Ekoostik hookah maintains steady pace

By JOHN BENSON

entertainment@vindy.com

Whereas some groups start out with an all-out sprint for the finish line and subsequently burn out or fade away, jam band ekoostik hookah has been on one steady pace — occasionally releasing albums and touring whenever it wanted — throughout its existence.

Furthermore, this explains why the Columbus-based act, easily the Buckeye State’s most popular jam band, is about to celebrate its 20th anniversary in 2011.

Perhaps the lynchpin for the group’s success is its biannual concert, Hookahville, which saw its 33rd installment in May at Legend Valley in Thornville, Ohio.

“I guess Hookahville has lasted because of a combination of quality and consistency,” said keyboardist/singer Dave Katz, a Shaker Heights native who now calls Shalersville home.

“When you have a consistent thing people can plan on, obviously they plan ahead, and the quality will make sure they have a good time. So it’s just one of those things that was a natural progression growing from very small to very big, and then plateaued out. As long as people continue to have a good time, they’ll keep coming, hopefully.”

Another long-lived ekoostik hookah event is Summer Hookah Weekend, which will have its 14th annual reincarnation this weekend at Nelson Ledges.

The band’s last album, “Under Full: Sail It All Comes Together,” came out a few years ago, and a new CD is planned for later this year. So is Katz surprised that ekoostik hookah has lasted so long?

“I don’t know if I’d say I’m surprised because I never went into anything with any kind of expectation,” Katz said. “I’m pleased. Why are we still around? Well, most importantly because we have great fans, and luckily for us we continually get new fans. Younger people somehow hear of us and come out and enjoy us. Also, we’re lucky enough to have always produced music that appeals to a wide variety of people. For whatever reason, it works for a lot of people even though we’ve never become superstars. We’ve endured. I guess we’re kind of like the turtle versus the hare. It’s kind of like we’re plugging along still doing our thing, and we’re still here 20 years later where a lot of the hares aren’t.”