Far out, man! The Grateful Dead have announced plans for an interactive video game titled 'The Epic Tour' that's based on the real-life experience of following the Dead on the road. The preparatory stage "Phase One" of the game has just launched, with full-on game play set to begin in April 2012.
2011 has seen the arrival of a lot of previously unreleased live material from the Grateful Dead, most notably the epic 73 CD collection that finally provided an official release of the entire run of European dates which had been recorded for their classic ‘Europe ‘72’ album. Always appreciative of the loyal fan support, the Dead will give back during the month of November with 30 days of free unreleased concert audio.
Although the “road trips” might be coming to an end, it turns out that the Grateful Dead will keep the highway open with a new series of live releases curated by Dead archivist David Lemieux.
All good things must come to an end, as they say, and so the story goes with the final release in the Grateful Dead's 'Road Trips' series. 17 releases over four years have brought Deadheads a stash-and-a-half of of live recordings from their vast archives. On the band's website, site moderator Blair Jackson states "It was a pretty good run for that series, and now it’s time to try something new."
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers' forthcoming vinyl-only release 'Kiss My Amps (Live)' isn't the only offering being released as part of this year's Record Store Day’s Black Friday promotion. Bob Dylan, the Byrds, the Grateful Dead, the Beatles, Pete Townshend and the Yardbirds are among the other artists set to issue exclusive albums, vinyl LPs, seven-inch singles and other items on Nov. 25 exclusively through independent record stores as part of an initiative to support the businesses on a local level.
Win a Grateful Dead Vinyl Collection
Deadheads and wine -- what a combo!
Wines That Rock has added a Grateful Dead red blend to their repertoire of rock-themed libations.
Win a Grateful Dead Fan Mail Art Book
We thought that the Grateful Dead had already done a pretty good job of maximizing their merchandising opportunities, but apparently, they've got a new plan to ensure their popularity doesn't wane among future generations of music fans.
A classic Grateful Dead concert film, the aptly named 'The Grateful Dead Movie,' will be the first release of a planned series of collaborative new releases and reissues from the group when it hits stores on DVD and Blu-Ray this Nov. 1.
