REVIEW: Music of the Spheres with the Mickey Hart Band | La Zona Rosa Downtown Austin April 26 2012

Clearly, Mickey Hart is taking music making in cosmic directions.

It's another perfect segue for the legendary drummer of the Grateful Dead.

With his knack for innovation, he's leaping light years here, from using his son's in utero heart beat for his album Music to be Born By to this: harnessing the sounds of the universe through the conversion of radio waves, light rays. and electromagnetic vibrations into music.  Truly, this is "Music of the Spheres

Recently, he brought his band to La Zona Rosa, a club in downtown Austin, the heart of Austin's famous music scene. With a talented ensemble, he wove songs from his new album Mysterium Tremendum around Grateful Dead favorites.

They opened with a cover of Buddy Holly's "Not Fade Away." This was tantamount to really turning things on their head, as the song had always been a popular show closer for the Dead.  Other popular Grateful Dead originals included "Bertha," "West L.A. Fadeway," and the Hart-Robert Hunter penned "Fire on the Mountain."

The songs from Mysterium Tremendum transported us to realms we've never before been.  As a veteran of more than a hundred grateful Dead shows, I can honestly say this brought it all back home.  Considering his source for Music to be Born By, Hart takes a leap from the micro to macro with "Heartbeat Of The Sun."  Other songs from the album included "Time Never Ends," "Slow Joe Rain," and "Starlight Starbright."  No doubt Hart intends to hang the sun, the moon, and stars and he delivers.

With lyrics from Robert Hunter, Jerry Garcia's long time writing partner and verily, the VOICE of the Grateful Dead, the music manages to integrate the legacy of the Grateful Dead with new sonic forms and innovative explorations in cosmic creativity never before heard.

The Mickey Hart Band features Crystal Monee Hall on vocals, Nigerian percussionist Sikiru Adepoju, Dave Schools, the bassist from Widespread Panic, Ian "Inkx" Herman on drums, Tim Hockenberry on keyboards, and Gawain Mathews on guitar. And of course, you've Mickey Hart at the helm of this sonic starship. Make it so, Mickey!

If you're a Deadhead or even if you're not, you won't know what you're missing until you surfed the cosmic sound waves with the Mickey Hart Band.

MICKEY HART BAND
La Zona Rosa
Austin, Texas
Thursday – April 26, 2012

1st set
Mickey's intro….
Not Fade Away
Who Stole The Show
Starlight Starbright
West LA Fadeaway
Time Never Ends
Slow Joe Rain
Fire On The Mountain

2nd set
Heartbeat Of The Sun
Supersonic Vision
Drums/Bass/Space
This One Hour
The Other One
Cut The Deck
Bertha

Encore: Iko Iko

Musicians:
Mickey Hart – Drums, Percussion, Vocals on Iko Iko
Dave Schools – Bass, Background Vocals
Sikiru Adepoju – Talking Drum
Crystal Monee Hall – Vocals, Acoustic Guitar, Percussion
Tim Hockenberry – Vocals, Keyboards, Trombone, Percussion
Ian "Inx" Herman – Drums
Gawain Matthews – Guitar, Background Vocals
Ben Yonas – Keyboards

By – Joe Rossi

Image by Joe Rossi