Getting To Know: Dogs In A Pile and BERTHA: Grateful Drag
By Leslie Simon
Despite losing core member Bob Weir this year on January 10, the Grateful Dead lives on in their music, community, and the many musicians inspired by them. This summer as part of the Arvada Center’s 2026 Summer Concert Series, we have two acts that draw from the Grateful Dead as an inspiration on what they create. Get to know a little more about Dogs In A Pile and BERTHA: Grateful Drag, and grab your tickets today on our website: https://arvadacenter.org/concerts/summer-concerts
Dogs In A Pile are one of the hottest, fastest-rising jambands on the live music scene, with a name taken from a lyric from the Grateful Dead’s song “He’s Gone” - “cat on a tin roof, dogs in a pile. Nothing left to do but smile, smile, smile!” They occasionally cover Grateful Dead tunes in their show, and their original music is heavily inspired by the Dead’s improvisational, psychedelic rock sound. Their fanbase seems to be inspired by the Grateful Dead as well, with tie dye galore and many Deadheads themselves in their number.
BERTHA: Grateful Drag is an all-drag Grateful Dead tribute band named after the Dead song “Bertha” that was started in 2023. Created by Melody Walker and Caitlyn Doyle, they gathered other East Nashville all-star musicians to spread the joy of the Grateful Dead following a lull in live music brought on by the pandemic. The original idea was to be an all-woman tribute band, but when Tennessee started passing restrictions on drag performers, they saw an opportunity to use live music to make an impact. This group of queer and allied musicians often have other famous musicians join them onstage, including Elle King, Steve Kimock, Erik Yates of Hot Buttered Rum, Lindsay Lou, and songwriter/music journalist David Gans.
