Sentimental connection to music rippling through generations is an important phenomenon within the art form that keeps its value alive and prevents great artists from fading out of memory. The distance crossed between age ranges at the Dawg Trio show in Eugene, Oregon at the John G. Shedd Institute Friday night exemplified just that. Whether raised up on Not For Kids Only, or finally joining the ranks of Old & In the Way, fans came from all walks to praise the father of dawg music, David Grisman.
Despite a seated venue, plenty of Eugene Deadheads could still be spotted feeling themselves in a fixed position to the nostalgic show. In the Dawg Trio, Grisman’s son Samson Grisman accompanies on double bass, while multi-instrumentalist Danny Barnes sings and picks along on guitar and banjo. Together, they plucked through hits from their self-titled record like “Spud Boy” (a dedication to Jerry Garcia), “Blue Dawg,” and “Lobster Rolls,” as well as tunes from Grisman’s previous projects and some old-timey standards. Danny Barnes sang lead on his originals, starting with “Little Bitty Town,” and Samson provided vocals for a couple of tracks Grisman did with Garcia way back when such as “Jack-A-Roe” and “When First Unto This Country.”
While immersed in the songs, each dawg explored their own finesse and brought splashes of individual character to each melody, dividing and sharing the solo spotlight mutually. They played two sets, and both came with historic tales from Grisman, detailing the inspiring friendships he’d made throughout the years. Songs were dedicated to Ralph Rinzler, Artie Rose, and Tony Rice to name a few. At multiple points, Tracy Bigelow Grisman, Grisman’s long-time wife, joined the trio on acoustic guitar as a welcome surprise to aid in the homages and complete the harmonies. The evening also presented opportunities for Grisman to showcase new songs “hot off the brain” such as “Danza Dawg” and “Olé Molé.” From this, it was clear Grisman’s passion for music hadn’t wavered during the solitude of the pandemic.
“I hope you all get through this mess,” he expressed as a sendoff before playing a final song, “2020,” written for Tony Rice. After being coaxed back onstage with an immediate standing ovation, bashful Grisman beamed, “You didn’t have to do that.” “Let’s play a nice slow number,” he chuckled with a familiar twinkle in his eye before handing out hot licks to end with a flash folk bluegrass bang.
