Quote:Sep 15, 2020 4:27pm PT
Grateful Dead’s Bob Weir, Congressman Mike Thompson Rally Support for Indie Venues and Save Our Stages Act

By Zack Ruskin





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[color=var(--color-brand-secondary-50)]Courtesy of Tom Tomkinson/APE[/color][/color]
When Grateful Dead cofounder Bob Weir heads out on tour with Dead and Company, the crew extends far beyond his bandmates. As he explained Tuesday during a Zoom conference, a standard U.S. tour for the group actually involves a staff of 96 — along with local truck drivers, caterer, security guards, artists designing shirts and posters, and so many others involved in the live-music economy.
Allen Scott, Head of Concerts and Festivals for Another Planet Entertainment, described the sheer volume of individuals effected on the professional side as something that “spiderwebs out into thousands and thousands of people” — thousands of whom have been without a livelihood since the coronavirus pandemic placed all concerts and tours on indefinite hold.


At a Zoom press conference on Tuesday, Weir, Congressman Mike Thompson (D-CA), Blue Note Records president Don Was, Derek Featherstone of UltraSound, Napa venue owner Ken Tesler and Local 16 stagehand union member Joan Desmond sounded the alarm for independent venues in the San Francisco Bay Area — and across the entire country — in support of the $10 billion Save Our Stages Act and the Restart Act, which have drawn significant support on Capitol Hill and in the music industry, but are yet to move forward in Congress — head here to find out what you can do to help.

Weir said, “I’m here today to speak for the rest of the folks who are still trying to do well or haven’t done well yet — the roadies, the ticket-takers… it’s just endless, the number of people involved in this industry.”
Scott didn’t mince words when describing the situation venues like APE’s own Fox Theater in Oakland are currently facing.
“We were the first businesses to close and we’ll be the last to open,” he said. “We have basically zero dollars in revenue coming in. It is very grim. I get the sense from talking to people across the country that many businesses are holding on by their fingertips, waiting to hear what will happen with this latest COVID relief bill. if something isn’t done here, I think we’re going to see a wave of live music venues go out of business.”
While the tenor of the panel was undeniably bleak — at one point, Joanne Desmond noted that IATSE Local 16 members are currently over 98% unemployed — there was also hope offered.
It came in the form of two bills, both sponsored by Thompson, that everyone agreed were vital if many of the country’s most beloved independent venues are to weather this pandemic. Those bills – the Save Our Stages Act and the Restart Act – are unlikely to garner the support to pass as stand-alone legislation. However, either bill could be included in the (presumably forthcoming) larger COVID relief bill Congress continues to hammer out.
“Both these bills will make sure small venues can stay in business and entertain us for years to come,” Thompson said of the legislation he helped to spearhead. “I’m going to do everything in my power to get these bills signed and passed into law.”


Pointing to his belief that music transcends partisanship, Weir summarized the stakes in a manner befitting of a man whose life will forever be inextricably tied to the culture of live concerts.
“We need help from the government,” Weir said. “And I’d like to point out that music crosses party lines. Everybody needs music. I’ll leave it at that. Everybody needs music.”

Politico Wrote:Caputo told staffers that his series of false accusations on Facebook Live this weekend — which included unfounded allegations that the Centers for Disease Control was harboring a “resistance unit” — reflected poorly on HHS’ communications office. He blamed his recent behavior on a combination of physical health issues and the toll of fielding death threats against his family. Caputo also acknowledged that he had never read one of the CDC's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Reports, despite his team's ongoing efforts to try to edit those documents. 

Caputo told staff that he is scheduled to meet with HHS Secretary Alex Azar later Tuesday, the people with knowledge of the meeting said.
President Donald Trump — a close ally of Caputo who helped install him as HHS' communication head this year — is also expected to be involved in any decision about Caputo's next steps.
Three people with knowledge of Caputo's decision-making confirmed that he was mulling stepping aside as the department’s assistant secretary for public affairs to take medical leave. One former HHS official told POLITICO that Caputo, a former Trump campaign official, has long complained of the stress caused by having been mentioned in the special counsel's investigation on Russian interference in the 2016 election.
[b]POLITICO DISPATCH: SEPTEMBER 16[/b]
Remember when Congress came to a bipartisan agreement on coronavirus relief … like a million years ago? Well, it doesn’t look like that’s gonna happen again anytime soon — despite the tens of millions of Americans struggling right now.

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During the meeting with his staff on Tuesday, Caputo made allusions to the fact that HHS had functioned for a long time in the past without a permanent top communications official, said one HHS official. 
Caputo also disputed anonymous White House criticism about his mental health — saying that some of his comments have been taken out of context — and concluded the meeting by encouraging his staff to listen to music by the Grateful Dead.
HHS declined to comment.

