To celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Grateful Dead, JamBase teamed with Telefunken to produce the Songs Of Their Own video series. We began with a list of 100 Grateful Dead original songs (exclusively their tunes, not covers they often played) and tapped many of our favorite artists to record a cover version either at the JamBase office in San Francisco or at one of the many venues around town and beyond. No song was allowed to be covered twice, and today’s participants The Record Company breezed through “Easy Wind.”
A rarity, both for the fact that it was penned solely by Robert Hunter and for its short life on stage, “Easy Wind” was included as the second to last song on the Grateful Dead’s 1970 album Workingman’s Dead. Sung by Ron “Pigpen” McKernan, the bluesy “Easy Wind” made its live debut August 30, 1969 at Family Dog at The Great Highway in San Francisco. Though performed frequently by The Dead in 1969 and 1970, after only three 1971 performances “Easy Wind” went dormant. Its brief live existence lasted just 36 shows, being played last on April 4, 1971 at New York City’s Manhattan Center.
Los Angeles-based trio The Record Company visited the JamBase office earlier this week to tape their version of “Easy Wind.” The day after their gig at Lagunitas Brewery in nearby Petaluma, guitarist and lead singer Chris Vos, bassist Alex Stiff and drummer Marc Cazorla delivered a lively and gritty take on “Easy Wind.” Though “New Speedway Boogie” and “Brokedown Palace” were both already in their repertoire, “Easy Wind” was selected, showcasing Vos handling Pigpen’s harmonica parts.
Audio and video recorded and edited by: Jake Alexander