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NEWS BRIEFS
Ekoostik Hookah coming to Ironton
Adam Brown has traveled thousands of miles to see his favorite jam band, Ekoostik Hookah.
Come Saturday, Brown will cross into Ironton to The End Zone, where he's helped book a rare acoustic live show by Dave Katz and John Mullins, two of the founders and singer/songwriters for Hookah.
The duo, that will be taking the band to Jamaica in March, and all over the country in the meantime, stops in for a intimate club show.
There is no cover.
Showtime is 9 p.m. at The End Zone, located at 422 S. 2nd St.
"The thing about it is that I've put so many miles on the old van seeing them that it's just nice for all the people who have heard me talk about them so much for years to finally get to see the main part of Hookah in a stripped-down form," Brown said. "It's nice to be able to go right down the street and not drive three or four hours to see them."
Brown's not alone in his allegiance to the band that burst on the scene in Columbus, Ohio back in 1991 with "Under Full Sail," which was recorded in a Columbus basement.
In the years since, the band has established a large fan base traveling the U.S., playing lots of festivals, and even hosting several of its own, including the semi-annual Hookahville, just outside of Columbus, as well as the newer Hookah in the Hills, near Athens, Ohio.
For Brown and many fans, all is right with the Hookah universe.
A couple years ago, and after a 10-year absence, original member John Mullins came back to the fold, a fact celebrated with the beautiful two-CD set, "Under Full Sail," that was recorded live at the legendary Tree Sound Studios in Atlanta.
Brown, who first caught onto Hookah back when the band regularly played The Dugout in Athens, said having Dave Katz and John Mullins back together makes it all good again.
"That is what Hookah is supposed to sound like," Brown said. "Him and Katz are the yin and yang of voices. Mullins has that raspy smoky sound and their voices just blend together beautifully. They actually have got the same birthday, so they're freaking supposed to be together."
Brown said he's seen about 200 shows of the band's since he began listening to the music in 1999.
"My wife is on the scene too and we travel with the kids and go to a lot of shows and a lot of festivals, and Hookahville is always on the calendar," said Brown, of the festival that one magazine called the coolest place on the planet. "Aside from my family, music is my other passion."
Brown said he thanks The End Zone owner Rob Brumfield for bringing in the guys and asks everyone to come out and support, even if they think they don't like jam bands.
Brown said the set will include lots of Hookah originals, as well as some covers they pull out like John Prine, done up with both guys on the guitar and sometimes Katz at his keyboard.
"This is good, Ohio-based, fan friendly music," Brown said. "You don't have to be in the jam band scene to like them. You can like folk, or country or rock and roll. Actually they always say they're not a jam band, just rock 'n' roll, and they just bring it."
