Reuniting on stage July 9-10 at NYC’s Gramercy Theatre will be Lo Faber (lead vocals, guitar), Aaron Maxwell (lead vocals, guitar), Tom Osander (drums), Dan Pifer (bass) and Jon Bevo (keyboards).
The band originally said its goodbyes during a three-night stand in 1999 at Wetlands Preserve in New York City. The band returned to Wetlands in 2001 as part of the venue’s final series of concerts before it closed its doors forever.
God Street Wine’s return to the concert stage resulted from a request from an old friend. The band’s longtime stage manager and lighting director – Michael Weiss – was diagnosed with MS in 2004 and has since worked actively on MS-related charity projects. The two shows at the Gramercy will benefit the National Multiple Sclerosis Society.
Tickets for the two shows go on sale this Friday, March 12. This week is MS Awareness Week in the U.S., making today’s announcement and Friday’s onsale even more appropriate.
Founded in 1988, God Street Wine was at the center of the jamband universe during the 1990s. Along with playing with other bands known to “wing it” from time to time, including Dave Matthews Band, Blues Traveler and Phish, the group also appeared on two H.O.R.D.E. Festival tours. All in all, God Street Wine recorded six albums and performed more than 1,000 shows during the band’s 11-year existence.
What have individual God Street Wine members been up to since the band’s last hurrah? Faber has recorded two rock operas and is currently working on a Ph.D. in history at Princeton University. Osander continues to tour and work with other artists including Herbie Hancock, Lisa Hannigan and Damien Rice.
Other bandmembers have pursued interests that could be described as proof there really is life after music. Bevo works as a software engineer, Maxwell is a “technology integrator” at a private school and Pifer is an executive at digital music distributor The Orchard.
For more information about God Street Wine, click here for the band’s Web site.
For more information about the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, click here for the organization’s Web site.