We’re All Suggesting Rhythm: Celebrating 10 Years of Richmond’s Premier Dead Tribute

The time honored tradition of Dead cover bands keeps the flame of the music alive in Deadheads all around America. Some bands take the show on the road, spreading the joy across the country, others plant roots and forge communities of their own in their hometowns.

Richmond Deadheads are lucky to have our very own tribute that waves the Grateful Dead flag wide and high. Suggesting Rhythm (SR) has spent the last decade building a reputation across town for putting on high-energy performances of classic material from the Dead catalog, plus favorites from JGB and other Dead-adjacent covers.

While our town showcases Dead music consistently through various local groups and venues that host regional touring acts (like Bearly Dead), SR draws some of the most consistent and engaged crowds of them all. The hometown heroes have fostered a community bond that illuminates our local scene with frequent shows filled with massive jams and happy audiences.

*Photo by Dave Parish Photography via* *Facebook*

To help celebrate their 10th year as a group, I got to sit down with lead guitarist Adam Drudge to discuss the band’s place in Richmond’s music scene and what draws the community to their shows. They also celebrated the milestone with a birthday show at their old haunt of The Canal Club.

I dive into the origins of SR, detail the epic 10th birthday show, and feature my conversation with Drudge as we take a look at this shining piece of the Richmond music scene and the power of the Dead’s music on a local level.

The Birth of Suggesting Rhythm

Before we turn towards the birthday festivities, I looked back at the origins of the band with Drudge. Adam first started playing guitar at 12 years old after receiving his first instrument as a Christmas gift. His earliest influences included blue legends like Stevie Ray Vaughn, Robby Cray, and Eric Clapton. He discovered the Dead later in life, and while he never got to see them perform, his role in SR provides a unique opportunity to experience the energy for himself.

“It was a little different for me because in band practice most of the guys will have stories about shows they went to,” Drudge said. “I don’t have that, so I guess I’m trying to recreate that, in a way, sometimes. Living vicariously through them… I didn’t get into the Grateful Dead until a little later in college, but it helped me expand my musical playing.”

SR is currently composed of Drudge on lead guitar, David Oakley on lead vocals/rhythm guitar, Ed Bray on bass, Jeff Rothman on drums/vocals, and Steve Bernard on keyboards/vocals.

According to Drudge, Rothman originated the idea of forming a Richmond-based cover band in the wake of Fare Thee Well in 2015. First recruiting Bray, the initial duo believed the group would be a fun side project taking gigs maybe a couple of times a year. They took to Craigslist to fill out their ranks, eventually finding Oakley, Drudge, and their original keyboardist, Scott "Buzzy" Faulkner.

Their early days took a tragic turn when Buzzy suddenly passed away after only playing a handful of gigs with the band. The so-called curse of the keys struck.

“There are a lot of similarities to the Grateful Dead and we’ve done throughout the years, on a much smaller scale, of course,” Drudge said. “Like our keyboard player passing away. It was like, ‘Woah, is this our Pigpen?’”

Also like the Dead, SR didn’t let tragedy stop them from exploring the musical path ahead. Once Bernard joined in, the core of the band was set and has been setting sail ever since.

Each member continues to work regular day jobs around town between gigs in addition to their responsibilities with the band. An impressive feat in this day and age. Despite plenty of real world obligations and unexpected challenges like the COVID pandemic, the band has kept on truckin’.

Drudge said the main objective of the band’s growth was to hone in on learning new songs, continuously adding to the setlist, and getting better at playing as a collective unit.

“I think that’s what's helped make us a better band because we all push ourselves, individually and as a group to make ourselves better musicians and people,” Drudge said. “It really took on a life of its own. We realized, ‘There’s some magic here at times, this feels cool, people really seem to like this for some reason.’”

A Decade of Gratitude

As SR continued to play more gigs, the locals continued to turn out in higher numbers. Now they enter their 10th year as a band, and they’ve played just about every stage in town from the breweries to The National, and even branched out to other spots around Virginia. Drudge described what it means to the band to have developed such a following that has stuck around to watch them evolve.

“At this point in time I know I can say we will feel really blessed and we’re very appreciative of the support we have. Cause it means a lot,” Drudge said. “They always say you get what you give, and I think it works both ways. I guess it’s like the wheel, the whole lifecycle. It’s how everything goes together and rolls down the road together.”

2025 might be the band’s biggest year yet. They’re recreating the Dead’s four Richmond Coliseum shows from the 80’s in a run at Hardywood Brewery (I dove into the Grateful Dead’s history in Richmond here for more on that subject), and they’ve recently announced a show at The Broadberry in March that will serve as their 200th show overall. More big surprises are in store for the year as well, so stay tuned to the band’s socials for more announcements.

To mark their 10th anniversary, SR returned to one of their old haunts at The Canal Club for a big birthday bash. I attended the show to get a first hand account of the celebrations.

Drudge himself welcomed everybody at the door with a free merch table. They gave out shirts, pins, stickers, and plenty of party favors to get everyone in the festive mood for the night ahead. The Canal Club serves as one of the band’s regular spots, usually hosting their birthday and Halloween shows each year. Drudge said it’s one of the venues where the band tends to play its best, and this occasion provided an opportunity for the band to give back to the audience.

