The Joint Chiefs, a trio consisting of John Zias, Dan DeGregory and Greg Koerner, plays its first gig on Friday, March 19 at St. Petersburg’s Grand Central Brewhouse. Grand Central, is a newbie too, having recently opened in December.
Though this is the first show for the trio, the musicians have known and played with each other for a while, mainly in other Dead-inspired bands Unlimited Devotion and Uncle John’s Band.
Joint Chiefs
Friday, March 19, 6 p.m. Free.
Grand Central Brewhouse, 2340 Central Ave., St. Petersburg
Facebook event page
“I met my bandmates through our work together in Unlimited Devotion (UD) who I have been playing with for several years during my regular visits to the area to see my folks who live in Venice,” Koerner, pictured above, wrote in an email to Creative Loafing Tampa Bay. Koerner, a lawyer by trade, recently moved to St. Petersburg from New York City.
Besides playing Dead, the three musicians wanted to perform their own stuff in the Joint Chiefs. Though the band plays some covers, original songs written by each member are one the setlist.
“The original material is compelling and eclectic, showcasing jazz, latin, funk and folk influences in addition to the psychedelic rock sound that belies the band's pedigree,” Koerner said.
All three musicians have a long pedigree of their own, so it's only natural they want to break away from covers occasionally. Besides being the lead guitarist and vocalist for UD, Zias played with the Dead legend Phil Lesh. DeGregory is the lead vocalist and drummer for UD and Uncle John’s Band which had the Thursday night spot at Skipper’s Smokehouse performing 1000s of shows from 1998 until the venue’s closing last year.
And Koerner?
“I toured and recorded with Vince Welnick and Dark Star Orchestra,” Koerner said.
Joint Chiefs also plan on recording an album soon, so look out for that.
See a list of Tampa Bay’s “Safe & Sound” live music venues here.
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