/ aiko_band  

Aiko40 was a blast and the band is so very grateful for our fans, old and new, who came out to help us celebrate 40 years of honoring the music of our forebears, the Grateful Dead.

Huge thanks to CVMA, Park City Mountain Resort, Mountain Town Music and all the amazing “special guest” musicians who just rocked our world: Eric Krasno, Anders Osborne, Stanton Moore, Jason Hann, Brad Walker, Wil Blades, Alex Wasily, John Michael Bradford and our newest Aiko member and trumpeter extraordinaire, Lewis Krasno!! Much love to all and see you next year for Aiko41.

Let there be songs to fill the air 🧡

TENNESSEE JED

Cold iron shackles, ball and chain
Listen to the whistle of the evenin' train
You know you bound to wind up dead
If you don't head back to Tennessee Jed
Rich man step on my poor head
When you get back you better butter my bread
Well, do you know it's like I said
You better head back to Tennessee Jed
Tennessee, Tennessee, there ain't no place I'd rather be
Baby won't you carry me back to Tennessee
Drink all day and rock all night
The law come to get you if you don't walk right
Got a letter this morning, baby all it read
You better head back to Tennessee Jed
I dropped four flights and cracked my spine
Honey, come quick with the iodine
Catch a few winks, baby, under the bed
Then you head back to Tennessee Jed
Tennessee, Tennessee, there ain't no place I'd rather be
Baby won't you carry me back to Tennessee
I run into Charlie Fog
Blacked my eye and he kicked my dog
My doggie turned to me and he said
Let's head back to Tennessee Jed
I woke up a felin' mean
Went down to play the slot machine
The wheels turned around, and the letters read
You better head back to Tennessee Jed
Tennessee, Tennessee, there ain't no place I'd rather be
Baby won't you carry me back to Tennessee


AIKO is a band of musical brothers forged in Nashville Tennessee in 1984 in the spirit of the great jam band masters, the Grateful Dead and the Allman Brothers. As with their forebears, AIKO fuses various elements of American rock, folk, psychedelia, country and bluegrass into lengthy instrumental jams. AIKO is made up of an eclectic group of musicians from around the country. The four original band members, Steve Ballenger (lead guitar/vocals), Ross Mason (drums), Ben Anderson (bass/vocals) and Ted Pattison (guitar/vocals) were joined in the late '90's by three additional musicians: Steve Krafft (lead guitar/vocals), Lance Deal (drums). Scott Fernandez (keyboards), Jessie Krafft and Michelle Yahn (vocals) joined the band after 2018. AIKO has played to crowds at bars, amphitheaters and festivals around the U.S. for the last 40 years.