Dark Star Orchestra is a Grateful Dead

cover band A cover band (or covers band) is a band that plays songs recorded by someone else, sometimes mimicking the original as accurately as possible, and sometimes re-interpreting or changing the original. These remade songs are known as cover songs. ...

formed in

Chicago, Illinois (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

. They serve as a

tribute band A tribute act, tribute band or tribute group is a music group, singer, or musician who specifically plays the music of a well-known music act. Tribute acts include individual performers who mimic the songs and style of an artist, such as ...

to the rock group the Grateful Dead. Since 1997, the band has been "celebrating the Grateful Dead concert experience."

Overview

Dark Star Orchestra performs shows from among the nearly 2,500 performances of the Grateful Dead during their 30-year tenure performing 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 William Kreutzmann Jr. ( ; born May 7, 1946) is an American drummer and founding member of the rock band Grateful Dead. He played with the band for its entire thirty-year career, usually alongside fellow drummer Mickey Hart, and has continued to ...

, vocalist

Donna Jean Godchaux Donna Jean Thatcher Godchaux-MacKay (born August 22, 1947) is an American singer who was a member of the Grateful Dead from 1972 until 1979. Biography Donna Jean Thatcher was born in Florence, Alabama. Prior to 1970, she had worked as a sessi ...

, and keyboardists

Vince Welnick Vincent Leo Welnick (February 21, 1951 – June 2, 2006) was an American keyboardist-singer-songwriter best known for playing with the band The Tubes during the 1970s and 1980s and with the Grateful Dead in the 1990s. He was inducted into ...

and

Tom Constanten Tom Constanten (born March 19, 1944) is an American keyboardist, best known for playing with Grateful Dead from 1968 to 1970, for which he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1994. Biography Early career Born in Long Branch, N ...

, have all appeared on stage and performed with Dark Star Orchestra. In November 2011, the group played its 2,000th show in

Ithaca, New York Ithaca is a city in the Finger Lakes region of New York, United States. Situated on the southern shore of Cayuga Lake, Ithaca is the seat of Tompkins County and the largest community in the Ithaca metropolitan statistical area. It is named ...

History

Dark Star Orchestra has been playing live shows together since 1997, after guitarist John Kadlecik contacted keyboardist

Scott Larned Scott Larned (3 July 1969 – 24 April 2005) was the keyboardist and founding member of Dark Star Orchestra, a popular Grateful Dead tribute band. He also played with Brother Brother, Freddy Jones Band, Citrus, Smoking Fish, and Hackenwheeze ...

with a concept (introduced by a common friend Andrew "Tiny" Dofner): performing complete Grateful Dead shows out of history. When Scott mentioned having the same idea, John knew they were on to something. Since forming, the band has performed over 2,500 shows. On lead guitar and vocals, John Kadlecik used amp rigs and equipment to imitate guitar tone of Jerry Garcia from the show being recreated. When a 70s show is being performed, vocalist Lisa Mackey provides

Donna Godchaux Donna may refer to the short form of the honorific ''nobildonna'', the female form of Don (honorific) in Italian. People *Donna (given name); includes name origin and list of people and characters with the name * Roberto Di Donna (born 1968), Ita ...

's female harmonies. Dino English delivers the rhythmic drumming sounds of

. On the other drum set, Rob Koritz, fills the Mickey Hart role. Kevin Rosen provides a style of bass playing similar to that of Phil Lesh. Rob Eaton performs rhythm guitar and vocals in the style of Bob Weir. In November 1998, on the eve of their first anniversary,

Mike Gordon Michael Eliot Gordon (born June 3, 1965) is an American bass guitarist and vocalist most recognized as a founding member of the band Phish. In addition to bass, Gordon is an accomplished banjo player, and is proficient at piano and guitar. He ...

and

Jon Fishman Jon Fishman (born February 19, 1965) is an American drummer known for his work with the band Phish, which he co-founded in 1983, and which was, in part, named after him. He is credited with co-writing nineteen Phish songs, eight with a solo cre ...

of Phish joined DSO at Martyrs' after their own show. Fishman sat in for the majority of the evening, which included a drum section with four percussionists. The ensuing buzz caused national interest in the band. That winter, their Colorado tour sold out almost every stop, and, soon after, ''The Washington Post'' declared them "the hottest Grateful Dead tribute act going"; ''USA Today'' claimed DSO was "channeling the Dead", but what they do is not just a tribute to the Grateful Dead but a testament to the enormous number of unique set lists they performed in their long career. Continuing the growth, the band had performed up to 200 dates in a year. They have grown continually, playing at larger venues and theaters, collaborating with guests including Grateful Dead alumni Bob Weir, Phil Lesh, Bill Kreutzmann, Donna Jean Godchaux-Mackay, Vince Welnick, and Tom Constanten. On 29 October 2004, Dark Star Orchestra performed their 1,000th show at Carolina Theatre in Greensboro, N.C. The show did not adhere to a particular Grateful Dead setlist but was instead composed of highlights from throughout the Grateful Dead's history. The show was recorded by the DSO crew and distributed as a 3-CD set. In 2008, Dark Star Orchestra performed over 150 shows throughout the U.S. In addition to the complete Grateful Dead show selections, the band has been known to incorporate Jerry Garcia Band show setlists as well as original set lists of their own choosing. During the band's Spring tour in 2005, co-founder Scott Larned died of a heart attack on April 24; the band reeled for a while, featuring the talents of guest keyboardists, including Dan Klepinger and Tom Ryan, until selecting

Rob Barraco Rob Barraco is an American keyboardist. Born and raised on Long Island, NY, he has played with Phil Lesh and Friends, The Dead, Dark Star Orchestra, Chris Robinson & New Earth Mud, the Zen Tricksters, Red Flannel Hash, and The Dragonflys. He w ...

