This weekend, in Springfield, Ohio, Mother Stewart’s Brewing Company is hosting Dead of Winter: a two night dedication to the music of the Grateful Dead. This Friday, January 27th and Saturday, January 28th, the shows will be played by two Grateful Dead tribute bands, Arrows of Neon (Friday), and Great Northern String Band (Saturday).
I spoke to the Dead of Winter organizer/producer and owner of Level Up Productions Brian Johnson about the event. My first question was about the creation of the show.
“It was created in partnership with Mother Stewart's co- owner Kevin Loftis in response to the need to generate excitement and host and pay live musicians and entertainment outfits during what would normally be considered the slowest month of the year for both bands and venues. By creating this exciting series we're able to pay local artists, bring business to the brewery and our production group, all while offering high quality entertainment to people who are looking for something fun to do.”
Seeing that this year’s shows will be the third series held in as many years, with the same theme, I asked Johnson about this. He responded, “We've rotated through all of the amazing Grateful Dead Tribute acts that our region has to offer over the last three years! Many of these groups even share band members. It really is an amazing community that's growing around the continuing traditions of The Grateful Dead.” I expanded with an inquiry about the theme and the time frames of the event, and Johnson added, “We're celebrating our 3rd annual "Dead of Winter" event at Mother Stewart's this year and we can only see it growing from here! Working with Mother Stewart's Brewing is always a treat as they're so active in working to develop Downtown Springfield. I can only see this partnership growing and becoming a beloved January tradition."
I was curious about the turnout from audiences over the years for the Dead of Winter series. Johnson said, “Given near sell out events the past two years, we are anticipating a similar high energy crowd and it is very possible we'll sell out one if not both nights this year. As of 9:00am on 1/25/23, tickets were about a third sold and moving quickly.”
So, what can a Dead of Winter newbie expect to experience at these shows? Johnson revealed, “Doors open at 6:30pm and music starts around 7:30pm both nights. Both Arrows of Neon and The Great Northern String Band have an extensive catalog of Grateful Dead rehearsed and will probably play 2 and half to 3 hours each night. Mother Stewart's has a full bar and many of their house made beers featured. They've also invested in an incredible sound system. Finally, we have invested in bringing SOS Lightshow to produce projection visuals across the whole venue for the whole night! It is going to be quite the experience!”
Event Details:
- Dead of Winter: Arrows of Neon & Great Northern String Band at Mother Stewart’s Brewing Company
- Friday, January 27th and Saturday, January 28th beginning at 6:30pm
- 102 W. Columbia Street in Springfield, Ohio
- https://www.facebook.com/events/1886608121671130
