Episodes
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In the spirit of Thanksgiving, show the ones you love just how much they mean to you, and share your appreciation and gratitude for the gift of life, the gift of love, and the gift of energy that we all share. Thank you ALL for the gift of YOUR love and our collective friendship.
Nobody embodies the mindset of gratitude more so than my friend, John Macario. Though John and I have yet to meet in person, we recently connected via a communal, music-centric group that we both belong to on social media. I was struck by John’s story. Specifically, I was struck by the story of his true and his unconditional love for his wife, Meg, who at the time was fighting for her life following an organ transplant. John bravely shared Meg’s journey with the group throughout the months, weeks, and days leading up to her untimely passing in late July 2024. In turn, the community was not shy to show their boundless support and compassion for John, Meg, their daughter, Gloria, and the extended Macario family.
Initially our friendship began with a series of DM’s and texts, followed by a conversation, then with the interview here on Grateful Dad & Friends. John brings us back to the day he first laid eyes on Meg in a VIP suite at Madison Square Garden in 2010, and he opens up about how their love grew in the weeks and months that followed, culminating with their wedding on New Year’s Eve the following year. The rest, as they say, is history...
John shares insights into how he and Gloria (now 12) are living their “new normal” without Meg and how music helps them heal. Keep an ear out for the story of Gloria’s attachment to Jerry Garcia Band’s 1980 rendition of After Midnight and how one of John’s lullabies happens to be one of my own all-time favorites, Keep on Growing.
Finally, here are two takeaways from my newfound friendship with John that I’m proud to share.
The first: BECOME AN ORGAN DONOR. As Phil Lesh said hundreds of times, all you need to do is say to someone you love, “Hey, if anything should ever happen to me, I want to be an organ donor.” And check that box on your license. That’s it.
The second: LOVE IS REAL. And well… you know the rest.
Join us, and let’s see where the energy takes us! #IFE #NFA -
To those that know him, the man needs no introduction. For those that don’t, his name is Beau Carino and he’s the founder of one of Long Island’s hottest live music venues, Beau’s Bar, in the village of Greenlawn. For nearly 20 years, Beau has attracted some of the finest talent in the area, ranging from young guns like Dog In A Pile to veteran guitar virtuosos like Jeff Matson, lead singer and guitarist for Dark Star Orchestra.
In Season 3, Episode 8 Beau takes us back to his early days when he took over the bar, cleaned house, rid any lingering thugs and transformed it into the peaceful musical oasis that it is today. He describes how his wife, Heather, takes care of the books while Beau is the bar’s frontman and “chief cook and bottlewasher”.
When Beau isn’t behind the bar, you’ll find him on the basketball court coaching his daughter, or reminiscing about coaching his sons baseball, or planning his next musical adventure. He is the true definition of a family man, and the true definition of a beautiful soul. Correction….a BEAUtiful soul ;) And if you’re curious, Beau does have a last name, but you’ll have to come to his bar to find our what it is for yourself. If you’re lucky, he may even tell you what his real first name is. If you’re lucky…
Join us, and let’s see where the energy takes us!
https://www.facebook.com/reel/1240841283851132
https://music.apple.com/us/album/terrapin-station-live/307801079?i=307801253
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Missing episodes?
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With the exception of a select few cameo appearances by my previous guests’ significant others, this is the first episode where I sit down start-to-finish with a young couple, none other than my daughter, Ms. Hope Staib, and her significant other, Mr. Austin Koerner. Hope and Austin share their story, and their musical tastes and interests, and they reveal what’s on the horizon as Austin aims to become a firefighter and Hope looks to keep our five-generation family business relevant. Austin explains how he is coping with the loss of his mother, Jamie, after she lost her fight with cancer only weeks prior and how the advice he was given at the time of her diagnosis helped him through her 3-year battle.
Join us, and let’s see where the energy takes us! #IFE
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S3, E6 begins with the story of the Mandelbaum family in the late 1930’s and 40’s, and includes the harrowing tale of those family members who miraculously survived the holocaust, and the tragedy of those family members who didn’t. He describes the day his Aunt Regina saved his mother from certain death during the Nazi “selection process” in 1942 and how that one single act of courage ultimately saved generations to follow.
Syd recounts how he became inspired by the events of the holocaust to feed the hungry, to serve the impoverished, and to fight bias here in the United States. He explains how he found his calling to create the food-recovery organization “Rock and Wrap it Up!” (RWU) and how for 33 years RWU has recovered over one billion pounds of food (billion with a “b”) from concerts, sporting events, hospitals, TV and film shoots, and the list goes on.
