“Tennessee Jed” was a raucous riot, as it indubitably should be. The instrumental breaks showcased JRAD’s proclivity for shaking fresh ideas out of well-worn material. Benevento dropped a stanky, Dr. John crossed with Dave Brubeck piano piece. Metzger and Dreiwitz slipped into a parallel, Bizarro “Jed.” The entire unit tilted and started to spin ecstatically. It was like putting a Ferris wheel on top of a roller coaster. JRAD increasingly infused the Dead’s material with their own creative energy. They weren’t out to simply play these cherished songs; they sought to possess them and make them their own.

Jam scene visionaries Joe Russo’s Almost Dead are underway on their current 2019 winter tour, and this past week performed at Penn’s Peak in Jim Thorpe, PA, the following night at College Street Music Hall in New Haven, CT, and last night at The Wellmont Theatre in Montclair, NJ.

Higher Ground is pleased to announce Joe Russo’s Almost Dead on July 28, 2019 as a part of the Lake Champlain Maritime Festival. Tickets go on sale Friday, February 8th at 1pm.

Marco Benevento has announced a Winter 2019 tour. The 11-date Southeast run begins in Mobile, Alabama and includes stops in Birmingham, Alabama, Atlanta, Georgia and Nashville, Tennessee. The tour then makes its way to the Carolinas for shows in Asheville, Charlotte and Charleston before wrapping in Florida with four nights in Jacksonville, Orlando, Tampa and Miami.

East-coast jam masters, Joe Russo’s Almost Dead brought their inventive interpretation of Grateful Dead music to a sold-out, typically relaxed but receptive crowd at Eugene’s (Ore.) McDonald Theater, August 11. Many locals were getting their first look at the heavily hyped combo from New York.