Pittsfield — In the dead of winter, no activity is better at reducing cabin fever than engaging in a long, loud, meandering rock jam with old friends. No one knows this better than Rev Tor’s all-star collective Dead Man’s Waltz (DMW), which, along with a raft of distinguished guests, will appear at the Colonial Theatre on February 3 at 7:30 p.m. for their annual dead-of-winter jam.
The practice of mid-winter jamming is timeless. Before the Grateful Dead pioneered the jam band movement in the mid-1960s, musicians in ancient Greece played instruments improvisationally, creating music on the spot rather than adhering strictly to written compositions.
The 1960s and ’70s gave us, in addition to The Grateful Dead, jam bands like the Allman Brothers, The Band, Cream, Pink Floyd, and even proto-metal bands like Led Zeppelin, who in concert performances were always a heartbeat away from a blues jam. But it was the Dead and the Allmans who left the biggest mark as inveterate jammers by featuring extended improvisations in their live shows. DMW puts its own spin on songs by its favorite bands while staying true to the spirit of the music as exemplified by the 1973 Summer Jam Music Festival in Watkin’s Glenn, N.Y., where the three bands performed together. Although jam bands are notorious for playing without set lists, DMW is known for its distinctive arrangements of such popular standards as “Jessica,” “Going Down The Road Feeling Bad,” “Don’t Do It,” “Up On Cripple Creek,” “They Love Each Other,” and “Midnight Rider.”
DMW is one of a new generation of bands who, starting in the early 1990s, found inspiration in the Grateful Dead’s improvisational ethos and began covering the group’s tunes in their live shows. Other bands on the “jam scene” include Phish, The String Cheese Incident, Widespread Panic, Blues Traveler, Moe, and the Disco Biscuits.
DMW’s lineup is:
- “Rev” Tor Krautter (Rev Tor Band) — guitar and vocals
- Tom Major (Entrain) — drums
- Andrew Costa (Stone Revival Band) — keyboards
- Jeremy Walz (Soul Sky) — guitar and vocals
- Jeff Prescott (Rasinhead) — drums and vocals
- Brian O’Connell (Uncle Sammy, Gordon Stone Band) — bass and vocals
Yes, DMW has two drummers, and those in the know insist upon it, because it is in keeping with lineups of The Grateful Dead, Allman Brothers, and later lineups of The Band.
Special guests on February 3 will include:
- Mark Mercier (Max Creek)
- Michael Butler (Bearly Dead)
- Force (The Alchemystics)
- Wanda Houston (The Rejuvenators)
- Mike Wood (Rebel Alliance)
See Rev Tor’s Annual Dead of Winter Jam at the Colonial Theatre, 111 South Street, Pittsfield, on Saturday, February 3, at 7:30 p.m. Advance tickets are $25, and day-of-show tickets are $35. For more information, visit the Berkshire Theatre Group website or call (413) 997-4444.
