Jerry’s Middle Finger at Miners Foundry on April 13

Nevada City, CA – Deadheads are in for a treat when the “best Jerry Garcia Band tribute experience in the world,” pays a visit to Nevada City in April.

The Miners Foundry Cultural Center is pleased to present the unparalleled sound and energy of Jerry’s Middle Finger (JMF) on Saturday, April 13. Bar opens at 7 p.m. and the Show begins at 8 p.m. This is a standing room only show with limited seating.

It’s a happy return for the band who first played at the Miners Foundry in the summer of 2023.

“We appreciate so much the community aspect of that venue,” said Drummer and Founder Rodney Newman, a student of The Dead and Jerry Garcia Band since his youth, he leads the band’s reliable and relentless rhythm section.

He is joined by lead vocalist and guitarist Garrett Deloian, a seasoned veteran of the blues circuit who channels his lifelong love for the work of Garcia into every lick with his unparalleled mastery and tone.

Newman’s kick shares the bottom end with the steady and inspired bass playing of the multi-talented Son Vo. Rounding things out are two powerhouse vocalists, Halina Janusz and Lisa Malsberger, and veteran pianist and organ champion, Jon Gold.

The band plays the music of the Jerry Garcia Band, a passion side project Garcia started in the 1970s. 

“It was essentially a cover band — Bob Dylan, Jimmy Cliff, a lot of Motown favorites, the list goes on and on,” explained Newman. “We’re playing this music because we love it and we’re fans first and foremost. We’re a tribute band to a tribute band,” he said.

The band took its name from an unfortunate accident in Jerry Garcia’s early life. In 1946, two-thirds of four-year-old Garcia’s right middle finger was cut off by his brother in a wood splitting accident, while the family was vacationing in the Santa Cruz Mountains. But that didn’t stop him from pursuing a lifetime of music and the guitar.

Formed in 2015, JMF started honing its one-of-a-kind sound at Los Angeles speakeasies and beachside dive bars.

“Our intention is to honor and celebrate his music and how he played it, but we also have our own twists on things. The more we play the more it resembles Jerry, but we’re also making it our own,” said Newman.

Soon after the band got its start, audiences of all ages instantly fell in love, and JMF was playing to packed rooms from legendary stages throughout California, Oregon, Arizona, Colorado and Washington — dazzling new fans on the scene and pulling even the most discerning Jerry fanatics out of their seats for the first time in decades.

“It’s a very reciprocal relationship we have with the music and the audience. We have die hard friends that bring friends. We blow them away because we’re playing songs that they know but are not familiar with. We’re playing the way Jerry did,” said Newman. 

Jerry’s Middle Finger is for music lovers who have seen Jerry Garcia 500 times and for the younger generation born after his time on Earth. JMF will make everyone feel like he’s still here.

The Miners Foundry Cultural Center is a living historic treasure serving Nevada County as a cultural art and community events center producing 400 events annually. More than a venue, the nonprofit’s mission is to preserve, enhance and utilize the historic Miners Foundry for cultural, educational and social activities in Nevada County. It is a symbol of California’s rich historical heritage, providing an educational and social bridge from our past to the present and future. Membership supports ongoing events at Miners Foundry such as these and many others.