So what’s next, will you mic up the oceans, or the earth, a volcano?

Nothing is out the question. I have some ideas: insects, DNA, the actual building blocks of life and the human being, stem cells.

Seriously?
Yes, anything is possible and there is rhythm in it all. It just needs to be recorded and then, what I get is a real rough draft, whether it’s from the Sun or the Golden Gate Bridge, it’s not real pleasing to the ear, that is what I hear initially. Then I work with the different sounds and find the rhythm in it all and put it together these samples, the samples that you then hear me play in concert. Right now we’re working on a Space Opera.

So with the second leg of your tour starting off, what is it like going back to Fillmore, and what can we expect from it?

Every time I go to the Fillmore, it has this energy, I smell it and all of sudden I can see Bill Graham running around with a watch on both hands and yeah, it’s a special place, we played some great shows there. It, well, the Fillmore, even though our show is different, it’s where my roots are so it has a special place in my heart for sure. A lot of memories there. The first leg was like a trial though. We had to test it out. You don’t just create a monster like this and then let it out of the cage. You have to contain it and test it and see what it can do. If not you will be consumed by it, consumed by the music itself. So we had an amazing first leg and now we’re ready to let it loose. It’s going to be great. The song “Heartbeat Of The Sun,” it has these lyrics. I worked with Robert Hunter and he wrote lyrics for this Space Opera and we’re going to start performing the second act to album. It’s almost a whole another album. It’s going to be incredible, I’m real excited for it.

So, Camp Mysterium, tell me how you came up with an idea like that and what people can expetct.

Well, someone actually came to me with the idea, and I was thought, that sounds great. It’s going to be very centered, intimate and we couldn’t have got a better spot for it. Everyone will be staying in these very cool cabins.

So it’s my understanding it’s going to be real small. Will there be interaction with the band and you and the fans?

Oh, yeah, absolutely. That was the point, we are going to have drum workshops and total interaction. It’s a retreat in a way. It’s set in the incredibly scenic and peaceful place in Big Indian, NY. We’re going to bring the cosmos there and explain to everyone, why we were, where we come from, why we’re here. From the first sound 13 billion years ago. I want to let people into all these worlds and show them new and different ways of trying to explain music. The Camp is going to be a giant musical play-room.

I understand there will only be about 180 people there, so your intention is to make it a one of kind experience?

Exactly.

Will there be any other acts joining you on the bill like at other festivals? Any guests?
No other bands, but we plan on having different musicians come and join in the Camp, some are confirmed already but I can’t say who because of scheduling. We will have some really cool guests though.

Do you have any plans on playing at Phil Lesh’s Terrapin Crossroads, or doing a webcast from Bob Weir’s TRI anytime in the future?

No, we don’t have plans. We have done some webcasts, two of them. But none from there. We might do some more in the future, but no plans.

I have two more questions for you, and one came from a fan, and it might sound a little out there but anyway I felt it was intriguing. So what do you eat, or rather, how do you stay healthy?

What do I eat? Well let’s say a steady diet of drumming. I mean I eat a little bit of everything in moderation and try to eat healthy, stay away from hard alcohol and I work out, do Pilates. But how do I stay healthy? A good full daily diet of rhythm. Drumming is what keeps me healthy.

You seem to have this connection to outer space and the cosmos. Do you think in this age of Space Tourism you’d ever consider going up there?

To space? No, I’ve never really thought about it. I’m interested in the sounds and the rhythm and the music. I’ve never thought of actually going up there. That’s not to say I wouldn’t. As of now, no. But in the future, I’d have to say anything is possible.

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