Where does music come into the story? Well just you wait. Listen during the second half of the episode how Syd’s connections came to include the likes of Sandy Chapin, the Rolling Stones, Black Crowes, the legendary concert promotor Ron Delsener, Phish, Bruce Hornsby, Branford Marsalis, Mickey Hart, Phil Lesh, and yup, even Jerry, just to name a few. Tune in to find out how Syd, at 74 years young, is still actively involved in both the music and the publishing industries.
Join us, and let’s see where the energy takes us! #IFE
https://www.rockandwrapitup.org/
https://www.amazon.com/stores/author/B08C37BY3K
https://www.licares.org/
https://openvault.wgbh.org/catalog/V_2C114A6BFF1A4A1BA6C7E3FC478057CC
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To complete the “Campion Brothers Trifecta”, I was beyond stoked to host Mr. Billy Campion, otherwise known as Young & Tender Willoughby, or The Captain, and in later years, Vic Thrill. For those that know Billy, founding member and front man for The Bogmen, you’re in for a real treat in this episode. For those that don’t know The Bogmen, or Vic Thrill, you’re in for a real treat in this episode.
Billy takes us back to his early days growing up as the youngest of six children, all of whom were active and talented musicians. In addition to the early influences that his siblings had on him, Billy admits being somewhat of a musical sponge by taking in countless other types of world music. Ultimately these varying influences helped him and his bandmates form the unique, tribal sounds of The Bogmen. Formed in the early 1990’s, the band has withstood the test of time for over three decades, and despite a few hiatuses over the years, today The Bogmen are selling more tickets than ever and filling rooms to capacity up and down the East Coast.
Tune in as we learn about how Billy morphed into Vic Thrill during these hiatuses and developed the vibrational sound of Vic Thrill + The Saturn Missle. You’ll even hear what it was like when he hosted a “Prostitute Beauty Pageant” at the 2003 CMJ Music Festival to help promote his new album, CE-5. Never a dull moment with any of the Campion brothers!
Join us, and let’s see where the energy takes us! #IFE
https://thebogmen.com/
https://www.facebook.com/share/1stGKNfvCRdsqppz/?mibextid=LQQJ4d
https://www.facebook.com/share/nSefNoK8etKjCQ9z/?mibextid=LQQJ4d
https://www.instagram.com/victhrill?igsh=MTZ1Y243ZGYzc2trbA==
https://www.instagram.com/thebogmen/ -
On S3, E4 of Grateful Dad & Friends, I’m proud to host a friend who could easily have a career in radio, one of my closest music, golfing, and paddle tennis wingmen, Mr. Mark Hamer.
Mark takes us back to his Texan roots and shares how and when he discovered his love of “music with an edge”, including The Clash, Traffic, Talking Heads, Mott the Hoople, and of course, the good ol’ Grateful Dead. Tune in as he tells his story of taking his 90-year old parents to a Dead & Company show… in a Rolls Royce, how he and his grown children share live music together, and how his two grandchildren light up his life.
Mark touches on his winning battle with cancer, and we close by dedicating the episode to my lifelong friend and amazing human, Mr. Rainer “TITAN” Jenss, who lost his battle with brain cancer and passed away on the day we recorded this conversation. God Bless You, TITAN! God Bless You, Mark!
Join us, and let’s see where the energy takes us! #IFE
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On the final day of Dead & Company’s 30-show residency at The Sphere in Las Vegas, I was honored to sit down with Huntington natives and fellow Deadheads, brothers John and Tommy Peer and Tommy’s son Thomas Peer. We spent our time together reminiscing about the multigenerational Peer + Staib family bond, the Huntington shenanigans that we shared together and a few war stories of old.
Tommy & John brought us back to the glory days of when the Peers and Staibs were roommates post-college at their legendary animal house on Carly Avenue.
Tommy shares his Villanova connection with Tom Staib, and takes us back to the late 80’s catching shows at the Philly Spectrum, among other famously epic venues.
Thomas, the youngest music fan in the room, gives us his impression of The Sphere and Dead & Company’s performance the night before, it being the anniversary of Jerry’s passing, and Tom Staib’s 60th birthday. And yes, Tom DID gift us with a Not Fade Away the night before. Thanks Tom!!
We also got out of the box and talked of music outside the world of the Grateful Dead, when John reminded me how ridiculously talented Green Day is and how I should give them a listen. Thanks John, I sure did!
Finally, I was asked what the initials “IFE” mean and why those three letters carry so much meaning to me. Thank you for asking, I loved sharing the backstory.
