Unlimited Devotion: 3 Golden Days Of Grateful Dead Celebration At Ardmore Music Hall

On Friday, May 31, an eclectic and formidable group of jam band heavyweights converged on Ardmore, Pennsylvania to kick off the seventh annual Unlimited Devotion celebration. Since 2016, a group of local music professionals, philanthropists, and internationally beloved musicians have hosted a night or two – or in this year’s case, three – of Grateful Dead-related music at the Ardmore Music Hall, whose walls were adorned with the epic poster collection that co-organizer Scott Shapiro has cultivated over 40 years as a Deadhead.

The event benefits the Rex Foundation, a Dead family-founded philanthropic organization established in 1983, and Camp Winnarainbow, founded in 1975 by Wavy Gravy and his wife. Wavy’s family is part of the Unlimited Devotion origin story; he has participated in each year’s jubilee, which is always scheduled on or around his birthday. Each year, the funds raised at this event represent the largest contribution to the Rex Foundation from an independently-promoted fundraiser. Over the years, Unlimited Devotion has raised a total of $140K for the Rex Foundation.

Chris Perella, Managing Partner at AMH and co-organizer of the event, introduced the sold-out crowd to the first set of music, where The Disco Biscuits‘ bassist Marc Brownstein and keyboardist Aron Magner, joined by Magner’s Billy & The Kids bandmate, guitarist/bassist Reed Mathis, as well as drummer John Morgan Kimock presented a set of, as Mathis put it, “improvising/Bob Dylan.” (Guitarist Steve Kimock had been scheduled to lead the group but took ill and was unable to attend).

This set represented the first time Mathis and Brownstein had played together over nearly 20 years of friendship, likely because both typically play bass. Still, this set and much of the weekend found Mathis expertly manning a D’Angelico semi-hollow body guitar, something he’s been doing a lot over the last five or so years. (These sorts of “firsts” are just one of the many things that make Unlimited Devotion special.) The quartet built the set around Bob Dylan’s music, which served as fertile ground for the Dead, culminating in their legendary late 1980s collaboration and tour with Dylan.

“This was a first attempt at performing this massive project I did of using Dylan songs as platforms for full-on group improvisation, using the various games and methods I’ve spent my life developing, first in Jacob Fred Jazz Odyssey, and then later in Electric Beethoven,” Mathis said.

Mathis has recorded an album of these tunes and plans to release it in the fall, along with an Osiris Media podcast and accompanying tour with his new group, In the Now.

The quartet started with a vibey jam that crested and fell over five or so minutes before leading into an upbeat and bouncy half-time version of “Queen Jane Approximately.” Mathis improvised at the top before singing the first verse and chorus. As the group let the song breathe, Magner took a synth lead, working with the group to build into a groove that they built further to a rock ‘n’ roll crest. They headed into a darker, pulsing jam, then rocked out a bit before commencing the triplet-y “Isis.” Their slower take on “A Simple Twist Of Fate” included Magner and Mathis trading Thelonious Monk licks, a reminder that these guys are fluent in a wide variety of music and really know their shit. The group presented a funky “It’s Alright, Ma (I’m Only Bleeding),” finding Mathis leading a jam where the group locked in tight, and closed with a steady “Visions Of Johanna,” featuring funky synths and clavinet from Magner.

Perella addressed the crowd before the second set, thanking individual sponsors, including Shapiro, Richard Genter, and Rob Rush, as well as corporate sponsors, nugs.net, SweetWater Brewing, and a variety of local businesses. He shared a quote from the recently departed longtime Deadhead, Bill Walton, and introduced Shapiro, who thanked the crowd and presented a video message of love and gratitude from Wavy Gravy, celebrating his 88th birthday. From there, John Kadlecik led an impressive group of musicians through a set of “Campfire Classics” that surely have been played countless times in parking lots over the years.

Kimock, Mathis (back on bass), and Everyone Orchestra’s Matt Butler comprised the rhythm section, with Holly Bowling on keyboards and Robert Randolph on pedal steel guitar. They began with a spacey jam that transitioned to Doom Flamingo’s Kanika Moore leading the group through “Get Together,” written by Chet Powers (a.k.a. Dino Valentini) of Quicksilver Messenger Service and popularized by Youngbloods. The feelgood set included Dead classics “Friend Of The Devil” and “Ripple,” along with covers of songs by Bob Dylan, Linda Ronstadt, CSNY, Pink Floyd, and Little Feat. They also played lesser-known songs from The Original Castle (“One Tin Soldier”) and Schoolhouse Rock (“The Preamble”). (In 2021, Kadlecik tweeted, “I still think the Schoolhouse Rock musical version of the Preamble to the US Constitution would be a fine national anthem.”)

