As though it were decreed sheerly through the energetic advocacy of our friends at Hidden Track alone, God Street Wine has announced they will reunite on July 9 and 10 at Manhattan's Gramercy Theater for a pair of shows benefiting the National Multiple Sclerosis Society.
God Street Wine was an integral part of the Great Northern Freaks movement that made the East Coast a uniquely vibrant hub of improvised rock during the midnineties. One of the country's few true underground scenes, the "granola circuit" established by Phish laid the foundation for a touring network that nurtured bands such as moe., the Ominous Seapods, Percy Hill, Moonboot Lover, Conehead Buddha, and numerous lesser, but not necessarily unworthy, peers. GSW, one of the scene's more promising shoulda-beens, stopped touring in 1999 and the bandmembers went on to various other pursuits.
The bittersweet motivation for GSW's upcoming reunion is the diagnosis of Michael Weiss, the band's stage manager and lighting director, with multiple sclerosis.
GSW fans, a.k.a. Winos, will be able to buy presale tickets to the benefit (for 24 hours) through Live Nation/Ticketmaster with a link and password that will be posted here on Wednesday at 10 a.m.
Moreover, the band is now giving away all its music and instead asking fans to donate money to the National Multiple Sclerosis Society:
God Street Wine is no longer a profit-making entity; we are engaged in trying to make as much of our music and media available for free download and sharing as is legally possible. For those who wish to spend money on us, we ask that you download our music for free instead and save your money to make a donation to the charity of your choice.
We choose to support the efforts of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society to support both research towards a cure for MS, and programs to address the needs of people living with MS today. Click Here to donate or learn more.