Whether he’s behind the kit or not, Joe Russo never stops. The human octopus of the jam community currently leads the pre-eminent Grateful Dead cover band Joe Russo’s Almost Dead, but his extensive resume includes work with everyone from experimentalist Dave Harrington to psychedelic EDM performance artist Shpongle. Now, Joe Russo is adding another notch to his belt with the announcement of a new improvisational project, “This Is Gonna Be A Blast”.
Russo unveiled the endeavor on social media this week, though offered few details. What we do know is that the first volume of the presumably rotating series will include frequent collaborators Marco Benevento (JRAD, Benevento/Russo Duo) and Andrew and Brad Barr (The Slip). Together, this troupe will perform two nights of improvisation at The Sultan Room in Brooklyn on October 5th and 6th. And that’s about all we know, and tickets for both Joe Russo “This Is Gonna Be A Blast” shows are on sale here.
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This news comes several months after Russo’s revelation of another new project, Selcouth Quartet. The band, which also features Stuart Bogie on saxophone, flute, clarinet, and keys, Jon Shaw on acoustic and electric basses, and Jonathan Goldberger on acoustic and electric guitars, also debuted at The Sultan Room back in June. The band has released one single, “100 Words For Wind“, and plans to drop a self-titled debut album in the fall.
On the JRAD front, the band recently staged a rare full acoustic performance in Atlantic City. The show at the Music Box at The Borgata kicked off a Northeast run through Boston and Vermont where the group delivered nightly tributes to The Band‘s late guitarist/songwriter Robbie Robertson. Joe Russo’s Almost Dead is off until September when the band resurfaces for a run through the Midwest. For tickets and a full list of tour dates visit JRAD’s website.