A 35 year veteran in the biz, Joe Craven first captured the wide-eyed stare of many fans in the ’90s as the astonishing percussionist and multi-instrumentalist of the David Grisman Quintet. Joe also performed and/or recorded with Jerry Garcia, Allison Brown, David Lindley, Vassar Clements, Stephane Grappelli, Howard Levy, Jason Marsalis and many others. Craven approaches his craft with an insider’s knowledge and adoration while masterfully re-imagining and re-composing existing music with new found relevance. As an award-winning educator, artist and actor, his oeuvre covers a huge range of musical genres and artistic inspirations.

On his jaunty and inventive new album, Garcia Songbook, Craven pays tribute to his time with Jerry Garcia while blazing a new path across the well-worn trails of the beloved and revered work of the patriarch of the Grateful Dead. Bursting forth with exciting and unexpected takes on familiar favorites, the music is seasoned with surprising flavors, deviations, re-imaginings and detours.