I was shocked to see that "Jefferson Starship" is playing several acoustic shows at a progressive, natural food restaurant a block from my new condo. I was even more surprised to hear that they sound more like Airplane these days:

[www.myspace.com]

The only names I recognize are Kantner and Balin/

Sounds great to me! Sorry I missed them when they played in my area with some other 60's groups not long ago.

And if you like the rejuvenated Starship, check out Hot Tuna: [www.hottuna.com]

I saw Jack Casady and Paul Kanter playing outside for free a few years back. Very approachable (well Jack's mute I guess, but the headband, long rumored to be tattooed into his forhead, was gone). Check Casady's bass on "Let's Go Together" (Blows Against the Empire")
JA was a great band, but thanks AOR consultants all younger folks know are the 2 overplayed hits. Bigger in the day than the Dead, yet the Dead sustained thru touring an enourmous fanbase, The Airplane, however, made better records in their 1965 - 73 heyday (The Dead didnt get it right in the studio til 1970, then stopped again in '73)...
The expanded 2003 catalog is well worth investigating. Lots of bonus stuff... "Crown Of Creation" is one of the many classics released in 1968, not ro mention "Bless its Pointed Little Head" (top 10 great live album), & "Volunteers". You're Only Pretty As You Feel...

>>The only names I recognize are Kantner and Balin/

David Freiberg was the bass player in Quicksilver Messenger Service( now that was a band, especially in their heyday from '66 to '68 ),
Prairie Prince I know as a drummer in Chris Isaak's band

Freiberg also joined the Airplane on their final tour as harmony/backup vocalist, but didn't play anything but tambourine; he appeared on 1973's "Thirty Seconds Over Winterland" (Balin split in'71, had left a hole in terms of his distict leads and as part of the band's original approach to "harmony" (which were not really harmonies a la CSNY) singing. F. was also in the dreaded Starship in the immediate post JA era (1974 - 80 or so?).

Good grief. These guys (ha ha) and now Phish? And elections coming up in the States? The country is in sad shape.

"Thirty Seconds Over Winterland" is my fave Airplane album.

I have a soft spot for the lateer stuff..."Bark" ('71), "Long John Silver" ('72), "Thirty Seconds" ('73), and the side projects with most of the band's involvement - "Blows" ('70 - there's a great bonus cut on the upgrade, wild 10 minute Airplane version of a song the title of which I can't recall (JA fans - the one where they sing about offing inflexible opponents - the 70s had dawned!); the more 'pastoral'/experimental "Sunfighter ('71, with Grace's opener about cannibilism); "Baron von Tollbooth & The Chrome Nun" ('73) - some of Garcia's finest studio work; and Graces brilliant "Manhole" with one 20 minute side "Theme from the movie "Manhole"' a marvelous exploration (anticipates early Patti Smith) of her then passion for 'Sketches of Spain, and a sustained vocal tour de force.
Then her and Kaukonen's furious Zep-like rant against vegetarians (and...), "Eat Starch Mom":
"Keep your engine warm and wet/ Be friendly to your steel....Nothing's right but natural things? Poison Oak's a natural plant / Why put some in your food / feed it right, your mechanical pet / Then get behind the wheel / Put some starch in the old Corvette / Give it a feel, smmooth moving steel / Man made mechanical mover / Moves faster than you can - Vegetable lover."

Good eye queenie baby. I saw the Starship in 1981, with Grace of course. I still see Jorma often at Americana festivals. Have fun.

They have been sounding like this for several years now. Ever since Mickey Thomas took off with some sort of horrible abomination called Mickey Thomas' Starship. Paul turned the band back into a folksier kind of sound closer to the Airplane days.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2008-10-11 05:06 by sweetcharmedlife.

thanks for all the info. i guess i'll walk over and at least hang outside and listen (or eat at the restaurant). the stage is only about 10 feet wide. i don't know where they'll put all those people!

>Freiberg also joined the Airplane on their final tour as harmony/backup vocalist,

And was collaborator w/Kantner & Slick on BARON VON TOLLBOOTH...

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>>The only names I recognize are Kantner and Balin/

Prairie Prince I know as a drummer in Chris Isaak's band

PP is best known as the drummer for The Tubes. I think he was also on the "New Cars" tour with Todd Rundgren, was he not?