News
Dark Star Orchestra Returns To Birmingham On Sunday Night December 13, 2017 14:03
Photo by Craig Baird: Home Team Photography
Dark Star Orchestra is returning to the Birmingham's Avondale Brewing Company on Sunday, April 8, 2018. Using entire shows from the Grateful Dead’s decades of touring as a launching pad, Dark Star Orchestra recreates song for song performances straight from historic set lists. Not merely mimicking the Dead, DSO instead seeks the individual style of each era and offers its own interpretations and improvisations for a group famed and loved for their interpretations and improvisations. Click here to purchase your tickets in advance.
Having toured worldwide to the tune of over 2000 shows, Dark Star Orchestra’s determined commitment to ‘raising the Dead’ has drawn them much critical acclaim. Dark Star Orchestra isn’t a cover band. Its shows are not even meant as tributes. What Dark Star Orchestra achieves is a continuation of the spirit of what has now become over forty years of the Grateful Dead’s timeless music.
This will be a rather unique show for DSO, as guitarist Rob Eaton, who plays the role of Bob Weir, will not be with the band due to unforeseen health circumstances. The band issued the following statement as to what fans can expect from this run of shows without Rob:
“Due to unforeseen family health circumstances Rob Eaton on rhythm guitar and vocals is unable to join us for shows March 30 – April 12,” reads a note from DSO. “During this time period, Dark Star Orchestra will perform the Music of Jerry Garcia Band plus songs from the Grateful Dead Repertoire. We wish Rob Eaton and his Family the best and we look forward to his return to the stage with DSO on April 13.”
Watch a clip of Dark Star Orchestra performing "St. Stephen" at Avondale Brewery in 2017 here:
Watch Dark Star Orchestra perform "Playin' In The Band" at Gathering of the Vibes here:
Dark Star Orchestra Announces Fall Tour Dates June 28, 2017 13:01
Photo by Craig Baird: Home Team Photography
Grateful Dead tribute act Dark Star Orchestra will wrap up its 20th anniversary celebration with a lengthy fall tour which kicks off on September 21st in San Antonio. This tour will see the band through Texas, Kansas, Colorado, Nebraska, Ohio, Michigan, Illinois, and Wisconsin. A full list of tour dates can be found below. Ticketing and details on VIP options can be found on the band's official website.
Dark Star Orchestra Tour Dates
September 21 San Antonio, TX – The Aztec Theatre
September 22 Austin, TX – Stubb’s Austin
September 23 Dallas, TX – House of Blues Dallas
September 26 Salina, KS – Stiefel Theatre for the Performing Arts
September 28 Boulder, CO – Boulder Theater
September 29 Boulder, CO – Boulder Theater
September 30 Boulder, CO – Boulder Theater
October 2 Omaha, NE – Slowdown
October 5 Cleveland, OH – House of Blues Cleveland
October 6 Cincinnati, OH – Taft Theatre
October 7 Columbus, OH – Express LIVE
October 10 Grand Rapids, MI – The Intersection
October 12 Detroit, MI – The Majestic
October 13 Chicago, IL – The Vic Theatre
October 14 Milwaukee, WI – Pabst / Riverside / Turner Hal
Dark Star Orchestra Announces Summer Tour Dates March 15, 2017 15:53
Renowned Grateful Dead tribute act Dark Star Orchestra has announced an extensive summer tour, which kicks off on June 24th in Aurora, Illinois and concludes with a two-night run at Pisgah Brewing Company in Black Mountain, North Carolina on August 18th-19th. Festival appearances include Highberry Music Festival in Arkansas and The Peach Music Festival in Scranton, PA. Tickets for most shows will go on sale this Friday, March 17th via DarkStarOrchestra.net. VIP packages are available for most shows via the band’s website. See below for a complete list of dates, and stay tuned, as the band plans to add more dates moving forward!
