The Grateful Dead broke up with the passing of Jerry Garcia, but the legacy of the Dead’s atmosphere lives on with two St. Louis-area tribute bands that will bring their mellow vibes to Carbondale Friday night.

Dead cover bands, The Schwag and Jake’s Leg, will play shows at the Hangar 9 and the Copper Dragon respectively.

It was the atmosphere as well as the music of the 77 Dead concerts that The Schwag bassist Jimmy Tebeau attended that got him interested in forming a Grateful Dead tribute band.

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The music and the whole vibe moved me, Tebeau said. The Dead would play a song and take it in new directions, and that’s what we wanted to do.

In August 1995, the Grateful Dead disbanded after the passing of group leader Garcia. Tebeau said that after some deliberation about the direction of the band, it became clear that The Schwag should keep the vibe alive.

After Jerry (Garcia) died, we decided to be a full tribute band, he said. We wanted to hopefully continue where they left off and keep the whole sense of community (of the Dead shows) going.

The music is an excuse for everyone to get together.

Tebeau said some Grateful Dead cover bands simply focus on playing the song as it appeared on the album. But The Schwag is geared toward the long, improvisational jams the Dead mastered so well.

We focus on jamming. The song is just an excuse for the jam, Tebeau said. It’s as much listening as it is playing because you have to know what everyone else in the band is playing.

The Schwag’s show tonight will be the first time the band will play live with keyboardist Jim Wolf. Tebeau said Wolf’s presence adds to the overall Dead image.

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He adds thicker icing to the cake. It makes the music so much more full, he said. We’re even closer to what the Dead were doing as far as instrumentation.

Tebeau said he was aware of Carbondale’s declining club scene and said the lower bar-entry age is a definite plus.

The entry age changed, and things got kind of weird. We’re excited that the bar-entry age has lowered, he said. The club scene was hurting so this is kind of a comeback gig for us. We’re eager to see what happens.

Though the entry age was just recently lowered in July, many SIUC students still flocked to The Schwag and Jake’s Leg shows almost as religiously as Deadheads went to Grateful Dead concerts.

Bill Olney, a senior in recreation from Matteson, has seen Jake’s Leg 10 times. He describes the local shows as smaller scale Grateful Dead shows.

Olney said tribute bands are important because they give people who never had a chance to see the real thing have a taste of what those bands were like.

Our kids can only hear the Dead on tapes. If they can hear it live, then (the music) is more meaningful, he said. It’s a great idea to keep the music going.

Even though Jake’s Leg plays another band’s songs, Olney said the talent of the band is never compromised.

They’re a phenomenal band, he said. They do justice to the songs they play.

Mike Fitzgerald, a senior in psychology from Glenview, said seeing tribute bands is a good way to bring back memories of the nine Grateful Dead shows he attended.

It’s nice going with a friend, and you both recognize the first notes of a song, he said. Then a tingle goes down your spine that is almost like a flashback to one of the (Dead) shows.

Fitzgerald said the tribute bands may not be the real thing, but hearing the songs is rewarding in its own way.

It’s not sixth row at Soldier Field on Jerry’s side, but it’s still great to hear the songs, he said. If you’re confused, listen to the music play.

The Schwag will take the stage at the Hangar 9, 511 S. Illinois Ave., at about 10 p.m Friday. The cover charge is $3. The Jake’s Leg show at the Copper Dragon, 700 E. Grand Ave., is part of a psychedelic compact disk release party. The band is scheduled to play at 10 p.m. Friday. As of press time, a cover charge had not been determined.