LATEST NEWS:
Hey now!
2024 is off-and-running, we're on Daylight Savings Time and Spring will soon be sprung!
Although upcoming Magic Bus trio and 'full electric band' shows are still several weeks away, Grateful Gary still has some musical doing in the near future. See the schedule, below, and stay tuned for any new bookings.
2024 is off-and-running, we're on Daylight Savings Time and Spring will soon be sprung!
Although upcoming Magic Bus trio and 'full electric band' shows are still several weeks away, Grateful Gary still has some musical doing in the near future. See the schedule, below, and stay tuned for any new bookings.
Cool show! Grateful Gary (with Magic Bus drummer Jeff) played an "all-Bob Dylan" set on Monday (3/18) at On Tour Brewing:
Lay Lady Lay, Queen Jane Approximately, Desolation Row, When I Paint My Masterpiece, Like a Rolling Stone, Don't Think Twice, Stuck Inside of Mobile w the Memphis Blues Again, Visions of Johanna, Simple Twist of Fate
Lay Lady Lay, Queen Jane Approximately, Desolation Row, When I Paint My Masterpiece, Like a Rolling Stone, Don't Think Twice, Stuck Inside of Mobile w the Memphis Blues Again, Visions of Johanna, Simple Twist of Fate
UPCOMING 2024 GIGS:
Mon. Mar. 18: GG 'all Bob Dylan' acoustic set at On Tour Brewing, Chicago, 5pm
Sat. Mar. 23: GG plays bass with the 'Wright Street Band' at the Naperville VFW, 8pm
Sat. Apr. 13: GG plays bass with the 'Wright Street Band' at a private party, Carol Stream, 4pm
Sun. May 26: MAGIC BUS (full band), On Tour Brewing, Chicago, 3-6pm
Sun. June 2: GG+Brian acoustic duo, 120 Live, Bartlett, 1-4pm
Thur. June 6: GG+Brian acoustic duo, Ballydoyle Pub, Downers Grove, 8:30-11pm
Sat. June 29: MAGIC BUS (acoustic trio), Gray's Mill, Montgomery, 7-10:30pm
Sat. July 27: MAGIC BUS (acoustic trio), Ballydoyle Pub, Aurora, 7-10:30pm\
Fri. Aug. 16 (GG's BIRTHDAY!): MAGIC BUS (full band), Ballydoyle Pub, Downers Grove, 9pm-12am
Thur. Aug. 29: GG solo acoustic, Old Timers Reunion fest, West Virginia
Sat. Aug. 31: GG solo acoustic, Old Timers Reunion fest, West Virginia
Mon. Mar. 18: GG 'all Bob Dylan' acoustic set at On Tour Brewing, Chicago, 5pm
Sat. Mar. 23: GG plays bass with the 'Wright Street Band' at the Naperville VFW, 8pm
Sat. Apr. 13: GG plays bass with the 'Wright Street Band' at a private party, Carol Stream, 4pm
Sun. May 26: MAGIC BUS (full band), On Tour Brewing, Chicago, 3-6pm
Sun. June 2: GG+Brian acoustic duo, 120 Live, Bartlett, 1-4pm
Thur. June 6: GG+Brian acoustic duo, Ballydoyle Pub, Downers Grove, 8:30-11pm
Sat. June 29: MAGIC BUS (acoustic trio), Gray's Mill, Montgomery, 7-10:30pm
Sat. July 27: MAGIC BUS (acoustic trio), Ballydoyle Pub, Aurora, 7-10:30pm\
Fri. Aug. 16 (GG's BIRTHDAY!): MAGIC BUS (full band), Ballydoyle Pub, Downers Grove, 9pm-12am
Thur. Aug. 29: GG solo acoustic, Old Timers Reunion fest, West Virginia
Sat. Aug. 31: GG solo acoustic, Old Timers Reunion fest, West Virginia
MAGIC BUS had a spectacular set at the recent Dancing in the Streets fest, in the Chicago Brewing District (near On Tour Brewing). Check out the setlist, below. After their set, Grateful Gary was 'ambush-interviewed' by a television reporter and appeared on the Channel 5 News at 10pm! (see photo).
Grateful Gary’s Magic Bus
Fri., Aug. 4, 2023
Dancing in the Streets festival
Chicago, IL
Till The Morning Comes, Candyman, Friend of the Devil, Black-Throated Wind, Doin' That Rag, Crazy Fingers > Broken Arrow, You Ain’t Woman Enough, Ship of Fools, Cream Puff War
Fri., Aug. 4, 2023
Dancing in the Streets festival
Chicago, IL
Till The Morning Comes, Candyman, Friend of the Devil, Black-Throated Wind, Doin' That Rag, Crazy Fingers > Broken Arrow, You Ain’t Woman Enough, Ship of Fools, Cream Puff War
Grateful Gary performed and audio-engineered over the Labor Day weekend (for the 11th straight year) at a festival event in West Virginia --attended by 1400 people! (--it's called "Old Timers Reunion")
Photo from the Grateful Gary-Brian acoustic duo at Gray's Mill in Montgomery on May 26, 2023.
R.I.P. Robbie Stokes
It's with regret that I share the news that my good friend Robbie Stokes lost a three-year battle with throat cancer (on May 14) and has now gone up to that "Great Gig in the Sky" (a Pink Floyd reference).
