I've seen the band 350+ times from the very 1992 beginning as an OSU student. Dave & John played as duo b/w Supplication (Columbus GD cover band feat. 18 - 19 yr. old Steve & Cliff) sets. I remember thinking Dave and John's harmonies were really really good during their 3-4 song sets comprised of "Helplessly Hoping," "Indica Sativa," etc ... And Steve was getting better and better on weekly basis w/ Supplication. He would absolutely shred Stevie Ray Vaughn's "Couldn't Stand The Weather."

I went to NH summer of 1992. During a call back to school, a friend told me Supplication was breaking up = "The 2 dudes who played set break, the preying mantis looking guitar player, and (not so good back then) bass player formed a new band called ..." He couldn't remember their name, but I was confused and pissed b/c Supplication was the shit. Little known fact, John wrote "Under Full Sail" the night he and Dave played together for the 1st time during a weekly Southberg Mon. night open mike, and sometimes Local Color. night. He told be he wrote in a 1/2 hr, and it's an anthem to me and many many others.

I started going to all the Southberg Wed. night shows with a few friends. That seen was legendary real deal heady. Week after week the band was adding new songs (Utopia, Gather Round, Here Today Gone Tomorrow, Keeping Time.) The crowd was getting bigger. Something was happening, and a lot heads were realizing their potential. Of note, Ed McGee and Dave Mezner used to play set breaks; they'd kill Zepplin's "Bron-Yar-Stomp" & Michael Hedges "Funky Avocados" instrumentals on 2 acoustic guitars.

They moved their weekly Wed.'s nights to the High St. dance club, Not Al's Rockers, as more and more peeps starting jumping on the train. A Phish after show @ Rockers (4/22/93?) stands out as sign of things to come. They packed the club following Phish's 2nd Columbus, OH ever. I saw Dave @ the show, and he told me they were ready to "entertain" the Phish kids from out of state on tour. Check out that 1 set gem, "entertain" & deliver the goods they did. I remember puffing w/ 2 couples on tour from CT. They were blown away by what they were hearing.

Not Al's Rockers became too small, and they made the BIG jump to Newport Music Hall, a 1700 capacity old school GA theater and THE campus music venue, fall 1993. Everybody played their, and I mean everybody. At this point, they assumed KINGS OF THE MIDWEST SCENE. This was a time when the word "jamband" didn't exist. The only bands in that genre known to Midwest kids were GD, Blue Traveler, and Ekoostik Hookah. The Allman Bros. had just reunited w/ Warren & Woody, and played Columbus maybe twice @ this point. Bands like Orosboros, River Runt Spookfloaters, The Janglers, and Mary Adam 12 all contributed to a really kind healthy music scene. Phish was just starting to get national exposure; WsP wasn't in the picture yet.

Ekoostik Hookah was the best band I'd ever seen at the age of 21. Their weekly Newport residency was their creative high point IMO, and I seen approx. 100 shows by this time. Ol' Montana Red Dog, Sam McCully, & Looper's Din, Ridgeway Sky among others were all introduced during this era. It blew me and my crew away hearing the band busting out new super high quality jams on weekly basis. Friend: "What the fuck was that?" Me "No idea, but fucking excellent."

We traveled all over the Midwest every weekend to see Ekoostik Hookah. It was the place to be (super hot sweet talking soul sisters galore,) and they delivered the goods every night every venue. The Dugout in Athens, OH was always a party, but Cleveland's Grog Shop, Oxford, OH's The Balcony, and "Blind Pig" @ UM were so much fun.

We all know the story behind John's summer of 1996 departure. It was mind boggling to me = why? work it out!. The jamband scene was really starting to explode, I was turned on to soooo many bands from the summer of 1996 on, w/ WsP eventually becoming "the best band I've seen." I'm good friends w/ John and Steve Frye, and I've heard stories about some business decisions made that prevented the band from riding that late 90's wave of jambands popularity. Supposedly they had a 5 record Warner Bros. deal on the table, but the band "leader' (not dropping names,") declined. He didn't want any/all outside $$$, creative, etc ... influence. Let's just say the band was making good $$$ from playing 3-4 nights a week, Hookahville was always a huge payday, AND additional funds were provided various OH "farmers." Enough said.

So we experienced almost 10 yrs. w/o John, and an Ed McGee supported band. He didn't do it for me, and I put my focus into WsP, which was also an amazing ride. The 11/23/05 Katz Mullins duo show is a piece of Ekoostik Hookah history, and every hard core fan should have a listen. It's the 1st time they'd played together in 9 yrs, and it's a SBD gem. I must have listed to it everyday for a month back then. "Can this really be happening?" "Is there a chance for my boys to reunite the OG band (minus Steve?)" Dave confirmed John was playing w/ the band in Jamaica Spring 2006 via a Jambase post reply my friend had made. They re-formed with John back in the saddle, as "Under Full Sail." Amazing to me and so much anticipation. I could not wait to see it w/ my own ears/eyes. John's rejoining the band spring 1996 brought so much good to their fans, the bands financial situation, life in general. The world was right again. They were on fucking point, after some pretty shitty years w/ Ed. New material like "Heart's Lair," "Life is Good," and fun covers (e.g. Riding With The King, Memphis In The Meantime, etc ...) confirmed they were back in a big way. It wasn't a nostalgia trip or test run. Sold out Martyr's in Chicago their first night back w/ v2.0. They went on to do 4-5 2 night Martyr's runs, selling out all of them. It was an amazing run for the guys, and I'm so blessed to have developed a tight friendship w/ John during this time. He allowed me to have a front row seat to the second time around. It was all that and more IMO. Truly a magical era in my long rich music fan career/2nd job.

This show was the end of v2.0. I got a call from John a few weeks later on Easter Sun. He told me he left the band, he'd walked into the "Brij" recording sessions and told everybody face to face. I was happy for him; he was constantly under the microscope from his bandmates, 1 in particular. He stayed @ my Chicago apt. every single time they played there. He'd have anxiety for hours before every show, and his bandmates' scrutiny related to his partying amplified that anxiety. He simply wasn't happy going to work. The no drinking before shows rule was unfair and hypocritical. Ekoostik Hookah is a rock and roll band, no different than the Rolling Stones. Mick didn't lay down partying rules for Keef. Woulda, shoulda, coulda ... The band's back to playing dive bars; I just attended the 4/1/16 Kent, OH show. They sounded excellent, w/ Dave and Steve just crushing all challengers. Attendance is down, but they soldier on. Dave gets all the props in the world for his commitment and dedication to the band and his skills, BUT ...

MOTHERFUCKER WE MISS YOU JOHN MULLINS. I'll keep the candle lit for Ekoostik Hookah v3.0, which would take nothing short of a miracle at this point. "It all comes together, sometimes fades, but never dies ..."

I think it says it all.......

In light of recent events you all might want to check out this gem. I have been listening to it all week along with the show from the night b4. Thanks for the nice recording RedDawg. A really mellow show with quite a few ballads. I really like the vibe of this show. Miss you John