Join us, and let’s see where the energy takes us! #IFE
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In my second trip of the summer to catch Dead & Company at Sphere in Las Vegas, I was honored to host my friend of 40+ years, fellow Canterbury “Saint” (term used loosely), avid Deadhead, and all around amazing human being, my cohort Paco “Pac” Keville. By the grace of God, Pac has recovered from a near-death car accident only a few short weeks prior and was firing on all cylinders when we sat down together at The Venetian. He brings us back to his early days growing up in San Francisco, to his decision to trade the familiar comforts of the Bay Area for boarding school in northwestern Connecticut at age 14, to when he got on the bus in ‘85 and never looked back. Among several classic tales, Pac shares his encounter with NBA legend and lifelong Deadhead, Bill Walton, en route to the Dead’s legendarily awful show at Boreal Ridge.
We recorded our conversation on a particularly sentimental day, namely August 9th, it being the 29th anniversary of the day we lost Jerry Garcia and the day my brother, Tom Staib, would have turned 60 years old. We covered a lot of ground and we looked forward to what Dead & Company may have in store for us on this scorching Friday in Sin City. Maybe Tom would even grace us with a Not Fade Away? Join us, and let’s see where the energy takes us! #IFE
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To kick off Season 3, I’m joined by lifelong friend and fellow Deadhead, Tommy Mills, with a special cameo by his better half, Ms Karin Mills. Karin proved to be an integral part of my conversation with her husband in that she served as “fact checker” for the tales being told, and I’m proud to report that Karin confirmed that all but one of the reported antics were, in fact, accurate. Well done Karin!
Similar to two of my previous guests, Doug “Pops” Smith and Rob “Monkey Man” Diestel, Tommy and I share a brotherly bond having spent our summers on the shores of Lake Champlain at a nearly magical “club” on the New York side of the lake known as Corlear Bay Club in the sleepy rural town of Keeseville.
Tommy shares his earliest memories at CBC and he also reveals how he opted to sacrifice a few trips to the lake and instead “got on the bus” in the early 80’s and traveled the country following the Dead. He recalls how he and his band of Deadhead brothers supported themselves on tour by selling PB&J sandwiches, pineapple kabobs, and ice cold ½ oranges from the back of their VW Golf.
He surprises us by admitting that his first love of Grateful Dead music came with the release of the album, Shakedown Street, but it wasn’t the heavy hitters like Fire on the Mountain or the album’s namesake that hooked him. It was….FRANCE. Go figure. He then widens our musical lens by introducing us to the likes of Donny Hathaway, and George Michael. Yup, that George Michael.
Finally, Tommy and Karin give us a peek behind the curtain as to what their three beautiful young adult “children” - Delilah, August and Avery - are doing in their 20’s, how the empty nest is treating them both and what love music they seek out today.
Join us, and let’s see where the energy takes us! #IFE #lovemyfriendofthedevil #loveourfactchecker
https://music.apple.com/us/album/truckin/663694969?i=663694987
https://music.apple.com/us/album/france/663672224?i=663672834
https://music.apple.com/us/album/the-ghetto-live/537033638?i=537033644
https://music.apple.com/us/album/friend-of-the-devil/663694969?i=663695014
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BIG thanks to all my guests on Season 2, it was an honor and a privilege to have hosted each of you! I loved my field trips to record the remote interviews in Charlotte, Hilton Head, and Las Vegas as well. Special shoutout to the Citizens of Sound team behind the scenes that help me create each episode of Grateful Dad & Friends - Will & Charis Retherford, and Leslie Dinsmore. You all ROCK! Join us, and let’s see where the energy takes us! #IFE
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In the closing episode of Season 2, I have the privilege of hosting fellow Huntington native and fellow Deadhead (and the only friend I know that calls me “Enzo”:), Mr. John Buckholtz, who I call Johnny B. Together we cover our glory days in the early ‘80’s at the The Bay Club on the shores of Huntington Bay and we share how we’ve stay connected over the years through our mutual love of the Grateful Dead, and more recently through Johnny B introducing me to the music of Pearl Jam. I’m even a new member of Pearl Jam’s fan organization, Ten Club. Yes, I’m now a member of a Pearl Jam fan club, and yes, that’s pretty out-of-the-box for me! Thanks Johnny B, for opening my eyes and ears to a new genre, I’m starting to expand my musical horizons! Join us, and let’s see where the energy takes us! #IFE
