“I had a GREAT time at Dead Ends Live! I met a bunch of great musicians, played two full sets with the amazing Joe Craven, and got to perform in a beautiful church in front of a full house!”
David Gans/Host of the Grateful Dead Radio Hour
FURTHURMORE
Furthurmore is John Kadlecik’s Grateful Dead experience; an ever-evolving collective of world-class musicians paying heartfelt tribute to the legacy of the Grateful Dead; reliving highlights of the long history of the Dead, at the same time injecting surprising new classics into the mix!
JOHN KADLECIK
John Kadlecik is one of the foremost interpreters of the Grateful Dead songbook, a superb guitarist, and a fine singer and songwriter in his own right. His musical journey encompasses a founding membership in The Dark Star Orchestra, his work with Phil Lesh and Bob Weir in their Furthur project and his ongoing membership in the JGB (with onetime Garcia organ player Melvin Seals).
PATRICK HIGGINS
Patrick Higgins has been performing professionally as a singer/songwriter and musician since 1980. He’s been living in the Norfolk/Virginia Beach area of Virginia since 2001. With musical interests spanning several genres including New Orleans funk/blues, Bluegrass and Americana, he’s always had a deep passion for well-crafted harmonies. The groups most influential to this love for music have been CSN&Y and Grateful Dead. Since taking up music full time in 2015, Patrick has played the mid-Atlantic region extensively from North Carolina to NY.
He’s been performing on the East Coast with 2 tribute acts: his Bob Weir tribute band Gettin’ Weir’d and the Virginia Beach-based tribute band Last Fair Deal (since their inception in 2012). He also spent 2 years with Philadelphia-based Splintered Sunlight. Most recently he has the honour of performing regularly with John K’s Furthurmore .
DENISE PARENT
Denise is a seasoned musician with over 40 years of experience playing drums and singing. Originally from Long Island, she later moved to Woodstock, NY and has been an integral part of The Deadbeats, one of the longest-running Grateful Dead tribute bands, since the early 1990s. In 2018, she co-founded Brown Eyed Women, an all-female tribute band dedicated to celebrating the music of the Grateful Dead. Denise’s passion for drumming and singing remains as strong as ever.
ROB LORD
Rob Lord grew up listening to Black Sabbath, Led Zeppelin and other heavier music from the early 70s with his parents. While playing punk and hard rock he heard the Grateful Dead at age 17 and it’s been downhill from there. As a founding member of the jamband Quiver out of Virginia Beach, he spent a lot of the 90s touring the eastern half of the United States.
Now based in Richmond Virginia he splits time between the Grateful Dead tribute Last Fair Deal from Virginia Beach and his jamband Slingshot on Mars from Richmond VA as well as playing acoustic gigs when time permits. The past few years he has performed with John K’s Furthurmore and is loving his life of music.
MICHAEL BOROWSKI
Michael Borowski, an award-winning pianist and composer, hails from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He was introduced to music at an early age by his mother, a respected piano teacher, and grew to favour music from Beethoven, Debussy, George Winston, and The Beatles, whose influence remains evident in his compositions. Borowski honed his skills at Temple University under the guidance of Charles Abramovic and Maurice Wright, where he also became involved in bands, eventually gaining prominence in the Jam Band scene. He has since toured with Steve Kimock, John Kadlecik, Mike MiZ, The Englishtown Project, and many others. You can also find him playing regularly with Grateful Dead tribute band, Splintered Sunlight.
In 2020, Borowski caught the attention of Windham Hill Records founder and Grammy-winning producer/artist, Will Ackerman, who produced his debut solo piano record, PEACE VALLEY. Michael’s second album, GARDENS OF ZION IN THE RAIN, won Album Of The Year on Whisperings: Solo Piano Radio. Borowski’s music can be heard worldwide on SiriusXM’s Spa Channel.
THE ALLMOST BROTHERS
We are excited to have, from Vancouver, the Allmost Brothers, a tribute to the legendary Allman Brothers band. Their brilliant recreation of 60’s and 70’s southern rock mixes blues, jazz, country and rock and roll. This 6-piece band, with their two drummers, are guaranteed to fill the dance floor and rekindle musical memories of Dickie Betts and Duane Allman.
JOE CRAVEN
Joe Craven’s brilliance on string instruments such as fiddle, mandolin, saz, cuatro, and a world of percussion instruments is the stuff of local legend and national acclaim. But there’s more to Craven than meets the ear. He is not only a musician but also a visual artist, museologist (museum science), educator, loving father, avid runner, and an advocate of “demystifying” art and making music a household phenomenon.
Since 1989, Joe Craven has been a highly respected sideman with the David Grisman Quintet. He has kept impressive musical company over the years, playing and/ or recording with Jerry Garcia, Stephane Grappelli, Bonnie Raitt, Ramblin’ Jack Elliott, Tom Waits, Tony Rice, The Persuasions, Mark O’Connor, Psychograss, Darol Anger, Rob Ickes, The Turtle Island String Quartet, and many others. He is a sought after studio musician and has performed music & sound effects on a wide variety of recordings including commercials, soundtracks, computer games, and several Grammy nominated projects.
According to Joe, “Music is about expression, imagination and living in the creative spirit. It doesn’t need labels as much as it needs opportunity. Through exploration, practice and sincerity of application, you can make music on just about anything.” And he’s proven his point by playing everything from dashboards to squeeze toys to his head. Joe’s clinics, workshops and school presentations on demystifying music are captivating audiences around the country. He’s worked with students from preschool to adult in a variety of settings. He completed his first artist in residency at California State University – Chico to rave reviews and has expanded his educational outreach to museums and music camps ranging from Irish fiddle to international percussion. “It’s great to just pick up things like an empty bottle or your wallet and discover their inherent musical qualities, as well as your own,” he says. “It’s not the thing, but the process of how you connect with it that makes great music.”
MCGOWAN FAMILY BAND
The McGowan Family Band will throw open the ballroom doors Friday with a set of Grateful Dead material that draws from all corners of the vast Dead songbook. All that and a slew of blues-basted favourites made popular by the Dead and their friends over the years!
PS: Expect some Dylan! Expect to dance!
THE ALLMIGHTY TURTLENECKS
Saturday night, The Almighty Turtlenecks will set the tone and pack the dance floor with a setlist of classics from the 60’s & 70’s. A stellar band boasting some of Edmonton’s finest musicians, with much-lauded producer and guitarist Stew Kirkwood at the helm. A special one-time only treat for Dead Ends Live!
Nick Martin – Vocals
Jamie Cooper – Drums
Stew Kirkwood – Guitar
Rooster Davis – Keyboards
Reid Thiel – Bass
FRIDAY
SATURDAY
BELLAMY LOUNGE STAGE HOSTED BY LIONEL RAULT
We are honoured to have veteran musician Lionel Rault, host of CKUA’s popular radio program, Lionel’s Vinyls, presiding over an all-star cast of some of Edmonton’s best-loved performers.
Dana Wiley, Bobby Cameron, Trace Jordan, Gord Matthews and more! Friday and Saturday from 4-7 pm
Psychedelic Light Show by The Light Psychlone
This live projection-based light show uses psychedelic projection methods, just like the legendary light shows of the 1960s!
An amazing immersive technicolor experience, mixing art and music to create a unique ambience for all to enjoy
