Pre-Show VIP Dinner at 7pm,
featuring an acoustic set by Eric Thompson and David Nelson

Dance hall doors open at 8 pm / Event at 8:30 pm

Tickets are $25 Day of Show / $20 Advance / $75-$1,000 Sliding Scale for VIP Dinner and Pre-Show

Buy Tickets Here

The eighth annual Ashkenaz celebration of Jerry Garcia’s birthday, “Very Jerry 8”, is upon us, featuring an array of the Bay’s best Dead/Jerry interpreters and improvisers!

This year also features a pre-show VIP dinner by Jeff "da Chef Rosen, featuring a special acoustic performance of Jerry's pre-Dead days with Eric Thompson and David Nelson of the Black Mountain Boys.

VIP Dinner tickets are $75 - $1,000 sliding scale, to raise funds for live music at Ashkenaz! 

The eighth annual Ashkenaz celebration of Jerry Garcia’s birthday, “Very Jerry 8,” is upon us!   The “Skeletons from the Closet: A Silent Auction for Deadheads” raised $2,500 towards our $10k goal last year, and we're excited to bring it back for this year's benefit. 

So now we're calling all Deadheads – we need your stash! Perhaps there is some nugget or treasure you are ready to part with in support of Ashkenaz? Books, LPs, concert posters, and other gems and paraphernalia are welcome! Or, perhaps you are a musician who can offer a service for auction, or know a business owner you can approach about a gift certificate? Items can be dropped off at any Grateful Dead Night between now and August 29, or contact Ashkenaz to arrange an alternate dropoff or pickup. Donations are tax-deductible and will help keep your local Dead Night community center keepin’ on! 

If you have any items for the auction, please contact veryjerryauction@ashkenaz.com.

Jerome John Garcia would have turned 76 on August 1. Although his body is gone, the Grateful Dead guitarist’s spirit and music have never been more alive. That spirit is the heart of tonight’s tribute, celebrating Garcia the composer and performer, as soloists, duos, and bands perform separately and in kaleidoscopic combinations, acoustic and electric, and both at once, in this community benefit for Ashkenaz.

Although Jerry Garcia never played at Ashkenaz, his music has a long history with the venue. Since the ’90s Ashkenaz has hosted Grateful Dead Nights, featuring a plethora of musicians who worked with him over the decades, as well as bands that pay homage to the music of Jerry Garcia, the Grateful Dead, and scores of acts who follow in their footsteps.

Doors at 8:30 pm; Show at 9:00 pm

Tickets are $5 Advance  
$10 - $50 Sliding Scale at the Door

Maestra Series Packages $48 - $150

Women's Jam & Fundraiser for the Maestra Series!
Hosted by Shelley Doty (guitar and vocals), Angeline Saris (bass) and Denise Martin.

Open jam sign up, all genders welcome.

Other upcoming Maestra Series events:
April 1 - Mabiba's Drum Sunday wk shop
April 7th - the Anzanga Marimba Ensemble

Shelley Doty is known for her masterful guitar licks, soulful voice and charismatic stage presence. Her original tunes are sprinkled with respect for the music of her youth (rock, R&B, jazz, funk), and are sung and played with an authentic raw energy that cuts through the air with jubilant imagination and freshness. In addition to performing and recording her own material, Shelley is a versatile lead guitarist . As well as fronting her own band the Shelley Doty X-tet, she currently spends much of her time playing with Skip The Needle (featuring Vicki Randle, Kofy Brown and Katie Colpitts). Shelley was one of the founders of jamband legends Jambay, and has played with and recorded CDs withl Bonfire Madigan, Pyeng Threadgill, Gina Breedlove, Dawn Richardson (of 4NonBlondes) and Cris Williamson among many others. Her musical range runs the gamut from tender acoustic music, to raucous kinetic electric Funk Rock, and as a musician, Shelley Doty is well respected as one of the preeminent guitarists in the Bay Area and beyond.

Denise Martin began playing drums at age 16 and was touring the US, Asia and Europe before her 20th birthday with legendary artist, Merl Saunders. She went on to tour with several artists including Sony recording artist, Eric Martin. She inked endorsement deals with Paiste cymbals, Regal Tip sticks and Evans heads early on in her career and was welcomed at NAMM show with a life-sized display of her promo photo for the “Women of Paiste” booth. Denise has recorded major label albums and several indie releases as well as sessions for commercials, soundtracks and various online projects.

One minute of Angeline Saris' low-end thumping coming at you and you’ll know she is just as much beast as beauty. She is a monstrous talent and has the schedule to prove it. In the last year alone, Angeline recorded 2 albums and toured with the Narada Michael Walden Band, rocked the stage with Santana when he joined Narada’s band at their most recent show, joined forces with reggae and ska legend Ernest Ranglin, laid down some serious shredding bass on Gretchen Menn’s album Hale Souls (and works regularly as her touring bassist), recorded 4 instructional DVD’s for Hal Leonard as well as a demo video for GHS strings, joined the all-female Led Zeppelin tribute band Zepparella and continues to moonlight as a hired gun in the studio and for local shows. 
Angeline has worked as an instructor at the National Guitar Workshop and continues to teach private lessons in Northern California to a small group of students, covering a wide curriculum of techniques tailored for each student. “I love watching my students learn. There is nothing quite like seeing their faces light up when they nail a new bass part. Plus, I feel teaching is an important part of my own growth as a musician.”