Undead: Bob Weir announces first album of all-original material in 30 years

By Parker Hall Published August 4, 2016

best songs to stream 10 21 16 bob weir — Image used with permission by copyright holder

Great news, Deadheads: Bob Weir, a founding member of The Grateful Dead, has announced Blue Mountain, his first solo record in a decade — and his first album of entirely original material in 30 years.

The 68-year-old singer, songwriter, and guitarist recorded the upcoming record in various locations throughout 2015, apparently spending the first half of this year polishing the album. In typical Grateful Dead fashion, the making of Blue Mountain was a hugely collaborative process that featured heavy hitters like songwriter Josh Ritter, Aaron and Bryce Dessner of The National, and many others.

Recommended Videos

The founding member of the Dead has been a busy man in recent years, having recently wrapped up a summer tour with Dead & Company — a Dead cover band that features original members of the band and pop musician John Mayer taking over for late frontman Jerry Garcia.

Among the best-known rhythm guitarists of all time, Weir is acclaimed for his intricate and innovative voice on his six-stringed instrument, as well as the strong musical depth he brought to the Grateful Dead’s famed jam-band aesthetic.

Weir will embark on a fall tour, called the Campfire Tour, to coincide with his new album’s release. Tickets are set to go on sale August 9, via his website. The tour will be a short one: The first date will be October 7 in Marin County, California, and the last will be October 19 in Nashville, Tennessee. Weir has also made available a limited amount of “Enhanced Experiences” tickets, which include front-row seats and the ability to attend his bands’ soundcheck.

Blue Mountain will consist of 12 tracks, and will hit store shelves and streaming services for the first time on September 30 via Columbia/Legacy Records.

Topics

Former Digital Trends Contributor

Parker Hall is a writer and musician from Portland, OR. He is a graduate of the Oberlin Conservatory of Music in Oberlin…

Audio / Video

What is spatial audio? The 3D sound experience fully explained

Person listening to spatial audio using Apple AirPods Max headphones.

Since Apple added “spatial audio” to the Apple Music streaming service and the AirPods family of wireless earbuds and headphones in 2021, it feels like you can’t read about new audio products or services without running into that term. And just a few short years later, it’s seemingly everywhere.

This has led to a lot of misconceptions about what spatial audio is, how it works, and why you need to hear it for yourself. People often ask, “If Apple created spatial audio, why are other companies claiming they do it, too?” The answer is that Apple didn’t create it, and you certainly don’t need to own its products to experience spatial audio.

Audio / Video

How to download music from SoundCloud on desktop and mobile

Soundcloud Interface on a Macbook.

If you’re a huge music fan, you’ve probably combed through the many playlists, artists, and albums of your Spotify or Apple Music subscription. But what about all the indie artists of the world? Some music-streaming platforms are better than others at celebrating the
‘unsung gem’ acts, but one of the most reliable forums for new, off-the-grid tunes is SoundCloud.

Founded in 2007, SoundCloud has always prioritized music that’s a bit under the radar. With over 320 million tracks in its library, the platform will even let you download a majority of its songs and albums.

Audio / Video

The best kids headphones of 2024: for fun, safety, and sound

Two kids using the Puro Sound PuroQuiet Plus to watch something on a tablet.

Kid-friendly consumer tech is all the rage these days, so it’s no surprise that there’s an entire market of headphones designed exclusively for young ones. But when we think “kid-friendly,” sometimes we imagine products that are built to be a bit more throwaway than their adult counterparts. That’s not the case with the products on our list of the best headphones for kids, though.

We want our child-tailored headphones to include parental-controlled volume limiters, to ensure our children aren’t harming their eardrums. Pretty much every entry on our list checks this vital box, but we also wanted to point you and yours toward products that offer exceptional noise-canceling, built-in mics for phone and video calls, and long-lasting batteries for schooldays or a long flight.