Mark Karan is known for playing with Ratdog, The Other Ones, Delaney Bramlett, Dave Mason of Traffic, and Paul Carrack of Squeeze… Ratdog, of course is the band put together by Bob Weir of the Grateful Dead.  The band is now on hiatus with the recent addition of Weir’s new project, Furthur. The other members of Ratdog have gone on to pursue their own musical endeavors, as well. Jay Lane (drummer) just got done touring with Furthur and is now moving back to his roots, rejoining Primus, Jeff Chimenti (keyboard player) is touring as the keyman for Furthur. Bassist, Robin Sylvester is recovering from a medical issue. Kenny Brooks is pursuing a side project named the Kenny Brooks trio, and Mark Karan is continuing to tour with his band of 10 years, Jemimah Puddleduck.

Jemimah Puddleduck will bring you music from the realms of New Orleans, reggae, funk, jam, and even country music in some aspects… With the obvious Grateful Dead music influencing Mark’s musicianship, you will also hear many Dead songs, but even more intriguing are the Mark Karan originals.  Newcomers to Jemimah Puddleduck quickly find that there’s more to this lead guitarist than just playing Dead.
As previously mentioned, Ratdog has gone on hiatus, and Mark Karan & Jemimah Puddleduck will be making stops in the summer to the East and West coast, including Nateva Festival and Furthur Festival in May. T\

The current tourdates are:

• Jun 4: San Francisco, CA – Restoration Workshop
• Jun 13: San Francisco, CA – Great American Music Hall
• Jul 3: Garrettsville, OH – Nelson Ledges Quarry Park
• Jul 4: Oxford, ME – Oxford County Fairgrounds
• Jul 21: Sacramento, CA – Torch Club
• Jul 22: Santa Cruz, ca – Moe’s Alley
• Jul 24: Junction City, CA – Trinity Tribal Stomp
• Jul 30: Baltimore, MD – 8 x 10 club
• Jul 31: Terra Alta, WV – Sunshine Daydream Music Park
• Aug 4: New York, NY – Sullivan Hall
• Aug 5: Wilkes-Barre, PA – River Street Jazz Cafe
• Aug 6: Newmarket, NH – The Stone Church

markkaran.com

TC: How did you come about to play the guitar?

MK: Well, I started in the early-mid ’60′s. The folk thing was pretty big and I got into sort of the tail end of that… but then I REALLY got “the bug” when the Beatles appeared on Ed Sullivan. Man, I wanted an electric guitar after that!

TC:  What was your first, and current guitar?

MK: my very first guitar was an Orpheus acoustic – a real piece o’ crap! (laughs)… my first electric was a Japanese Super-Astrotone 3 pick-up sorta Strat wannabe. Current? I have way too many to name one… but my main squeezes are my ’52 goldtop “conversion”, my ’61 SG/Les Paul, my ’62 Strat and my ’51 “No-Caster.” I’ve been lucky enough to have been able to welcome some really cool guitars into my life…

TC:  To overcome cancer must feel great, and to record an album right afterwards, must be very empowering. Is the title “Walk Through The Fire” symbolic of any real life experiences?

MK: Well, yeah. It’s absolutely symbolic of going through the process of healing from cancer… the emotional and spiritual side of that journey as much as the physical challenges… But it’s also shown itself to be more universal than that. I think there are feelings and ideas in that song that can apply to any kind of challenge or need for self-examination in my (or anyone’s) life.

TC:  The title track “Walk Through The Fire” is very emotional, how did this song come about?

MK: I wrote it in my hospital bed the first day we checked me in for chemotherapy. I was getting settled and thinking about what lay ahead… the guitar was there because I had to get 24 hour a day treatment for a week and needed to have music around… I just suddenly had this sense that I wanted to play and the song just poured out… Almost like “automatic writing”. It’s a very pure take on what I was feeling in that moment.

TC:  Where did the Grateful Dead come into your life as an influence?

