Dark Star Orchestra

Dark Star Orchestra
Formed in 1997, Chicago, USA, Dark Star Orchestra has risen to the glories of fame by performing shows from among the nearly 2,500 songs that the Grateful Dead performed during their 30 year tenure. In October 29, 2004, the group performed its 1000th show while on tour in Greensboro, NC and has released a three disc set of that performance.

On most, though not all their performances, Dark Star Orchestra presents the complete original set list, song by song, and in order, recreating historic music with faithful interpretation. On many occasions, the band also improvises their set lists, often based on sections of famous shows and familiar groupings of Grateful Dead songs.

However Dark star Orchestra does not just reproduce the original songs as is. Rather, they replay the old songs but with their own, personal flavor. Dark Star Orchestra adapts their phrasing, voice arrangements, and even arranges specific musical equipment for the various eras in which they perform.

At the end of every performance, the band announces the date and venue where the original show just covered took place. Dark Star Orchestra dips into nearly every manifestation of the Grateful Dead, so most fans can "see" shows, live, that happened long before they were born.

Dark Star Orchestra has been nationally acclaimed for their exact replicas of original performances. Rolling Stone praises "Dark Star Orchestra's fanatical attention to detail." USA Today says DSO is "channeling the Dead" and the Washington Post declares them "the hottest Grateful Dead tribute act going."

Dallas Morning News affirms DSO is "the next best thing to being there", the Denver Post describes Dark Star Orchestra as "a perfection-oriented practitioner of homage" and the Associated Press notes that DSO "takes its act to a level of detail that befits a rock band famous for its fanatical following."

Members of the Grateful Dead themselves, rhythm guitarist/singer Bob Weir, drummer Bill Kreutzmann, vocalist Donna Jean Godchaux, and keyboardists Vince Welnick and Tom Constanten, have appeared on stage and performed with the Dark Star Orchestra.

About his band, rhythm guitarist/vocalist Rob Eaton says, "We"re given a canvas with a boundary, whatever the stage set up is the framework and all of the painting that we do within that framework is unique to us, So we offer the sound and the structure, but all the stroking and painting is all us. So it's fresh at the same time and also very historically correct."

The band has shown remarkable growth performing 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, Bill Kreutzmann, Donna Jean Godchaux-Mackay, Vince Welnick, and Tom Constanten.

In 1997 guitarist John Kadlecik contacted keyboardist Scott Larned with a concept (introduced by a common friend Andrew "Tiny" Dofner): performing complete Grateful Dead shows out of history. Scott had the same idea as well and ever since then; Dark Star Orchestra (DSO) has been delivering live Grateful Dead music experiences to old and new Grateful Dead fans.

DSO secured four Tuesday night concerts at Martyrs' in Chicago. The first night, November 11, 1997, saw only 78 people, but by the fourth week they had sold out the room. By spring they had toured Colorado and had steady Tuesday and Wednesday night concerts in Chicago.

John Kadlecik replaces Jerry Garcia on lead guitar and vocals, singing with an uncanny resemblance to the Grateful Dead member, using amp rigs and equipment to suit the near-exact, Garcia guitar tone from the show being recreated. Vocalist Lisa Mackey provides the female harmonies, performing the Donna Godchaux when the show is from the 70s.

Dino English takes the place of Bill Kreutzmann to deliver the rhythmic drumming sounds of the Grateful Dead drawing upon his training in percussion and jazz and his experience in Dead-oriented groups. On the other drum set, Rob Koritz, a classical and jazz influenced musician, fills the Mickey Hart role. Kevin Rosen provides a very distinctive, fluid style of bass playing and a devotion to the music of the Dead similar to that of Phil Lesh. On rhythm guitar and vocals, Rob Eaton provides an extension of the passionate feeling, instrumentation and tone created by Bob Weir.

November 1998, the eve of their first anniversary, marked a great milestone for the band. Mike Gordon and Jon Fishman of Phish joined DSO at Martyrs' after their own show. This heightened the level of awareness and national interest in the band. Fishman sat in for the majority of the evening, which included a rollicking drum section with four percussionists.

That winter, their Colorado tour sold out almost every stop, their MP3 web site was getting millions of hits and everyone wanted to know how they got their sound so precise. Soon after, the Washington Post declared them "the hottest Grateful Dead tribute act going".

In 2004, Dark Star Orchestra performed over 155 shows throughout the U.S to over 110,000 Deadheads and music fans. In addition to the complete Grateful Dead show selections, the band has been known to incorporate Jerry Garcia Band show set lists as well as original set lists of their own choice.

The band reeled for a while during the band's Spring tour in 2005 when co-founder Scott Larned died of a heart attack on April 24 before opting for Rob Barraco as a permanent replacement in 2007.Meanwhile, the band featured the talents of guest keyboardists, including Dan Klepinger and Rob Barraco (Zen Tricksters/Phil Lesh and Friends/Chris Robinson & the New Earth Mud).

There are many who misinterpret Dark Star Orchestra's recreation of Grateful Dead music as playing the songs and solos exactly the same, note for note. Although the band duplicates Grateful Dead set lists, they do not copy the songs note for note.

Instead, they use each song as a vehicle for musical exploration; interpreting each song individually, adding a personal flavor while at the same time improvising together as one unit.

The Grateful Dead never played a given song the same way twice and Dark Star Orchestra has carried this tradition forward by creating original set lists, which are not associated with a particular Grateful Dead show.