Steve Kimock

Guitarist Steve Kimock is celebrate 25 years of Steve Kimock & Friends with a mini fall tour of the Northeast this month.

The bubbling stream of songwriting and recording creativity that began for Steve Kimock with Last Danger of Frost and progressed through sessions with John Morgan Kimock and Leslie Mendelson on Satellite City shows no signs of quitting.  Next up is a single called “While We Wait”— a sumptuous, elegant, romantic instrumental, beautiful as only KIMOCK (Steve on lap steel, guitar, and (!) piano, Spencer Murphy on bass, John Morgan Kimock on drums, kalimba, piano, and synthesizers) can make it.  Written by Steve and produced by John

Thirty-five years ago, having met when Steve Kimock auditioned for former Grateful Dead members Keith and Donna Jean Godchaux’s Heart of Gold Band (which already had Greg Anton as its drummer), Greg and Steve recorded an album, Greg on drums and piano, Steve on guitars and bass.  Then they started a band to play the music.

Attendees gathered gracefully for the 7th Annual ARISE Music Festival at Sunrise Ranch in Loveland, Colorado to set intentions, relish in world-renowned teaching, and dance their hearts away to some of the best national musical acts and pioneers in our beloved music scene. With over 450 programmed acts, Arise Festival covered a lot of ground in bringing top-notch entertainment and education to their guests.

Heart. That is what goes into music throughout the world. With a little heart, dedication, and time a song is born. Pappy, gave the nod to his longtime friend, John Morgan Kimock, to produce his tracks “Dig A Hole In The Meadow”. Usually found behind “the kit” with Mike Gordon, Oteil Burbridge or with his father, Steve Kimock, the veteran drummer, was eager to put on the producer hat for this track. Pappy was driving around Dunmore, PA when out of nowhere he saw the neck of what looked like a guitar sticking out of a garbage can. To his disbelief, it was a banjo!

Unlimited Devotion, the two-day musical throwdown held annually at the Ardmore Music Hall, in Ardmore, PA, returned this past weekend, and this year’s lineup may have been the best it’s ever pulled together. The weekend always acts in large part as a tribute to the music of The Grateful Dead, and this year offered a full performance of a Dead album each night—Workingman’s Dead on night one, and American Beauty on night two.

Steve Kimock, guitar wizard and the man Jorma Kaukonen labeled one of the best guitarists alive, first came to notice with Zero, the legendary Marin County jam band from the ‘80s.  Then came the post-Grateful Dead Furthur tours in the ‘90s, and he currently leads Voodoo Dead among other combinations.  But for a good long while—25 years!—Steve Kimock & Friends has been his primary outlet.  It’s a hell of a band, and in September they’re going to take a short jaunt around the Northeast to celebrate. 

Voodoo Dead continued their tradition of playing late night shows during the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival, with a two-night run at Republic NOLA on Saturday, May 4th and Sunday, May 5th. Special guest Brandon "Taz” Niederauer joined the all-star band on guitar Saturday as fans enjoyed a rockin’ two-set show that kept the music going well into Sunday morning.

What an honor and a pleasure to host the great Debashish Bhattacharya, pioneer and master of Indian slide guitar.  

Friends of the Devil’s Lettuce brought a full house to Ardmore Hall in Ardmore, Pa last Saturday night to celebrate the cannabis-themed holiday on April 20th. Delicious CBD treats were purveyed inside the venue, which was exciting to see, and was well received by the attendees.