Summary4 min read

All That Jam – Bob Bralove on Working with Vince Welnick

Episode Date: October 4, 2023
Hosts: Kevin Hogan and Amanda Cadran
Guest: Bob Bralove

Episode Overview

This episode of All That Jam features a candid discussion with Bob Bralove, former Grateful Dead sound architect and collaborator, focusing on his working relationship with Vince Welnick—the last keyboardist for the Grateful Dead. The exchange unpacks misconceptions about Vince's role in the band, his audition experience, and the nuanced challenges he faced, both musically and interpersonally, during his tenure.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Addressing Criticism of Vince Welnick's Role (00:19)

Kevin Hogan opens by acknowledging that “older heads” in the Grateful Dead community criticized Vince Welnick for using just one keyboard, often feeling he didn’t “do enough.” He asks Bob to explain the reality of Vince’s partnership and process in the band.

2. Audition Stories & Establishing a Bond (00:44)

Bob Bralove tells a revealing story about Vince’s audition nerves:
- Vince called Bob, seeking advice and support prior to auditioning for the Grateful Dead.
- Bob advised Vince:
  
  “Whatever happens, these guys just lost a brother. They don’t want your tension. Come in here with some joy.”
  (Bob Bralove, 01:19)
- Vince was deeply thankful for this advice, referencing it many times afterwards.
Bob describes prepping for the audition:
- Set up Brent Mydland’s (previous keyboardist) rig for Vince per his request.
- Programmed sounds as Brent might play them for the audition tunes, giving Vince options.

3. The Audition Performance (02:54)

The band played “Estimated Prophet” during Vince’s audition.
Memorable Moment:
- “He [Vince] held on to the seven longer than anyone.”
  (Bill Kreutzmann, recounted by Bob Bralove, 03:13)
- This meant Vince excelled during the song’s unusual time signature section, impressing the band.

4. Live Performance Dynamics and Division of Labor (03:34)

After joining, Vince asked Bob to handle “orchestration” for performances:
- Vince wanted to focus on simply playing the songs.
- They set up pedals: one for piano sounds, one for organ, and one for Bob’s “whatever you want” orchestrated options.
- “I would know if he liked it or not, whether he used it.”
  (Bob Bralove, 04:08)

5. Brent Mydland’s Approach & The Role of Transparency (04:17)

Bob elaborates on Brent Mydland’s playing style, contrasting it with Vince:
- Brent’s approach was “present and transparent… you could hear everybody through him and you knew he was there.”
- Used subtle, dynamic shifts in sound to shape the feel of the music:
  
  “He would play through a tune, first verse and chorus with an electric piano sound… and then he might come back and do the next chorus with chorusing… so then all of a sudden it becomes watery.”
  (Bob Bralove, 04:35-05:11)

6. The Pressure on Vince and Band Dynamics (05:23)

Bob notes the difficult position Vince was in:
- The band, especially guitarist Jerry Garcia, was sometimes unreliable.
- “Everybody was kind of relying on the keys to clarify the chord progressions as things were moving through.”
- Vince had to walk a tightrope:
  - Be present enough to support the band’s structure, but not so much as to obscure other players.
On Vince’s adaptation and skill:

“I thought he handled it really well… He was really good at that kind of—what would you say—structural playing.”
(Bob Bralove, 06:13-06:28)

7. Vince’s Musical Background (06:28)

Kevin credits Vince’s ability to his years with The Tubes.
Bob agrees:

“I'm sure he held the Tubes together a lot… he's just knows where it’s at.”
(Bob Bralove, 06:32-06:45)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

On bringing positivity into the band after Brent’s death:

“Whatever happens, these guys just lost a brother. They don’t want your tension. Come in here with some joy.”
— Bob Bralove (01:19)
On what impressed the band during Vince’s audition:

“He held on to the seven longer than anyone.”
— Bill Kreutzmann, via Bob Bralove (03:13)
On Brent Mydland’s keyboard artistry:

“You could hear everybody through him and you knew he was there.”
— Bob Bralove (04:27)
On Vince’s tough musical position:

“If he wasn’t there, then things could get a little wonky. If he was there too much, then you couldn't hear what everybody else was doing in the same way… And I thought he handled it really well.”
— Bob Bralove (05:38-06:13)

Timestamps for Important Segments

00:19 – Introduction: Context around Vince’s criticism and setup for Bob’s perspective.
00:44 – 01:19 – The Vince audition story and Bob’s critical advice.
02:54 – 03:13 – Details of the audition performance and band members’ reactions.
03:34 – 04:08 – Division of keyboard labor during shows with Bob and Vince.
04:17 – 05:11 – Exploration of Brent Mydland’s style as a lesson in subtlety and band interplay.
05:23 – 06:28 – Discussion about Jerry’s unreliability, musical pressures, and Vince’s adaptability.
06:28 – 06:45 – Reflections on Vince’s previous work with The Tubes.

