Coming to Pennsylvania’s Ardmore Music Hall on June 10th, Unlimited Devotion will be a celebration of the Grateful Dead’s music and fundraiser for the Rex Foundation.

by guest writer Christopher Snyder

Life on the road is fun – especially for a few hours when you get to share the stage with musicians you may have heard about through the grapevine, but have never had the opportunity to share the stage with. This will all come to light on Friday, June 10th at Ardmore Music Hall on The Main Line in Ardmore, PA during Unlimited Devotion, a celebration of the legendary Grateful Dead’s extensive, renowned catalog of music.

The night will be a show to benefit the Rex Foundation, a charitable non-profit organization founded by “members of the Grateful Dead and Friends” in 1983. Per their website, the Rex Foundation‘s mission is “to help secure a healthy environment, promote individuality in the arts, provide support to critical and necessary social services, assist others less fortunate than ourselves, protect the rights of indigenous people and ensure their cultural survival, build a stronger community, and educate children and adults everywhere.”

June 10th will be a particularly special evening, with both VIP and headlining collaboration sets from a who’s who of musicians in the jam scene today.

One of the highlights of the evening will be paying tribute to Wavy Gravy. How can one put Wavy into words? With his iconic red nose, he has been a staple in The Grateful Dead scene for decades, and is the only person to appear on the bill of all three Woodstock Festivals, as well as being an emcee at the original festival in 1969.

For those unfamiliar with the musicians playing Unlimited Devotion, here is a brief rundown:

Leslie Mendelson is one of the best vocalists and piano players today. Reed Mathis has been one of the premier bass players in the scene for decades, most notably for his work with Tea Leaf Green and Billy & The Kids. One of the most prolific acoustic guitar players is co-founding member of Animal Liberation Orchestra, Dan Lebowitz.

When you have the brass section of Jen Hartswick (Trey Anastasio Band) and Ron Holloway (Warren Haynes) on trumpet and saxophone, you know you will have an evening to remember. Attendees will be further treated to the sweet tones of Steve Kimock on the guitar and his son John Kimock on the kit. Let’s not forget about the likes of guitarist John Kadlecik, an encyclopedia of Grateful Dead material in his own right, along with the legendary Melvin Seals on the piano and organ.

Adding to the fun will be Matt Butler, who has been the conductor and the backbone for the improvisational group Everyone Orchestra for two decades.

The music will start at 6:30 PM with a VIP set featuring songs from Bob Dylan & The Grateful Dead, featuring:

Leslie Mendelson
Reed Mathis (Billy & The Kids)
Matt Butler (Everyone Orchestra)
Dan Lebowitz (Animal Liberation Orchestra)

“The Wavy Gravy All-Stars” set at 7:30 PM will feature the following musicians:

John Kadlecik
Melvin Seals
Steve Kimock
Jen Hartswick
Ron Holloway
Reed Mathis
Matt Butler
Jeremy Hoenig

Capping off the evening will be “Summer Soulstice” All-Stars:

Steve Kimock
Dan Lebowitz
Melvin Seals
Jen Hartswick
Ron Holloway
Leslie Mendelson
Johnny Kimock
JP McLean

Be sure to get your tickets early at the Ardmore Music Hall box office, or use the link here: Unlimited Devotion: 6/10/2022

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For over three decades, Christopher Snyder has been attending live music. For almost a decade he has been writing about his experiences as well interviewing musicians in every genre.

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