Bill Kreutzmann Adds Jason Hann For Spring 1990 Revisited

What a year 2015 will be for Grateful Dead drummer Bill Kreutzmann. Not only will he perform with his Grateful Dead “core four” band mates for the last time and others including Trey Anastasio at the Fare Thee Well shows in Chicago over the Fourth of July Weekend, he’ll also issue his long-awaited memoir and will bring his Billy & The Kids ensemble on the road.

[Photo by Stewart O’Shields]

On April 20 Kreutzmann’s Billy & The Kids, which finds him joined by Disco Biscuits keyboardist Aron Magner, Tea Leaf Green bassist Reed Mathis and American Babies guitarist/vocalist Tom Hamilton to the Ogden Theatre in Denver for a show billed as “Spring 1990 Revisited.” We already knew that Big Gigantic saxophonist Dominic Lalli would be filling the shoes of Branford Marsalis for “Spring 1990 Revisited,” but now comes word that The String Cheese Incident’s Jason Hann will perform with Billy & The Kids in Denver as well.

Kreutzmann discussed the show’s theme in a just-released statement. “After the Spring ’90 box set came out on Rhino, I found myself listening to the whole thing…a lot,” Billy said. “We were playing at such an optimum level and the ‘drums -> space’ segments from that tour are just so far out there, it really gets me excited.” The statement also reveals that Jason Hann was brought on board, “so they could do a drums segment that was as modern and forward thinking as the original ‘drums’ portion was back in its day.”

Meanwhile, tickets for Billy & The Kids’ Europe Seventy 2.0 show at The Capitol Theatre in Port Chester, New York featuring special guest Robert Randolph went on sale today. Kreutzmann’s memoir, Deal: My Three Decades of Drumming, Dreams and Drugs with The Grateful Dead is due out on May 5.

Here’s more information on the book from the press release:

in his upcoming memoir DEAL: My Three Decades of Drumming, Dreams, and Drugs with the Grateful Dead (St. Martin’s Press; on-sale May 5, 2015; $27.99), Bill Kreutzmann –a founding member and drummer for every one of their over 2,300 concerts-has written an unflinching and wild account of playing in the greatest improvisational band of all time. Everything a rock music fan would expect is here, but what sets this apart is Kreutzmann’s incredible life of adventure that was at the heart of the Grateful Dead experience. This was a band that knew no limits and he lived life to the fullest, pushing the boundaries of drugs, drums and high times, through devastating tragedy and remarkable triumph.

But DEAL’s beating heart is the music –both that of the Grateful Dead, who are celebrating their 50th anniversary this year, as well as their influences and contemporaries. Some of the greatest musicians and concerts were a part of the Grateful Dead’s career, from sharing the stage with Janis Joplin, Bob Dylan and The Who, to playing in the Acid Tests, The Monterey Pop Festival, Woodstock and Altamont. Kreutzmann’s life is a chronicle of American music and pop culture history and his epic personal journey is one of sonic discovery and thrilling experiences.

A rare insider’s account into the life and legacy of one of America’s most influential and beloved bands, DEAL delivers a tale of sex, drugs and rock ‘n’ roll that’s as outrageous as it is legendary.