Later this month, surviving members of The Merry Pranksters will team up with Zane Kesey, son of writer/counter-culture icon Ken Kesey, to throw a pair of psychedelic concert events in hopes of raising enough money to restore the original “Furthur” bus.
As many Deadheads, American historians, and LSD-loving music fans will explain, “Furthur” (also recognized as “Further”) was the colorful bus used by Kesey and The Merry Pranksters (which included Beatnik legend Neal Cassady) during an acid-fueled trip across America in 1964, and later used at the Acid Tests and related events around San Francisco throughout the 1960s. The bus remains an iconic artifact and symbol within the Grateful Dead and countercultural circles thanks to the Pranksters’ influence on the wild decade that was the 1960s. Stories of the bus also played a major role in writer Tom Wolfe‘s seminal counterculture biography, The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test.
According to a report shared on Thursday, two separate events under the branding, “Furthurmore” will take place at Woodmen of the World Hall in Eugene, OR on Friday, March 29th, and Saturday, March 30th. The event on March 29th will feature performances by New Jersey-based jam band One Eyed Jack, in addition to Zahira & Rising Buffalo Tribe and Kesey & The Merry Pranksters. The event the following evening (March 30th) will also include performances from One Eyed Jack and Kesey & The Merry Pranksters, in addition to Soul Vibrator.
Both events will also feature “Live Painting” with Ellie Paisley and Aaron Brooks, with added visuals courtesy of The Psychedelic Express Light Show.
According to a statement shared via press release to go with this week’s announcement, “The bus [has] since fallen into disrepair but it is now being restored with the help of restoration experts and artists. Proceeds from both nights will go directly to the Furthur Down the Road Foundation, a nonprofit, charitable organization, dedicated to restoring the bus and continuing Ken Kesey’s legacy.”
Tickets for both events are on sale now here.
[H/T JamBands]
The post Zane Kesey And The Merry Pranksters Announce Furthur Restoration Benefit Shows With One-Eyed Jack appeared first on L4LM.
