Ohio Jamband ekoostik hookah Return to Athens
By Dave Weissman - 2/8/2005
One of the most dynamic acts on the road today, ekoostik hookah is the nucleus of a growing family drawn to its lucid, improvisational treatment of psychedelic rock ’n’ roll, blues, funk, jazz and bluegrass layered with rich harmonies. The band brings this dicey blend to Athens at The Blue Gator Thursday, February 24.
Born early in 1991 in a smoky basement bar, ekoostik hookah has been continually evolving, cultivating a sound that has perked the ears of contemporaries and attracted thousands of fans who routinely travel hundreds of miles to hear them play.
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The Ohio-based band began jamming during weekly open-mic nights when vocalist/keyboardist Dave Katz, lead guitarist Steve Sweney and bassist Cliff Starbuck had full-time gigs with popular bands. The ensemble quickly found a following and began this odyssey when a stranger who heard them at a party bankrolled a trip to the studio to record Under Full Sail. By the end of recording, band members had committed themselves full-time to ekoostik hookah. Drummer Eric Lanese, who joined in 1993, Ed McGee, who assumed singing, songwriting and rhythm guitar duties in 1996, and the newest member, Johnny Polansky on percussion round out the band’s line-up.
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The sextet has performed over 1200 shows, playing in more than 30 states at venues including Cleveland’s and Chicago’s House of Blues, Atlanta’s Variety Playhouse, Boulder’s Fox Theater and San Francisco’s Great American Music Hall. ekoostik hookah played its first international shows in June 1999 in Negril, Jamaica with hundreds of fans attending from the United States. Since then the band has traveled back to Jamaica (2002) and most recently to Amsterdam, Netherlands (2003), playing three shows and bringing hundreds of fans along.
Though intense live energy fuels this band, hookah fans have snatched up more than 110,000 copies of its eight releases: Under Full Sail (1991), Dubbahbuddah (1994), an untitled, two-disc live set (1996), Where the Fields Grow Green (1998), Hookahville Spring ’98 (1998), Sharp in the Flats (1999), Seahorse (2001) and Ohio Grown (2002).
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Hookahville, the band’s home-thrown festival featuring two nights of music and camping in Ohio’s quiet green hills, has been called by fans the best music festival in the Midwest. The biannual happening began in 1994 as a camp-out in Dave Katz and band manager Jeff Spencer’s backyard. Growing steadily, it has since been held at different venues on Memorial Day and Labor Day weekends.
Hookahville allows the band to create its ideal "no hassles or bad attitudes" playing environment and share it with many fine live acts. The attendance for some Hookahvilles exceeded 15,000. Some acts to have played the Hookahville stage in the past include: Ratdog featuring Bob Weir, David Crosby, Arlo Guthrie, Neville Brothers, David Grisman Quintet, Keller Williams, Willie Nelson, Dr. John, The Wailers, Little Feat, Bruce Hornsby, Bela Fleck & the Flecktones, Dickey Betts, Jazz Mandolin Project, Dark Star Orchestra, the funky Meters, Steve Kimock, Leftover Salmon, The Radiators, Derek Trucks Band, Karl Denson’s Tiny Universe, Medeski Martin & Wood, Umphrey’s McGee, George Clinton and Parliament/Funkadelic, Merl Saunders and the Rainforest Band, Zero, David Nelson Band, Hayseed Dixie and, among others.
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Since forming in 1991, ekoostik hookah has independently handled every aspect of its growth.
Tickets for the performance are $15, the show is ages 18+, doors open at 8 PM with music beginning at 9 PM. The Blue Gator is located at 63 N. Court Street, more information is available at 740-594-7271 and www.ekoostik.com.