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On Day 2 of my recent pilgrimage to Las Vegas for the Dead & Company shows at Sphere, I sit down with the person that I have proudly seen the most concerts with over the years, fellow Canterbury School alum and lifelong Deadhead, Mr. Andrew “Garv” Hammer. Garv and I take a walk down memory lane revisiting life at boarding school, exploring the bonds that the class of ‘86 (my crew) and the class of ‘85 (his crew, affectionately known as The Bakers Dozen) had back in the day. Having the memory of an elephant, Garv brings us back to the highlights of his 100+ concerts with incredible clarity and amazing detail. We wrap up by diving into the brotherhood known as the Gentlemens Quarterly, aka the “GQ”, the unique institution that continues to stand the test of time after 23 years and over 90 consecutive outings. Join us, and let’s see where the energy takes us! #IFE
Fire on the Mountain https://music.apple.com/us/album/fire-on-the-mountain-live/291317313?i=291317362
Gloria
https://music.apple.com/us/album/gloria-live-at-richmond-coliseum-richmond-va-november/307796629?i=307796714
Rain https://youtu.be/GQIYJUYId3A?si=gI49k-DDJoQ1GtFL
Box of Rain
https://youtu.be/FAL5iBOD3q0?si=oOSCdWE68aF6wr5A
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Somehow, it took 8 months and 23 episodes of Grateful Dad & Friends before I was succesful in securing an interview with a Canterbury prep school friend. In Season 2, Episode 10, I have the pleasure of sitting down with the first friend I met at Canterbury back in the fall of 1983, lifelong Deadhead and all around amazing human being, Mr Geoff “Shafe” Shaffer. Me having entered Canterbury in my sophomore year and Shafe having entered a year earlier in his freshman year, he was not the newbie that I was, and he quickly connected me to a group of friends from across the country that would soon become, and remain to this day, some of my closest wingmen & women. Shafe and I recall the early days of our adventures at boarding school, when we both got on the bus, and where we’re at today in our now 40+ year friendship. The interview takes place in the heart of Las Vegas during Dead & Company’s run at Sphere where we’re about to reunite with a dozen fellow Canterbury “Saints” for our collective first experience inside this new mindblowing visual dome. Join us, and let’s see where the energy takes us! #IFE
Bertha & Jack Straw - https://youtu.be/1IsenzJJBxs?si=tIOh5oOKhgyXPOlz
Tangled Up In Blue - https://youtu.be/LpPegTcd3l4?si=rOF104nbgyDY17jJ
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The man needs no introduction, but for the few that don’t have the pleasure of knowing him, I’ll go out on a limb and introduce my friend. On Season 2, Episode 9, I proudly host Mr. Christopher John Campion, aka Campy, aka Old Sea Dog, aka Lights, aka America’s Guest, aka Marketing Genius, aka Jermaine Jackson. For any Huntington native, the Campion name is widely known and for good reason. Chris takes us back to his early days when he discovered his love music and his passion to perform. He recalls the evolution of his earliest band, Column 13 followed by The Knockout Drops (spolier alert…. the Drops will be reuniting and performing on the East End of Long Island later this summer, keep an eye and ear out for details). In addition to being an epic frontman, Campy is also a published author having penned Escape From Bellevue, and he’ll soon be hosting a new live show slated for Fall 2024, Gen-X-istentialism. After all these years, Old Sea Dog is busier than ever! Join us, and let’s see where the energy takes us! #IFE
https://www.amazon.com/Escape-Bellevue-Memoir-Recovery-Redemption/dp/1592405304
https://christopherjohncampion.bandcamp.com/track/passersby
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After a little nudging to get her past her hesitation to be on a guest on my admitedly music-centric podcast, I was honored to host none other than my mother, Ms. Edie Staib. Mom shares her story of how Al Staib swept her off her feet back in 1960 despite her being engaged to her high school sweetheart at the time, and how they were married less than a year, and went on to live a love story lasting over 55 years. She explains how she felt about her three children becoming Deadheads in the 80’s and how all she wanted was for us to “be safe”. Mom describes her life after losing the love of her life, and how faith, family and friends are what keeps her keeps her going. Finally, stick around until the end to find out why her new nickname is Speedy Edie! Join us, and let’s see where the energy takes us! #IFE
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I have the pleasure of introducing Mr. Mike “Comfort” O’Rourke to the world on Episode 7 of GD&F. Back in the early 1980’s, I was “Kathy and Tom’s little brother, Anzo” to Comfort but over the years he and I began to forge our own connection through our mutual friends, a shared love of music, and the occasional paddle tennis game. Comfort takes us back to the early days when Southern Rock was king in the 70’s, followed by the likes of Van Halen in the 80’s, and the indie tribal sound of The Bogmen in the 90’s, the indie rock band formed by none other than his two cousins, Huntington natives Brendan & Billy Ryan. Join us, and let’s see where the energy takes us! #IFE
