RatDog

RatDog
Background information
Also known as	Bob Weir and RatDog, The Ratdog Revue
Origin	San Francisco, CA, USA
Genres	Rock
Years active	1995–2010, 2013-present
Labels	Grateful Dead
Associated acts	Grateful Dead, The Other Ones, The Dead, Furthur, Jemimah Puddleduck
Website	ratdog.org
Members	Bob Weir Jay Lane Jeff Chimenti Robin Sylvester Rob Wasserman Steve Kimock
Past members	Matthew Kelly Vince Welnick Johnnie Johnson Dave Ellis Mookie Siegel Dave McNabb Mark Karan Kenny Brooks

RatDog (sometimes known as The Ratdog Revue, Bob Weir & RatDog or Ratdog) was an American rock band. The group began as a side project for Grateful Dead rhythm guitarist Bob Weir and bassist Rob Wasserman.^[1] After the Grateful Dead disbanded in December 1995 following the death of Jerry Garcia on August 9 of that year, RatDog became Bob Weir's primary band.^[2] The band performed until July, 2014, and Weir has not ruled out future shows. They performed Grateful Dead tunes primarily with a mixture of covers (including Bob Dylan and Chuck Berry songs), along with some originals.^[3] RatDog's repertoire consisted of more than 150 songs.

Throughout 2009 and 2010, original RatDog members Bob Weir, Rob Wasserman and Jay Lane periodically performed under the moniker Scaring the Children.^[4]

From 2010 through 2013, the number of RatDog's performances were limited while Weir toured with Furthur. Ratdog played 2 shows in both January 2012 and August 2013. In September 2013 it was revealed by Primus bassist Les Claypool that RatDog would be "getting back together this next year", as Lane had chosen to leave Primus in order to rejoin RatDog.^[5]

In February and March of 2014, RatDog resumed more extensive touring, with Steve Kimock on lead guitar, Jeff Chimenti on keyboards, Jay Lane on drums, and two bass players, Robin Sylvester and Rob Wasserman.^[6] On August 10, 2014, Bob Weir and RatDog cancelled their summer and fall tour dates, without explaining why this was necessary.^[7]

Formation and early days

During the late 1980s, Bob Weir teamed up with bassist Rob Wasserman and the duo toured for seven years under names such as Weir/Wasserman and Scaring the Children. In 1994, Weir and Wasserman participated in the Woodstock '94 festival. Jay Lane was added on drums and Matthew Kelly on guitar and harmonica in 1995. They played their first show as a full band on April 22, 1995, billed as Friends of Montezuma and then as RatDog Revue. They played their first show as RatDog on August 8, 1995.

Notable guests

Since its formation, many guest musicians have performed with RatDog, including Grateful Dead members Mickey Hart, Bill Kreutzmann, Donna Jean Godchaux and Bruce Hornsby. Other well known guests include Joan Baez, Warren Haynes, Jimmy Herring, Derek Trucks, Al Schnier, Ekoostik Hookah, Trey Anastasio, Les Claypool, DJ Logic, John Popper, Dickey Betts, Sammy Hagar, Susan James and Keller Williams.^[8]

Discography

• Evening Moods (2000)
• Live at Roseland (2001)

Band members

Current Members Bob Weir – guitar, vocals (April 1995–present) Jay Lane – drums (April 1995–present) Rob Wasserman – stand up bass (April 1995–October 2002, January 2012-present) Jeff Chimenti – keyboards (May 1997–present) Robin Sylvester – bass guitar, stand up bass (March 2003–present) Steve Kimock - guitar (July 2007–April 2008, Aug 2013-present)

Former Members Matthew Kelly – guitar, harmonica, vocals (April 1995 – September 1998) Vince Welnick – keyboards, vocals (September 1995–December 1995) Johnnie Johnson – keyboards (February 1996–May 1997) Dave Ellis – saxophone (November 1996–December 1999) Mookie Siegel – keyboards (December 1996–April 1997) Dave McNabb – guitar (September 1998) Mark Karan – guitar, vocals (October 1998–June 2007, May 2008–January 2012) Kenny Brooks – saxophone (May 2000–January 2012)

Timeline

Lineups

Bob Weir and Jay Lane performing with RatDog in April 2009.

