Dark Star Orchestra Comes to JSC

On a campus where sunny days and open windows often give way to the light-hearted groove of “Sugar Magnolia,” the dark, winding wah-guitar riff of “Estimated Prophet” or the thundering drum introduction of “Not Fade Away,” it seems JSC is finally about to put away the traded tapes, don the dancing clothes, and receive their much exalted unofficial house band, the Grateful Dead. Well, sort of.

Dark Star Orchestra, perhaps the most celebrated of the many Dead cover bands, is set to take the Dibden stage for a sold-out show on Saturday, November 10th. The DSO, who take their name from the Dead’s improvisational opus “Dark Star,” have prided themselves on delivering the total GFD experience for a decade.

Close your eyes at a DSO show, and listen for any differences between the players on stage and the dusty tapes collecting in your dad’s closet – there are none. No, these guys have it down. From the staccato, upper-register guitar voicings of Bob Weir (Rob Eaton) to the sliding melodic booms of Phil Lesh (Kevin Rosen) on bass, they’ve done their homework. And yes, for you Jerry-heads out there, DSO’s own John Kadlecik has mastered Garcia’s banjo-like picking style, complete with the guitar and pedal rig to back it up. There’s two drummers, Dino English and Rob Koritz (filling the roles of Bill Kreutzmann and Mickey Hart respectively), and even their own Donna Godchaux (without the off-key screaming) in the form of Lisa Mackey.

Not enough for the hardcore Deadheads? Consider this: how would you like to see your favorite Dead show, live and in concert? The DSO makes its name by recreating specific concerts in their entirety, with the complete set-list and even period equipment. But here’s the catch: the band doesn’t announce which show it is until afterwards. So, if you’re life revolves around the Dead, (or it did), you can take your crack at guessing the year by looking over the equipment on stage, or recognizing the setlist. Is there a Scarlet Begonias>Fire on the Mountain in the second set? Chances are it’s around 1977. Is there a keyboardist crooning like an old blues man? You’re in the late ‘60s, my friend, before the death of Pigpen, the Dead’s original ivory tickler. The DSO take perhaps the most exhalted of all cult bands and deliver without a hint of blasphemy.

It would be hard to deny that out of all the acts JSC could attract to campus, this one was near the top of the list for many of Johnson’s resident Deadheads.