Close To You
https://music.apple.com/us/album/they-long-to-be-close-to-you/1423766994?i=1423767002
One Of These Nights https://music.apple.com/us/album/one-of-these-nights/635829435?i=635829531
Jamie's Cryin' https://music.apple.com/us/album/jamies-cryin/976820530?i=976820541
Hey Jude
https://music.apple.com/us/album/hey-jude/265615609?i=265615705
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Hailing from Greensboro, North Carolina, these two gentlemen have become my newest wingmen, and although we’ve yet to meet in person we’re quickly bonding through our comradary and our shared love of music. Listen as Dave Dulaney takes us back to his first show in ‘74 and shares his recollections of the Grateful Dead’s legendary Wall of Sound, and describes his “BD” Before Dead and “AD” After Dead perspective on life. His wingman, Rusty Phipps, is the first taper that I’ve had the privilege of hosting on GD&F and was the source of countless pristine master recordings over the years. He shares how a health scare reignited his passion for taping and explains what it was like to be in the taper section of the shows, revealing taper section “etiquette”. Join us, and let’s see where the energy takes us! #GBL #IFE
Playing in the Band ‘74 https://music.apple.com/us/album/playing-in-the-band-2-live-at-roosevelt-stadium/307798975?i=307799478
Jessica
https://music.apple.com/us/album/jessica-live/158040643?i=158041452
Black Mountain Rag>Poncho & Lefty
https://archive.org/details/billystrings2019-11-01.Gefel_aeta4MinX
News of Jerry Garcia’s Death
https://youtu.be/8WRo3j5XS-A?si=WWQ1hYEiJJ6lZOc9
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I was fortunate to share some very special quality time with my gracious and beautiful niece, Ms Carly Marie Staib. Carly recalls her recollections of “Loud Music Fridays” with the family, her first concert seeing “Uncle Billy” Joel, a Taylor Swift concert with Dad, and later Dead & Company. She explains how she faced and CONQUERED an unexpected and debilitating auto-immune condition called Myasthenia Gravis “MG” that struck when she was in her teens. Thanks to modern medicine and the grace of God, and with MG behind her, Carly then dove in to a career with L’Oréal where she has risen up the ranks and continues to thrive. We give a nod of love and affection to her dad and my brother, Tom Staib, as we recount family night at the Stones in Austin, Texas when Tom joined us…in spirit. Finally, Carly shares how she navigates her long-distance relationship with her significant other and current Duke University School of Law student, Mr Ryan Ciemny. Join us, and let’s see where the energy takes us! #IFE
Summer, Highland Falls https://music.apple.com/us/album/summer-highland-falls/259213439?i=259213506
Our Song
https://music.apple.com/us/album/our-song/1440913923?i=275621661
Bertha https://music.apple.com/us/album/bertha-live-at-the-pavilion-at-star-lake-burgettstown/1722014933?i=1722014946
Sympathy For The Devil https://music.apple.com/us/album/sympathy-for-the-devil-live/1666004641?i=1666008391
Always Gonna Be https://music.apple.com/us/album/always-gonna-be/1695554526?i=1695554769
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Join my BFAM Chris Kline aka Dudley and I as we share war stories from back in the day, including “Black Wednesday” in 1983, summers “dragging hose” the late ‘80’s, backpacking through Europe in late 1990, discovering “The Meadows” in the early ‘90’s, and recapping a few of the countless laughs we had along the way. Dudley reveals that in addition to his love of The Rolling Stones, he’s also a closet Richard Marx and The Outfield fan. We dive into the darkness of 2020 and share how we’re coping with the untimely losses of each of our brothers, Greg and Tom. We explore the tragic irony of those losses and explain how Greg and Tom are sending their messages of Get Busy Living and It’s Fucking Energy loud and clear. Join us, and let’s see where the energy takes us! #GBL #IFE
https://music.apple.com/us/album/cant-you-hear-me-knocking/1440812661?i=1440812679
https://music.apple.com/us/album/purple-rain-live-in-syracuse-march-30-1985-2022-remaster/1616033743?i=1616034641
https://music.apple.com/us/album/for-you/1444031809?i=1444031828
https://music.apple.com/us/album/love-shack-edit-remastered/1464527564?i=1464527641
https://music.apple.com/us/album/beat-you-there/1602140839?i=1602140840
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Fellow avid golfer and devoted music lover, Bobby Rogan, joins me in the studio and recalls how the music of the 70’s shaped his musical tastes before he evolved into a Deadhead. We touch on the “glory days” on the golf course and we highlight how golf and music connects us through thick and thin. Bobby explains how he is facing a recent and unexpected health challenge that is making him truly appreciate each and every day. In other words, he’s Getting Busy Living. Join us, and let’s see where the energy takes us! #GBL #IFE
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