The summer of 1989 was when the Grateful Dead got big. I mean really big. The success of 1987’s In the Dark lead to an influx of new fans —…
Test of the Boomerang
29 Articles
Ben Wiser
1 Min Read
This week in Test of the Boomerang, Ben Wiser wishes a happy 70th birthday to Dead legend Phil Lesh.
Ben Wiser
1 Min Read
Relix editor Toni Brown discusses her long history with the Grateful Dead — as well as her own musical career — in an interview with Ben Wiser.
Ben Wiser
1 Min Read
In the spring of 1971, Grateful Dead keyboardist Tom Constanten, along with the band Touchstone, produced and performed the music for an off-broadway show at the Circle in the Square…
Ben Wiser
1 Min Read
Phish is back with their first album in five years, and Ben Wiser thinks it might be their best yet. Also: A list of potential candidates for Phish’s 2009 “Halloween costume.”
Ben Wiser
1 Min Read
“But there was something else tugging at Garcia as 1964 turned into 1965. For one thing, like half of America under the age of 25, Jerry had been seduced by…
Ben Wiser
1 Min Read
Jerry Garcia would have been 67 on Saturday, and to celebrate his birthday, Ben Wiser has delivered another fine Test of the Boomerang mix.
Ben Wiser
1 Min Read
The 2009 Dead made their last stand on July 4th at Rothbury. The second year of the Michigan festival was a rousing success and the Dead’s solid show was a…
Ben Wiser
1 Min Read
Hey gang, welcome back to another edition of Test of the Boomerang.Á‚ Happy summer solstice. I hope you all get a chance to enjoy these long summer days with some…
Ben Wiser
1 Min Read
Crosby, Stills & Nash – Demos (Rhino) In the wake of Graham Nash’s box earlier this year, and of course Neil Young’s behemoth Archives, Crosby, Stills & Nash (Neil Young…
Ben Wiser
1 Min Read
The Dead wrapped up their 2009 tour with two solid shows back home at Shoreline Amphitheater and then an end-of-the-tour barn burner at The Gorge in Washington. The tour started…
Ben Wiser
1 Min Read
Man, I miss California. I really do. I don’t miss paying exorbitantly high rent. I don’t miss the collective panic that sets in whenever it rains and being in a…
Ben Wiser
1 Min Read
I love the new Bob Dylan album. I do. Because the older Bob Dylan gets, the more he sounds like Tom Waits. Seriously, though, Together Through Life is another solid,…
Ben Wiser
1 Min Read
This week’s Test of the Boomerang is a DOOMERANG special, in honor of Isis’ highly anticipated fifth full-length release, Wavering Radiant. Ben Wiser calls it “hypnotic and engaging from beginning to end.”
Ben Wiser
1 Min Read
Now is the time of year when thoughts turn to the warmer days of spring and summer just ahead. It’s also the time of celebrations. Chinese New Year or Spring…
Ben Wiser
1 Min Read
[kml_flashembed movie=”http://www.youtube.com/v/zol2MJf6XNE” width=”425″ height=”350″ wmode=”transparent” /] Named after the outdoor summer shed in Columbia, Maryland, Merriweather Post Pavilion is the latest disc from Baltimore’s Animal Collective. The band named their…
Ben Wiser
1 Min Read
Test of the Boomerang – Top Ten of 2008 I will dispense with the usual bullshit “Let’s take a look back…” year-end review. USA Today will have that shit in…
Ben Wiser
1 Min Read
Yuletide greetings folks. Even in these tough economic times, the annual rite of holiday gift giving must be performed to appease the mighty snow demons. So here are a few…
Ben Wiser
1 Min Read
The Gospel of Bob I’ve known some pretty serious Bob Dylan fans. They’ll talk at length about the merits of underappreciated albums like Street Legal and Self Portrait. They’ll travel…
Ben Wiser
1 Min Read
I was eleven or twelve. I was riding with my dad. We were driving back from somewhere. We were listening to the radio. It was just my dad and me….
Ben Wiser
1 Min Read
I. Report from the Land of the Dead It has a been a busy time in Deadland. Most notably, tickets went on sale this past weekend for the Deadheads For…
Ben Wiser
1 Min Read
Another sad day in Floyd land. “The Violent Sequence” (early version of “Us and Them” from the Zabriskie Point sessions, 1970) “It Would Be So Nice” (single version, 1968) “Remember…
Ben Wiser
1 Min Read
Since the world is about to end, I figured I would get into the spirit and post this — the first Test of the DOOOOMERANG!!! DOOOOOOM is the serious bidniss,…
Ben Wiser
1 Min Read
It was the summer of 1985. There was me, Kromlock the Warrior, my friend Dennis, better known as Garmo the Wizard, and Peter, a.k.a. Hendrix the half-even ranger. We were…
Ben Wiser
2 Min Read
I had originally intended to post this during the week of August 1st and August 9th, but I wanted to give a shout to Isaac Hayes last week. Get out…
Ben Wiser
1 Min Read
[kml_flashembed movie=”http://www.youtube.com/v/RZ2uie1feKA” width=”425″ height=”350″ wmode=”transparent” /] Our regular featured test will appear next week. Peace and farewell, Black Moses…
Ben Wiser
1 Min Read
For Test of the Boomerang III, I retired to a simple cottage in the Welsh countryside to reflect. This post was done acoustically. Hey gang, today I have brought three…
Ben Wiser
1 Min Read
“I would like to thank everybody here for coming, thank you to the clowns for their nice entertainment. They were quite good. Thank you…” Grateful Dead 12/6/80 Mill Valley Recreation…
Ben Wiser
1 Min Read
I had been driving for what felt like a hundred years. My buddy Treebeard and I had been trading off behind the wheel for three days. Our destination was finally…
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