With a loyal local fan base that seems to follow them everywhere, it comes as no surprise that readers have honored Uncle John´s Band with this year´s award for best cover band. The ensemble was formed in Clearwater in 1990 by a group of talented musicians who loved to play the music of the Grateful Dead. Over the past 14 years, they´ve re-created the atmosphere and musical adventure of a live Dead show so well that Skipper´s Smokehouse features them in an ongoing gig every Thursday night (910 Skipper Road, Tampa, $6). They appear at a number of other venues around town and perform up to 10 shows a month. They even claimed the privilege of opening for former Grateful Dead keyboardist Vince Welnick when he came through Ybor last January. Although they neither look nor behave like the members of the Grateful Dead, Uncle John´s Band still has the ability to please and entertain audiences by delivering quality, note-perfect Dead covers to the community.
This article appears in Sep 22-28, 2004.