THE RED PLANET
John Hurley, guitar & vocals
Pete Blossom, guitar & vocals
Ted Ervin, bass
JB Sutherland, drums
The Red Planet does a straight-up, no-nonsense jam that covers a variety of classic tunes from The Dead, Dylan, and The Band to Johnny Cash and other roots-based, country-fied, Americana-type, standards. Their laid-back, sittin’-on-the front porch, let’s-have-fun attitude gives way to tightly worked out performances, rich with interwoven instrumental unity, guitar pyrotechnics, vocal harmony, group dynamics, and flat-out enthusiasm—all delivered with a genuine working-for-the people, non-showbiz kinda presence. It’s hard not to have a good old time, hangin’ out when they do their thing.
Although the Red Planet is often categorized as a Grateful Dead cover band, that’s not really the case. Sure, they do a bunch of Dead songs, but don’t necessarily try to sound like the Dead—although sometimes they do end up nailing it.
Deadheads love the band and but they also get people who come up to them after a set and say, “I don’t like the Grateful Dead, but I really like you guys!” The band also does songs by a variety of artists like the Band, Bob Dylan, Tom Waits, Van Morrison (no, not Brown Eyed Girl), the Beatles, Jimmy Cliff, Irving Berlin (!?), Hank Williams, and many more.
But really, they put their own spin on things. They take the tunes and play them. There are elements of Americana, folk, funk, blues, bluegrass, r&b, and rock, with each band member bringing their own influences to the table.
Where in the
World . . .
The Red Planet came together sometime around 2010. Since then, they have played hundreds and hundreds of shows—including well over 250 times just at New Haven’s Owl Shop where they have had a Tuesday night residency there since April of 2014.
Below are just some of the places they’ve played in the last ten years:
BRYAC Black Rock – Black Rock, CT
Fairfield Theater Company – Fairfield, CT
The Acoustic – Black Rock, CT
The Owl Shop – New Haven, CT
Bishop’s Orchards – Guilford, CT
Cisco Brewers – Stamford, CT
Roton Club – Rowayton, CT
Pa’s Place – Guilford, CT
Soupstock 2018 – Shelton, CT
Stony Creek Brewery – Branford, CT
Cafe Nine – New Haven, CT
Stella Blues – New Haven, CT
Scotch Plains Tavern – Essex, Ct
The Tipping Chair Tavern – Southington, CT
The Outer Space – Hamden, CT
The Norden Club – Black Rock, CT
Rothbard Ale + Larder – Westport, CT
TruNorth – Black Rock, CT
The Spotted Horse Tavern – Westport, CT
Smokin’ with Chris – Southington, CT
The Little Stone House – Guilford, CT
Sheppard’s Tavern – Guilford, CT
Paradise Hills Vineyard – Wallingford, CT
Stone’s Throw – Seymour, CT
Beef and Barley’s – Newtown, CT
New England Cider Company – Wallingford, CT
Old Post Tavern – Fairfield, CT
Brennan’s Shebeen – Black Rock, CT
The Tautog Tavern – Black Rock, CT
The Hops Company – Derby, CT
Trinity Bar – New Haven, CT
Sam the Clam’s – Southington. CT
Hoptoberfest – Shelton, CT
Taste of Guilford – Guilford, CT
Center Street Public House – Darien, CT
Mike’s Blue Collar Bar – Wallingford, CT
Wheeler’s Taproom – Woodbridge, CT
