When genres dissolve and eras blur, that’s where you’ll find The Crosby Collective—a shape-shifting ensemble led by multi-instrumentalist and mashup maven Jason Crosby. Known for fusing musical worlds into cohesive, continuous movements, the Collective brings its fearless improvisation and genre-defying sound to Sony Hall for one special night during the sacred stretch known as the Days Between—honoring the legacy of Jerry Garcia with music that looks forward, not back.
This isn’t your typical setlist band. The Crosby Collective reimagines music across decades, plugging songs together into seamless compositions like “Friend of the Lithium”—a striking blend of Grateful Dead and Nirvana that’s as emotionally resonant as it is unexpected. Each performance is a living, breathing journey through rock, soul, psychedelia, jazz, and everything in between—familiar yet completely transformed.
Helping guide that journey is very special guest Steve Kimock, a guitarist Jerry Garcia once called his “favorite unknown player.”
Kimock brings the singing sustain and melodic curiosity that defined his collaborations with Garcia, Phil Lesh, Bob Weir, and others in the post-Dead continuum. His connection to this show runs even deeper—he’s the father of drummer John Kimock, who not only co-leads the night’s opening set but also holds down the rhythm in The Crosby Collective itself.
That opening set is Spirit Guide, the duo project of Jason Crosby and Johnny Kimock. While composed of many of the same musicians, Spirit Guide offers a more intimate, instrumental invocation—setting the tone for the expansive, full-band adventure that follows.
Come celebrate the Days Between with musicians who don’t just honor the tradition—they stretch it, shape it, and let it speak through them in real time. The Crosby Collective isn’t a tribute—it’s a continuation of the conversation Jerry started, inviting all of us to keep listening, keep dancing, and keep the portal open.
Spirit Guide
It started in a New Zealand airport.
Jason Crosby and Jackson Browne were walking through the terminal when Browne turned to Crosby and asked, “Have you ever heard of Benji Hughes?” That question led Crosby to download Hughes’ debut album, A Love Extreme—a record that would unexpectedly change the course of his musical life. When Crosby later shared the album with drummer Johnny Kimock, the two discovered not just a mutual love for its sound, but a deep creative connection built on a decade of shared stages with Oteil & Friends, the Crosby Collective, and beyond.
From that spark, Spirit Guide was born.
Rooted in improvisation and emotional depth, Spirit Guide will channel not only the music of Benji Hughes but also the spirit of the Dead's great explorations—open-ended, fearless, and wide awake. It’s no coincidence: both Crosby and Kimock have long been embedded in the extended Grateful Dead universe.
