The Other Ones

The roots of The Other Ones go back, in fact, to a day in 1964 when Ron “Pigpen” McKernan talked Jerry Garcia into starting an electric blues band, but we’ll pass over the next few years. In the aftermath of Jerry Garcia’s death in 1995, Dead members Bob Weir and Mickey Hart joined their now-separate bands “Ratdog” and “Mystery Box” together with Bruce Hornsby, Los Lobos, and Hot Tuna to creat the first Further Festival (“Further” was the destination shown on Ken Kesey and the Merry Prankster’s bus during their 1964 journey across America, and event dear to the hearts of all Dead Heads. The bus is memorialized in the Dead song “The Other One,” and thus is the source of the name of this year’s band). The Further Festival toured the U. S. in 1996.

They went out again in 1997, but late that year, Bobby and Bruce spoke with Phil Lesh about playing again. One thing led to another, and this summer of 1998 will see The Other Ones tour the U. S., featuring:

Mickey Hart: vocals, drums, and percussion, specifically “R.A.M.U.” (Random Access Musical Universe), a unique percussion instrument that is a blend of acoustic drums and electronic drum pads. Hart joined the Grateful Dead in 1967, and has also written Drumming at the Edge of Magic and Planet Drum. He is the producer of the “World” series at Rykodisc, and the leader of the percussion ensemble “Planet Drum.”

Bruce Hornsby: vocals and keyboards. In 1987 Hornsby and his thenband “The Range” opened for the Dead near Monterey, and his relationship with the Dead progressed from there. Impressed with his music, Garcia set in on several of Hornsby’s albums, and when the Dead sought assistance in the keyboard realm in 1990, Hornsby ended up being a “permanent part-time” member of the band for the next two years.

Phil Lesh: bass, vocals. Lesh joined his friend Jerry Garcia’s new band “The Warlocks” as bassist in 1965, after playing violin and trumpet in the classical and jazz genres. He studied avant garde composition with Luciano Berio at Mills College, and is presently at work on “Keys to the Rain,” a composition using various Dead songs as elements.

Bob Weir: rhythm guitar, vocals. Weir was a founding member of the Dead after a background in folk music, and has also had a distinguished parallel career with solo albums like Ace and Heaven Help the Fool, side bands like Bobby and the Midnites, and currently Ratdog, and a duo project with Rob Wasserman.

And their friends:

Dave Ellis: reeds, vocals. Ellis is a graduate of Berkeley High School and the Berklee School of Music. He is one of the founders of the Charlie Hunter Trio/Quartet, and a leading light in the Bay Area Jazz scene. His Monarch Records album “Raven” has garnered him excellent reviews and won him the 1996 Bay Area Music Awards as “Best Jazz Album.” He is a member of Ratdog.

Mark Karen: Guitar. Karan was born in San Francisco and spent 18 years in Marin County, playing with Dave Mason, Paul Carrack, Huey Lewis, and the legendary Alex Call (“Clover”). Recently he landed in Los Angeles, where he has played with Sophie B. Hawkins and The Rembrandts.

Steve Kimock: guitar. Kimock first came into the Dead’s orbit in 1980, when he joined with Keith and Donna Godchaux in “The Heart of Gold Band.” After Keith’s death, he and Greg Anton fromed “Zero,” still a popular Bay area ensemble.

John Molo: drums. John has kept the beat for Bruce Hornsby since 1978, when they were in college together. A Grammy Award winner as a member of the Range, he was also nominated for his work with Asleep at the Wheel. He has recorded with Branfor Marsalis and teaches and produces in Los Angeles. His current original projects include the improvisational groups “Saul Goode,” and “Soul Basketball.”