Wharf Rat
Mr. Charlie
Catfish John
Tennessee Jed
About John Zevos and Friends:
On September 2nd, 1979, John Zevos attended his first Grateful Dead show, and musically, he has not been the same since. He had been listening to their music for the previous two years and had even spent the past year playing many of their songs in the band Trout in Potsdam, NY where he was attending college. That first concert led to 39 more over the years plus many shows of the other projects by members of the Grateful Dead. In the fall of 2020 since he was known to have decades of experience playing their music, John was asked to put together a concert at the Rex Theater in Manchester, NH featuring Grateful Dead music on acoustic instruments and because of this, John Zevos and Friends was born. John Zevos and Friends is not a note for note recreation of Grateful Dead music. The band feels that this goes against the improvisational spirit of the Grateful Dead’s music. John Zevos and Friends perform this music because they love it. The Grateful Dead also performed songs by artists they loved, The Beatles, the Stones, and Bob Dylan among others. If you are familiar with their cover songs, you know that they sound like the Grateful Dead, not an imitation of the original. When John Zevos and Friends perform this music that they love, they keep the original spirit of the Grateful Dead, but they sound like themselves and if the crowd reactions they have been receiving, Deadheads love it too.
John Zevos – guitar, mandolin, vocalsJohn Zevos has been performing around the country since 1976. Beginning with a high school rock band that was playing in bars before they were legally old enough to be there and with many bands continuing to the present day. Also a founding member of Lichen, John is also a member of Ben Rudnick and Friends, Divergent Strings, Restoration Quartet, Celtic Knot and some of the places he has performed are The Smithsonian Museum, The Boston Hatch Shell, SNHU Arena, Regent Theater, Cabot Theater, Stone Church, Palace Theater, Rex Theater, Portsmouth Music Hall, Regatta Bar, Symphony Space, and the Hynes Auditorium. John also spent years as a music educator and director of the Timberlane Guitar Orchestra, the Timberlane Community Guitar Orchestra, and currently directs the string ensemble, Hemispheres. While he was a member of the Boston Guitar Orchestra, John was asked twice to be guest conductor. He is also an avid composer, primarily writing pieces for string ensembles and guitar orchestras. His pieces have been performed at the New Hampshire All-State Guitar Festival, the Rhode Island All-State Guitar Festival, the Mid-Maryland Guitar Festival, and by the Keene State College Guitar Orchestra, and the Boston Guitar Orchestra.
Diane Zevos – keyboards, vocalsDiane has been performing around New England for over 4 decades. She is a founding member of the rock group Lichen which formed in 1981 and is still going strong today. Over the years Lichen has played over 1,600 shows including opening for Crosby, Stills and Nash, Bob Weir’s Rat Dog. NRBQ, Maria Muldaur, Brewer and Shipley, and they even performed with Bo Diddley as his back-up band in 1992. Her strong lead vocals and harmonies add a lot to John Zevos and Friends vocal blend and her tasteful keyboard playing contributes a contrasting timbre to the acoustic guitar and mandolin. Diane is also a member of the Irish folk group, Celtic Knot and the Murky Waters Blues Band.
Wayne Hughes – guitar, vocalsWayne is a singer songwriter guitarist from New Hampshire. A love of Rock and Roll at an early age led to joining several bands growing up emulating Rock and Roll heroes in the classic vein. Around the age of twenty-five he felt the need to increase the depth and understanding and sought out lessons of various sorts, also seeking one of his heroes Mr. John Zevos. It was there that a better sense of theory and musicianship led to exploring different genres such as bluegrass, including a stint with the Bluegrass Connection, and classical music as a member of the Boston Guitar Orchestra, a true love affair. Today he resides in the Concord NH area with his family and partakes in as much music as possible with John Zevos and Friends, Divergent Strings, and his son, as Dad and Taylor Hughes.
Peter Borden – bass, vocalsBassist / Vocalist Pete Borden presently performs in an eclectic, acoustic jam-duo, Shakedown Station & recently with Ben Rudnick & Friends in which he & John Zevos were members. Pete composes, performs and produces original music under Peter Borden & Virtual Coexistence & can be seen at venues & on streets as Buskah Pete. Pete was a founding member of a trailblazing electric newgrass band, Old No. 7 & the retro-psychedelic original music band Publius. Pete always celebrates performing the Grateful Dead & related bands & is thrilled to be playing acoustic Dead with John Zevos and Friends.