Posts Tagged ‘Steve Kimock’

Test of the Boomerang: Equinox Edition

Welcome back to Test of the Boomerang. Happy Spring Equinox!

The folks over at Lostpedia offered up an interesting tidbit about the recent Lost episode “La Fleur.” Could the names of the three Dharma-ites at the beginning of the episode — Jerry, Phil and Rosie — be a reference to Jerry Garcia, Phil Lesh and “Rosie”?

Phil and Jerry, brownie eating 1970s hippies, seem to be references to Phil Lesh and Jerry Garcia of The Grateful Dead. Rosie may be a reference to the reoccurring symbol of roses in Grateful Dead songs and art…

In keeping up with the show’s increasing use of ancient Egyptian symbols and motifs, they also offer up that infamous quote from the Egyptian Book of the Dead:

“We now return our souls to the creator, as we stand on the edge of eternal darkness. Let our chant fill the void in order that others may know. In the land of the night the ship of the sun is drawn by the grateful dead.”

Even the most casual viewer of Lost can see that the show is rife with symbiology and archetypes found in myth and folklore, like the Grateful Dead’s music and lyrics — song-poems culled from the shadows of the American campfire as well as the cosmic realms beyond. A familiar tale of survivors waiting to be rescued turns into something far more complex. A jugband from Palo Alto decide to go electric and it becomes one of the longest and strangest tales of them all. (more…)

Test of the Boomerang: DVD Review: “Rhythm Devils Concert Experience”

A 2-DVD set and 24-page hardcover book featuring Mickey Hart, Bill Kreutzmann (Grateful Dead), Mike Gordon (Phish), Steve Kimock, Sikiru, and Jen Durkin (Bomb Squad, Deep Banana Blackout). The ultimate jam band! With original material from Robert Hunter along with their own compositions, this experience is unlike any other concert. Sit back, relax and take a magic ride through time and space. Recorded at The Chicago Theatre, Chicago, IL, and The Starland Ballroom, Sayreville, NJ. Book includes photos, lyrics, and artwork.

Back in 1979, Grateful Dead beat-meisters Mickey Hart and Bill Kreutzmann created a soundtrack of exotic percussion and jungle ambiance for Francis Ford Coppola’s Apocalypse Now. The subsequent album, The Apocalypse Now Sessions, was released under the moniker Rhythm Devils.

(In the 80s, the Dead’s second set drum workout was frequently referred to as “Rhythm Devils” before taper lists shortened the mid-set improv to simply “Drums,” followed by “Space” – an improvisational freak-out by the rest of the band.)

Billy and Mickey decided to join forces in the spring of 2006 with a solid band consisting of Mike Gordon of Phish on bass, Steve Kimock on guitar, Sikiru Adepoju on talking drum, and Goapele on vocals – soon to be replaced by Jen Durkin of the band Deep Banana Blackout. (more…)