Shaking Off the Weirdness
Formed 24 years ago, the Zen Tricksters' mission is to blend jamming originals with tasty Dead nuggets to create sets you only dreamed about hearing. Phil Lesh was so impressed with the band's ability to jam in the studio that he tapped two members to be part of his Phil & Friends collective. In an interview with Kenny T of radio station KGLT in June of 2000, Phil said, "The Tricksters are more than just a cover band. They have their own stuff and they are brilliant, their stuff is brilliant. They are great players!" The Zen Tricksters are the quintessential jamband. Based in New York, they play nearly 200 dates a year while touring throughout the United States and Canada. They recently toured in Nagoya, Yokohama, and Tokyo with Relix Japan and it is generally safe to say that the Tricksters are "currently on tour" somewhere in the United States or elsewhere.The band has three studio CDs, The Holy Fool, recorded in 1996, A Love Surreal, 1999, and the brand new Shaking Off the Weirdness, 2002, and plays many local New York area gigs, but inevitably winds up back on the road again. This is their life and it is what they love. Jeff is very proud of the fact that he has never made his living in any other way but music. "Road life," he says "very much embodies the yin-yang of life. You trade the long hours of traveling and tedium day after day for the supreme pleasure and sheer love of making your own kind of live music night after night." That is quite obvious at any Zen Trickster show--you can hear their love of their art in every performance they give.The Zen Tricksters are into their third decade as a performing band. Their performances have ranged from the Big Apple Bluegrass Festival to the Seattle Hemp Festival. Over the years they have made quite a name for themselves playing such noted events as the Oregon Country Fair and the Pig Nic, New York’s Gathering of the Vibes (all seven years of its existence), California’s High Sierra Festival, the Seattle and Eugene Hemp Festivals, and the Poconos’ Gathering on the Mountain. They were a staple act at New York’s venerable Wetlands Preserve which closed late in 2001, and, Relix Magazine gave them kudos for having played there more than any other band. They have shared the stage many times with the David Nelson Band, most recently at several festivals during the summer of 2002, and pedal steel guitar player, Barry Sless, who also played on A Love Surreal, is a virtual Trickster. They have played with Peter Rowan, Vassar Clements, Derek Trucks, Mike Gordon, Tom Constanten, String Cheese Incident, and Kenny Kosek on several occasions, and have also shared the stage with the JGB, Suzanne Vega, the Jefferson Starship, the David Grisman Quintet, and more. Their music has been used on MTV, WABC’s Alias, and WB’s Felicity. The Zen Tricksters also perform as an acoustic trio.