Jim Marty shares stories with Larry Mishkin about The Dead And Co first night preforming at the LA Forum. They talk about the set list and all the shows highlights. They also reminisce about previous shows with similar set list and their origins. On the cannabis front they talk about recent credit card processors going out of business and the impact that it has on their cannabis clients. Produced by PodCONX https://podconx.com/guests/larry-mishkin https://podconx.com/guests/jim-marty https://podconx.com/guests/rob-hunt
Jim Marty shares stories with Larry Mishkin about The Dead And Co first night preforming at the LA Forum. They talk about the set list and all the shows highlights. They also reminisce about previous shows with similar set list and their origins. On the cannabis front they talk about recent credit card processors going out of business and the impact that it has on their cannabis clients.
https://podconx.com/guests/larry-mishkin
https://podconx.com/guests/jim-marty
https://podconx.com/guests/rob-hunt
Jim Marty: [00:00:00] So look. Welcome, everybody, to the Deadhead Cannabis Show Jim Marty here from sunny Southern California, Los Angeles, where they have a beautiful blue sky in 70 degree weather, even went to the beach today and up in Malibu and walked around with their feet in the ocean. Just beautiful. And I've got my partner in Chicago, Larry Mishkin. Hey, Larry.
Larry Mishkin: [00:00:57] Nice to talk to you once again. Glad somebody is warm out there. It's. And surely here in Chicago and not. Did anybody notice sisters? You know, all break breaking away on applications here and getting everything moving forward. But it's always good to hear that there's somebody out there taking advantage of not just the nice weather, but these tremendous debt shows that you're getting an opportunity to see. And I can't speak for anybody else out there, but I know that I want to hear all about your thoughts on the show you saw last night.
Jim Marty: [00:01:24] Yeah, it was fabulous. Just a fabulous dead show. It's always great to see the Grateful Dead in California. It's their home turf and they really bring it on home. Big truck, an opener. Great ramble on, Roseanne. John Mayer saying as 100 verses in ragtime were my favorites. So great, great shows. And what was really special about it is the forum has been they put millions and millions of dollars into redoing the Los Angeles swarm over the last few years. And now it is just music. There's no sports there. And it's set up just beautifully with a brand new seeds and an incredible sound. And it wasn't just me. All the people around us were commenting on how terrific the sound was and got a big acoustic ceiling on the top of the building. Kind of just pushes all that sound down. And, you know, my opinion was it was, you know, as good as a Los Angeles soundstage can sound. It was just incredible. And especially John Mayer's guitar, just every note, crystal clear, every note he sang. So, you know, second set, big playing in the band and to Terrapin Station, the Terrapin Station for the wild and encourage everyone out there. Take a listen to that second set. Terrapin Station, just fabulous.
Larry Mishkin: [00:02:45] And the Terrapins, you they're still alternating the lyrics, right? John sings some baby steps and sings some.
Jim Marty: [00:02:51] Yeah, yeah. Bob comes back in for the inspiration. Movingly, brightly part.
Larry Mishkin: [00:02:55] Sure. And who is Who sang lead on Shane the Duck Motel? Oh, right. I forgot. He does that. That is the versatility of having your children in that band. He comes up with some of those. He does that. I know he does. Tons of time. A few others. I love it when he sings.
Jim Marty: [00:03:11] Yeah. Yeah. So was a terrapin into the other one. Drums. Space warfront. Wow.
Larry Mishkin: [00:03:17] You know, and here's the thing about it. That's so great is the way you just read it off. Put a bit of standard setlist from any dead show that you Ray ever saw. And you know, I all the way. I appreciate when they move songs around in a traditional second set sign, wait up at the first set or vice versa. There's simply something different just for me that's very comforting and satisfying when they get in a groove of the second set. And you can kind of flashback to the dad and say, I know where they're about to go with this. And, you know, and kind of follow along with it. And I mean, know that that's a that's a great post. Drums in space. Wonder to close out the show and everything. And then, boy, you got a ripple on quarry's. You can't really ask for much more than that.
Jim Marty: [00:04:06] Yeah, beautiful ripple Oncor. And to send that China doll and then US blues to finish the sail.
Larry Mishkin: [00:04:15] Very, very nice.