The band delivered a rousing rendition of the Buffalo Springfield classic, “For What It’s Worth,” with tasteful shredding from Randolph and lead work from Mathis that sounded like he was daring the band to play “Ramble On.” They eased the crowd down with The Beatles’ “I’ve Just Seen a Face,” trading fours as Kadlecik alternated between acoustic and electric tones on his Alembic guitar, followed by a mellow take on John Lennon’s “Imagine,” which included the emotional high points of the set: Randolph’s playing as if he was singing lead, followed immediately by a devastating high note by Moore. The guitarists’ differing styles proved complementary in this setting, and Bowling played both lead and supporting roles with her organic work on keys. They closed with a classic cover, J.J. Cale’s “After Midnight,” with Kimock taking the band into double time, keeping pace with Randolph’s lead work.

Just before 11:30 p.m., the “West Philly Fadeaway” set kicked off, featuring Magner, Kadlecik, Brownstein, Butler, and Lotus drummer Mike Greenfield bringing a more traditional set of Dead covers. Kadlecik led the band through a typical “Bertha” and a slinkier-than-usual version of “Althea.” Moore returned to the stage to take the band through a funky, mid-tempo “Sugaree,” with Magner’s warbly, perfectly-in-time synth work taking the jam in a slightly spacier direction that Kadlecik preserved through his leads later in the jam. As Moore left the stage, Kadlecik led the band through “Eyes Of The World,” where Magner introduced electric pan flute-like tones and playfully traded licks with Kadlecik. This led to a brief Latin-feeling jam perfectly bolstered by Kimock, Butler, and Brownie, as well as synchronized arpeggio work with Magner, evocative of Trey Anastasio and Page McConnell’s respective work on Phish’s “Bouncin’ Around the Room.” The music ran the stylistic gamut as the group played through Dead and Jerry Garcia classics, featuring jams that at times were noodly, introspective, and downright evil, with some soaring synth guitar tastefully sprinkled in. They closed with “I Know You Rider” and ended around 1 a.m.

Night two began around 7:45 p.m. with Perella introducing The Wavy Gravy All Stars, featuring Night One players Magner and Butler (drums), along with Unlimited Devotion veteran Jason Fraticelli on upright bass, Cris Jacobs on guitar and vocals, Anders Osborne on guitar and vocals, and the great Kenny Brooks on saxophone. (moe. guitarist Al Schnier was unable to join the group, as had been planned, due to extenuating moe family circumstances that also led to the band having to cancel scheduled performances at the Solshine Reverie festival over Memorial Day Weekend, and the Northlands Music & Arts Festival in June.)

The five-piece opened with “They Love Each Other,” with Osborne singing and Magner and Brooks taking solos. The next tune, “Dancin’ In The Streets,” got the crowd dancing, with Magner sharing vocal duties with Moore and taking a solo invoking “Chank” from A Go Go, John Scofield’s iconic 1998 collaboration with Medeski, Martin & Wood. Osborne locked in and rocked the band forward, eliciting cheers from the audience, eventually leading into “Lay Down Sally,” with Moore providing vocal harmonies during the chorus. She departed the stage as the band veered into a jam that found Osborne and Jacobs trading licks on their respective Les Paul and ‘Strat, moving into a bouncy and soulful “Peggy-O,” the first Jacobs-led song of the night that featured beautiful lead work from Brooks’ sax, Magner’s piano, and Jacobs’ guitar, as he and Magner locked in with one another. It was interesting to hear this band’s takes on tunes that you might expect to hear either very sped up or very slowed down, depending on which touring Dead-adjacent group is playing.

The band slowly eased into “Ship Of Fools,” with Moore returning to the stage to provide captivating lead vocals, supported by Jacobs’ vocal harmonies; this was the first of their collaborations during the night. Osborne led a shuffling cover of “Cocaine Blues,” before moving into one of the highlights of the set, a Jacobs-led “Terrapin Station,” with a luxurious jam that left both the audience and the band smiling from ear to ear.

Moore returned to the stage for set closer “Sitting In Limbo,” an endearing duet with Jacobs and one of the highlights of the night, both for the crowd and for Moore, who shared with JamBase how Jacobs’ subbing in for Schnier at the last minute served as an insightful demonstration into the power of this community. Moore and Jacobs exuded charming male/female country duo vibes, calling to mind the legendary duets and chemistry between the likes of Tammy Wynette and George Jones or Johnny and June Carter Cash, along with some of the more notable modern indie analogs like 2010’s Invariable Heartache, an album of country duets between Lambchop’s Kurt Wagner and Cortney Tidwell, and Vampire Weekend’s 2019 masterpiece, Father of the Bride featuring Ezra Koenig’s duets with Danielle Haim. After an extended jam, the group closed the set, leaving everybody, both on stage and off, feeling great.

The second band of the night, billed as “Down By the Bay,” consisted of Jacobs, Mathis, Bowling, Brooks, Butler, and Moore. Jacobs led the first tune, JGB staple “Tore Up Over You,” Hank Ballard’s traditional electric blues shuffle that gave Bowling the latest of her many opportunities to remind audiences of how much her artistry has grown since its beginnings in solo piano covers a decade ago. She passed the lead to Jacobs, who bent, shook, and shredded it to Brooks, who put his take on it before the group returned to the head and finished the tune. They gradually moved into “Call Me the Breeze,” another J.J. Cale classic that Moore and Jacobs absolutely slew, lovingly and respectfully, as the band played through a variety of bouncy, often ragtime-y leads.

