Guess the Year

Bay Area!

Stop by Book Passage in Corte Madera to hear the great John Brackett discuss his newest book about how the Grateful Dead became pop stars.

John is a hall of fame GTY guest and one of the greatest thinkers and writers about the Grateful Dead that our community has to offer.

1pm, Saturday, August 29th

Rolling Stone article.

Thanks again to the great Angie Martoccio.

This week, author and historian John Brackett curates the setlist as 2x defending champ Nick is joined by Kellen, Colby, and Nick.

You may remember John from his wonderful book Live Dead: The Grateful Dead, Live Recordings, and the Ideology of Liveness. Lucky for us, John is set to release its follow-up,Touch of Grey, or How the Grateful Dead Became Pop Stars on August 4th, via Duke University Press. It’s available now for pre-order.

The book follows "Touch of Grey" from Robert Hunter's earliest lyric sketches through the recording of In the Dark, the iconic music video, and the promotional campaign, which turned the Grateful Dead into… pop stars.

This week, comedian Cam Herdt curates the setlist as returning champ Nick is joined by James, Billy, and Josiah.

Check out Cam's hilarious Instagram, Best Show Ever podcast & YouTube channel, and snag tickets to his show at Garcia's Chicago, available now.

This week, Doyle from the music blog Nightswimming curates the setlist as three time defending champ Charles is joined by Mark, Nick, and Luke.

Nightswimming has a brilliant tagline, “a blog about new music, for kids who grew up with VH1 and iPod Shuffles.” It features interviews, reviews, playlists, and of course, a Grateful Dead show of the week. Check out Doyle's recent interview with Kevin Morby.

Nightswimming

Nightswimming's Instagram

Charles's ⁠⁠⁠⁠website⁠⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠⁠Facebook⁠⁠

This week, Peter Conners, author of Cornell '77: The Music, the Myth, and the Magnificence of the Grateful Dead's Concert at Barton Hall, curates the setlist as returning champ Charles is joined by Sean, Jon, and Liam.

Peter is the author of nine books spanning nonfiction, fiction, and poetry, including Growing Up Dead, JAMerica, White Hand Society, and the novel Merch Table Blues. His writing on the Grateful Dead and jam band culture has made him one of the scene’s foremost chroniclers. 

Cornell '77

Peter's Website

Charles's ⁠⁠⁠website⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠Facebook⁠⁠

Seastones

Development and Research

Muddy River Junction

This week, Tom from Grateful Stats curates the setlist, while returning champ Charles is joined by Archit and Charlie.

Grateful Stats is a database of Grateful Dead shows, with deep search tools and advanced stats, including song sequences and durations. To mine the database’s full depths, there’s a Patreon that helps cover hosting fees, and any revenue beyond that is donated to charities like the Rex Foundation, HeadCount, and TC’s medical bills.

To be a contestant, sponsor the show, or ask questions/make comments, please email: ⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠⁠⁠

• GTY's ⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠ & ⁠⁠⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠⁠⁠
• Thanks to ⁠⁠⁠⁠Peter Osta ⁠⁠⁠⁠for the new cover art.
• Charles's ⁠website⁠ and ⁠Facebook⁠
• Mundane

This week, 4x Guess the Year champ Gavin curates the setlist as returning champ Dave is joined by Steve, Charles, and Dylan.

To be a contestant, sponsor the show, or ask questions/make comments, please email: ⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠⁠

• GTY's ⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠ & ⁠⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠⁠

• Thanks to ⁠⁠⁠Peter Osta ⁠⁠⁠for the new cover art.
• Charles's website and Facebook (amazing guitarist)

This week, Christopher K. Coffman curates the setlist as returning champ Drane is joined by Dave, Paul, and Bart.

Chris is a Master Lecturer of Humanities at Boston University, and the author of Clowns in the Burying Ground: The Grateful Dead, Literature, and the Limits of Philosophy, out now via Duke University Press under its Grateful Dead Studies imprint. The book examines how the Dead’s lyricists drew from European and American literary traditions, using intertextuality and fragmentation to shape meaning in their work.

This week’s prize pack is provided by Seastones, which makes custom hi-fi speakers with psychedelic, custom panels. Seastones recently shared prototypes for the new speakers drawing from the Dead’s pre 1974 sound system, and featuring vintage surfboard inlays.

• Clowns in the Burying Ground
• Grateful Dead Studies Association submissions.

Bart's venues:

Lakeview Marina

High Dive Lounge

To be a contestant, sponsor the show, or ask questions/make comments, please email: ⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠

• GTY's ⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠ & ⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠

• Thanks to ⁠⁠Peter Osta ⁠⁠for the new cover art.

This week, setlist curator Chef Michael Cimarusti is joined by Matt, Tom, and Drane.

Michael is a James Beard Award-winner and co-owner of Providence in Los Angeles, which in 2025 earned three Michelin stars. It also carries a Green Star for sustainability.

Michael is also chef and partner at Connie & Ted’s in West Hollywood. He trained at Spago, Le Cirque, and Water Grill, after graduating from the Culinary Institute of America. He’s one of the chef judges on America’s Culinary Cup, which is midway through its first season on CBS and Paramount+.

Michael's Instagram

Providence

Connie & Ted's

America's Culinary Cup

Ears of Maize, Tom's show on KALX, 90.7FM Berkeley

Matt's show on 106.5 FM Philadelphia

To be a contestant, sponsor the show, or ask questions/make comments, please email: ⁠[email protected]⁠

• GTY's ⁠Instagram⁠ & ⁠YouTube⁠

• Thanks to ⁠Peter Osta ⁠for the new cover art.

This week, Dr. B. Steve Csaki curates the setlist as returning champ Adam is joined by Grayson and Barry.

Steve is an Assistant Professor in English, Humanities, and Languages at Southeastern Oklahoma State University. He’s co-editor of The Philosophy of the Western, and a member of the Grateful Dead Studies Association. For Volume 6 of their annual compilation of scholarly papers, Steve contributed “Caught on a Limb”: Authorial Intention, He’s Gone, and the Music of the Grateful Dead.

To be a contestant, sponsor the show, or ask questions/make comments, please email: [email protected]

• GTY's Instagram & YouTube

• Thanks to Peter Osta for the new cover art.