Photos by Scott Preston
Dark Star Orchestra and All Good Presents announce today the return of Dark Star Jubilee to Legend Valley in Thornville, OH, just 30 minutes east of Columbus, on Memorial Day Weekend May 23-25. Hosted and curated by Dark Star Orchestra, world-renowned re-creators of the Grateful Dead live experience, this third annual Jubilee festival features these artists:
Dark Star Orchestra (3 nights)
Yonder Mountain String Band
Galactic
Keller Williams with More Than A Little
New Riders of the Purple Sage
The Wailers (performing the Bob Marley album Legend in its entirety)
Anders Osborne
The Werks
Toubab Krewe
Cornmeal
UV Hippo
Rumpke Mountain Boys
The Ragbirds
Aliver Hall
plus additional artists still to be announced
The Dark Star Jubilee features an intimate setting within hallowed and historic grounds, offering up nearly 36 hours of music, all with non-overlapping sets. The stages are set up side by side allowing fans to see and hear the entirety of each and every artist listed on the lineup without having to hike between stages or choose between bands.
Attendees can camp within the concert bowl, a few hundred feet from the stage, making the experience that much more up close and personal. The Erie Reader summed up the Jubilee experience well with this passage from its review of the 2013 event: “Along with that certain electricity in the air that comes at the front of every good, long outdoor music fest, some of the first things I encountered when arriving on the Valley’s grounds last weekend were a noticeable lack of hassles, a noticeable abundance of playful little kids, and a whole lot of friendly Deadheads – all there to share in the getting-down.”
Having just welcomed a new member and celebrated their 16th anniversary, Dark Star Orchestra have an exciting year ahead of them with a return to Jamaica and the oncoming milestone of surpassing the Grateful Dead’s 2318 shows played. Ever committed, the band has been endorsed by critics, fans and even all the living members of the Grateful Dead themselves have joined and played with DSO on stage. A quote by their own soundman of three decades Dan Healy puts it clear as he once said of DSO: “I can close my eyes and go back 30 years”.
Drawing from the vast Gospel and R&B scene of Richmond, VA, Keller Williams with More Than A Little is blazing new ground in the world of funk. Keller describes the project as, “funking up some of my favorite songs mixed with some interesting, familiar covers done the ‘More Than A Little Way.’ I’m proud to say that this band brings it. It’s no typical white boy funk that one may expect from this typical white boy.”
Dark Star Jubilee tickets are available now with discounted ‘Early Bird’ tickets for a 3-day GA festival pass for $109 ($40 off gate price) and for ‘Good Lovin’ VIP’ festival admission at $225 ($65 off gate price). ‘Little Star Kids’ is a $25 ticket for pre-registered children ages 4-12, who must be accompanied by a festival ticket-holding adult. Festival attendees ages three and under are free while youth above age 13 must have a full price festival pass. Gates open at noon Friday, May 23. Complete ticket options with pricing are available at www.darkstarjubilee.com.
For complete information on the Dark Star Jubilee, please visit www.darkstarjubilee.com