MK: I was lucky enough to be in San Francisco in the 60′s, so I was at several of the Golden Gate Park events, at Speedway and the Polo fields… even a couple at the Panhandle… classic outdoor freebie concerts by The Dead, Quicksilver, The Airplane, The Sons… that scene was heavily influential on my entire life philosophy, including music… I went to many, many Fillmore, Fillmore West, Winterland, Berkeley Community Theater concerts and saw many of the seminal bands of that era repeatedly. The Dead were always a favorite and I really loved Garcia’s guitar playing. In some ways they’ve come to represent all the music and philosophy and social experimentation of that era to me (and many others) and so the Grateful Dead will always have a huge place in my heart and world view.

TC:  How did you get to meet Bob Weir, and how did this lead into you playing in Ratdog?

MK: I met bob when I was invited to try out for the other ones in 1998. Even though I grew up in San Francisco around the band, I’d never met Bob or anyone… and I had moved to L.A. when I got the call. None of “the boys” knew me or knew about me. I’d been playing some with (studio drummer and Grateful Dead “family” member) John Molo who had also been tapped for The Other Ones and he recommended me as someone that might be a good fit.

After doing the 1998 other ones tour I was invited to come play with Ratdog and the past dozen years playing together is what followed.

TC:  With the recent hiatus of Ratdog, do you look at Mark Karan & Jemimah Puddleduck the same as you did Ratdog in the aspect of what direction you want to go, or is it a different approach at music than Ratdog for you?

MK: Bob and I both love a good song… taking a great story/lyric, melody and/or chord progression and then interpreting it… making it our own… and both of us are really in love with, having started with the song and a more structured environment, taking that song for a “walk in the woods” as Weir says… letting go of the structure and seeing what happens spontaneously.

I think the two bands very are similar in overall musical and creative philosophy… although there are places we definitely diverge. My music may have more R&B/blues… or more New Orleans grooves… or whatever. I don’t really know how to describe the differences but they’re definitely there.

I may be a bit more inclined towards arrangements. I really LOVE cool “parts” and the way they interlock… The Beatles guitar parts for example, they’re so simple and yet somehow perfect… but I’m still extremely turned on by the inventive, inspired improvisation that occurs when we get past the song to the instrumental bits… then it becomes all about creating something interesting spontaneously and that’s really exciting.

TC: As times and situations change, are you finding new influences for your music?

MK: Always. I still reference a lot of classic stuff… even back to earlier eras of music like the 20s, 30s or 40s… but then am thrilled to find bands like Wilco or John Butler Trio that light me up with their songs, playing, sounds, energy. Great stuff… and there’s ALWAYS something new happening.

TC: What  would you say to people who know that you played in Ratdog and with The Other Ones, but don’t know what to expect from a Jemimah Puddleduck show?

MK: I sing and write (laughs)… I think we’re cut from a pretty broad and classic “cloth”. folks that like classics like The Dead, CSN, etc., will enjoy us… folks that love blues will dig us… folks that enjoy really good players (I’m extremely blessed to be playing with the caliber of musicians I have in my band) stretching out and being given a LOT of room/permission to explore and express themselves will enjoy us. I think anyone that considers themselves a real “music fan”… anyone who would enjoy hearing a group of longtime “pros” that love what they’re doing, playing & singing really good songs with passion and inspiration… will enjoy what we’re doing.

TC:  The lineup for Jemimah Puddleduck has changed recently and in the past, can we expect this to happen again, or are you content and perfect with the musicians you’re working with now?

MK: I’m content as can be…

And change is the only constant in the universe. Ffor now, the line-up is “as is”… but even that currently has some flex. I did some shows recently w/Ratdog bassist Robin Sylvester… we’re doing Nateva with our ol’ pal John Molo… we did a more blues focused  show (with Hubert Sumlin and Pinetop Perkins!) and a dear old friend Billy Lewis played drums and killed it… so I’d like to play some more with Billy too.

I just want to keep playing music… however that happens and whatever form it takes.

TC:  Has music improved as a priority in your life, or have you always expected to become a traveling professional musician?

MK: I’m not even sure what you mean. I’m 55 years old and I’ve never done anything else. I’ve never had a “day job”… so yeah, this is exactly what I always expected to do. It’s all I know HOW to do! (laughs)…

TC:  What can we expect from Mark Karan, as well as Jemimah Puddleduck in the future?
MK: Only time will tell…