Headliners

Full Sail, full circle

by John Ross

Ekoostik Hookah has become Ohio's most successful jam band—one respected across the country—but they picked a hell of a time to record their 1991 debut.

United by an open-mic jam at the South Heidelberg, John Mullins, Dave Katz, Steve Sweney, Cliff Starbuck and then-drummer Steve Frye had been together for only a month when they went to record Under a Full Sail.

Sweney's hand had been recently mangled by a piece of glass falling from a medicine cabinet, and as Mullins recalled, they recorded in a friend's basement, where a barking dog kept time in the background.

Circumstances far less strange have doomed other bands.

So late last year, a re-energized Hookah decided to re-record the original songs—some in studio fashion, some before a limited audience. They will release Under a Full Sail: It All Comes Together at Hookahville 27 this weekend.

"The songs are night and day," said Mullins, who rejoined in March 2006 after a decade away. "Not because our voices have a little more mileage on them, but because the jams and the precision are so much different."

Together, the 13 tracks stand as a testament to the band's dedication and its musical growth: Same spirit, same songs, better results.

Even those unfamiliar with (or staunchly opposed to) jam music will find it accessible, especially the more concise offerings of the first disc. "A Farewell from Futures Past" and "Arctic Song" pay equal homage to Emerson, Lake & Palmer and the Grateful Dead. Longer songs borrow from the jam scene the band helped fashion, but also from poppier sounds along the way.

"It sounds corny to say that a song has a life of its own, but it really does," said Eric Lanese, who's drummed with the band since 1993. "I've had to go back and listen to hear how different the songs sound. It's like watching a kid grow up."

A Long, Strange Trip

A routine interview last week at the High Beck Tavern turned into three hours of memories and wisdom from Ekoostik Hookah members Eric Lanese and John Mullins. A few of the stories they recalled:

Hookahville 27

The music fest takes place Friday through Sunday, May 25-27, at Legend Valley Campground in Thornville, about 33 miles east of Columbus. In addition to Ekoostik Hookah, performers include: Rusted Root, the Wailers, Hot Buttered Rum, Oakhurst, Tea Leaf Green, the Ark Band and Freekbass.

Most fans camp in tents at primitive sites, and onsite there will be an ATM, portable toilets, drinking water, ice and medical supplies. Food, beverages and clothing will be sold. Organizers suggest bringing a wagon to carry belongings and say most cell phones work fine.

For more tickets, schedule and camping info, click to LegendValley.net

- For years Mullins' nickname has been "Muffins"—not exactly the coolest alias for a guitar player. Turns out, Mullins picked the fonts for the band's second album, and the elaborate typeface made every "l" look like an "f."

"I still get people coming up to me and asking, 'Hey, are you Muffins?'" he said.

- Long hair and midnight travel were never a good combination, especially one night in Colorado about 10 years ago. A cop stopped the band's van and searched it. Finding a bag full of greenery, the officer said, "Well, well, this looks like seaweed."

Bassist Cliff Starbuck, standing outside in the cold, insisted, "Yeah, that's my seaweed."

It actually was kelp—Starbuck was going through a naturalist phase—but the skeptical cop issued citations anyway.

- In 2001, Hookahville was coming together perfectly—Willie Nelson and Dr. John were headlining. Only problem was the weather.

In what's become known as "Mudville," heavy rains made travel impossible. Organizers had to hire seven tractors at $100 per hour to tow people in and out, and county snow plows were needed to clear mud from the roads.

May 24th, 2007