28 Photos
Dark Star Orchestra in front of a packed house. DAVE DECRESCENTE
Dark Star Orchestra performing. DAVE DECRESCENTE
Dark Star Orchestra performing on stage. DAVE DECRESCENTE
Dark Star Orchestra performing on stage. DAVE DECRESCENTE
Dark Star Orchestra performing on stage. DAVE DECRESCENTE
Dark Star Orchestra performing on stage. DAVE DECRESCENTE
Dark Star Orchestra performing on stage. DAVE DECRESCENTE
Dark Star Orchestra live at the Count Basie Theater, Red Bank, New Jersey. © SUZY PERLER
Dark Star Orchestra performing at Mission Ballroom in Denver, Colorado. COURTESY THE ARTISTS
Dark Star Orchestra performing at Mission Ballroom in Denver, Colorado. COURTESY THE ARTISTS
Dark Star Orchestra performing at Mission Ballroom in Denver, Colorado. COURTESY THE ARTISTS
Dark Star Orchestra performing at Mission Ballroom in Denver, Colorado. COURTESY THE ARTISTS
Dark Star Orchestra performing at Mission Ballroom in Denver, Colorado. COURTESY THE ARTISTS
Dark Star Orchestra performing at Mission Ballroom in Denver, Colorado. COURTESY THE ARTISTS
Dark Star Orchestra performing at Mission Ballroom in Denver, Colorado. COURTESY THE ARTISTS
Dark Star Orchestra performing at Mission Ballroom in Denver, Colorado. COURTESY THE ARTISTS
Dark Star Orchestra performing at Mission Ballroom in Denver, Colorado. COURTESY THE ARTISTS
Dark Star Orchestra performing at Mission Ballroom in Denver, Colorado. COURTESY THE ARTISTS
Dark Star Orchestra performing at Mission Ballroom in Denver, Colorado. COURTESY THE ARTISTS
Dark Star Orchestra performing at Mission Ballroom in Denver, Colorado. COURTESY THE ARTISTS
Dark Star Orchestra performing at The Anthem, Washington, D.C. COURTESY THE ARTISTS
Dark Star Orchestra performing at The Anthem, Washington, D.C. COURTESY THE ARTISTS
Dark Star Orchestra performing at The Anthem, Washington, D.C. COURTESY THE ARTISTS
Dark Star Orchestra performing at The Anthem, Washington, D.C. COURTESY THE ARTISTS
Dark Star Orchestra performing at The Anthem, Washington, D.C. COURTESY THE ARTISTS
Dark Star Orchestra performing at The Anthem, Washington, D.C. COURTESY THE ARTISTS
Dark Star Orchestra performing at The Anthem, Washington, D.C. COURTESY THE ARTISTS
Dark Star Orchestra performing at The Anthem, Washington, D.C. COURTESY THE ARTISTS
To call Dark Star Orchestra (DSO) a Grateful Dead cover band would not quite do the band justice. True, the members of DSO select specific shows and play the setlists exactly, going so far as to recreate sets and sometimes even use instruments that were used on the evenings of the original Grateful Dead show, a lifetime ago. But one of the things that makes the Grateful Dead so essential to the history of music is how they took the improvisational quality of jazz and brought it to rock and roll.
That fact — utilizing improvisation — means that no two shows can ever be the same. These musicians are in no way memorizing something that was done before. While each song may be mapped out, the solos end up taking on lives of their own, just like they did with the original musicians.
“I think the reason these songs are so timeless is because of the improvisation,” said Jeff Mattson, lead guitarist for DSO. “It allows you to be totally present in the moment, even if these songs have been played so many times before. And also the lyrics — they aren’t too specific but can apply to so many moments.”
Mattson, a native New Yorker, has been playing Grateful Dead songs for decades, and he remembers a time when, on any given night, you could find multiple Dead cover bands playing across Long Island. His bandmate, Rob Barraco, who plays keys and sings, has also been keeping the music of the Grateful Dead alive for most of his life. And as they gear up to come to East Hampton to perform at The Clubhouse on August 14, they are tapping into deep roots in the area.
Barraco started his journey into the music of the Grateful Dead with local music stalwart Klyph Black, who can be found playing The Talkhouse on the regular.
“The story of my relationship with the Grateful Dead begins with Klyph,” said Barraco. “I was 14 years old and we were in a rock band together. Klyph started playing this song that stopped me dead in my tracks. It was ‘Casey Jones.’”
After that, the music of the Grateful Dead started seeping deeper into Barraco’s heart, until one day, years later, he was watching the band play live in New York City.
“It was the last show before they went off and performed Europe ’72,” he said. “I got to see the best iteration of that band. And I was with Klyph, and I looked at him, and said, ‘This is what I want to do. Play this music.’”
Dark Star Orchestra has performed more than 3,000 shows over more than 20 years, and they’ve traveled the world doing it.
“DSO is the best at what they do,” Black said when asked about his old friends coming to town. Black, Barraco, and Mattson were all in The Zen Tricksters together, touring for many years. “Both of them are phenomenal musicians,” Black added.
As fans of the Grateful Dead and skilled musicians in their own right, both Barraco and Mattson have played with most of the members of the original band, touring with The Dead, The Other Ones, and Phil & Friends. Barraco even had the opportunity to collaborate with legendary Grateful Dead lyricist Robert Hunter on an album, which he called “When We All Come Home.” Barraco had written the music, but Hunter came in with lyrics that stunned him.
“I got so choked up because every line worked so perfectly,” Barraco recalled. “He captured the melody and the essence of what my music was. I regard Hunter as one of the greatest lyricists in world history.”
Even though Dark Star Orchestra has performed all over the world, and has had a strong presence on Long Island, headlining the Great South Bay Music Festival or playing in Huntington and other points west, they haven’t made it to the East End until now, and the community is hungry for it.
Carla Gargano, Sag Harbor resident and lifelong Deadhead, remembers seeing the local Grateful Dead fanbase come out back in 2015, when the remaining members of the Grateful Dead announced a reunion tour.
“When the Fare Thee Well tour came to fruition,” said Gargano, “I went to the Sag Harbor Post Office and saw a line of Deadheads. I was blown away … But Long Island is filled with Deadheads, and we’re groovy.”
The members of Dark Star Orchestra are inherently some of the greatest Deadheads there are, devoting their lives and their time to this massive songbook.
“For me, it’s always been about the journey,” said Barraco. “The songs themselves, and the lives we lead. We take each other on a journey every night, and we get to take the audience, too.”
Dark Star Orchestra will take over The Clubhouse Hamptons, 174 Daniel’s Hole Road, East Hampton, on Sunday, August 14. Doors open at 6 p.m. with the concert at 7 p.m. Tickets are $100 in advance, $125 on the day of the show. Concert goers who intend to park on site must purchase an additional $30 parking pass. For tickets and information, visit clubhousehamptons.com/events.
