Joe Russo’s Almost Dead will kick off three sold-out nights at The Brooklyn Bowl on Thursday, March 24 for Freaks Ball XVI. This constitutes the band’s fourth run of shows at the venue where the world first heard former Furthur drummer Russo lead a new cast of characters through two raging sets of Dead tunes back in January 2013. Tom Hamilton (American Babies), Marco Benevento (The Benevento/Russo Duo), Scott Metzger (WOLF!) and Dave Dreiwitz (Ween) complete the quintet.
JRAD is a band that is as unpredictable as it is unforgettable. The band’s Facebook profile contains the deceptively simple proclamation, “We’re a Grateful Dead cover band.” Anyone who has seen them or even heard a recording knows that their true nature is that of a daring group of close collaborators who project their musical friendship onto the Grateful Dead songbook in a way that no other band has. Their carefully crafted setlists defy expectations about how the songs can be interpreted and linked. As the frequency of their appearances in the live music world has increased over the past two years, JRAD has consistently delivered fresh, stellar performances of this music that means so much to so many people.
These Brooklyn gigs are sure to be precious as JRAD performances become somewhat more rare going forward in 2016. All five band members are incredibly busy with diverse projects, and as Russo has revealed in a recent interview, he will be taking extra time off mid-year when his first child arrives. Those with tickets will be privileged to see Joe Russo’s Almost Dead lay it down at The Brooklyn Bowl this weekend.
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