Jim Marty: [00:04:18] General agreed to the US blues was just right there. Just everybody was standing up and getting into it. So good ole California crowd got to get used to the. Sixteen dollars and thirty cents for a cartel. Well, that offers.
Larry Mishkin: [00:04:37] That's what you're going to run into out there, I suppose. All right.
Jim Marty: [00:04:40] Everything. Everything's a little more expensive in Los Angeles, it seems.
Larry Mishkin: [00:04:44] Yeah, I agree with that. But it's just great to hear them playing so well and really at the top of their game. And you know what I what I've been I've been debating this whole Jerry vs. Jane Mayer thing for a long time. And they had and, you know, I think we're finally starting to come out with it. Is that. Yeah. He's not Jerry, but he's really taken good control of Jerry songs. If there's anybody who's going to get up there and do it, it might as well be him. You know, he's really he's delved into the background of it all. So he is bringing it with as much preparation and energy as anybody out there. But it's just the sound is so great, you know? Well, I'm going to go here that the dating company. But it's a sound. He's nailing it. Like you said, he's he's coming in. And what I really like about it. He's starting to learn those, you know, Jerry Lanes that used to always bring a strong crowd responses like, you know, thousand versus one hundred versus ragtime or whatever some of the other ones are. I wish I was ahead late on a northbound train right where everybody in the audience is waiting for that build up. And you know, sometimes when the guys stepped in to play the Jery role, they're not always this familiar with that chance. Really got that down, too. So once again, you know, you kind of have that feeling of like really being at a dead show. And, you know, maybe it's a little bit like, you know, this new Burger King plant based hamburger. Right, where everybody bites and says, why not hamburger? But, boy, it tastes just as good. And, you know, I think I'm at a point where I'm willing to say he's not Jerry. But what the heck? He's just as good and working. Go out there and see shows like that. It's good for the sauce.
Jim Marty: [00:06:23] Yeah. And he'll just very strong on his guitar and his lyrics. I mean, he's he's really going to go down as one of the great ones. Certainly one of the great ones really just the way he's handling these songs. Like I said, the The Ramble on Rose, I encourage everyone to go listen to that and tell me if you don't think that he's really come into his own as as having having to be a great one. If he's not already.
Jim Marty: [00:06:49] So, yeah, we do it again tonight. Looking forward to it. And got my twenties lined up for my $16 and fifty cent cocktail.
Larry Mishkin: [00:06:59] Right. To be ready to roll with those. So here. So let me ask you a question about. Probably not the answer, but since it's real, it's relevant for our show. What is the scene like out there in the fabulous forum? Do they allow smoking? Do everybody lighten up when the lights go out like a typical that show?
Jim Marty: [00:07:16] No. It may have been a little bit apart smoking, but no cigarettes at all. So they said the venue was just absolutely pristine and beautiful. And everybody respected the no cigarette smoking. You know, it's very tense today. Nobody really has to smoke Cannabis inside. Good shakedown street outside. Really good shakedown. Pretty good. Crazy scene out there. Had a lot of fun walking around and checking it all out. They let us pretty much do what we wanted to in the parking lot. Security wasn't too bad yet. And just sort of breezed in. They didn't question my day pen. And I said, no, no, no, it's tobacco. And they let it in.
Larry Mishkin: [00:07:56] But you know, it same thing for me to when I'm like, you go to some of these venues and it always surprises me where they will and where they won't let you smoke. You know, in Chicago few years ago, I went to the Revere, a nightclub which is on the north side of the city, and it's become a very famous nightclub. You get a lot of good bands that like it from there. And it's a really small pay venue. I've seen some still shows there that were just unbelievable. And we were in there for a Phil show and we were sitting up in the balcony and we lit up a joint. Some guy came in, tapped me on the shoulder and said, you know, Chicago has a no smoking ordinance. You're gonna have to put that up. We put it out. And this is you know, I mean, it's a nice venue, but it's still not the nicest venue in town. It's a little bit road dance. A month later, we're down at the the auditorium theater, which is in the heart of the Chicago Theater District. It's a beautiful venue. It's a real, you know, plays. They have Broadway shows there. They have big events there. They have this fancy ceilings and the carpets and the velvet seats and the, you know, everything. And we go to a show there. I figure if there's going to be no smoking anywhere, it's going to be there. Lights go off and everybody in place lights up. So it's going to come to the conclusion that most places have decided, look, if we're going to have the, you know, the dead and their crowd and this is what's going to happen, and if we fight them on it, then it's just going to make the experience unpleasant for everyone because they get the vaping and they get the anonymity that goes along with it and all of that. But quite frankly, for me, the way I always learned to get myself through drums of space was to have a good joint ready.
