Grateful Dead’s Phil Lesh To Open Restaurant/Music Venue

Phil Lesh of the Grateful Dead is about to embark on a different kind of trip. He is now the owner and operator of Terrapin Crossroads, a restaurant/music venue in San Rafael, Calif.. The new venue will be in the place of the old Seafood Peddler restaurant, a place near and dear to Lesh's heart as a Grateful Dead 'Steal Your Face' logo was already drawn on the building’s foundation.  The venue will consist of two main areas, the Grate Room, for music and The Dining Room for, well, you guess!

Apparently, this has been a long held dream of Lesh's, who vows to present live music of all types including  big band and dance nights, jazz wine tasting, free form jam nights and a Sunday morning brunch featuring sacred music from around the world. With a capacity of 400 people, the venue will also feature a lounge and space for community cultural and educational events.

Speaking to the Marin County Independent Journal, Lesh said, "As one would expect from any concert venue built by a member of the Grateful Dead, Terrapin Crossroads will feature state-of-the-art sound," adding "everything is full-steam-ahead now."

In addition to everything else on his plate, Lesh still has Further, the band he formed with Dead band mate Bob Weir. With the freedom of his own venue, what can patrons expect in regards to his own involvement musically?  The Grate Room will allow him to "reactivate the various lineups that I've put together over the past 10 years." he said. "It's for all the things I've always wanted to do and couldn't do in a touring context, one of the reasons we're doing this is to stay off the road a little more." Adding, "We'll be playing in there in two months."

According to the Terrapin Crossroads website, the performance room will close later in the year for renovations, with a grand reopening planned for March 2013.