Dave Schools & Friends Tap Stephen Stills During Intimate Concert in Charlotte

Photo: Josh Timmermans

Dave Schools took on the role of bandleader on Friday, Nov. 7. The bassist, known for his origin status with Widespread Panic, presented an intimate concert at The Revelry in Charlotte, N.C., hosted by the Music Club, featuring a collective of talented musicians tied to the jam scene. Supporting Schools throughout the performance were Steve Kimock, Alex Koford, Tom Hamilton, Johnny Kimock, Adam MacDougall, and Jennifer Hartswick, under the Schools & Friends banner, and special guest contributor Stephen Stills during the second set. 

The contents of the first and second sets were a mix of material that touched on different facets of the bandleader and his musical constituents’ careers and experiences. Prior to voices coming together in harmony, the evening got underway with a Billy Preston instrumental. Next, Schools harkened back to his Hard Working American days on “The Mountain Song.” The Jerry Garcia Band’s “Waiting for a Miracle” was sung by Koford, whose new single “Rose in the Garden” was produced by Schools–further delineating the pair’s connection, which also included “Chemicals and Purple Haze.”

Before turning in their first set, the ensemble beckoned to the Widespread songbook by way of “All Time Low,” followed by the double drum pick up of “West LA Fadeaway.” During the second set, the contents ricocheted like a pinball, touching on the players’ experiences and thereby supporting their choice of songs, including “Superhighway,” a piece from the Highway Butterfly album, made in memory of the late Neal Casal and recorded with the Kimocks. 

The latter merged into the Dead’s “Shakedown Street” without pause, providing a sequence that would set up the Stills-associated anthems, “Love the One You’re With” and “Helplessly Hoping.” Later on, the special guest aided the band during another pickup of material, including CSN’s “Dark Star,” Buffalo Springfield’s “Hang Upside Down” and “For What It’s Worth.”

For the concert’s encore, the ensemble performed “Red Rose Nanthala” ahead of a cover of The Rolling Stones’ “Gimme Shelter.” Following the gig, members of the band took to social media to reflect on the experience, including Hamilton, who wrote, “I spent the summer of my senior year learning every harmony part to CSN’s first two albums with @phillyhots, fast forward a couple [of] decades and it turns out that was useful knowledge playing with Stephen fucking Stills!”

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