Brown Eyed Women: Filling an Important Role in the Deadhead Community

[Article and photographs courtesy of Mitch Levine]

Tales from the Golden Road is a wildly popular call-in radio show hosted by David Gans and Gary Lambert. One Fateful Day in 2019 a caller asked, “Why aren’t there any female Grateful Dead musicians in the GD tribute scene???” David responded that he was friends with Joni Bottari of South Florida and Denise Parent of Upstate New York, but that response validated the caller’s keen sense that there was something missing on the scene. Tasked with a project that had never materialized before, Joni and Denise spent months brainstorming ideas and hand-selecting bandmates, and soon they had created a special band. The result… six amazing and highly talented female DeadHead musicians, all living in different states! Please welcome Brown Eyed Women!

Brown Eyed Women – Crazy Uncle Mike’s. 📷: Mitch Levine

Brown Eyed Women’s debut was on June 26, 2019, in South Florida and wrapped up that tour four shows later. With overwhelming success and rave reviews, BEW knew they had created something very special indeed. Since those shows, they have toured up and down the East Coast and California and have played iconic venues such as The Brooklyn Bowl, Skull & Roses, and Sweetwater Music Hall. This newfound phenomenon is taking the country by storm and rightfully so. Sweet, soulful and powerful performances will leave fans wanting more and to get on the BEW bus for life!!!

Brown Eyed Women – Terra Fermata. 📷: Mitch Levine

Brown Eyed Women are: Joni Bottari (South Florida), lead guitar; Dana Carroll (New Jersey), bass; Caroline Killoh (Massachusetts), keyboards, vocals; Katie Moore (Georgia), guitar, vocals; Denise Parent (upstate New York), drums, lead vocals; and Jill Simmons (Pennsylvania), lead vocals.

In October, Brown Eyed Women had a four-night run in the Northeast. They just completed four dates around the Sunshine State: Underbelly in Jacksonville, Tuffy’s Music Box & Lounge in Sanford, Terra Fermata in Stuart, and Crazy Uncle Mike’s in Boca Raton. Mitch Levine’s photographs are from this run. Also, Joni Bottari recently played two sets at Florida’s Grateful Gathering in Lakeland. Read about those here, and watch videos of both sets.