With so many Grateful Dead cover bands meandering out in music land, it is rare to find a unique one.

Well, the next-to-impossible has been made possible by a recently formed band called Dark Star Orchestra.

The secret to its success lies in the attitudes of the band members. They have strong ties to the Grateful Dead and insist on keeping the original performances pure.

Very pure.

Truckin’

This is first accomplished by the group in and of itself. There are exactly the same number of Dark Star Orchestra members as there were Grateful Dead members. And, they use the exact same lineup as the Dead did at each particular concert.

Dark Star Orchestra goes so far as to add a female vocalist to the group when they perform ’70s era concerts because the Dead featured a woman singer during this time.

The accuracy of Dark Star Orchestra is exemplified further, as each member plays the same instrument and even sings according to their Grateful Dead counterpart.

This is what truly sets Dark Star Orchestra apart from other Grateful Dead cover bands — but it doesn’t stop there.

Dark Star Orchestra plays the actual set lists from an original Grateful Dead Show. That means song for song, lyric for lyric, improv for improv, Dark Star Orchestra replicates many of the thousands of performances the Dead gave throughout its career.

This poses a very difficult job because the Dead were known for changing songs throughout the years. Each song was performed differently at any given concert.

So how does Dark Star Orchestra know exactly what to play?

It’s a three-part answer.

First off, as a collected unit, the six-piece band has access to huge tape collections. The Dead was supportive of the taping of its shows, so it has been relatively easy for Dark Star Orchestra members to get a hold of a large variety of “bootlegs.”

The members study them intently (so much that everyone in the band has quit their day job) to get a feel of what each show incorporated musically.

Secondly, concert experience between the members has been deeply established. With ages ranging from 26 to 40 years old, each member has been to about 100 Grateful Dead shows apiece, and they have all experienced many a long strange road trip.

Finally, the group’s “Bible,” Dead Bass, provides crucial information for the band. The book contains over 1,000 pages of concert reviews, descriptions and set lists of the Grateful Dead’s performances.

A long strange trip

Dark Star Orchestra originated about 10 months ago when keyboardist Scott Larned (formerly of the Freddy Jones Band) contacted the group’s Jerry Garcia equivalent.

Together they gathered resources and formed the band out of Chicago.

Dark Star Orchestra began performing Tuesday night shows at a venue called Martyrs’. Currently the weekly event draws in over 400 people.

The performances consist of Grateful Dead concerts from the Dead’s earlier days. The group hasn’t performed anything past 1973 and never repeats a show.

Dark Star Orchestra enjoys playing shows from this time period because, as Larned puts it, “They were playing a totally different way that was really free and loose.”

Motivation for starting the band was not entirely due to Garcia’s passing, but “when Jerry died, it left a hole in a lot of deadheads,” Larned said.

What began as an exploration into reliving history has evolved into more than just paying tribute to the Grateful Dead. Dark Star Orchestra has created a home for music fans every Tuesday night at Martyrs’.

And the band continues to expand its horizons. Dark Star Orchestra now does mini-tours, bringing a unique and historical event to cities throughout the Midwest.

St. Stephen

Many attendees of a Dark Star Orchestra performance discover that they were a part of the original Grateful Dead audience when the show was first played.

For Larned, the best part of a performance is when audience members come up to him and say that they were at the same show when the Dead performed it.

“Remaining faithful to just playing Grateful Dead songs and striving to perform them the same way that they were originally heard creates an atmosphere that lots of people can embrace,” Larned said.

On Oct. 1 Deadheads can embrace a little history in Ames, as Dark Star Orchestra will be playing at People’s Bar and Grill for a 1960’s prices of only $5.

Mirroring the Dead’s values, Dark Star Orchestra encourages recording of its concerts, so feel free to bring along a tape recorder.