Quote:
OCTOBER 26, 2020 12:30PM ET


Jerry Garcia Family Launches Cannabis Line, ‘Garcia Hand Picked’
The cannabis line honors the singer’s longstanding advocacy for the legalization of weed, while giving fans something new to celebrate Garcia’s free-spirited legacy
[i]By[/i] 
TIM CHAN 

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Holistic Industries
Jerry Garcia’s free-thinking personality and counterculture vibe is the inspiration behind a new cannabis line that’s launching next month. Garcia Hand Picked (GHP) is a collaboration between the late singer’s family and Holistic Industries, a private multi-state cannabis operator in the U.S.
The officially-licensed partnership launches with three strains of flower, in addition to pre-rolls and guitar-shaped edibles. The products will be available in California dispensaries beginning in November. Those living out of state can still get a piece of the collection with Garcia-branded apparel and accessories.
While the Grateful Dead singer was known to be a proponent of marijuana, those close to Garcia have said that he rarely smoked weed by himself. Instead, it was more of a social interaction, whether after a show, on the tour bus, or in the recording studio. “A joint became a bridge between him and those around him,” explains Trixie Garcia, his daughter and spokesperson for the Garcia family.


Trixie Garcia says the family wanted to release a cannabis line to honor her father’s longstanding advocacy for the legalization of weed, while giving fans something new to celebrate Garcia’s spirit and legacy. The family says it wanted to create a “spontaneous [and] harmonious” cannabis experience to “bring people together in the way only Jerry could.”
The resulting collection is designed as much for celebration as it is for relaxation. Strains available at launch in November include a Sativa, an Indica and a hybrid. Each product is paired with a curated playlist of Garcia’s music that was specially-selected to correspond to each strain. The packaging also features a watercolor-inspired image of Garcia wearing his signature sunglasses.
In a press release, Holistic Industries calls the cannabis collection a “unique opportunity to honor Jerry’s legacy in a fun and authentic way, while leveraging the unwavering popularity of the Grateful Dead.”
While Holistic had originally planned to launch the line during the summer festival season, the coronavirus pandemic put those plans on hold. The company’s new roll out will see the brand traveling up and down the California coast in a custom, tricked-out Airstream dubbed “Bertha,” after the opening track on Grateful Dead’s seminal 1971 [i]Skull & Roses[/i] LP.
Holistic has launched a contest online to find a brand ambassador for Garcia Hand Picked, who will drive the Airstream as it tours venues and dispensaries across the state in November. Fans hoping to enter the contest or track “Bertha’s” whereabouts can find out more online at GarciaHandPicked.com.
The cannabis line is the latest collaborative project from the Garcia family. The late singer’s artwork inspired a new collection of shoes and sandals with KEEN footwear, that launched in July.

Quote:Published: 2021/02/02

Love Some Tea Unveils Grateful Dead Tea Collection

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Love Some Tea, a tea brand that imports rare, plantation-free teas from Thailand, has announced The Grateful Tea Collection, a set of new tea flavors “inspired by the music, values, and lifestyle of the iconic brand the Grateful Dead.” (Quote via press release.) The new teas are available to purchase now.
“Being Grateful Dead fans and obsessed with ethically farmed and delicious teas, we are thrilled to share our exclusive collection with the world,” said Love Some Tea CEO Scott Fernandez (via press release).
“We live and breathe the environment, just as the Grateful Dead have since they first hit the stage in 1965,” he continued. “Our commitment to ethically grown and farmed tea leaves and sustainable packaging made the union between Love Some Tea and the Grateful Dead a perfect match for sharing delicious, healthful teas with those who will appreciate them most.”
According to a press release, “the ‘Plantation Free’ method of growing and harvesting Grateful Teas from Love Some Tea sees to it that no land is cleared for planting, and machinery is never used to harvest. It is done by hand with their friends and partners, the Hill Tribes of Northern Thailand.”
The flavors are listed below. Grateful Dead archivist David Lemieux also filmed a video announcing the teas. Watch it below!
For more information and to purchase, click here.
Grateful Tea Flavors:
● Cosmic Coconut – A black tea with aromatic coconut notes. 
● Passionate Prophet – Green tea with a passion fruit infusion. 
● Workingman’s Blend – An everyman’s, rich black tea with a zing. 
● Tropical Weather – A refreshing green and black blend for adventurers at heart. ● Ramblin’ Apple – A yummy apple tea, with a hint of peach. 
● Minty-O – A freshly calming tea that tastes like freshly picked mint leaves. 

(02-05-2021, 01:00 PM)King Bob Wrote: Cannabis-infused? But THC is not water soluble, so what's the point?