“Dear Prudence” was another highlight of the night, as Mathis took the band through its paces, ultimately setting the table for Moore to offer a room-shakingly powerful vocal and emotional crest before the band took a number of alternatingly ambient and cacophonous turns. The remainder of the set included some Allmans, Otis Redding, Dylan, and The Band. The latter song’s jam was another in the ever-growing list of highlights from the set, with weirdly in/out rhythms, harmonies, and lead work from Mathis, who worked with Butler to develop the perfect jumping-off point for Bowling’s soaring leads that had many in the room cheering. They wound down with another JGB mainstay, “Ain’t No Bread in the Breadbox,” before Butler thanked the crowd and the band left the stage.

To close the night, local legends Splintered Sunlight, joined by John Kimock, reminded the crowd how good of a show a devoted local Dead tribute band can deliver. (Splintered Sunlight has played AMH more than 100 times and more than 1,000 if you include past iteration Brownies 23 East, where many jam band stalwarts cut their teeth in the ‘80s and ‘90s.) Their set included fond remembrances of Bill Walton as they went into “He’s Gone,” as well as breathtakingly beautiful sax work from Brooks, perhaps in response to notes that Branford Marsalis and JRAD were creating at the same time thousands of miles away. Moore joined the band for a spirited “Piece Of My Heart” and played a convincing Janis Joplin. The band brought the night to as close as they’ve been doing for decades, one show at a time.

The Sunday show began earlier than the first two and paid dividends to those who didn’t skip it. The first band consisted of Night Two bandmates Osborne, Magner and Mathis (back on guitar), as well as newcomers, acclaimed bassist Don Was, A-list drummer Jeff Canady, and percussionist Mahindi Masai, from Don Was and The Pan-Detroit Ensemble, including legendary saxophonist Dave McMurray, an old-school jazzer who throughout the night evoked West Philadelphia legends John Coltrane and Sun Ra, as well as the generation of saxophonists they would influence, including Elliot Levin and Bobby Zankel.

The band played through many of the usual suspects, offering a bluer take on “Fire On the Mountain” and a standout Osborne-led performance of “When I Paint My Masterpiece.” The feelgood set included an Osborne-led Last Waltz-y “I Shall Be Released,” one of the emotional peaks of the set (and possibly weekend).

There are no words that can capture just what was (not was) the final of eight sets on the weekend: Don Was and the Pan-Detroit Ensemble, a band that had only been together for a week and a half, to hear Was tell it. (It didn’t show.)

“Don Was is a special man,” Magner said, “and I’m honored that I got to tap into his frequency!”

The band included Luis Resto (keyboards), Eminem’s collaborator on “Lose Yourself” and the only Oscar winner to accept an award from Barbra Streisand while dressed in a Pistons jersey, and guitarist Wayne Gerard, who played his sky-blue Tele’ like an AI-generated mashup of Robert Cray and a 14-year-old TikTok bedroom shredder.

Vocalist Steffanie Christi’an kept the audience on their feet as the band played through Was (Not Was) tunes like “I Feel Better Than James Brown” and “I Ain’t Got Nothin’ But Time” from 1997’s Forever’s a Long, Long Time, an album of Hank Williams covers performed by an eclectic array of musicians. The set included mind-melting instrumental solos from all players, with particularly notable solos from Canady and Mahindi, as well as trombonist Vincent Chandler and trumpeter John Douglas, and closed with a rocking Mathis-led “Franklin’s Tower” that could have been improved only if Mathis and Gerard had engaged in some friendly head cutting. During an improvisation, it felt like Mathis was playing the Pan-Detroit Ensemble as an instrument.

In a weekend where everybody had a chance to shine, it was clear that in the wake of Kimock’s unavailability, Magner, Mathis, and Butler went the extra mile in shepherding sets that were both well-planned and yet left room for plenty of originality, expression, and play.

“Uncle Kimock was so missed,” Mathis revealed. “We were talking about him constantly, all of us, off stage. Just the most revered and beloved figure. He’s the main reason we all get so excited about this gig every year.”

“We’re like a soccer team,” said Butler, himself a college tennis player. “When one of us isn’t able to play, the rest of the group fills in to support the team dynamic.”

So what’s in store for Unlimited Devotion VIII?

After taking a breath, Perella and co. will get back to work and begin to figure that out. He feels like the luckiest one of all, getting to be a fly on the wall while some of his favorite musicians talk about new ways of presenting some of his favorite music. This year’s celebration was the first to include a third night of music, rather than the VIP sets they’ve held in the past. (One of the highlights of UD ‘23 was Magner’s SPAGA Plays Dead.) Whatever this cohort has in store, next year’s celebration is not to be missed!