Phil Lesh Done With Recording, Continues Touring With Furthur
Sounds like Phil Lesh is done with studio albums.
In a recent interview with Billboard, the 72 year old bassist said Furthur – his current effort with fellow Grateful Dead alumni Bob Weir – has no plans to record new albums, citing their focus on continually evolving music.
“Nobody’s mentioned it to me, and certainly it’s not anything I’m interested in doing,” he stated. “What’s the point? Nobody makes money on recordings anymore — a least the likes of us don’t. And the longer I’m in music the less time I like the idea of freezing music in amber so that it’s the same every time you play it back. I want it to be different every time, so I’m just not into recording, particularly.”
Even if no new studio albums are in the works, the band shows no signs of slowing down. Formed by Lesh and Weir, the group includes members of Weir’s RatDog and Grateful Dead tribute band Dark Star Orchestra.
“It’s been a very interesting development,” Lesh says of the band. “It’s to the point where we can play pretty smoothly together. Basically it started because Bob and I realized how much we enjoy playing together; we figured why don’t we just play together if it’s that much fun. We pulled these guys in and started playing, and it seems to have worked out. I’m enjoying it. It’s always an adventure. It’s not like I have to worry about it becoming boring; I never know what’s going to happen, and that’s what I live for, anyway.”
The group just finished up their Summer tour, but have confirmed a Fall trek that will take them through the West Coast.
Furthur Tour Dates:
- September 21-23, 2012: Morrison, CO – Red Rocks Amphitheatre
- September 25, 2012: Seattle, WA – WaMu Theater at CenturyLink Field Events Center
- September 27-30, 2012: Troutdale, OR – Edgefield
- September 30, 2012: Mountain View, CA – Shoreline Amphitheatre
- October 2, 2012: San Diego, CA – SDSU Open Air Theatre
- October 4, 2012: Las Vegas, NV – The Joint
- October 5-6, 2012: Los Angeles, CA – Greek Theatre
- October 7, 2012: Santa Barbara, CA – Santa Barbara Bowl
