Much of
the Zen Tricksters' vocabulary -- both musical and literal -- is drawn from the musical universe of
the Grateful Dead. Considering the fact that
the Tricksters have spent the better part of the last 20 years as one of the country's premier
Dead cover bands, that's not a surprise. What is surprising, however, is how effective their original material it is. Sure, much of the band's sound is firmly in the mode of their main influence, but it is delightfully free of rhythmic lumber of
the Dead. Indeed,
the Tricksters seem to have taken the lessons of
the Dead's best periods of the late '60s and early '70s and stripped them down. "The One" sounds like a jazzier version of a
Jerry Garcia ballad from
American Beauty, while "Talk of the Town" hones in on jazzier elements. The band's jamming is affable and comfortable, sticking mostly to acoustic sounds. Refreshingly,
the Tricksters pull it off without sounding like a tribute act. ~ Jesse Jarnow