Jam Central Station 08.28.10: The Rhythm Devils
Posted by Jeff Modzelewski on 08.28.2010
This week Jam Central Station takes a closer look at a Grateful Dead off-shoot, with a little help from a friend...
Hey everyone. Sorry for missing last week. I'm in the process of moving and changing jobs (if you're reading this on Saturday morning, my U-Haul is probably rolling up 23 between Columbus and Ohio right now), so it's a bit hectic. So hectic, in fact, that I needed to bring in assistance for this week. I'm gonna step aside (something I don't like to do, but I will if necessary), and turn the reigns of JCS over to a friend of mine, festival-goer extrordionaire J.R. Johnivan!
-----Enter J.R.-----
When Jeff asked me to fill in for his column this week it took me less than a minute to say yes. Coming fresh from a jam-packed summer full of shows; most recently being the Hoxeyville Music Festival, a couple Deer Creek shows and Horning's Hideout, I had a lot of material to work with. Though I've only known Jeff for a short time, we have become great friends – to the point where he's entrusted me with filling in for Jam Central Station. So without further ado, I present my first column for the fans of Jam Central Station: The Rhythm Devils.
Ask any jamband fan on the scene today to explain the Grateful Dead, and chances are the first thing you'll hear them mention is the late Jerry Garcia. Delve a little bit deeper into the average fan's knowledge and they may describe the pounding of Phil Lesh's bass or the soulful licks of Bob Weir and his guitar. Ask this same question to a diehard Deadhead, however, and you're likely to hear a much more complete story – one that involves the Grateful Dead's original drummers, Mickey Hart and Bill Kreutzmann. This week's column focuses on these two integral members of the Grateful Dead, along with their own Grateful Dead tribute band known as the Rhythm Devils.
The foundation of the Rhythm Devils consists of original Grateful Dead drummer Bill Kreutzmann, who was known by his stage name of Bill Sommers during his early years, playing alongside Mickey Hart, who joined as the band's second drummer in 1967. The pair, accompanied by a selection of regular band members and special guests, pay homage to the classic Grateful Dead archive of songs with their own live performances. While the duo has been performing live drum sessions with the Grateful Dead since the 1970's, they now provide fans with the chance to witness authentic Grateful Dead shows that feature many of the classic Dead songs we've come to know and love.
Though Deadheads had dubbed the group the Rhythm Devils during the era of the Grateful Dead, the pair has been formally performing under the name of the Rhythm Devils since 2006. The band has had numerous lineup changes and has played with various guests throughout the years. The Rhythm Devils' current lineup includes Bill Kreutzmann and Mickey Hart on drums, Davy Knowles (Back Door Slam) and Tim Bluhm (The Mother Hips) on guitar and vocals, Andy Hess (Gov't Mule, The Black Crowes) on bass and Sikiru Adepoju on percussion. Keller Williams joined the Rhythm Devils on guitar and vocals for a short time in the summer of 2010. Previous Rhythm Devils lineups have included Phish bassist Mike Gordon, guitarist Steve Kimock and vocalist Jen Durkin.
Mickey Hart and Bill Kreutzmann of the Rhythm Devils were also tapped by Francis Ford Coppola to record a soundtrack for his epic war film, Apocalypse Now. The duo worked alongside a number of other drummers and percussionists in order to create an original soundtrack for the movie. The soundtrack was performed in-studio while the group screened the movie simultaneously; creating improvised jungle beats and sounds to provide ambience and background music for the film. An LP of the improvised drum session was also released, titled "The Apocalypse Now Sessions."
While Mickey Hart and Bill Kreutzmann of the Rhythm Devils may not be the most popular or well-known members of the Grateful Dead, their contributions to the legendary band cannot be denied. Whether you're enjoying a 20-minute "Drums" jam from your favorite Dead show, or even if you're front row for a Rhythm Devils performance, the magic happening around you is something that many of today's performers could only dream of reproducing – but it's something that the Rhythm Devils are capable of doing with each and every live show played today.
Rhythm Devils on Tour
The Rhythm Devils currently have a tour schedule that takes them into early 2011, including several festival performances. The group's currently scheduled tour dates are as follows.
