LATEST NEWS:
Thanks to everyone who packed Gray's Mill for the Magic Bus acoustic gig that took place on Dec. 13--it was a blast!
We'd like to thank ALL Magic Bus fans for supporting us in 2024.
Next gig will be Sunday, Jan. 12, 2025, at Mackey's Hideout in McHenry, an acoustic duo show from 3-6pm. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all!
love,
-Grateful Gary
(and Brian, Caeli and Jeff)
We'd like to thank ALL Magic Bus fans for supporting us in 2024.
Next gig will be Sunday, Jan. 12, 2025, at Mackey's Hideout in McHenry, an acoustic duo show from 3-6pm. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all!
love,
-Grateful Gary
(and Brian, Caeli and Jeff)
Big thanks to all the fans who crammed On Tour Brewing for the Sun. Nov. 17, 2024, Magic Bus show. Every table filled, standing-room-only (for a time) and people, young and old, dancing in the aisles!
It was a 'Phil Lesh' remembrance performance, with four of his tunes being played (--including the very rare 'If the Shoe Fits'). See below for the set list of choice tunes and deep cuts.
It was a 'Phil Lesh' remembrance performance, with four of his tunes being played (--including the very rare 'If the Shoe Fits'). See below for the set list of choice tunes and deep cuts.
Magic Bus
Sun. Nov. 17, 2024
On Tour Brewing, Chicago IL
1) Sgt. Pepper's > Help From My Friends > Sgt. Pepper's reprise, Tom Thumb's Blues, Angel From Montgomery, Mississippi Half Step, Brown-Eyed Women, It Must Have Been the Roses, Queen Jane Approximately, Let the Good Times Roll, Lazy River Road, Friend of the Devil, Jack Straw, If the Shoe Fits, Liberty, Music Never Stopped
2) Box of Rain, Crazy Fingers > The Weight, Beat It On Down the Line, Till the Morning Comes, Uncle John's Band, Jolene, Don't Ease Me In, The Kids Are Alright, Cream Puff War, Oh! Darling, Broken Arrow, Scarlet Begonias > Brokedown Palace, Sugar Magnolia
Sun. Nov. 17, 2024
On Tour Brewing, Chicago IL
1) Sgt. Pepper's > Help From My Friends > Sgt. Pepper's reprise, Tom Thumb's Blues, Angel From Montgomery, Mississippi Half Step, Brown-Eyed Women, It Must Have Been the Roses, Queen Jane Approximately, Let the Good Times Roll, Lazy River Road, Friend of the Devil, Jack Straw, If the Shoe Fits, Liberty, Music Never Stopped
2) Box of Rain, Crazy Fingers > The Weight, Beat It On Down the Line, Till the Morning Comes, Uncle John's Band, Jolene, Don't Ease Me In, The Kids Are Alright, Cream Puff War, Oh! Darling, Broken Arrow, Scarlet Begonias > Brokedown Palace, Sugar Magnolia
UPCOMING 2025 GIGS:
Sun. Jan. 12 - Gary/Brian acoustic duo; Mackey's Hideout, McHenry IL (3-6pm)
Sun. Jan. 12 - Gary/Brian acoustic duo; Mackey's Hideout, McHenry IL (3-6pm)
Wow, what a great time it was (on Sat. Sept. 7) when Grateful Gary and Brian played an acoustic duo show at a brand new venue for us--Sturdy Shelter Brewing Co. in Batavia (10 Shumway Avenue). As it turned out, LOTS of Deadheads showed up and requested all kinds of tunes we hadn't planned on playing... like He's Gone, Crazy Fingers, Playing in the Band, and Cream Puff War. Can't wait to play there again--THANK YOU to all the great fans in Batavia!
The awesome 'MB-Tron' is a guitar effects pedal handcrafted by Magic Bus bassist/vocalist Brian Hunsaker. Using a public-domain circuit diagram of Jerry Garcia's 'envelope follower' (or reverse wah-wah) pedal, the one-of-a-kind gizmo also is labeled the 'Grateful Gary Edition.' Featuring numerous control knobs and toggle switches, the MB-Tron successfully emulates the famous 'Mu-Tron' pedal that can be heard on Grateful Dead songs such as Estimated Prophet and Shakedown Street. It's the same sound used by famous players such as Frank Zappa, Stevie Wonder, Bootsy Collins, Andy Summers and many other.
Thanks, Brian --you are simply awesome!
Thanks, Brian --you are simply awesome!
Hey now! If you like cool tie-dye shirts, you've got to check out a new, Chicago-area shop that, hands down, makes the absolute BEST tie-dyes I've ever seen in my life!