Dates	Lineup
04/22/1995 – 08/25/1995	Bob Weir – guitar, vocals Jay Lane – drums Rob Wasserman – bass Matthew Kelly – guitar, harmonica, vocals
09/01/1995 – 12/12/1995	Bob Weir – guitar, vocals Jay Lane – drums Rob Wasserman – bass Matthew Kelly – guitar, harmonica, vocals Vince Welnick – keyboards, vocals
02/20/1996 – 10/20/1996	Bob Weir – guitar, vocals Jay Lane – drums Rob Wasserman – bass Matthew Kelly – guitar, harmonica, vocals Johnnie Johnson – keyboards
11/09/1996 – 12/08/1996	Bob Weir – guitar, vocals Jay Lane – drums Rob Wasserman – bass Matthew Kelly – guitar, harmonica, vocals Johnnie Johnson – keyboards Dave Ellis – saxophone
12/10/1996 – 04/15/1997	Bob Weir – guitar, vocals Jay Lane – drums Rob Wasserman – bass Matthew Kelly – guitar, harmonica, vocals Johnnie Johnson – keyboards Dave Ellis – saxophone Mookie Siegel – keyboards
05/28/1997	Bob Weir – guitar, vocals Jay Lane – drums Rob Wasserman – bass Matthew Kelly – guitar, harmonica, vocals Johnnie Johnson – keyboards Dave Ellis – saxophone Jeff Chimenti – keyboards
06/07/1997 – 04/05/1998	Bob Weir – guitar, vocals Jay Lane – drums Rob Wasserman – bass Matthew Kelly – guitar, harmonica, vocals Dave Ellis – saxophone Jeff Chimenti – keyboards
09/06/1998	Bob Weir – guitar, vocals Jay Lane – drums Rob Wasserman – bass Matthew Kelly – guitar, harmonica, vocals Dave Ellis – saxophone Jeff Chimenti – keyboards Dave McNabb – guitar
09/09/1998 – 09/20/1998	Bob Weir – guitar, vocals Jay Lane – drums Rob Wasserman – bass Dave Ellis – saxophone Jeff Chimenti – keyboards Dave McNabb – guitar
10/29/1998 – 12/02/1999	Bob Weir – guitar, vocals Jay Lane – drums Rob Wasserman – bass Dave Ellis – saxophone Jeff Chimenti – keyboards Mark Karan – guitar, vocals
12/30/1999 – 03/26/2000	Bob Weir – guitar, vocals Jay Lane – drums Rob Wasserman – bass Jeff Chimenti – keyboards Mark Karan – guitar, vocals
05/05/2000 – 10/19/2002	Bob Weir – guitar, vocals Jay Lane – drums Rob Wasserman – bass Jeff Chimenti – keyboards Kenny Brooks – saxophone Mark Karan – guitar, vocals
02/05/2003 – 02/09/2003	Bob Weir – guitar, vocals Jay Lane – drums Jeff Chimenti – keyboards Kenny Brooks – saxophone Mark Karan – guitar, vocals
03/04/2003 – 06/17/2007	Bob Weir – guitar, vocals Jay Lane – drums Robin Sylvester – bass Jeff Chimenti – keyboards Kenny Brooks – saxophone Mark Karan – guitar, vocals
07/05/2007 – 04/12/2008	Bob Weir – guitar, vocals Jay Lane – drums Robin Sylvester – bass Jeff Chimenti – keyboards Kenny Brooks – saxophone Steve Kimock – guitar
05/17/2008 – 01/26/2012	Bob Weir – guitar, vocals Jay Lane – drums Robin Sylvester – bass Jeff Chimenti – keyboards Kenny Brooks – saxophone Mark Karan – guitar, vocals
08/16/2013 – present	Bob Weir – guitar, vocals Jay Lane – drums Robin Sylvester – bass guitar Jeff Chimenti – keyboards Steve Kimock – guitar Rob Wasserman – upright bass

References

1. Bob Weir Biography, Rolling Stone
2. Ruhlmann, William. RatDog Biography at Allmusic
3. Selvin, Joel. "Dead Man Talking", San Francisco Chronicle, March 21, 2004
4. "Bob Weir & RatDog :: news". Rat-dog.com. Retrieved 2011-10-21.
5. "Primus Reuniting with Drummer Tim Alexander". Rolling Stone. Retrieved October 1, 2013.
6. Greenhaus, Mike (February 14, 2014). "Bob Weir Ramps Up RatDog", Jambands.com. Retrieved August 11, 2014.
7. "Bob Weir & RatDog Cancel All Upcoming Dates", JamBase, August 10, 2014. Retrieved August 11, 2014.
8. "Guest Musicians". RatDog. Retrieved 2011-10-21.

External links

• rat-dog.com, official web site of RatDog
• ratdog.org, RatDog fan site
• Ratdog collection at the Internet Archive's live music archive