Diamond Blues Light Up the Stage at Birdies

KEENE — Diamond Blues, a Boston-based Jerry Garcia tribute band, rolls into Keene to take the stage at Birdies on Saturday, May 9 Founded by David Rubin on guitar and vocals, band members include Robbie Parrish on drums, Ian Brenckle on bass, Caroline Killoh on keys and vocals, and Christopher Belden on sax and vocals. The Keene Sentinel caught up with Caroline Killoh, vocalist and keyboardist to talk about the origin of the band, their take on the music of Jerry Garcia and how she learned to play keys. Here's an excerpt from the conversation: Victoria Chertok: Hi Caroline! Great to talk with you. How did Diamond Blues start? Caroline Killoh: It was founded by David Rubin who was playing with various players. I met him through some friends in Jamaica Plain. He asked me if I would play one of the shows with them, and I did. In 2022, the band became more solidified. V.C.: Where does the name Diamond Blues come from and how do you describe your music? C.K.: There's a Grateful Dead song called Dupree's Diamond Blues. We are an eclectic group of professional musicians who are passionate about honoring the songbook and legacy of Jerry Garcia. V.C.: Diamond Blues currently plays two residencies per month? C.K.: Yes, we play at The Burren in Somerville, Mass. on the second Sunday of each month and we play at The Midway Cafe in Jamaica Plain, Mass. on the fourth Wednesday of each month. V.C.: What does this music mean to you? C.K.: I really like the Jerry Garcia Band music. It's accessible to non-Deadheads, because there's a lot of, let's just say, Motown influences. And of course, Jerry's original compositions are very unique, just like they were in the (Grateful) Dead. His JGB compositions are really unique too, and they're really fun. I really like the improv aspect of it. The chords remain the same, but the way you play every evening, over those chords, is always different. So that is stimulating. V.C.: You also play and sing in the national touring band, Brown Eyed Women. C.K.: Yeah, I play in Brown Eyed Women but since we all live in different states, we might play a long weekend quarterly, for example. But that's all Grateful Dead and Grateful Dead covers in an all-female format. Former and/or currently dormant bands include: Hoobis Doobis, Undercover, Smokehouse, Beatletracks, Fennario, Don't Let Go and Ship of the Sun. V.C.: What do you think about the huge global community of Grateful Dead and Jerry Garcia fans? C.K.: The community is amazing. It's just a wonderful community of people, the fans and musicians; it's a massive community worldwide. Generally, everyone's friendly and loving with lots of positive energy. V.C.: You grew up in Grafton, Mass. with a grand piano in your living room and your grandmother taught piano lessons. Is that how you started? C.K.: When I was really young, I would bang on the keys. Then, I started playing for real at age 8, and saw I had capabilities to do things with it. I was never crazy about playing classical music, especially as a teenager. I was more interested in rock music. I would try to learn songs by ear — like rock songs. V.C.: Who were some of your early music influences? C.K.: Those would be Van Halen, ELO, Asia, The Cars, Rush and later Phish. V.C.: Why do you think this music is still so compelling? C.K.: That's a great question. For one thing it's the lyrics. (John) Barlow and (Robert) Hunter wrote lyrics that seem to really resonate with people. And of course, putting it to Jerry's kind of unique style, and Bobby (Parrish) had a completely other unique style. Phil (Lesh) wasn't originally a bass player, he just fell into it by meeting Jerry. He kind of invented a style, and you could say the same for Bobby. He just figured out a way to play rhythm guitar in a way that people weren't doing at the time. And Jerry, of course, just had an incredible melodic sensibility and technical ability. I would just chalk it up to amazing intelligence all around and a little magic dust. V.C.: Thank you, Caroline! I've really enjoyed our conversation! Birdies is a multi-use space in downtown Keene which opened in 2024 and is owned by Beth and Matt Wood — who also own 21 Bar and Grill. Birdies hosts a plethora of activities for all ages including exercise classes, a wine club, craft nights, live theatre, and live bands. Carly Giza runs private/rental events and parties, and Gavin Key serves as entertainment manager and runs public events such as music, trivia, bingo, etc. "I always like to say we do a little bit of everything. In addition to public and private events, we're open for breakfast/lunch 7 days a week, have a retail area for gift shopping, and are community friendly with lots of kids' activities. We also have a take one/leave one library, and community pantry," Key wrote in an email to The Keene Sentinel. He continued, "We've had Diamond Blues here twice before, and they were amazing. Both shows brought a big crowd with lots of dancing. We can't wait to have them back!" WHAT: Diamond Blues takes the stage at Birdies WHEN: Saturday, May 9th Show 6 – 9 p.m. Doors open at 5:30 p.m. WHERE: Birdies, 18 Main Street, Keene TICKETS: $15 available online or at the door eventbrite.com/e/diamond-blues-live-at-birdies-tickets-1984074867338 MORE INFO: visit diamondbluesmusic.com and follow Diamond Blues on Facebook # # #