Kuli Loach played their first gig at a summer solstice party in Snohomish, Washington on June 21, 1986, at a place called Muddy Acres. The original lineup consisted of Ron Dickson and Mick Lane on guitars, Mike Beaulieu on bass, and Tom Robison on drums. Ed Coke replaced Tom in early 1987, and aside from a couple of keyboard players coming and going, the lineup remained constant until 2004 when Mike relocated to Bend, Oregon. After a couple of interim bassists, Larry Penoza officially came aboard in 2005. Since that first party in 1986 they have performed nearly 300 shows in Western Washington, Oregon, British Columbia and Amsterdam, being privileged to share the stage with guests including Country Joe McDonald, The Dinosaurs, Merl Saunders, Zero, Jerry Miller, David Gans, Jim Page and Robert Hunter. Under the guiding influence of the Grateful Dead and Bob Dylan, the four members of Kuli Loach play their interpretation of over 100 Grateful Dead songs, 40 Dylan tunes and a repertoire of nearly 50 originals, along with a revolving selection of other cover tunes. The emphasis is on sharing the fun and energy in the music with the audience and making every show a celebration of life, friendship and good times. For those of you who do not live in the Pacific Northwest we encourage you to check out our new CD "Loach" and visit our band website or MySpace page for more information on other CD's including live shows. And for all the rest, we invite you to come see what it’s all about at our next show, get on our email list and become an official Loachster. Hope to see you soon!
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