Two beloved products of the Brooklyn music scene, drummer extraordinaire Joe Russo (Joe Russo’s Almost Dead) and boundary-pushing guitarist Dave Harrington (formerly of DARKSIDE), have announced a string of intimate duo performances in New York this weekend.
First, on Friday and Saturday night, Dave Harrington/Joe Russo Duo will head to East Village jazz haunt Nublu where they will play two separate sets per night at 11 p.m. and 1 a.m., respectively. Then, on Sunday, the duo will head up to Port Chester, New York, for a performance at Garcia’s at The Capitol Theatre.
The collaboration is sure to be an interesting one, as both artists are known for their creative musical proclivities and intrepid improvisational skills. In addition, the billing for the gigs specifically mentions “special guests,” and considering all the talented musician friends Russo and Harrington have in New York, they have surely recruited some fantastic surprise collaborators.
Russo, of course, has plenty of experience playing small duo shows in the city. He cut his teeth in the Brooklyn music scene playing intimate weekly gigs with keyboardist Marco Benevento as the Benevento/Russo Duo, organically growing the project into a nationally touring act. It will be interesting to see what different directions the music may go with a guitarist rather than a keyboardist providing the melody over Russo’s beat. But Harrington’s unique style is sure to yield some interesting results in that role, and if the Benevento/Russo Duo’s incredible performances are any indication, these are gigs you surely don’t want to miss.
The eyes of the New York jam world will be focused on Radio City Music Hall this weekend, where founding Grateful Dead members Phil Lesh and Bob Weir will perform the first two shows on their own brief “duo tour.” However, with their later start times, the Joe Russo & Dave Harrington Duo shows at Nublu look to be the perfect late-night move this weekend.
Tickets for the Friday shows at Nublu (11 p.m. and 1 a.m.) are available here. Tickets for the Saturday shows at Nublu (11 p.m. and 1 a.m.) are available here. Tickets for Sunday’s performance at Garcia’s are available here.
