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ARTHUR LEE LAND’S - TWANG IS DEAD

Where The Colorado Twang meets the Funk in a new take on good old Grateful Dead Songs.

Imagine your favorite Dead tunes re-interpreted thru the lens of a mash-up of JJ Cale, Parliament Funkadelic and Merle Haggard.. TWANG IS DEAD features Arthur’s arrangements of classic Dead songs and the Twang of his signature psychedelic, hand painted 1955 B-Bender Fender Telecaster guitar over old school Americana Country, Rhythm & Blues and Funk grooves while staying true to the improvisational nature of the music and the spirit of adventure that the Dead are known for.

Born at Red Rocks Amphitheater in May of 2017 when Arthur Lee Land was invited to be the musical director and his TRIO to be the core house band for a special Film On The Rocks event celebrating the premiere of the Grateful Dead’s Long Strange Trip documentary. Arthur curated an all-star cast of Front Range artists, crafting unique arrangements of Dead tunes tailored to each performer.

TWANG IS DEAD showcases the Arthur Lee Land TRIO with a powerhouse core lineup: Will Trask on drums (Great American Taxi, High Hawks), Zach Jackson on bass (Daniel Rodriguez, Mama Magnolia), and a rotating keyboard seat, plus occasional appearances by high-profile special guests including: Andy Hall, Jeremy Garrett & Chris Pandolfi (Infamous Stringdusters), Drew Emmitt and Andy Thorn (Leftover Salmon), Peter Lavezzoli, JP McLean and Dave A'Bear (Melvin Seals & JGB), Ross James (Phil Lesh & The Terrapin Family Band), Bonnie Sims (Big Richard), Dave Watts (The Motet), Mark Levy (Phil Lesh & Friends / Circles Round The Sun) and many more...

Over the past decade, Arthur has toured nationally and collaborated with a wide range of artists and ensembles, including his own projects: Arthur Lee Land & Friends, Arthur Lee Land Trio, Twang Is Dead -- and as a identifiable sideman, bringing the thumbprint tone of his hand painted psychedelic B-Bender 1955 Fender Telecaster into the mix with the legendary ‘60s icon Donovan, Kyle Hollingsworth Band (of The String Cheese Incident), Daniel Rodriguez Band, and Bonnie Paine & Friends both of Elephant Revival.  Arthur replaced frontman/founder Vince Herman of Leftover Salmon in Great American Taxi from 2014-2022.

But the true seed for TWANG IS DEAD may have been planted decades earlier, in the fall of 1981. After a Grateful Dead show in Madison, Wisconsin, a 20-year-old Arthur—brimming with passion and reverence—hand-delivered a heartfelt letter to Jerry Garcia, honoring the transformative impact the band's music had on him. The next morning, Jerry invited Arthur to his room at the Edgewater Hotel for an hour long conversation that left a lasting imprint.

JG: “Part of the responsibility for the position I’m in, is to make time for people like you.”
ALL: “We want to take where the Grateful Dead leave off and take it further.”
JG (smiling, locking eyes): “I hope you do. Somebody’s gotta do it!"

All the years combine, they melt into a dream and that moment with Jerry continues to echo across generations. Answering that call, Arthur honors the music not by imitation, but by reimagining the music through his own soulful vision and genre-blending artistry.

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