The Rhythm Devils have confirmed a string of dates this fall at theaters across
the country. The new super-group which features Mickey Hart & Bill Kreutzmann
of The Grateful Dead, Mike Gordon of Phish, and the ubiquitous Steve Kimock
first came together this past spring in New York City. After a mini-tour in
August that included The Gathering of the Vibes Festival, The Rhythm Devils
are poised to return to the road this October leading up to The Vegoose Music
Festival. The October dates will also feature vocal sensation Goapele and talking
drum master Sikiru Adepoju.
In August, the band debuted new original material penned by Grateful Dead lyricist
Robert Hunter including Fountains of Wood, The Center, and Who Do You Think
You Are. The group also dipped into the Grateful Dead songbook highlighted by
The Other One, Sugaree, and Comes A Time. In the spirit of collaboration, The
Rhythm Devils have welcomed many special guests at their recent appearances
including Bob Weir, Charlie Musselwhite, Babba Maal, Angelique Kidjo, Stephen
Perkins, and the legendary Walter Cronkite.
Hart & Kreutzmann's remarkable cohesion, synchronicity, and driving power
became a hallmark of the Grateful Dead's sound for over thirty years, earning
them the nickname The Rhythm Devils. The percussive duo's sole release was The
'Apocalypse Now Sessions' for which they were recruited by director Francis
Ford Coppola to bring together the myriad sounds and "colors" for
the legendary film.
Both have kept busy over the years participating in numerous projects from
the Grammy winning percussive super-group Planet Drum which brought Mickey together
with Zakir Hussain and many of the world's best drummers, to the one-off power
trio SerialPod in which Kreutzmann collaborated with Trey Anastasio and Mike
Gordon. Steve Kimock appeared in both The Other Ones and Zero while Mike Gordon
has clocked in the better part of the past twenty years with Phish. This marks
the first time that Hart, Kreutzmann, Gordon, and Kimock have toured together
as an ensemble.
One of the R& B world’s freshest commodities Goapele, will also be
joining the Rhythm Devils for their extended October run. Goapele has released
two critically acclaimed albums via Sony/Columbia and is ready to expose her
wonderful talent to a new audience. Sikiru Adepoju has collaborated with Mickey
Hart in past incarnations of Planet Drum. Sikiru is known as one of the most
accomplished Talking Drum players in the world and brings his uncanny sensibilities
to the Rhythm Devils mix.