Shakedown Street and the Days Between

3–5 minutes

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August 14, 2024

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Words: Slade Rand

Photos: Keez Fromm

Shakedown Street returned to its summer home at Levitt Pavilion midway through this year’s Days Between, gifting a few thousand Deadheads some free music and connection.

The cornerstone Denver band taps into the Grateful Dead spirit whenever it plays, but the Levitt celebration carried extra weight for guitarist Josh Rosen this year. Rosen officially debuted Crescent, a new custom-build from 8West Guitars and the Grateful Guitars Foundation, for the crowd that night. He further surprised guests by playing one of Jerry Garcia’s original instruments for a few songs.

Rosen took the reins of Garcia’s Alligator Fender strat, notoriously played on the Dead’s 1972 romp through Europe, on some classic tunes as the sun sank behind the green hill that night.

Shakedown Street has played for more than three decades in Colorado, cycling through lineups. Rosen joined on guitar in 2009, shortly after bassist Edwin Hurwitz. Keyboardist Joe Weisiger has been with the band since 2005. Peter Czolowski joined on guitar in 2021, followed by Joel Zeiner on drums in 2022 to round out today’s lineup.

Tie-dyed families danced close to the stage and high on the grassy lawn all night long. The five-piece band took on sparsely performed tunes like ‘Dupree Diamond Blues’ and ‘Tons of Steel’ early in the first set, before Alligator emerged.

“We are so lucky to have this band in Colorado,” Grateful Guitars board member Nate Bidner said. “They’re bringing a little bit of Jerry to us tonight.”

Along with Alligator, Bob Weir’s Koa Blackknife guitar joined the band onstage at Levitt. Rosen played Garcia’s instrument on ‘Ramble on Rose’ and ‘Jack Straw’ in set one, before picking up again later on midway through ‘Truckin’.

He referred to an “out-of-body experience” as the band’s fantastic tear through ‘Jack Straw’ wound down.

Andy Logan, president of Grateful Guitars Foundation, stood beaming behind the band while Rosen riled Alligator for the first time. He traveled with the guitar from his home on the West Coast for Shakedown Street’s annual gathering at Levitt.

Lots of younger ears heard the iconic guitar for the first time that night, while some older heads were happily reunited with its friendly sound.

“I feel all of that spirit here tonight, it’s just incredible,” Logan said during setbreak. “At Grateful Guitars we care about that ethos of sharing love and music and harmony, and we help arm guitarists like Josh with the tools they need to make their dreams come true.”

Grateful Guitars sponsored the new Crescent build, which is inspired by the sounds of Garcia’s Wolf, Tiger and Rosebud. Colorado local and luthier Bob Fishman built the instrument, collaborating with Josh on sonic and design elements.

He said the Crescent name is owed to the guitar’s horns.

Fishman told Grateful Guitars the instrument’s body is “an 11-piece ‘hippie sandwich’ that is chambered and made with curly Western Big Leaf Maple, Mahogany and Bocote.” Fishman hand-carved the guitar’s top and back.

“The lotus flower inlay on the back is made with white mother of pearl and abalone,” Fishman told Grateful Guitars. “The neck is made with curly Western Big Leaf Maple, Padauk and Ebony. In a nod to Doug Irwin, the first fret inlay is borrowed from Tiger.”

The guitar features Josh’s signature inlaid on the 24th fret, and its fingerboard and peghead are bound in brass, according to Grateful Guitars and Fishman. Fishman used three DiMarzio Super II, “which can be split between humbucker and single coil mode, an onboard effects loop and buffer.”

Bidner introduced Fishman onstage at Levitt in between Shakedown Street sets.

“Another Denver resident, one of the best luthiers in the world in my opinion, is a gentleman by the name of Bob Fishman,” Bidner said. “He owns and operates 8 West Guitars, who made this beautiful guitar that Josh is playing here tonight.”

Bidner, who lives in Colorado, helped identify Rosen as a foundation recipient after seeing him play with Shakedown Street over the years.

“That’s what we’re all about, is giving musicians like this the tools they need to sound great, to be happy and to make all of us in the community happy,” Bidner said.