It's "Rainbow Sunshine Dye by Sol," owned and operated by my friend Soledad ('Sol', for short). She uses an amazing dry ice technique for 'curing' the tie-dyes and the result is the most VIBRANT awesome colors that just jump off the shirt! (Check out the ultra-bright yellow and white custom tie-dye t-shirt that Sol made for me, that I wore when Magic Bus played the 'Dancing in the Streets' festival in Chicago on 8/4/23) >>> Take it from me, a guy who owns 30-40 tie-dyes --everything from premium companies like Electric Blue and Gypsy Rose to amateur tie-dyers who've offered their shirts at campground festivals I've attended-- "Rainbow Sunshine" is the best tie-dye shirt I've ever seen. Sol has nearly FIFTY different colors available, and she'll make you whatever you want --tshirt, hoodie, tapestry, whatever. She immediately answers all emails (and phone calls), has easy payment (Zelle, PayPal, Venmo) and ships your finished tie-dye right away (her shop is in the Chicago suburbs). Here's the website: www.facebook.com/rainbowsunshinedyebysol |
(band photo, following the Magic Bus performance at the 'Dancing in the Streets' festival in Chicago, on 8/4/23)
Grateful Gary is sporting the custom yellow-and-white tie-dye shirt crafted by 'Rainbow Sunshine Dye by Sol,' which makes all kinds of custom t-shirts, hoodies, tapestries, etc. in a variety of ultra-bright, vibrant colors. Check it out! |
Hey, played (for the second consecutive year) the opening slot at the 2024 Dancing in the Streets fest, in the Chicago Brewing District (near On Tour Brewing) on FRIDAY, AUGUST 2, 2024 (from 5-6pm).
Check out the setlist from last year, below. After Magic Bus played their set, Grateful Gary was 'ambush-interviewed' by a television reporter and appeared on the Channel 5 News at 10pm! (see photo).
Check out the setlist from last year, below. After Magic Bus played their set, Grateful Gary was 'ambush-interviewed' by a television reporter and appeared on the Channel 5 News at 10pm! (see photo).
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Grateful Gary’s Magic Bus
Fri., Aug. 4, 2023
Dancing in the Streets festival
Chicago, IL
Till The Morning Comes, Candyman, Friend of the Devil, Black-Throated Wind, Doin' That Rag, Crazy Fingers > Broken Arrow, You Ain’t Woman Enough, Ship of Fools, Cream Puff War
Fri., Aug. 4, 2023
Dancing in the Streets festival
Chicago, IL
Till The Morning Comes, Candyman, Friend of the Devil, Black-Throated Wind, Doin' That Rag, Crazy Fingers > Broken Arrow, You Ain’t Woman Enough, Ship of Fools, Cream Puff War
Grateful Gary performed and audio-engineered over the 2023 Labor Day weekend (for the 11th straight year) at a festival event in West Virginia --attended by 1400 people! (--it's called "Old Timers Reunion"). He'll be doing it again in 2024!
Photo from the Grateful Gary-Brian acoustic duo at Gray's Mill in Montgomery on May 26, 2023.
R.I.P. Robbie Stokes
It's with regret that I share the news that my good friend Robbie Stokes lost a three-year battle with throat cancer (on May 14) and has now gone up to that "Great Gig in the Sky" (a Pink Floyd reference).
Robbie played on Mickey Hart's "Rolling Thunder" album and I was his bandmate in several combos down in Carbondale. He will be missed.
It's with regret that I share the news that my good friend Robbie Stokes lost a three-year battle with throat cancer (on May 14) and has now gone up to that "Great Gig in the Sky" (a Pink Floyd reference).
Robbie played on Mickey Hart's "Rolling Thunder" album and I was his bandmate in several combos down in Carbondale. He will be missed.
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WOW, what an incredible time was had when Grateful Gary played some recent shows on bass with country/punk Americana legend Jason Ringenberg, who he played with in the band Shakespeare's Riot back in Carbondale.
Jason is an incredible performer, who played at FarmAid (check his Wikipedia page) and has multiple solo- and full-band albums to his credit (--with Grateful Gary appearing on two of them)! www.jasonringenberg.com |
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MAGIC BUS is very grateful to the Downers Grove Rotary Club and all all the fans who came out to witness the band's biggest gig ever, on the Main Stage for Downers Grove's RotaryGrove Fest. An expanded SIX-PIECE band played an amazing 2-hour set, and it couldn't have gone better!