“We do try to talk to the audience as much as we can,” Drudge said. “To show them we listen to what they say and we care about what they say. The feedback and the response. I think they appreciate it. I know as a fan, when I go to see a band, if a musician is talking to me, it means a lot. That’s how Jerry used to be, and that’s one thing we want to embody. Strangers stopping strangers just to shake their hand type of deal. That’s what it’s all about. Just saying thank you.”

Birthday Celebrations

The evening’s music kicked off with a unique approach as the band members slowly took their places on stage one at a time. Starting with Rothman’s drum beat, he was joined by each instrument one by one as they built up the intro jam leading into a massive “Cold Rain and Snow”. The jam out of the song had long legs and strong dynamics across the board. From the onset, it was clear the band was feeling it tonight.

The vibes continued through the follow up “Jack Straw” and into the eternal pairing of “China > Rider”. The China Cat transition brought enough heat to the light candles of the figurative birthday cake we all got to enjoy. Plenty of room for everyone to shine as Drudge’s flowing leads twisted through the melody while each band member found their own places to flourish.

Drudge said he hopes it’s the band’s chemistry and knowledge of the music, as displayed by this wonderful jam, that keeps people coming back to their shows.

“I hope it’s just the music and they see that we’re really trying to put our hearts and souls into it while we’re up there,” Drudge said. “Or that we’re letting go and getting lost in the art of it, the live art of it. Sometimes I get caught up in it and close my eyes and the next thing I know I look up and everyone’s staring at you, and it’s like, ‘Woah, I thought I was alone for a second.’”

After a stretch of Garcia deep cuts with “Promontory Rider”, “Believe it or Not”, and “Feel Like Dynamite”, the band moved into their namesake song, “Terrapin Station”, to wrap up the first set. A suitably slamming performance with all of the gusto you’d expect out of the Jerry-fueled powerhouse.

Set two kicked off with another JGB mainstay, Chuck Berry’s “Let it Rock”, before moving into an extended “Scarlet Begonias”. The classic second set jam vehicle let the band soar through radiant sections of one of the most beloved Dead songs of all time. A jam full of band interplay and free flowing improv demonstrated the skills of each member and their collective ability to find their own groove in a song so well traveled.

“I think we have more of a JRAD philosophy than we do a Dark Star [Orchestra]. We kind of feel like that’s been done,” Drudge said. “The main thing we focus on are the key pivot points of songs. There are certain things, certain melody lines that you have to know, but we try to make it our own.”

In the spirit of making it their own, Scarlet gave way to “Get Out of My Life Woman” instead of the classic pairing with “Fire on the Mountain”, a surprising change up that further proves the point of how SR tries to bring something new to our favorite jams.

The gifts kept on giving when the band then delivered a heartfelt rendition of “Black Peter”. Probably my personal favorite Robert Hunter composition, the blues-drenched psychedelia perfectly captures the Dead’s fascination with the circle of life in its depiction of a man on his deathbed. As we celebrate the birthday of SR and our lively local scene, this juxtaposition feels right at home for a diehard Deadhead.

The customary Drums interlude midway through the second set gave everyone, minus Rothman, a chance to breathe as we enjoyed some tasty beats. But when the rest of the band returned to their instruments, Drudge signaled a turn into the enigmatic and ethereal “Dark Star”. Perhaps the most significant single jam in the Dead catalog, and SR used this special occasion to tap into the energy that’s always with us, but only a relative few are lucky enough to feel to their core. The freedom of music that liberates us from the wheel, but also binds us together in musical unity.

SR made the excellent choice to transition out of “Dark Star” into another one of Hunter’s greatest stories, “New Speedway Boogie”. Like “Black Peter”, this cut from Workingman’s Dead captures the balance of life through struggle and the never ending need to keep pushing until the darkness gives.

As we move forward into a dark time of uncertainty for American society in 2025, the words Hunter wrote more than 50 years ago ring true now more than ever. Performances such as this one from our hometown heroes prove the enduring will of the musical movement we all remain a part of, and the value of strengthening our local community through the darkness. One way or another, the darkness has got to give, and staying united is our best path forward.

The band wrapped things up with a rockin’ version of “Samson and Delilah” to bring the energy back home. But before calling it a night, they put a bow on the gift that was this show with “Mr. Charlie”, which Oakley explained was the first song SR ever played in front of an audience. A suitable full-circle ending to a night celebrating memories made and memories still to come.

“I think we’re all extremely blessed to be where we’re at as a band in the Richmond music scene,” Drudge said. “I think the biggest thing for me, and I think I can speak for everybody, is it’s been nice to make memories and be a part of people’s lives more than anything…I hate to be cliche with this, but it’s like the ripple effect, to use the word ripple. It’s the pebble of the music. With everybody, it’s all ripples, and I think the community and the relationships, whether good, bad, or indifferent, the microcosm of big things; it’s a collective energy.”

Their 10th Birthday show, and their entire collection of shows, is available to stream on the band’s official website.

SR has much more in store for 2025. Stay tuned to their Facebook page for announcements. Support the local music scene and catch their shows whenever you can. We’re all Suggesting Rhythm.

We’re All Suggesting Rhythm: Celebrating 10 Years of Richmond’s Premier Dead Tribute

The Birth of Suggesting Rhythm

A Decade of Gratitude

Birthday Celebrations

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