CD Review

Last fall a group of musicians came together for a benefit for the Rex Foundation (named for a Grateful Dead roadie who died tragically in a car accident back in 1976). The black tie event held at the concert hall for the New York Society for Ethical Culture featured an artist collective comprised of Grateful Dead members and mercenaries, but was primarily based around the foundation of the Zen Tricksters. The music created was inevitably Dead like, but what’s captured here is invigoratingly new and fresh as a daisy.

Familiar Dead style covers invoking audience sing-a-longs are scattered throughout the night (“Iko Iko,” “Goin’ Down the Road Feelin’ Bad,” “People are Strange”) and Dead show staples (“Music Never Stopped,” “Ripple”) round out the sets. But the rest of the show is a new take on that old formula. There’s certainly more jam for your buck – some of it spacey, some of it bluegrass – but when the band really comes together, they hit on all cylinders.

The old heads will find a pretty accurate take on the Grateful Dead sound with this release, instantly recognizable by someone in the know. For those too young to have actually seen the fat man rock, it’s a good place to get an idea of what it was like. The magic is still resonating out there, ready to be plucked out and played. These guys are all experts at plucking it out, and that can be pretty rare nowadays. So rare, a majority of this one-off has morphed into a new touring unit entitled Kettle Joe’s Psychedelic Swamp Revue.

For more info see: rexfoundation.org or Click to buy