Terrapin Picks From The Vault

In the early 1970’s we began collecting recorded cassette tapes from Grateful Dead concerts.  At the time there were no cell phones or internet and getting ahold of this new exciting music was not just as easy as clicking on Spotify or typing in a search engine.  The band encouraged amateurs to record their shows and freely distribute the tapes.  With deadicated practice the amateur taper became highly skilled.  The always fresh, experimental music from the Grateful Dead was addicting and recordings were coveted.  As our collection grew so did our number of friends who were looking for new recordings.  At no cost we would use our cassette decks to make hundreds of copies distributing them to anyone who wanted to listen.  This is how it all began for us.

Fast forward 30 years into the modern world and Terrapin Station has become one of the most loved and recognizable small businesses in western New York.  Our products have diversified far beyond the Grateful Dead to the point that many people are unaware of our true passions but somehow through the blurry lines it all remains connected to that counter culture consciousness.

As a way to bring our roots recognition and honor all of our friends who have stopped in and said hi along this long, strange trip we are announcing the beginning of Terrapin Picks From The Vault.  Each month we will dive into our collection, pull out one of the gems, sit down and give it a good listen and write our thoughts and feelings about the performance.

We realize this has been done before.  Of course we are familiar with Dick’s Picks, Dave’s Picks, Road Trips, Views From The Vault, and all the other series recordings the Grateful Dead has made available for purchase.  We also understand that their is monetary purpose for the Grateful Dead to select certain shows, where every song is crisp, no lyrics are forgotten, and packaging is essential.  This will be strictly about the music.  You can’t really love someone until you began to appreciate their flaws.  We won’t shy away from selecting the shows with warts, scars or even train wrecks if we think there is some musical significance there.

As Terrapin Picks From The Vault becomes successful we will reach out to our friends in the Buffalo Deadhead Community to incorporate guest musicians into our reviewing process.  One great thing about this music is that it effects people on an unusual personal level, in so many different kinds of ways.  Bringing in highly skilled musicians who are familiar with playing this music will add to the experience giving new insights to the exploratory sounds of the Grateful Dead.

Terrapin Picks From The Vault coming in January 2018

The Grateful Dead – A Band Beyond Description