Grahame Lesh & Friends
Based in the musical hotbed of Marin County, California, Grahame Lesh is a guitar player and singer-songwriter for Midnight North, Phil Lesh & Friends, & the Terrapin Family Band. A mainstay in the scene that flowered from Terrapin Crossroads in San Rafael, Grahame has joined such luminaries as The Mother Hips, Twiddle, Amy Helm, The North Mississippi All Stars, Neal Casal, Jackie Greene, Eric Krasno, ALO, and many more in singing, playing, and interpreting the American songbook.
As a founder and co-frontperson (with Elliott Peck) for Midnight North, Grahame has played hundreds of concerts around the country and released 5 studio albums, 3 live albums, and two digital EPs of original music since the band’s inception in 2012. In the Fall of 2023 the band released their 5th studio album “Diamonds in the Zodiac”, which was produced by Amy Helm and features contributions from Phil Lesh and many other luminaries. The title “Diamonds in the Zodiac” comes from the unearthed Robert Hunter lyrics for “Jupiter,” the epic centerpiece of the album that Grahame wrote the music for.
Grahame Lesh & Friends, or “GLAF”, has grown naturally into another outlet for interpreting the music he has been surrounded by. GLAF takes immense pleasure in reviving forgotten and unfinished Grateful Dead songs, working out alternate versions of Grahame’s Midnight North compositions, fleshing out songs written by Grahame’s brother Brian, and finding the fun covers that tie them all together.
As a member of Phil Lesh’s Terrapin Family Band and Phil Lesh & Friends, he has traveled the world, performing Phil’s updated version of the Grateful Dead’s sound everywhere from the famed Fuji Rock Festival in Japan to London to Newport Folk Fest to New York city. Phil Lesh & Friends and the TFB have welcomed guests like Sheryl Crow, Benmont Tench, John Scofield, Rick Mitarotonda, Nicki Bluhm, Dawes, Warren Haynes, Eric Krasno, Bob Weir, and many more onstage as they performed at venues and festivals around the world.
Always focused on the song and the groove, whether it be his or another’s, Grahame’s music stays rooted in the present while touching on all aspects of rock, folk, blues, soul, and more.