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If you think the Grateful Dead is all tie-dye and space jams, think again. Each member has his own extra-curricular activities, and bassist Phil Lesh's comes closest to embracing the OPTION aesthetic. Each month on Berkeley radio station KPFA, Lesh and co-host Gary Lambert spin an hour's worth of experimental jazz, world music, classical and new music on their program, "Eyes of Chaos, Veil of Order." The show spotlights cutting-edge musicians such as gonzo guitarist Bill Horvitz, avant-jazzman Cecil Taylor, saxist John Zorn, British composer Harrison Birtwistle and endless others. In fact, Lesh has been so wowed by the new crop of contemporary British composers that the Grateful Dead's charitable organization donated more money to them in one year than the British arts council did. "It's about playing music that falls within the cracks of conventional categories and formats," Lesh says. "I just got tired of not hearing this stuff on the radio." Lesh and Lambert are currently looking into ways of getting funding for the program to go national.

Typed by Cheryl Vega 4-23-95