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As Dead & Company prepare to embark on their annual summer tour starting June 11 at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, the nonprofit Effective unveiled a new set of custom guitars that will be auctioned off for charity at each concert. AJ Masthay, a contemporary artist hugely popular with Grateful Dead poster collectors, has designed artwork on D’Angelico guitars that will be auctioned on the tour this summer, raising money for Dead Family Charities. Offers will be accepted on guitars throughout the tour, both in the Participation Row activism village and in the Loose Lucy VIP Lounge. Remote offers can also be accepted. Participation Row travels to each tour stop and is organized by HeadCount, a non-profit organization that promotes voter registration and civic participation, and REVERB, which promotes environmental responsibility. Anyone wanting more information can contact HeadCount’s Major Gifts Director, Kristina Raines at [email protected].
The guitars feature one-of-a-kind commemorative artwork by AJ Masthay. Masthay’s guitar art is derived from his “Ripple” series of original works, as well as another titled “Seasons”, which was featured in the solo exhibition “Neither Here Nor There” at the Spoke Art Gallery of San Francisco in May 2019. Limited edition prints in this series sold out immediately. Art is featured on the pickguards, along with artwork drawn directly onto the guitars. One guitar, a D’Angelico Premier SS in Ocean Turquoise will commemorate the entire tour and others will commemorate specific stops on two nights of the tour: San Francisco, Chicago, New York and Boulder. City-specific guitars are from a series of limited-edition custom guitars made especially for HeadCount, featuring “VOTE” on the neck, HeadCount’s logo on the headstock, and an American flag overlay. Masthay’s art will also appear on REMO Drumheads, also up for auction.
Since 2015, Participation Row auctions have raised $1.1 million for HeadCount, REVERB and more than a dozen other “Dead Family” charities selected by the group. Bob Weir of Dead & Company is a board member of HeadCount and an endorser artist for D’Angelico Guitars. Fans who can’t bid on a guitar can have a chance to win one for free by taking action with the nonprofits on Participation Row.
AJ Masthay is best known for his unique style of reduction block printing in concert art. His blend of traditional techniques and love for live music has made him one of the most important figures in the rock art industry. Born in 1975, AJ is a lifelong resident of Connecticut. He received a Bachelor of Fine Arts in 1997 from Hartford Art School, majoring in Printmaking and minoring in Art History. Masthay started his own typography studio in 2001 and is currently based in Hartford, CT. Clients include: Grateful Dead, Dead and Company, The Jerry Garcia Estate, Black Sabbath, Foo Fighters, South Park, Queens of the Stone Age, Widespread Panic, Umphrey’s McGee and many more.
This year, HeadCount is offering an out-of-print copy of Masthay’s inspiration, “Ripple”, as a complement to the Tour Guitar. The video below shows the process of creating Mashtay’s original artwork in 2020.
Discussing the partnership, AJ Masthay said, “I firmly believe that if our democracy is to work as intended, we all have an obligation as citizens to be informed and to participate in said democracy, which is why I am and will continue to be a supporter of HeadCount and its mission. My relationship with Headcount began over a decade ago and out of our partnership came some of the most cherished pieces in my portfolio, including the Bridge Session edition for Bob Weir and the “US Blues” piece from a while ago. a few years, and of course this series of guitars of the year.”
Dead & Company Summer ’22 Tour Dates:
JUNE 11, 2022 @ Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, CA
JUNE 13, 2022 @ Shoreline Amphitheater in Mountain View, CA
JUNE 14, 2022 @ Shoreline Amphitheater in Mountain View, CA
JUNE 17, 2022 @ Folsom Field in Boulder, CO
JUNE 18, 2022 @ Folsom Field in Boulder, CO
JUNE 21, 2022 @ Hollywood Casino Amphitheater in St. Louis Maryland Heights, MO
JUNE 22, 2022 @ Riverbend Music Center in Cincinnati, OH
JUNE 24, 2022 @ Wrigley Field in Chicago, IL
JUNE 25, 2022 @ Wrigley Field in Chicago, IL
JUNE 28, 2022 @ Ruoff Music Center in Noblesville, IN
JUNE 29, 2022 @ Pine Knob Music Theater in Clarkston, MI
JULY 1, 2022 @ Bethel Woods Center for the Arts in Bethel, NY
JULY 2, 2022 @ Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, MA
JULY 5, 2022 @ XFINITY Theater in Hartford, CT
JULY 6, 2022 @ Saratoga Performing Arts Center in Saratoga Springs, NY
JULY 8, 2022 @ Jiffy Lube Live in Bristow, VA
JULY 10, 2022 @ Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia, PA
JULY 12, 2022 @ The Pavilion at Star Lake in Burgettstown, PA
JULY 15, 2022 @ Citi Field in New York, NY
JULY 16, 2022 @ Citi Field in New York, NY