Episode Takeaways

The criticism of Vince Welnick as a Grateful Dead keyboardist misunderstood the unique pressures and expectations he faced, and the sophisticated collaboration he developed with Bob Bralove.
Both Brent Mydland’s legacy and Vince’s tenure show the delicate balance a keyboard player must strike within an evolving, improvisational band context.
Vince’s professionalism, versatility, and willingness to bring “joy” deeply impacted the band’s final chapter.

For more interviews and jamband discussions, follow All That Jam on your favorite platform.

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Transcript12 lines

[00:01]
A
Hi, I'm kevin.
[00:02]
B
And I'm amanda.
[00:04]
A
And we are serving up all that jam. All that jam.
[00:16]
C
Quick hit.
[00:19]
A
Bob brolov working with vince wellnick. Vince got maligned by a lot of older heads at the time because he had one keyboard. People felt like he didn't do enough. I don't think people quite get what was going on with that, with his relationship with you and how you and he worked together.
[00:44]
C
Yes, you know, it doesn't matter how many keyboards you're playing, you know, it's the sounds. So Vince and I established a very early bond. I, in fact, I remember I was crossing the Bay Bridge and I got a call from Vince. He hadn't gotten to audition yet and he was preparing for this audition and he was tense about it and what should I do? And you know, I said, well, the way it's going right now is everybody says you can bring in your own instruments if you'd rather play that or if you want other, if you want the bands instruments you can use. I'll set up Brent's rig, you can do that. And you know, and he was tensing up and tensing up and I said, hey, whatever happens, these guys just lost a brother. They don't want your tension. Come in here with some joy. And he really took that to heart and he thanked me many times for that comment. And so he said, do the set up. Brent's rig. And I programmed the songs that he was auditioning for. I programmed them the way Brent might play them and I gave him some options and things like that. And you know, it just went really well. I remember they did Estimated Profit as one of the audition songs. And at the end and after, after Vince had left the audition, I remember Billy saying, hey man, he held on to the seven longer than anyone. So it was like, okay, you know, he was digging in and then, you know, we were updating his synths and at some point he said, look, I just want to play the songs as much as possible, so why don't you orchestrate stuff? And I will have a pedal for piano sounds, a pedal for organ sounds, and then a pedal that's you and whatever you want. And I would, I would know if he liked it or not, whether he used it. Brent, Brent was a player. Brent played in a style that was present and transparent at the same time. You could hear everybody through him and you knew he was there. He would do some subtle stuff. He would play through a tune, first verse and chorus with an electric piano sound, just straight. And then he might come back and do the next chorus with chorusing, you know, the processing on that piano. So then all of a sudden it becomes watery. And so it just shifted the. The feeling as it kind of grew and the tone would. Grew, but with that very subtle kind of thing. And then at the same time, you could blast your horns over on top of the organ and, you know, do all that kind of stuff. But for me, that transparency was very magical that. That you could be that present and hear everybody through you. Is tough thing for a keyboard player because you sort of trained to do these chords in a certain way, which I think Vince did. He played those chords, and I think Vince was in a. In a tough position coming in. You know, Jerry was rough at times in those days.
[05:24]
A
We can say it now we're far enough away, we can say it.
[05:27]
C
He was in rough shape at times, and everybody was kind of relying on the keys to clarify the chord progressions as things were moving through. So he had to be present in that way that made it less transparent. So he would, you know, that it was a tough position because, you know, if he wasn't there, then things could get a little wonky. If he was there too much, then you couldn't hear what everybody else was doing in the same way. That. And I thought he handled it really well. You know, he was really good at that kind of. What would you say, Structural playing.
[06:28]
A
You know, it probably comes from working with the Tubes and all his history.
[06:33]
C
Yeah, you know, I'm sure he held the Tubes together a lot. I'm sure I didn't. I didn't ever really talk to him about it, but it was, you know, he's that kind of a player. He's just knows where it's at.
[06:45]
B
If you are enjoying all that jam, please like and subscribe to our social media channels at all that jampod on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook, or visit our website, all that Jampod.com make sure to sign up for our email list and tune in every week for new episodes.
[07:03]
A
Also, look for full interviews on our YouTube channel. And remember, stay beautiful, but don't stay underground too long.