Joe Russo Guests With Japanese Grateful Dead Tribute Act

Furthur/Bustle/Duo drummer Joe Russo headed to Japan over the weekend for a pair of gigs with Shpongle in Tokyo on Friday and Saturday night. On Sunday the drummer teamed up with Japan’s premier Grateful Dead tribute act, Warlocks Of Toyko, at the Lown bar in Setagaya-Ku.

After Russo finished his gigs with Shpongle, he sent out a tweet looking for a gig on Sunday:

So I think I need to do a gig tomorrow night here in Tokyo. Any chance does anyone know any players, maybe bass n piano I cld improv with?

— Joe Russo (@Joeyrusso) June 28, 2014

The drummer was informed about Dead Night at Lown and wound up sitting in for a portion of Warlocks Of Tokyo’s performance that included takes on “Johnny B. Goode,” “Cassidy” and “Bertha.” While “Cassidy” and “Johnny B. Goode” were sung in English, “Bertha” featured Japanese lyrics. Watch video of Russo’s guest appearance thanks to osugi65: