Of all the typically hyperskilled guitarists who have found bill-paying work in the void left by the death of Jerry Garcia, Steve Kimock holds a distinction: He was explicitly endorsed by the man himself. Early in his career, the Bay Area regular Kimock was called by the great Garcia “my favorite unknown guitarist.”
While many of the Garcia fill-ins over the years (from the Allman-line Jimmy Herring to our own Larry Campbell to the superstar John Mayer) have had to unlearn the blues mode to pick up on Garcia’s singular fusion of modern modal improvisation with a kind of country/bluegrass melodic classicism, Kimock came from more of a jazz place to begin with. He is an understated, sweetly melodic player who values an articulate lyricism above technical histrionics. Hmmm. Who does that sound like?
Steve Kimock and his band, called Kimock, appear at Club Helsinki in Hudson on Saturday, June 10 at 9 p.m. Ticket prices for this 21+ show range within the very football-like numbers of $28 to $35. For tickets and additional information, visit www.helsinkihudson.com. Club Helsinki is located at 405 Columbia Street in Hudson.