateful Dead cover) (>) I Know You Rider([traditional] cover) St. Stephen(Grateful Dead cover) (Bob and John shared vocals) (>) Uncle John's Band(Grateful Dead cover) (John and Bob shared vocals) (>) Drums(Grateful Dead cover) (with Joe Russo) (with Oteil) (>) Space(Grateful Dead cover) (>) The Eleven(Grateful Dead cover) (>) Stella Blue(Grateful Dead cover) (>) U.S. Blues(Grateful Dead cover) (Bob and John shared vocals) Black Muddy River(Grateful Dead cover) (John Mayer on vocals)

Dead & Company: 2023-06-17 Saratoga Performing Arts Center, Saratoga Springs, NY, USA

Set 1: Good Times(Sam Cooke cover) Scarlet Begonias(Grateful Dead cover) (>) Deal(Jerry Garcia cover) Black-Throated Wind(Bob Weir song) Dire Wolf(Grateful Dead cover) Bird Song(Jerry Garcia cover) Going Down the Road Feeling Bad([traditional] cover) Set 2: They Love Each Other(Jerry Garcia cover) (>) Terrapin Station(Grateful Dead cover) (>) He's Gone(Grateful Dead cover) (>) The Other One(Grateful Dead cover) (verse 1) (>) Drums(Grateful Dead cover) (>) Space(Grateful Dead cover) (> 'The Other One' verse 2 >) Days Between(Grateful Dead cover) (>) Turn On Your Love Light(Bobby “Blue” Bland cover) Encore: One More Saturday Night(Bob Weir song)

Dead & Company: 2023-06-18 Saratoga Performing Arts Center, Saratoga Springs, NY, USA

Set 1: Hell in a Bucket(Grateful Dead cover) Sugaree(Jerry Garcia cover) Mississippi Half-Step Uptown Toodeloo(Grateful Dead cover) (>) Mr. Charlie(Grateful Dead cover) Friend of the Devil(Grateful Dead cover) (>) Lost Sailor(Grateful Dead cover) (>) Saint of Circumstance(Grateful Dead cover) (>) Big Railroad Blues(Cannon’s Jug Stompers cover) Set 2: Samson and Delilah([traditional] cover) Playing in the Band(Bob Weir song) (>) Help on the Way(Grateful Dead cover) (>) Slipknot!(Grateful Dead cover) (>) Franklin's Tower(Grateful Dead cover) (>) Drums(Grateful Dead cover) (>) Space(Grateful Dead cover) (>) Death Don't Have No Mercy(Reverend Gary Davis cover) Throwing Stones(Grateful Dead cover) Sugar Magnolia(Grateful Dead cover) Encore: Werewolves of London(Warren Zevon cover) (> 'Playing in the Band' reprise)

Dead & Company: 2023-06-27 Ruoff Music Center, Noblesville, IN, USA

Set 1: Bertha(Grateful Dead cover) (>) Good Lovin'(The Rascals cover) It Must Have Been the Roses(Robert Hunter cover) (Tour Debut) Big River(Johnny Cash cover) (>) Dark Star(Grateful Dead cover) (verse 2) Next Time You See Me(Junior Parker cover) (>) Mississippi Half-Step Uptown Toodeloo(Grateful Dead cover) (>) Bird Song(Jerry Garcia cover) (>) Don't Ease Me In(Henry Thomas cover) Set 2: Iko Iko(Sugar Boy and His Cane Cutters cover) Sugaree(Jerry Garcia cover) China Cat Sunflower(Grateful Dead cover) (>) I Know You Rider([traditional] cover) (>) Uncle John's Band(Grateful Dead cover) (>) Drums(Grateful Dead cover) (>) Space(Grateful Dead cover) (>) Hell in a Bucket(Grateful Dead cover) (>) Wharf Rat(Grateful Dead cover) (>) Turn On Your Love Light(Bobby “Blue” Bland cover) Touch of Grey(Grateful Dead cover)