Alex Bleeker and the Freaks

Alex Bleeker and the Freaks were ingrained in the fabric of the Grateful Dead’s 50th anniversary mania last summer, an ongoing celebration that’s lingered into the fall. The Freaks set out on a tribute tour boasting all-Dead sets and special guests peppered throughout, including Jenny Lewis, Yo La Tengo’s Ira Kaplan and Sonic Youth’s Lee Ranaldo.

One show stands out for frontman/guitarist/vocalist Alex Bleeker, for the tour and his life. Dead drummer Bill Kreutzmann sat in with the Freaks on Dead staples “St. Stephen” and “The Other One” during their Outside Lands performance at Golden Gate Park.

“It was one of the greatest experiences I’ve ever had,” Bleeker says.

He says his favorite Dead song to perform shifts, but “Jack Straw” is currently moving his soul most.

“We do the trading off of the lead vocals, like Jerry and Bob [Weir], and the mellow, pretty part of ‘Jack Straw’ builds to a rocking jam,” he says.

Bleeker regards the Freaks’ Dead tribute in Big Sur as another of the tour’s landmark moments. They return to Fernwood Friday more focused on originals, though their set will include at least a touch of Grateful Dead.

“When we were playing Dead tunes this past summer in Big Sur, we could feel the spirit of the [Dead] and the energy of the landscape,” he says.

The Freaks are currently touring behind their ’70s Laurel Canyon country rock-flavored Country Agenda. Bleeker describes the record as a reflection of the group’s recent evolution into a collaborative with multiple songwriters.

The Freaks’ previous two releases featured Bleeker with a cast of rotating backing musicians. But when Bleeker brought together Alex Steinberg (guitar), Nick Lenchner (bass), Dylan Shumaker (drums) and Jacob Wolf (keys) to tour behind the 2013 How Far Away, there was a camaraderie and a creative chemistry.

When that same lineup hit the studio for the first time, there were sparks. The outcome was Country Agenda.

The harmonies, crisp finger-picking and rock-country merger makes the aptly-titled “California” shine. An unexpected ultra-psychedelic guitar solo makes it resonate. “Downright Stinson,” a roots-driven throwback, could be a lost outtake from The Band’s Music From Big Pink.

“So many people have played in the Freaks through the years,” Bleeker says. “This time, we were like, ‘We’re a band now.’” And they have the kind of impressive record that proves it.

ALEX BLEEKER and the FREAKS and RANGE LIGHT OF WILDERNESS 9pm Friday, Dec. 11. Fernwood, 47200 Highway 1, Big Sur. $28.87. www.folkyeah.com