Looking for a way to feed your hunger for Deadhead culture? Get out to the Furthur Festival; you'll find that both the fun and the music are still alive and kicking. Furthur is a band formed a few years ago by Grateful Dead alumni Bob Weir and Phil Lesh. Jeff Chimenti of Ratdog plays keyboards for the band, while John Kadlecik of Dark Star Orchestra plays lead guitar and Joe Russ takes the drums. Jeff Pehrson of Box Set and Sunshine Becker of SoVoSo are currently performing with Furthur as well, providing background vocals. The band has been touring extensively, with shows planned throughout November and December and next year's tour schedule already in the works. At many of the shows, you'll get to see not only Furthur, but also Bob Weir's band Rat Dog, featuring Bob Weir, Kenny Brooks, Jeff Chimenti, Mark Karan, Jay Lane, and Robin Sylvester.

Shows to check out include November 3^rd at the Verizon Wireless Arena in Manchester, New Hampshire, November 10^th at Madison Square Garden in New York City, and November 12^th at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey. These are by no means the only shows; the tour schedule is positively packed with show dates, and you can click on the link below for the complete tour schedule.

It's amazing to see how well Phil and Bobby carry on the Grateful Dead legacy through their current performances. The music is not nearly as exquisite as it would be with Jerry around, of course, but still, the boys do hit some high points where real magic happens, where the audience feels united and the sounds are out of this world. If you're looking at your Grateful Dead cassettes and beginning to feel like an old man or old lady, shake the dust off your dancing shoes and go see the Furthur Festival when it comes your way!