Dark Star Orchestra performs shows from among the nearly 2,500 performances of the Grateful Dead during their 30-year tenure as fathers of improvisational rock. On most, though not all of their performances, Dark Star Orchestra presents the complete original set list, song by song, and in order, while adapting their phrasing, voice arrangements and specific musical equipment for the various eras of the Grateful Dead shows in which they perform.
Members of the Grateful Dead themselves, including rhythm guitarist/singer Bob Weir, bassist Phil Lesh, drummer Bill Kreutzmann, vocalist Donna Jean Godchaux, and keyboardists Vince Welnick and Tom Constanten, have all appeared on stage and performed with Dark Star Orchestra. In November 2011, the group played its 2,000th show in Ithaca, NY.
Dark Star Orchestra: 2017 Summer Tour Dates
June 24 Aurora, IL—RiverEdge Park
June 25 Kalamazoo, MI—Bell’s Cafe
June 28 Indianapolis, IN—Egyptian Room at Old National Centre
June 30 Kansas City, MO—CrossroadsKC
July 1 Eureka Springs, AR—Highberry Music Festival
July 28 Hampton Beach, NH—Hampton Beach Casino
July 29 Hampton Beach, NH—Hampton Beach Casino
July 30 Hyannis, MA—Cape Cod Melody Tent
August 1 Utica, NY—Saranac Brewery
August 2 Buffalo, NY—Canalside Buffalo
August 4 Rochester, NY—Frontier Field
August 5 Jay, VT—Jay Peak Resort
August 6 Portland, ME—Maine State Pier
August 9 Washington, DC—The Hamilton
August 10 Pittsburgh, PA—Stage AE
August 11 Scranton, PA—Peach Music Festival
August 14 Dewey Beach, DE—Bottle & Cork
August 15 Dewey Beach, DE—Bottle & Cork
August 17 Glen Allen, VA—Innsbrook After Hours
August 18 Black Mountain, NC—Pisgah Brewing Company
August 19 Black Mountain, NC—Pisgah Brewing Company
Captain Midnight Band To Play DSO Afterparty In Birmingham February 7, 2017 09:24
Live & Listen and CukoRakko Music & Arts Festival will once again join forces to bring you a late night set from the Captain Midnight Band on Saturday, April 8th in Birmingham, AL. The show will be held at TomsSound immediately following Dark Star Orchestra at Avondale Brewery. This will be the third DSO late night set on this run for Captain Midnight, who will also be playing afterparties on April 5th at The Blind Tiger in Greensboro (NC) and April 7th at Scruffy City Hall in Knoxville (TN).
TomsSound is located at 4013 1st Avenue South; just down the street from Avondale Brewery. Johnny's Bar-B-Que will be on hand serving up a wide variety of late night food right outside of the show. Those who attended CukoRakko in October of 2016 will remember Captain Midnight's late night set under the pavilion on Saturday night, as well as the band's Dead set on the main stage Sunday afternoon. A limited number of tickets to this show will go on sale next Friday, February 17th via the official Live & Listen ticketing page.
Click Here: Join the official Facebook event page!
Watch The Captain Midnight Band perform "Jennifer In My Dreams" here:
Watch The Captain Midnight Band's official promo video here:
SweetWater 420 Fest Releases Final Lineup For 2017 January 18, 2017 20:07
SweetWater 420 Festival has added 30+ performers to it's already stacked lineup, and fans of the jam scene have every reason to rejoice. Joining previously announced headliners Trey Anastasio, Widespread Panic, Ween, Slightly Stoopid, and Dirty Heads will be moe., Talib Kweli, Dopapod, Twiddle, Jackie Greene, Anders Osborne, The Werks, Break Science, SunSquabi, The Hip Abduction, Stop Light Observations, BIG Something, CBDB, Funk You, Voodoo Visionary, and many others. Previously announced performers include Dark Star Orchestra, Anders Osborne, Lettuce, The festival also unveiled a comedy lineup that includes former SNL cast member Jon Rudnitsky as well as Jake Nordwind, Joe Pettis and others.
