Keep On Rockin My Soul
Posted on: July 27, 2010
Following an electric start to our Summer Tou we are excited to fire up the bus again to hit the road! This leg of the tour kicks off with another one of our favorite summer festivals, Gathering of the Vibes. We will headline Thursday night and get things started for what is certain to be a fantastic weekend of music with Furthur, Primus, The Rhythm Devils, Jimmy Cliff and many many more.
Click HERE for a special invite from GOTV...
From there it's on to the Saranac Brewery in Utica, Town Ballroom in Buffalo and Midland Theatre in Newark, OH. Then its southbound for a first time show at the Harris Riverfront Park in Huntington, WV before heading to the beach for stops in Dewey Beach DE and Atlantic City NJ finishing up the week in Englewood NJ at the Bergen PAC Theatre. Our final week of the tour starts with a show in Bethlehem at the Zoellner Arts Center before closing out the tour with stops in Rochester, NY, A Bears Picnic and the Lake Champlain Maritime Festival in Burlington, VT. We are ready for a big run through the northeast to round out our Rock My Soul Summer Tour.
With Summer half in the bag we are excited to announce new tour dates for the upcoming Fall season. We will start the tour with stops in Grand Rapids and Minneapolis, MN before hittin' up Fargo, ND and crossing the boarder into Wisconsin for a Saturday night stop in Madison at The Barrymore Theater. The next week kicks off in Grand Rapids MI to help you shake off the Mondays than its over to The Bluebird in Bloomington, IN to warm up for Halloween weekend at The Pageant in St Louis, the Madison Theater in Covington, KY and Halloween night at The Cannery Ballroom in Nashville, TN. More dates will be announced shortly. Stay tuned for updates!
Visit our TOUR DATES PAGE for complete details.
1969 Setlist Busted Out!
Posted on: June 29, 2010
At a recent stop in Des Moines, IA the band dove into some old new territory by performing a Grateful Dead setlist from 11/7/69. This is the first time the band has dipped into the 60’s era and along with the recent plays covering Europe 72 shows and elective sets, you never know what you are going to get.
Check out the Tour Dates Page for upcoming dates where you can check it out for yourself.
Rock My Soul
Posted on: June 29, 2010
Summer Tour is underway! Tonight we drop in to Otto's in Delkalb, IL before hitting Summerfest on 6/30. Gratefulfest will kick off with a Terrapin Nation Soundcheck Party on 7/1 before 3 big shows over 4th of July weekend with Keller Williams, New Riders, Peter Rowan, Emmit-Nershi and many more. A return to All Good kicks off the last weekend of this leg of the tour when we headline the Thursday Throwdown before closing out the weekend with stops in State College , PA and Tags Summerstage in Big Flats,NY.
Hope you can join in the fun as we kick off the Rock My Soul Summer Tour!
We have been lucky to have Courtenay Pollock design a new back drop for our Summer Tour. We will be hosting a silent auction for fans to place bids for a chance to win this beautiful work. A portion of the proceeds from the auction will benefit the Rex Foundation. Courtenay was the first person commissioned to do Tie Dye for the Grateful Dead (1970). Courtenay did all the amp covers, speaker covers, and backdrops for the Grateful Dead from 1970-1985. This is the first multi panel piece since the "Serpent" that was done for the Grateful Dead at the Greek Theater.
Here is a sample of the backdrop we will be using for the summer tour...
Click HERE for complete tour dates and info.
Jeff Mattson Gets the Gig
Posted on: June 21, 2010
After months of touring and playing with Jeff, we have decided to offer him the full time gig, which he has gratefully accepted. Jeff has blown us away with his energy, licks, and presence on stage. He is a great guy, an inspiring musician and so much fun to perform with, we cannot wait to get back out there and mix it up with him once again. We are having more fun than ever and are looking forward to seeing you all at the upcoming shows.
Terrapin Nation Celebration
Posted on: June 14, 2010
Gratefulfest 11 will kick off a day early this year with a very special Sound Check Party featuring a Terrapin Nation set by Dark Star Orchestra on Thursday, July 1st. Join us as we warm up the stage and get settled in for what looks to be another grand weekend at the Ledges.
As previously announced, Gratefulfest will feature 3 Nights of Dark Star Orchestra performances plus sets by: Keller Williams – 2 Special Sets, Keller & the Keels do Deadgrass & more plus a Keller Solo Dance Set, New Riders of the Purple Sage, JGB, Peter Rowan's Bluegrass Band, Emmitt-Nershi Band, Moonalice, Steve Kimock Crazy Engine, Jemimah Puddleduck, Donna Jean Band, Boombox, Mr. David Gans, DJ Harry and Rumor Has It.
