A PSYCHEDELIC CHRISTMAS WITH AIRPLANE FAMILY & FRIENDS!
Featuring Jefferson Airplane, Jefferson Starship, Hot Tuna and Grateful Dead alumni!
A brand new incantation of Jefferson Airplane/Starship members and associated musician are joining forces as The Airplane Family & Friends, ready to hit the road this December for their first-ever tour. According to a press release shared by ABC News Radio, the new band will feature Starship guitarist Slick Aguilar, bassist Peter Kaukonen and drummer Prairie Prince, as well as Grace Slick’s former brother-in-law/former Great Society member Darby Slick, responsible for penning “Somebody to Love.”
The full band will also feature singer Eva Avila as well as Joli Valenti, son of Quicksilver Messenger Service’s Dino Valenti. Quicksilver Messenger Service was a mainstay of the 1960’s psychedelic San Francisco scene, alongside the Grateful Dead and Jefferson Airplane. Valenti and Avila will handle vocal duties, emulating those of Grace Slick and Marty Balin.
The band has also revealed dates for a tour in December, where they plan to mostly perform Jefferson Airplane tunes and some Starship and Quicksilver Messenger Service songs as well. They’ll also be joined by Live Dead 69, a band that features former Grateful Dead pianist Tom Constanten with guitarist Mark Karan and Aguilar, Kaukonen and Prince of Starship and the new Airplane Family ensemble.