Jim Marty: [00:09:27] Yeah. And drums and space was fabulous last night to Nikki. Nikki tore it up for 15 or 20 minutes and joined the. You know, that's kind of a hard part of the show for the people who are not used to Grateful Dead and maybe are not as high or whatever. It's like that what is drums and space. And our lives are gone for a while. You know, the people who are into it.
Jim Marty: [00:09:48] I just dig in every note and go on right along with Becky and Billy during drums and coming out into space. But because we had people with us who are kind of newbies, the Grateful Dead and they come a yawning during drums and space, which I really like, that part of the show may say, I like the drums space I'm not so crazy about, but I really love the drums.
Larry Mishkin: [00:10:08] I'll tell you this. I love the drums because it's it's basic. It's primal. It's. And where else to be? Look, there's the truth of the matter. And I know we've had this conversation before. But, you know, as far as drummers go into rock and roll band, nothing to write better drummers than others. But I would say that if you have to swap out one person, you're probably to get the least disruption if it's the drummer. Right. In terms of the crowd and the audience. And all of that. So you say, well, we have Bill Kreutzmann and Mickey Hearts are still drumming with the dad and some people say, yep, they're just the drummers before when you get into drums. That's why it's special that it's it's the two of them, because you could put anybody back there with a bunch of drums and they can just bang on him for 20 minutes. These guys have that language where they go back there and they speak to each other. And they said it's it's it's it's you know, I try to tell people it's not a drum solo. It's a drum musical performance where there is it's.
Larry Mishkin: [00:11:03] And if you've ever sat through a drums in the correct state of mind, then I think you'll really know what I'm talking about, that it's just amazing to hear the sounds that they produce are making noises off there that you can't possibly think come from percussion instruments. And yet there they are. And it gives them a chance to showcase their talents and everything. And I love that. And then as far as space goes, I agree space can get a little dry sometimes. And, you know, you can only listen to the wildlife wise so many times. But for us, that's the beauty of space, was the minute, you know, Jerry and the boys would come back on and start noodling around. That's when the guessing begins. Right. What do they do and what do they picked up? What have I heard? Where are they going with this? What are they going to jump into? And, you know, it would it kind of becomes like a challenge to figure out from there, from their space meanderings what they're going to wind up with.
Jim Marty: [00:11:53] Right. And, you know, last night they rolled out a space and to warfront.
Larry Mishkin: [00:11:57] So that was pretty MJBulls agreed to agree to command. So that's also very nice.
Jim Marty: [00:12:02] Back to the drums. Yeah. They would put Nikki and Billy up on the big screen and just absolute synchronicity. Yeah. And as I explained to my newbies that, you know, Nikki has collected drums and various percussion instruments from all over the world. So what you're seeing is a display of all these fabulous drums that he's collected over the years. I mean, if you remember a number of years ago, 20 years ago now, he was doing a thing called Planet Drum. Yeah. And decided Matthew Auditorium over to see you in Boulder. And you came out and the stage was literally 100 percent covered with drums. And he had he'd bring out drummers from all over the world. Six, eight, 10 drummers onstage. And it was amazing performance. And yeah, last night, though, Taylor joined them for drums until Burbridge the bass player. Yeah.
Larry Mishkin: [00:12:53] And that's I'll tell you, one of my favorite drums of all time is another date of release that you can you can go out, you can buy it at the shows that they did in Egypt. And they had this this drums that goes on forever. And it kind of turns into this like Egyptian papers tune. And it's it was it was like unlike anything I've ever heard before. So the pyramid shows from 1978 and the Dead. They've released a disc or two from that, you know, the highlights of those shows. And that's another really good drums if you want to see something that's a little out of the ordinary for them when they're doing the drum solo. But I mean, these guys that this is still this is what they do. Micky's, you know, probably the foremost expert in the world on percussion instruments and the history of percussion instruments and all of that. I know you will always love drums when I really miss. There's remember for a while there in the 80s, they had the circle of what was right over their heads. And they'd stand up and they'd have their whole circle around. They'd be banging on it and everything. And I just thought that was the coolest setup I had ever seen.