Headliners Widespread Panic will perform two nights of the festival for a total of four sets throughout the weekend, while Anastasio will perform two sets with his solo band. Sweetwater 420 Fest will kick off April 21-23 in Atlanta’s Centennial Olympic Park. Tickets can be purchased by clicking here.
Watch the official 2017 lineup announcement video here:
Dr. John & The Nite Trippers Join Previously Leaked Wanee Lineup December 5, 2016 16:38
With what appeared to be the complete lineup for the 2017 Wanee Music Festival lineup leaking last week, it seemed as if today's scheduled announcement wouldn't be much of a surprise. While every band included in last week's leak was included in today's announcement, one particularly exciting surprise came in the form of the addition of Dr. John & The Nite Trippers. While it is a bit surprising that Wanee will share three of the same headliners with Sweetwater 420 Fest on the same weekend (Widespread Panic, Trey Anastasio Band, and Dark Star Orchestra), there is no denying that Wanee has once again delivered a stellar lineup.
The festival is scheduled for April 20th - 22nd at Spirit of the Suwannee Music Park in Live Oak, FL. Headliners include Bob Weir & The Campfire Boys, Widespread Panic, Trey Anastasio Band, Gov’t Mule, and Dark Star Orchestra. Additional performers include JJ Grey & Mofro, Les Brers (ft. Butch Trucks & Jaimoe), Jaimoe’s Jasssz Band, Leftover Salmon (performing the music of Neil Young), The Greyboy Allstars, Blackberry Smoke, Matisyahu, Keller Williams’ Grateful Grass, Papadosio, Turkuaz, Pink Talking Fu – Music of David Bowie & Prince, DJ Logic, Kung Fu, Pink Talking Fish, Bobby Lee Rodgers Trio, The Marcus King Band, The Yeti Trio and Brothers and Sister Band.
Ticketing info is expected to be released in the near future. Stay tuned for future updates on the 2017 Wanee Festival!
Watch Dr. John & The Nite Tripper's entire set from Landmark Music Festival (2015) here:
Initial Lineup For Wanee Festival Leaked A Few Days Early November 30, 2016 12:07
Multiple outlets are reporting the unofficial release of the 2017 Wanee Festival initial lineup, which was not scheduled for release until Monday, December 5th at 10AM. The festival is scheduled for April 20th - 22nd at Spirit of the Suwannee Music Park in Live Oak, FL. Headliners include Bob Weir & The Campfire Boys, Widespread Panic, and the Trey Anastasio Band. Additional performers include Gov’t Mule, Dark Star Orchestra, JJ Grey & Mofro, Les Brers (ft. Butch Trucks & Jaimoe), Jaimoe’s Jasssz Band, Leftover Salmon (performing the music of Neil Young), The Greyboy Allstars, Blackberry Smoke, Matisyahu, Keller Williams’ Grateful Grass, Papadosio, Turkuaz, Pink Talking Fu – Music of David Bowie & Prince, DJ Logic, Kung Fu, Pink Talking Fish, Bobby Lee Rodgers Trio, The Marcus King Band, The Yeti Trio and Brothers and Sister Band.
Ticketing info is expected to be released in the near future. Stay tuned for future updates on the 2017 Wanee Festival!
SweetWater 420 Fest Announces Massive Initial Lineup For 2017 September 20, 2016 09:33
The annual SweetWater 420 Fest in Atlanta, Georgia just made it's initial lineup announcement this morning, and this may be it's biggest splash yet. The news seems to have generated so much traffic that the festival's website temporarily shut down. Rounding out the top of the 2017 lineup is Widespread Panic (two nights/four sets), Trey Anastasio Band (2 sets), Slightly Stupid, Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue, Dark Star Orchestra, Anders Osborne, Twiddle, Sister Sparrow & The Dirty Birds, and The Hip Abduction. The announcement notates that the lineup will also feature over 45 additional artists. Early bird tickets are on-sale now and can be purchased at the festivals official website. Stay tuned for further updates on the 2017 420 Fest!
Watch the official 2017 lineup announcement video here:
