Furthur (band)

Furthur
Furthur performing at Red Rocks Amphitheatre on September 25, 2010
Background information
Origin	San Francisco, California
Genres	Rock
Years active	2009–2014
Associated acts	Grateful Dead, The Dead, RatDog, Phil Lesh and Friends, Dark Star Orchestra, Benevento/Russo Duo, Joe Russo's Almost Dead, The Fall Risk, Primus
Website	www.furthur.net
Past members	Bob Weir Phil Lesh John Kadlecik Jeff Chimenti Joe Russo Jay Lane Sunshine Becker Zoe Ellis Jeff Pehrson

Furthur was a rock band founded in 2009 by former Grateful Dead members Bob Weir and Phil Lesh. The original lineup also included John Kadlecik of the Dark Star Orchestra on lead guitar, Jeff Chimenti of RatDog on keyboards, Jay Lane of RatDog on percussion, and Joe Russo of the Benevento/Russo Duo on drums. Named after the famous touring bus used by Ken Kesey and the Merry Pranksters in the 1960s, Furthur was an improvisational jam band that performed music primarily from the extensive Grateful Dead songbook, as well as their own original music and that of several other well-known artists. In addition to the original members (with the exception of Jay Lane, who left the band in March 2010 to rejoin his previous band, Primus), the band's lineup included backup vocalists Sunshine Becker of the a cappella ensemble SoVoSó and Jeff Pehrson of the folk rock bands Box Set and the Fall Risk.

Four months after Jerry Garcia's death in August 1995, the Grateful Dead officially disbanded. However, band members continued to perform over the subsequent years in other bands such as RatDog, Phil Lesh & Friends, the Rhythm Devils, the Other Ones, and the Dead. After a four-year hiatus following their "Wave That Flag" summer tour in 2004, the Dead performed two 2008 shows supporting the Obama campaign, billed as "Deadheads for Obama" and "Change Rocks", as well at one of the Obama inaugural balls in 2009, ultimately giving rise to a 2009 spring tour. During this reunion, Weir and Lesh, who admitted having great fun playing together again, decided to form a new band. In August 2009, the musicians announced that they had formed a new band, Furthur, with Kadlecik, Chimenti, Lane, and Russo.