::Showcase Live::
23 Patriot Place
Foxboro, MA 02035
September 3, 2010
All Ages
Tickets $35 Adv/ $40 day of/ $60 Reserved
::Hampton Beach Casino::
169 Ocean Boulevard
Hampton Beach, NH
September 4, 2010
Ages 18+
Tickets $19 - $39
::Nelson Ledges Quarry Park::
12001 State Route 282
Garrettsville, OH 44231
September 6, 2010
All Ages
Tickets $30
::The State Theatre::
130 West College Ave
State College, PA 16801
September 8, 2010
All Ages
Tickets $49
::Water Street Music Hall::
204 North Water St
Rochester, NY 14604
September 9, 2010
All Ages
Tickets $30 Adv / $35 day of
::The Bears Den @ Seneca Niagara::
310 Fourth St
Niagara Falls, NY 14303
September 10, 2010
Ages 21+
Tickets $55 - $65
::Higher Ground::
1214 Williston Rd
S. Burlington, VT 05403
September 11, 2010
All Ages
Tickets $30 Adv/ $35 day of
::Jam Cruise::
MSC Poesia, Caribbean Sea
January 4-9
Tickets on sale June 2
www.jamcruise.com
::Revolution::
300 West Broward
Fort Lauderdale, FL
January 9
Tickets $25 for Jam Cruisers/ $30 for non-Cruisers
Ticketmaster unveils new ticketing policies
According to Ticketmaster's CEO of ticketing, Nathan Hubbard, the ticketing giant is changing some of its policies regarding ticket purchases. Instead of adding hidden service charges and fees to your order at the last minute, customers will now be informed of such charges when first choosing their ticket. The company will also implement a three-day return policy on ticket purchases, allowing indecisive fans the chance to change their mind and recover their money if needed.
Complete lineup announced for Hopscotch Music Fest
Scheduled to take place from Thursday, September 9 to Saturday, September 11 in Raleigh, North Carolina, the Hopscotch Music Fest has announced its complete lineup of performers for its 10 featured venues. The lineup includes such names as Broken Social Scene, Public Enemy, Lucero, Tortoise, Dungen and many more.
The Disco Biscuits to perform a five-night Halloween run
The Disco Biscuits have officially announced a five-night run of performances that includes a show with The String Cheese Incident in Hampton, Virginia, and ends with a concert on Halloween night in Charlottesville, Virginia. Their Halloween tour dates are as follows.
Wednesday, October 27 – Rams Head Live – Baltimore, MD
Thursday, October 28 – NorVa – Norfolk, VA
Friday, October 29 – Hampton Coliseum – Hampton, VA (HULAWEEN WITH STRING CHEESE INCIDENT)
Saturday, October 30 – MoogFest: Thomas Wolfe Auditorium – Asheville, NC
Sunday, October 31 – Charlottesville Pavilion – Charlottesville, VA
Phish offers free downloadable music via LivePhish.com
The recently reunited jamband Phish is offering fans the chance to download 10 live tracks from their various summer performances. The sampler is titled Live Bait Volume 1, and can be downloaded for free from LivePhish.com. Featured tracks include Backwards Down The Number Line, Gumbo, My Sweet One, Kill Devil Falls, Tweezer and more.
Electric Avenue Fest releases full performance schedule
Set to take place on Saturday, September 4 and Sunday, September 5 in Denver, Colorado, the Electric Avenue Fest has just announced their entire artist lineup and a daily schedule of performances. The festival features two separate stages and more than 22 bands, including Karl Denson's Tiny Universe, Great American Taxi, Kyle Hollingsworth Band, Mountain Standard Time, Greensky Bluegrass and more. Night shows are also available, requiring an extra ticket for entry.
Festivals and jamband shows, for the most part, provide and a fun and friendly atmosphere for fans to gather and enjoy their favorite music. The one thing that really bothers me, and this seems to be a growing trend in the jamband scene, is people who feel the need to push their way through a crowd in order to get to the front row.
Granted this is a free country, and everyone on the floor has the same ticket, but the people who are standing front row (or within the first few rows) at a sold-out show have likely been there for at least an hour prior to the show, and some much longer than that. What gives you the right to barge in at the last minute, just because you got stuck in traffic? Oh and no gentlemen, putting your girlfriend in front of you to lead the way through a crowd, knowing that most kind fans will easily let her pass, is not cool either.
Now don't get me wrong – looking for your friends after taking a bathroom or water break is an entirely different story, as is dancing your way through a crowd. If you see an open spot on the floor then by all means take it; just try to do it without bothering or pushing anyone around you.
But that leads me to next and final point: If you see someone hula-hooping, dancing or playing with some kind of festival toy in an open field, do you really have to walk right next to them, causing them to stop what they're doing? Is it really that hard to walk an extra 10 feet around them so they can continue enjoying themselves?
-----Re-enter Jeff-----
Thank you once again J.R. for coming in to hang out and take the reigns for this week. While I wasn't able to put together an article this week, I hope that I found a suitable replacement and a change of pace that you all enjoyed. I WILL be back in full form next week, and, until then, please look for me on Facebook. Until next week, Jam On!
