Barry Sless

Barry Sless is a Marin guitarist and pedal steel player whose road into the Dead's world ran through Kingfish in the 1970s and the David Nelson Band, which he has co-led since 1994. He toured for years in Phil Lesh & Friends, has been in Moonalice since 2007, and joined Bobby Weir & Wolf Bros in 2022; his other bands include Green Leaf Rustlers and Skeleton Crewe. The pedal steel is what he is known for here — it turns the Dead's country side into full country-rock, and it is why he is on so many Bay Area Dead bills. Moonalice nights are mostly their own songs, so only the nights a room bills as the Dead's are listed here.