Click HERE to purchase tickets.
A Mountain of Fun for All
Posted on: June 07, 2010
Thank you to everyone who put on Mountain Jam last weekend. We had a blast with our late night set and were honored to be joined by festival host Warren Haynes and his Govt. Mule keyboard counterpart Danny Louis. The pair joined in for New Speedway Boogie>GDTRFD in the middle of our set which we capped off with Alligator>Drums>Space>The Eleven>Shakedown Street>Tangled Up In Blue. It was a great way to wrap up our Seeds of Light Tour.
A few weeks from now we will be back on the road for the ‘Rock My Soul Summer Tour’. Check out the Tour Dates Page for the schedule and complete details.
Seeds Of Light Food Drives
Posted on: May 19, 2010
During our upcoming Seeds of Light Tour we will be hosting food drives at many venues along the way. Strangers Helping Strangers will be be collecting at the the shows on 5/22, 5/26, 5/27 and 6/2. On 6/4 Rock Can Roll will be on hand to take donations.
We ask that donations are unopened, professionally packaged and non-perishable. Healthy and nutritious (ie…low sodium, high fiber) foods are always appreciated.
Here is a list of the most needed items:
Peanut butter, Jams, Canned meat and fish, Hearty soups, Macaroni & cheese, boxed dinners, Coffee / Tea, Iced, Canned Fruits & Vegetables, Milk, Parmalat milk boxes, Hot Chocolate, 100% canned or boxed juices, Gatorade, Infant formula, Baby food, Pediacare, Beans, Sweets, Breakfast, Granola and Snack Bars, Pretzels, Dried fruits, Nuts, Pasta and Rice, Healthy cereals, Oatmeal and hot cereals, Flour, baking mixes, Spices, Canned Sauces, Condiments, Applesauce, Puddings & Custards, Personal Toiletry Items
PLEASE NO GLASS – CHECK DATES – NO DENTS
Thanks for your support!
Visit our Tour Dates Page for complete tour details
Spring Tour Begins 5/20
Posted on: May 17, 2010
Let the Brotherly love flow as the Seeds of Light Tour Kicks off at the Electric Factory in Philadelphia on May 20. From there it's off to Glen Allen, VA, Montclair, NJ and Ashburn, VA. After a couple days off cruising up I-95 its on to Providence, RI and Tarrytown, NY before a two night stand at the Hampton Beach Casino in NH followed by a stop at the Mighty High Mountain Fest in Tuxedo, NY with From Good Homes, NRPS and more... Rolling on from there its onward to Stamford, CT before stops in Brooklyn and Westbury, NY and a tour finale at Mountain Jam with Govt. Mule, Levon Helm & Friends, Allison Krauss and many many more!
Our friend Jeff Mattson will be joining us on lead guitar for this run and for the rest of the summer. We are happy to have him on board and cant wait to get the music rolling!
Check out our Tour Dates Page for complete details.
Mountain Jamming And Happy Birthday Levon
Posted on: April 15, 2010
Dark Star is excited to return to NY again this summer for Mountain Jam 6. This year will feature a very special show celebrating the 70th birthday of legendary drummer Levon Helm. He will celebrate his 70th Birthday by closing Mountain Jam on Sunday, June 6th with a little help from a few well-known friends. The special Levon Helm & Friends set will feature Donald Fagen, Ray Lamontagne, Steve Earle, Patterson & David Hood & Jackie Greene plus many other performers already on the bill for the festival including host, Warren Haynes. Other acts on the lineup include: Gov't Mule (2 Nights), Alison Krauss and Union Station (featuring Jerry Douglas), Michael Franti & Spearhead, Derek Trucks & Susan Tedeschi Band, The Avett Brothers and many more!
Hope to see you for the Jam on the Mountain!
New Downloads Abound...Spring Tour Coming Soon
Posted on: April 01, 2010
Our recent tour with Jeff Mattson filling in on guitar has yielded a great amount of new releases for our DSO On Demand series. Many of these shows (2/3/10,2/4/10,2/5/10,2/8/10 and 2/10/10) are from the Dead's legendary Europe 72 shows and have never been performed by DSO. There are also 2 special shows with guests (2/6/10 w. Allie Kral of Cornmeal & Donna Jean and 2/20/10 w. Tom Constanten). Both shows allow the band to stretch their normal boundaries with some great friends joining in the fun.
Visit our DSO On Demand Page to check them out as some are available now and others will be live for download in the next few days. While your there check back into the archives for a hidden gem from DSO's past.
Our 'One Way Or Another Tour' will kick off next week at The BellyUp in Aspen, CO. Check out our Tour Dates Page for the full tour details.
Hope to see you on the road!