Jim Marty: [00:13:58] They still have it. They had it last night.
Larry Mishkin: [00:14:00] Just get up there with all those toys and they just start being an item. So it's it's a lot of fun.
Dan Humiston: [00:14:07] I want to take a quick break to thank you for listening to today's show as the leading Cannabis podcast network. We're constantly adding new Cannabis podcast to support our industry's growth. And that's why we're so excited to announce our new sparkasse Cannabis breakout. The show's about the thousands of Americans who remain in prison for violating Cannabis laws that have long since been overturned. The Cannabis breakout gives Cannabis political prisoners a voice. If you're a former Cannabis prisoner or have a loved one who is a Cannabis prisoner, we want to share your story. Please go to MJBulls.com and sign up to be a guest.
Larry Mishkin: [00:14:51] You and I can sit here and talk about this all day and we do. But just to make sure that we don't forget about the other side of our show. One thing I know that you and I had been talking about and I just saw in other news article on this is in the industry with everybody obviously still facing the same type of banking problems. There's a number of companies that have kind of popped up and, you know, consider themselves as a provider of debit merchant services to marijuana retail stores. So great people can come in and with one of these cards and then they make a purchase in the dispensary. And then the company is supposed to be the dispensary back in one of those companies out there. Linc's card apparently has found itself in some hot water now and apparently owes upwards of the much more than two or three million dollars to a variety of retail dispensaries around the country. And, you know, this is very disillusioning and upsetting because, I mean, obviously, you never want to see that happen to anybody in this industry where people are so desperately trying to find workarounds to accommodate their purchasers should come in. It may not be walking around with two or three hundred dollars in cash in their pockets. Is such everything back a few steps, right. As they said, we had a bad experience. We're not going down that road. We're just back to cash.
Jim Marty: [00:16:08] Well, yes, that's very, very true. Know, we've had clients who have had 50, 60 thousand dollars tied up for months and sometimes they actually never get up at 30, 40, $50000. You know, I've recommended that my clients not knock down the credit card route. You know, these companies that set themselves up are a go between. They go between the the bank and the credit card processor on one side and the dispensary at the other level. And everything goes along just fine for a while. And then eventually MasterCard Visa's compliance department or the the bank that they're utilizing for the transactions in their internal control department, figure out what's going on and they shut it down. It's really like a game of musical chairs in your last few dozen transactions could get caught up in the shutdown and you may never see that money again. You know, we've definitely recommended to our clients not to go down the credit card. Now, having said that, and we've had clients who have, you know, set up a separate company from MasterCard, Visa, and they have not been in trouble for years and years. So it's, you know, seemed to be an all or nothing kind of deal. Either it works or eventually it doesn't work. And then you wonder if you're going to get that money. So I'm not surprised to hear that.
Larry Mishkin: [00:17:29] Well, that's interesting you say that, because your part of it, I guess, is that also you have to be careful who you play with. Right. Visa, MasterCard, there is a way to work. I mean, obviously, these are companies that have a long history and, you know, one that you would feel very comfortable with. And I think the bigger problem is you're trying to evaluate the financial status of a number of these newer companies that are just still popping onto the scene all of a sudden and really want to step in. And I would agree with you. I think it's it's very difficult to go down that road given the current structure of things and what your legal remedies are increasing. We have to pursue those legal remedies. You know, Joshes obviously solves a lot of problems for people except on the back end when you've got to figure out what to do with it. And you know, once again, we just sit here and say, boy, if we could just get our friends in the Senate, you know, to start moving around with some of the stuff that's there, and then take a look at this bill and see what they can do. The Safe Banking Act, that would be wonderful. There would be a great thing. And, you know, it would be a real benefit for everybody in the country to be able to have that kind of service free for the industry. And, you know, as you and I have talked about before, Jim, on many fronts, Cannabis seems to be the one unifying force that brings all of these people of different backgrounds and political persuasions together. And boy, if we could find a way to get something like that passed and really get things going in this country, I think there would just be wonderful.