Hey, if you would like to see MAGIC BUS play music at your favorite club, just drop us a line and we'll see what we can do :)
gary@gratefulgary.com
gary@gratefulgary.com
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Magic Bus at Ballydoyle, Downers Grove (left), and at EvenFlow Music & Spirits, Geneva (right)
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Attention: United States, Canada and Mexico -- Grateful Gary's MAGIC BUS now is on FACEBOOK! Go to www.facebook.com/MagicBusChicago.
Who are you? Where are you? How are you?
(--the preceding line was used on the liner notes of the Grateful Dead's "Skull and Roses" album)
Who are you? Where are you? How are you?
(--the preceding line was used on the liner notes of the Grateful Dead's "Skull and Roses" album)
"I was skeptical when I walked in, but you won me over" ...said a fan who walked up at the end of a past Grateful Gary solo-acoustic performance. "It was the incredible wide variety of song selection." Other fans ask where GG will be playing next, others can't believe he plays four hours of continuous music and others say they can't believe there's no cover charge to see GG perform.
Aww, shucks!
Yet another fan walked up and said he was reluctant to pay a $5 cover on a Saturday night when he saw it was just a single, solo acoustic guitarist. "But you really brought the goods," he said. "You ROCK!"
Aww, shucks!
Yet another fan walked up and said he was reluctant to pay a $5 cover on a Saturday night when he saw it was just a single, solo acoustic guitarist. "But you really brought the goods," he said. "You ROCK!"
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<<< Here's a creative Photo Collage from a
Grateful Gary solo acoustic performance at
the now-closed St. Louis hippie hangout The Shanti.
(click on the photo for larger image)
Grateful Gary solo acoustic performance at
the now-closed St. Louis hippie hangout The Shanti.
(click on the photo for larger image)
Who's "Grateful Gary"???
Grateful Gary is a longtime Chicago-area musician and sound engineer. He's been a member of a couple dozen bands over the past two decades, and for three years was the 'Bob Weir guy' in a touring Grateful Dead tribute band from St. Louis ('The Schwag').
Grateful Gary is one of the rare breed of musician who plays both guitar and bass equally. ...6- and 12-string acoustic guitars, electric guitar, 4- and 5-string electric basses as well as full-size upright bass! (also mandolin, ukulele and keyboards)
Grateful Gary also is an experienced sound engineer, having a radio-television degree from SIU-Carbondale and previously working at sound companies like and Clair Global/Showco (at all major and mid-level Chicago concert venues, including two Lollapaloozas). He offers a medium-sized sound system (and lighting) for hire, indoors or outdoors. (24-ch stereo, 3 monitor mixes).
(photo at right was taken during Gary's wild and crazy college days at S.I.U.-Carbondale)
Check out some of the other pages on this web site (esp. Photos!), see the Schedule page for availability (linked to JamBase) and send a friendly e-mail to him (or to be placed on the e-mailing list) at:
Gary@GratefulGary.com!
Grateful Gary has an artist page on ReverbNation: (www.reverbnation.com/gratefulgary)
Grateful Gary has an artist page on JamBase: (www.jambase.com/band/grateful-gary)
Grateful Gary also has a YouTube video channel: www.youtube.com/user/GratefulGaryChicago/videos
Grateful Gary is a longtime Chicago-area musician and sound engineer. He's been a member of a couple dozen bands over the past two decades, and for three years was the 'Bob Weir guy' in a touring Grateful Dead tribute band from St. Louis ('The Schwag').
Grateful Gary is one of the rare breed of musician who plays both guitar and bass equally. ...6- and 12-string acoustic guitars, electric guitar, 4- and 5-string electric basses as well as full-size upright bass! (also mandolin, ukulele and keyboards)
Grateful Gary also is an experienced sound engineer, having a radio-television degree from SIU-Carbondale and previously working at sound companies like and Clair Global/Showco (at all major and mid-level Chicago concert venues, including two Lollapaloozas). He offers a medium-sized sound system (and lighting) for hire, indoors or outdoors. (24-ch stereo, 3 monitor mixes).
(photo at right was taken during Gary's wild and crazy college days at S.I.U.-Carbondale)
Check out some of the other pages on this web site (esp. Photos!), see the Schedule page for availability (linked to JamBase) and send a friendly e-mail to him (or to be placed on the e-mailing list) at:
Gary@GratefulGary.com!
Grateful Gary has an artist page on ReverbNation: (www.reverbnation.com/gratefulgary)
Grateful Gary has an artist page on JamBase: (www.jambase.com/band/grateful-gary)
Grateful Gary also has a YouTube video channel: www.youtube.com/user/GratefulGaryChicago/videos