God Street Wine Reunite for NYC Shows
Following a decade of dormancy, God Street Wine are reuniting for the second time in three years for a run of shows in New York City this August, with additional possibilities being discussed.
Much ado was made about God Street Wine’s 2010 reunion when they sold out New York’s Gramercy Theatre in record time. But the victory was short-lived: following those two shows, the band performed just two more, aboard Jam Cruise in January 2011 (where they were joined by several notable guests, including the Grateful Dead‘s Bob Weir) before going back on “indefinite hiatus.” With band members now scattered across the globe and dedicated to new careers, that came as no big surprise.
But now, just over a year later, God Street Wine are back again, this time for a three-night stand at the Gramercy. This round might even be a sign of things to come: additional tour dates may be on the horizon and, at the very least, occasional get-togethers seem likely.
Frontman Lo Faber says the 2010 reunion was as thrilling for the band as it was for their fans. “At the same time, and I’ll only speak for myself here,” Faber tells Rolling Stone, “I had a teeny bit of frustration by being bound by what GSW was doing 12 to 15 years ago. The thrill of doing what we used to do wore off a bit, and I started to wonder if we could actually do something new.”
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God Street Wine initially formed in 1988 and officially disbanded in 1999. During their heyday, they toured as part of the H.O.R.D.E. festival and performed on bills anchored by the Allman Brothers and Black Crowes. In their time, the Dave Matthews Band, Sheryl Crow and Hootie and the Blowfish all opened for them.
When the band announced they were going on “indefinite hiatus” again following the 2011 Jam Cruise, Faber and guitarist Aaron Maxwell used their rekindled friendship and musical partnership as grounds to perform a series of intimate acoustic shows around New York.
“Both of us had a musical itch to scratch, triggered by the GSW reunion shows, that wouldn’t go away,” says Faber. “And the acoustic shows . . . were actually new and fresh, musically, in exactly the way I was looking for. They showed us that there are still a lot more musical possibilities for GSW still yet to be explored. We still have things to say up on that stage.”
They’ll get their chance when they return to the Gramercy for three consecutive nights beginning on August 16th.