AMBIENT MUSIC Productions . Uncle John's Band was formed in 1989 in Clearwater Florida by a group of talented musicians who love to play the music of the Grateful Dead. Check us out at unclejohnsband.com
/ ujbmusic
Band Members:
Michael Bortz - Drums / Vocals
Dan DeGregory - Drums / Vocals
Michael Edwards - Bass / Vocals
John Zias - Lead Guitar / Vocals
Casey Otto - Keyboards
Rich Whiteley - Rhythm Guitar / Vocals
UJB has played thousands of hours of Grateful Dead music from Chicago to Key West, but mostly centered around their home base of Tampa Bay Florida. Their weekly shows at Tampa's legendary Skippers Smokehouse created a Thursday night "church" for the deadicated for 23 years.
The band has also enjoyed many appearances on the Florida music festival circuit (Gasparilla Music Festival, Magnolia Fest, Magnolia Ball, Orange Blossom Jamboree, Home Team Rally, Daytona Summer Concert Series, to name a few) but thrives on stretching out on 2 or 3 extended sets during a typical evening show.
Formed in 1989, Uncle John's Band is the longest running Grateful Dead tribute band on the west coast of Florida.
Formed in 1989 in Clearwater FL, Uncle John's Band has kept the Grateful Dead fire aglow in the Southeast for nearly three decades. With three generations of fans spread across the U.S., UJB has provided thousands of deadheads with their weekly dose of authentic live Dead music. Returning visitors to Tampa Bay join locals at the legendary Skippers Smokehouse for UJB’s weekly house gig, now running for over almost 1000 Thursdays, and frequently streamed around the world via Livestream. In its 20-year residency at Skippers, UJB has shared the stage with notable guests including Grateful Dead alums & related artists John Kadlecik, Tom Constanten, Vince Welnick, Merle Saunders, Melvin Seals, David Gans, and New Riders of the Purple Sage. Other noted guest sit-ins include Jeff Mosier and Jake Shimabukuro.
With this much history and community, it makes sense that Uncle John's Band was invited to play for a VIP party at Chicago's Field Museum each afternoon of the Grateful Dead's 3-day 'Fare Thee Well' run at Soldier Field in 2015. In addition to regular appearances on the Florida festival circuit, UJB's reputation for excellence has allowed the band to maintain a consistent year-round schedule at many of Tampa Bay's favorite venues.
In a world overflowing with Grateful Dead inspired tribute bands, it is rare to find one that consistently captures the essence and groove of the Dead’s engine firing on all cylinders. It requires the right combination of gritty improvisational-minded musicians with a wide palette of individual influences. It requires channeling the Dead’s unique sounds and styles, while avoiding the suffocation of mimicry. Finally, time is of the essence, lots of it. There are no shortcuts to developing the mind-meld that allows six musicians to communicate improvisationally and naturally through the Dead’s large and stylistically diverse repertoire.
18 сен 2024
