As its 1,451th gig approaches, Dark Star Orchestra has confirmed that keyboardist/vocalist Rob Barraco will join the lauded Grateful Dead tribute act fulltime. Since the untimely death of founding member Scott Larned in April 2005, a number of musicians have occupied DSOs keyboard chair, helping the group interpret material from throughout the Grateful Deads career. As previously reported, Barraco also recently released a new CD, When We All Come Home, featuring a number of songs written with Robert Hunter.
Dark Star Orchestra will open its DSO Rex Caravan Tour September 26 at Seattles Showbox. The DSO Rex Caravan Tours goal is to solicit donations of $5 or more, which in turn will be directed to the Rex Foundations charitable efforts. Most notably, the bands October 4 show at San Franciscos Fillmore Auditorium will benefit the Rex Foundation, with all the proceeds funding new Rex initiatives. The group will also release its recent performance at Ithaca, NYs State Theater, where the ensemble offered a complete recreation of the Deads famed May 8, 1977 performance at Cornell University, as a 3-disc set.