Robbie played on Mickey Hart's "Rolling Thunder" album and I was his bandmate in several combos down in Carbondale. He will be missed.
It's with regret that I share the news that my good friend Robbie Stokes lost a three-year battle with throat cancer (on May 14) and has now gone up to that "Great Gig in the Sky" (a Pink Floyd reference).
Robbie played on Mickey Hart's "Rolling Thunder" album and I was his bandmate in several combos down in Carbondale. He will be missed.
MAGIC BUS is very grateful to the Downers Grove Rotary Club and all all the fans who came out to witness the band's biggest gig ever, on the Main Stage for Downers Grove's RotaryGrove Fest. An expanded SIX-PIECE band played an amazing 2-hour set, and it couldn't have gone better!
Hey, if you would like to see MAGIC BUS play music at your favorite club, just drop us a line and we'll see what we can do :)
gary@gratefulgary.com
gary@gratefulgary.com
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Magic Bus at Ballydoyle, Downers Grove (left), and at EvenFlow Music & Spirits, Geneva (right)
Attention: United States, Canada and Mexico -- Grateful Gary's MAGIC BUS now is on FACEBOOK! Go to www.facebook.com/MagicBusChicago.
Who are you? Where are you? How are you?
(--the preceding line was used on the liner notes of the Grateful Dead's "Skull and Roses" album)
Who are you? Where are you? How are you?
(--the preceding line was used on the liner notes of the Grateful Dead's "Skull and Roses" album)
"I was skeptical when I walked in, but you won me over" ...said a fan who walked up at the end of a past Grateful Gary solo-acoustic performance. "It was the incredible wide variety of song selection." Other fans ask where GG will be playing next, others can't believe he plays four hours of continuous music and others say they can't believe there's no cover charge to see GG perform.
Aww, shucks!
Yet another fan walked up and said he was reluctant to pay a $5 cover on a Saturday night when he saw it was just a single, solo acoustic guitarist. "But you really brought the goods," he said. "You ROCK!"
Aww, shucks!
Yet another fan walked up and said he was reluctant to pay a $5 cover on a Saturday night when he saw it was just a single, solo acoustic guitarist. "But you really brought the goods," he said. "You ROCK!"
.
<<< Here's a creative Photo Collage from a
Grateful Gary solo acoustic performance at
the now-closed St. Louis hippie hangout The Shanti.
(click on the photo for larger image)
Grateful Gary solo acoustic performance at
the now-closed St. Louis hippie hangout The Shanti.
(click on the photo for larger image)
Who's "Grateful Gary"???
Grateful Gary is a longtime Chicago-area musician and sound engineer. He's been a member of a couple dozen bands over the past two decades, and for three years was the 'Bob Weir guy' in a touring Grateful Dead tribute band from St. Louis ('The Schwag').
Grateful Gary is one of the rare breed of musician who plays both guitar and bass equally. ...6- and 12-string acoustic guitars, electric guitar, 4- and 5-string electric basses as well as full-size upright bass! (also mandolin, ukulele and keyboards)
Grateful Gary also is an experienced sound engineer, having a radio-television degree from SIU-Carbondale and previously working at sound companies like and Clair Global/Showco (at all major and mid-level Chicago concert venues, including two Lollapaloozas). He offers a medium-sized sound system (and lighting) for hire, indoors or outdoors. (24-ch stereo, 3 monitor mixes).
(photo at right was taken during Gary's wild and crazy college days at S.I.U.-Carbondale)
Check out some of the other pages on this web site (esp. Photos!), see the Schedule page for availability (linked to JamBase) and send a friendly e-mail to him (or to be placed on the e-mailing list) at:
Gary@GratefulGary.com!
Grateful Gary has an artist page on ReverbNation: (www.reverbnation.com/gratefulgary)
Grateful Gary has an artist page on JamBase: (www.jambase.com/band/grateful-gary)
Grateful Gary also has a YouTube video channel: www.youtube.com/user/GratefulGaryChicago/videos
Grateful Gary is a longtime Chicago-area musician and sound engineer. He's been a member of a couple dozen bands over the past two decades, and for three years was the 'Bob Weir guy' in a touring Grateful Dead tribute band from St. Louis ('The Schwag').
Grateful Gary is one of the rare breed of musician who plays both guitar and bass equally. ...6- and 12-string acoustic guitars, electric guitar, 4- and 5-string electric basses as well as full-size upright bass! (also mandolin, ukulele and keyboards)
Grateful Gary also is an experienced sound engineer, having a radio-television degree from SIU-Carbondale and previously working at sound companies like and Clair Global/Showco (at all major and mid-level Chicago concert venues, including two Lollapaloozas). He offers a medium-sized sound system (and lighting) for hire, indoors or outdoors. (24-ch stereo, 3 monitor mixes).
(photo at right was taken during Gary's wild and crazy college days at S.I.U.-Carbondale)
Check out some of the other pages on this web site (esp. Photos!), see the Schedule page for availability (linked to JamBase) and send a friendly e-mail to him (or to be placed on the e-mailing list) at:
Gary@GratefulGary.com!
Grateful Gary has an artist page on ReverbNation: (www.reverbnation.com/gratefulgary)
Grateful Gary has an artist page on JamBase: (www.jambase.com/band/grateful-gary)
Grateful Gary also has a YouTube video channel: www.youtube.com/user/GratefulGaryChicago/videos