as a permanent replacement in 2007. In 2009 John Kadlecik joined a new band with original Grateful Dead members Phil Lesh and Bob Weir called Furthur. On November 16, 2009 he officially announced that he was leaving Dark Star Orchestra. His final show with the band was on December 5, 2009. For DSO's 2009–10 winter shows, he was replaced by guitarist Jeff Mattson of the

Zen Tricksters The Zen Tricksters are an American Grateful Dead cover band. For almost thirty years, the Zen Tricksters have been playing Grateful Dead covers and jam band music, as well as derivative original songs. The band started out as the Volunteers, play ...

and the

Donna Jean Godchaux Band The Donna Jean Godchaux Band (sometimes known as the Donna Jean Godchaux Band with Jeff Mattson) is an American rock music group. Originally named Kettle Joe's Psychedelic Swamp Revue, and later Donna Jean and the Tricksters, the band was origina ...

. Mattson now is considered the permanent guitarist for DSO. On May 3, 2013 it was announced that bassist Kevin Rosen would be leaving the band. He was quoted as saying "After all my years of touring with Dark Star Orchestra, I find myself in need of an extended break from life on the road. In addition, my mother’s declining health makes it even more important to be home at this time." The band had its 25th anniversary tour in fall 2022.

Members

Current members

*Lisa Mackey – vocals (1997–present) *Rob Koritz – drums, percussion (1999–present) *Dino English – drums, percussion (1999–present) * Rob Eaton – rhythm guitar, vocals (2001–present) *

– keyboards, vocals (some shows in 2005 and 2006, 2007–present) * Jeff Mattson – lead guitar, vocals (one show in 2005, 2009–2010, 2010–present) *Skip Vangelas – bass, vocals (some shows in 2001, 2013–present)

Former members

*Kevin Rosen – bass, vocals (1997-1998, 2000-2013) * John Kadlecik – lead guitar, vocals (1997–2009) *

– keyboards, vocals (1997–2005, deceased) *Mike Maraat – rhythm guitar, vocals (1997–1999) *David Strome – cowbell (1999) *Steve Gambuzza – theremin (2000) *Ahmer Nizam – drums (1997–1999) *Michael Hazdra – bass, vocals (1998–2000, some shows in 2001) *Mark Corsolini – drums (1998–1999)

Touring substitutes/guests

*Dave "Chopper" Campbell – rhythm guitar, vocals (some shows in 2000) *John Sabal – rhythm guitar, vocals (some shows in 2000) *Bustar – rhythm guitar, vocals (some shows in 2000) *Jim Harris – rhythm guitar, vocals (some shows in 2000 and 2001) *David Berg – rhythm guitar, vocals (some shows in 2000 and 2001) *Gregg Koerner – bass, vocals (some shows in 2001) *Tom Ryan – keyboards, vocals (some shows in 2005) *Dan Klepinger – keyboards, vocals (some shows in 2005, 2006 and 2007) *Stu Allen – lead guitar, vocals (some shows in 2010) *Jim Allard – bass, vocals (2013 summer tours) *

Jeff Chimenti Jeff Chimenti (born October 21, 1968) is an American keyboardist, best known for his ongoing work with former members of the Grateful Dead. Since May 1997 he has played with Bob Weir & RatDog, and has also played on every tour of The Dead (incl ...

– keyboards, vocals (some shows in 2016)

Band member timeline

Tours

2008

*1500 And Counting Tour *European Tour *Spring Tour *Road To The Roo Tour *All Good Vibes Tour *Like A Tumbleweed Tour *Red Caravan Tour *Cosmic New Year's Run

2009

*Winter Tour *Spring Tour West *Spring Tour East *Summer Tour *Rex Caravan Tour *Fall Tour *Cosmic New Year's Run

2010

*Southbound Winter Tour *One Way Or Another Tour *Seeds Of Light Tour *Rock My Soul Summer Tour *A Slingshot On Mars Tour *Wings A Mile Long Tour *From A City Near You Tour *Cosmic New Year's Run

2011

*Southbound Winter Tour *Four Winds Tour *Into The Sun Tour *Hearts Of Summer Tour *Last Rose Of Summer Tour *Fall Tour *Cosmic New Year's Run

2012

*Southbound Winter Tour *European Tour *Spring Tour West *Spring Tour East *Meet Me At The Jubilee Summer Tour *Fall Tour West *Fall Tour East *Cosmic New Year's Run

2013

*Winter Tour *Spring Tour West *Spring Tour East *Summer Tour Midwest *Summer Tour Northeast *Fall Tour West *Fall Tour East *Cosmic New Year's Run

2014

*Winter tour *Spring tour east *Fall tour east

2015

*Special Acoustic Show at Terrapin Crossroads *Spring Tour West *Rob Eaton to perform with The Rocky Mountain Grateful Dead Revue *Rob Eaton to perform with Axile Tilt *Special Acoustic Show in Washington, D.C. *Spring Tour East *Dark Star Jubilee *Mattson, Barraco & Friends *3 Special JGB Shows *Summer Tour

References

External links

www.darkstarorchestra.net
official website of Dark Star Orchestra
www.dinoenglishproductions.com
official website of Dino English
Live Dark Star Orchestra
at the Internet Archive
www.johnkmusic.net
– John Kadlecik's official website & personal pages
Interview with John Kadlecik from honesttune.comJeff Mattson sits down with Ira Haberman of The Sound Podcast for a feature interviewJohn Kadlecik feature interview on The Sound Podcast with Ira Haberman
{{Authority control Tribute bands Grateful Dead Rock music groups from Illinois 1997 establishments in Illinois Jam bands American psychedelic rock music groups Cover bands