We are The Sleepy Alligators, a five piece band playing the music of the Grateful Dead as they played it in the early 1970's. Honoring one of the most creative eras in Grateful Dead history, The Sleepy Alligators conjure forth the true sound and feeling of early seventies Dead when the songs were fresh, the music was jumpin and ideas were ready to be stretched. Through tight musicianship, sweet vocals and an uncanny ability to take each song to new levels, The Sleepy Alligators make you believe it's 1972 all over again. Playing a wide range of classic songs, we take you on a musical journey through Grateful Dead land which is guaranteed to get you out on that dance floor shaking your booty all night long! Rockers such as "Don't Ease" and "Deal" combined with sweet ballads like "He's Gone" and "Sing Me Back Home", classic Dead tunes such as "China Cat" and "Bird Song" combined with the cosmic journey of songs like "Playing in the Band" and "Dark Star" make for an all-encompassing, booty maneuvering, mind alterning Grateful Dead experiece at every show!
Formed in the fall of 2002 at Oberlin College in Ohio, The Sleepy Alligators cut their teeth at night clubs, and college parties around Ohio. We became one of the most popular acts on campus simply because the audience was no match for the sheer power of good Grateful Dead played right! Through some strange shift in the universe, all the members somehow ended up in the bay area after college to continue spreading the grateful
word to the masses. While vocals are often traded around the band, each member has a specific instrumental responsibility. Harry "Bobby" Bolles has spent many hours perfecting the strange and complicated guitar style of Bob Weir and is always at the right place at the right time with the right line. Lesh "Phil" Wierzynski (yes his first name IS Lesh) puts those bass notes at all the strange and confusing places Phil did......and sometimes he will even "drop the bomb" if the jam allows. Michael "Keith" Coleman can usually be found slumped over his keyboard keeping everything together with his delicate piano stylings. Rob "Billy" Schwartz is an accomplished jazz drummer able to emulate the virtuosic style of Bill Kruetzman like no-one we've ever seen. Close your eyes when Jacob "Jerry" Groopman takes a solo and you will be convinced Jerry has returned. From the sweetest of ballads to the spaciest of jams, Jacob will bring Jerry's early 70's sound and style into your ears and out your butt, which will begin to shake and swing uncontrollably at the first note. All the members of The Sleepy Alligators have an extensive knowledge of the Grateful Dead and its history and have spent countless hours listening to and examining the music. Also like the Dead, The Sleepy Alligators have an extensive musical backround ranging from jazz to blues and plenty of folk and bluegrass.
By bringing to the forefront their positive energies, musical intuition, and a committed group integrity to remain true to the spirit of the Grateful Dead, The Sleepy Alligators will give you a very real musical experience. The music at every show will tranport you, perhaps back to 1972 or perhaps to a new place in the neverending cosmos of your mind. So throw your dancing shoes on and get on the bus with the Sleepy Alligators!
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