Jim Marty: [00:18:56] Well, we'll see what happens. But as of right now, MasterCard and Visa are not on board. So my opinion is and again, it's just an opinion. I don't I'm not an expert on banking. But whenever there is a credit card company and a dispensary, there's some level of deception going on that they're mislabeling what they're doing, that they're not being upfront with MasterCard and Visa Merchant Services. As far as what type of a business they they are. So I visited a nice dispensary here in Glendale, Colorado, and we made a few purchases and they asked the lady if she took MasterCard and Visa just as a kind of a research. And she goes, no, not anymore. We used to. So I had expected and had cash to pay. I think that I mentioned in a prior show that the attacks at the cash register in California is 35 percent.
Larry Mishkin: [00:19:53] You did. And I'm glad you said that he closed on. The other thing that I just saw recently was that apparently an independent California state agency wants to put together a report on the current status of the financial situation in California. And the goal will be to assess how California's marijuana tax can be used to undercut the illegal market. Right. So, in other words, I think that people are seeing this as a problem. They go for it like they've talked away with, doing away with weed based cultivation tax or replacing the state's 50 percent excise tax with one based on a tiered percentage of products or things like that. And that's great news. Right. If the state leaders, they see a problem and instead of just sitting there saying, too bad, we've got money to collect. You know, they're stepping forward and they're actually doing something about it. And, you know, I know you and I have talked before about the impact that the California market has on the rest of the industry. And by God, if they could figure out a way to really make that adult use program successful and reign in the black market in California, you know, they might really have things going in the right direction.
Jim Marty: [00:21:05] I had a fellow in San Francisco a few weeks ago explained to me that he has, as I was saying, that we haven't done as much business in California as this because so much of it is still on the black market. Yeah, that's true, he said. But, you know, California is a 10 billion, 10 billion dollar Cannabis market.
Jim Marty: [00:21:23] And we are right now $6 billion of that is probably black market and 3 billion of that changes just by white market producers over the next five years. That's going to change in five years from now. We're going to have 6 billion in the white market and only 3 doing than the black market.
Jim Marty: [00:21:40] And I thought about that as a takeaway. I said, you know, that's a tremendous business opportunity to be part of a shift of $9 billion, a shift away from the black market. A lot of opportunities for, you know, legitimate businesses like mine and yours that service the Cannabis industry. So I think that his comment was right. I think, you know, back when prohibition ended in the 1930s, there was a lot of still Zelma words and people made their own. And, you know, today we all know the liquor stores. I think that's just a transition that will happen over the next few years.
Larry Mishkin: [00:22:16] Well, I hope you're right. And, you know, it would certainly be nice to hear. I think it's still, you know, the states, these other, you know, issues with like being attacked that, you know, that the ever present presence of a black market is something that the industry is kind of grappling with. And, you know, it would be nice if we could just, you know, demonstrate to a lot of these communities or other states about what they do or don't want to do that by, you know, welcoming legal marijuana into their community. They will actually be helping to fight the black market.
Larry Mishkin: [00:22:47] And, you know, in that respect, you know, really cleaning up the industry and turning it into something where you don't have to worry about your kids walking down the street, you have somebody on a street corner a block away from the school selling in joints.
Jim Marty: [00:22:58] That's right. That's right. So. Well, I'm looking forward to the show today and looking forward to a nice New Year's holiday. Be back in Colorado in five or six more days here. Get to enjoy beautiful Southern California for a few more days later.
Larry Mishkin: [00:23:15] I think I hope you've a great time up there. We're following the shows. Very excited to hear about the Fisher run at Madison Square Garden. I've got my son and his crew out there, so I'll be get reports on his condition right here in the middle of the country. Very much fish on the East Coast, down on the West Coast. It's pretty good. Other than actually being at the shows.
Jim Marty: [00:23:35] Sorry, everybody. Jim Marty and Larry Mishkin here from the Deadhead Cannabis show, wishing all of you a very happy new year. And we'll talk to you in 2020.
Larry Mishkin: [00:23:46] Very good, Jim. Have a great time. Sure. Look forward to hearing about it. Thanks, everyone.
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