Back in 2007, Dispatch shocked the world when they reunited for three benefit shows at Madison Square Garden that sold out within hours of going on sale. The jam-pop trio,
Dark Star Orchestra @ Wellmont Theatre, May 22
Dark Star Orchestra do what they do so well, and have done it for years, which is precisely why they’re still one of the biggest mysteries in the scene. How is it that a band with this type of built-in conceit and therefore, so much stacked against it before note one is played on a given night, sounds vital?
Dark Star Orchestra – The Wheel (Live in Montclair)
Credit the music, sure. The Grateful Dead catalog is an endlessly malleable and contiguous oeurve; it provides for all of Jerry’s children, with leftovers. But then that alone was never it. There are plenty of keepers of the flame, not least guys named Lesh, Weir, Kreutzmann and Hart. Hundreds of Dead cover bands can do a serviceable Uncle John’s Band and call it a night. There are more than a few who can stick the landing in the Help > Slip > Franklin’s progression and leave a Dead itch scratched. There are others who through technical prowess and verve can provide a fun approximation of Grateful Dead music from A to Z.
But the great Dead cover bands thin to their most distinguished ranks after that, and Dark Star Orchestra is somewhere at the end of that thinning-out: a category of its own for the reason that it so understands the idiom of Grateful Dead music – the songcraft, the improvisational style, the set narrative, the puzzle pieces – that on a good night, it transcends what’s generally expected of even the most technically brilliant, note-perfect tribute groups. READ ON for more from Chad on DSO in Montclair…
In our never ending quest to keep you up to date on the latest and greatest festival news comes the announcement of the initial lineup for Warren Haynes’ Mountain Jam.
With barely a dozen shows under their belt and a larger scale cross-country tour on the immediate horizon, longtime Grateful Dead bandmates Bob Weir and Phil Lesh brought their latest project – Furthur – to the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium for a hometown three-set throw down.
Weir and Lesh, who are no strangers to the spectacle of a New Year’s performance, augmented the band with a pair of back-up singers and included covers of Pink Floyd’s Time and J.J. Cale’s After Midnight among their selection of familiar big jam staples from the Dead catalog, as well as their customary countdown stunt, check it out…
READ ON for the full set list and more videos…
With Phish closing out their scorching three-night stand at MSG last Friday night, New York City jam fans now turn their attention to the NYC debut of Bob Weir and
Dark Star Orchestra on Monday confirmed that guitarist/singer John Kadlecik is leaving the band. The official word on Kadlecik, who has played “Jerry” in the well-traveled, well-oiled Grateful Dead tribute since its 1997 inception, is that he has officially resigned.
[Photo of Jeff Mattson and John Kadlecik by David Gans]
According to a statement from the band, Kadlecik’s last show with Dark Star Orchestra will be its Dec. 5 date in Buffalo, NY. Kadlecik has in recent months been playing with Furthur, the Bob Weir/Phil Lesh project that has New York, New Jersey and Connecticut dates scheduled in early December and will ring in the New Year in San Francisco.
Kadlecik will be replaced on a temporary basis by Zen Tricksters frontman Jeff Mattson, who was already announced as a fill-in guest for several of the band’s upcoming dates, and will be with the band for its New Year’s run, its upcoming spot on Jam Cruise and a Winter Tour that will kick off in February.
Dark Star Orchestra publicist Dave Weissman tells Hidden Track that Mattson’s assignment will be temporary, and that DSO has begun a search for a permanent replacement.
READ ON for more on this breaking story…
Synchronicity is something that, as I have found, follows the Grateful Dead’s music around pretty closely. There is something just plain magical about their songs. This was exemplified to me, yet again, when I was initiated into the world of the Dark Star Orchestra at Higher Ground.
