Los Angeles-based since 1987, Cubensis is a Grateful Dead tribute band built around complete shows, spontaneous set lists, and material from all eras of the Dead and the Jerry Garcia Band. The band played its 3000th show in 2013 and continues to perform throughout the West.

Cubensis is a Los Angeles-based Grateful Dead tribute band that has been active since 1987. The band centers its shows on the live Grateful Dead experience, drawing from all eras of the Dead and the Jerry Garcia Band and building complete shows around a spontaneous set list. With hundreds of songs in play, no two nights are the same, and audience requests are part of the format.

Rather than approach the material as a note-for-note cover act, Cubensis works in the same improvisational spirit that defined the Grateful Dead. Rock, country, and jazz influences remain part of the sound, and the band leaves room for interpretation while staying faithful to the original music. The result is a tribute built for listeners who want the repertoire, pacing, and open-ended feel of a Dead show.

Cubensis has performed Grateful Dead show recreations throughout the western United States and played its 3000th show during its 2013 summer tour. The band has also maintained an active schedule of around 100 dates per year across the Southwest, including San Francisco, Lake Tahoe, San Diego, Phoenix, and Las Vegas. The group has been invited back to the House of Blues in Hollywood, Anaheim, and San Diego for more than 50 engagements.

The band’s history includes onstage appearances by Grateful Dead keyboardists Vince Welnick and Tom Constanten. Other guests named in its touring history include Chris Robinson and Marc Ford of the Black Crowes, Warren Haynes, David Nelson, Martin Fierro, and Barney Doyle. Bob Weir is also quoted encouraging the group: Just love what you do...and of course, you do!

Press mentions in the source material include LA Weekly, which wrote that Cubensis plays with the same laid-back mastery as the real McCoy. Big Brother skateboard magazine called them the nation’s premiere Dead tribute, OC Weekly called them the hottest Grateful Dead tribute act going, OC Register said they were the best place to channel Jerry Garcia, and AOL Citybeat wrote that Cubensis is renown for whipping its faithful crowd into a swirling, psychedelic mass for three hours straight.

Cubensis also performs an annual fall benefit show in partnership with the Rex Foundation, the nonprofit charitable organization established in 1983 by friends and members of the Grateful Dead. Funds from that concert are contributed directly to the foundation to support grants for community groups and nonprofits.

For buyers, the pitch is straightforward: a long-running Grateful Dead tribute with deep repertoire, full-show pacing, improvisation at the center, and a format that changes nightly.