To say that the Grateful Dead has a loyal fan base is akin to saying the Pacific Ocean is slightly damp. In fact, the Dead have arguably the most stalwart fans in popular music, even after the death of members, the break-up, etc.

Enter Dark Star Orchestra. DSO is a Dead tribute band ? with a twist. Instead of just playing cover tunes aimlessly, DSO picks a particular set list from an actual Dead concert and recreates it, but adds their own improvisations to the songs. Call it a ?re-imagining.?

The Badger Herald spoke with DSO?s Rob Koritz in a phone interview. Rob, who takes on the part of the Dead?s Mickey Hart, is one of the band?s two drummers.

According to Koritz, long before he ever played a note for DSO, the percussionist obtained a degree in jazz studies from Missouri, after he spent three years at the University of Arizona seeking a classical degree and realized ?that there was no way [he was] going make a career out of this.?

But he certainly did make a career playing with DSO. Named after the Dead?s most beloved song, ?Dark Star,? they call themselves an orchestra because, as Koritz puts it, ?the Grateful Dead gave us a repertoire.? Orchestras have a duty to play ?as true to the form as they can while still inspiring emotion.?

As for why they chose ?Dark Star,? Koritz sees the song as ?the most improvisational vehicle [The Grateful Dead] had.? The song, he added, ?is just who we are and what we do, all wrapped up into one song.?

Certainly, the Dead?s music also inspires emotion in Koritz, as he called it a ?blessing? to play the songs he grew up with.

And, of course, the songs mean something to him on more than one level. Lyrically, Koritz finds the Dead?s words to be ?great words to live by.? Musically, because he comes from a jazz background, Koritz loves ?the fact that [the songs] are all improvisational.?

But there is a downside to being in the band. Somewhat reluctantly, Koritz admits he does not ?listen to the music for pleasure? as often as he used to, as playing it night after night has ?taken away a little bit in that respect.? That said, another avenue of appreciation has also opened up to Koritz since he joined the band, namely discovering the ?many more nuances? of the music.

Despite this, playing with DSO has shown Koritz the importance of using the crowd?s energy and reacting to it on stage. Early on, Koritz would ?forget the crowd was there? and be in his own little world.

?(Now) I do a better job feeding off their vibe.?

In addition to the Dead, Koritz?s iPod is stacked with some 18,000 songs from countless genres, basically anything but heavy metal and modern country, which, to him, is essentially ?any kind of music? plus twangy singing.

Koritz also had an opinion about the current trend in digital music.

?I am hooked [on downloading],? says Koritz, as he also finds the medium to be ?a great way to be able to get the music out quickly.? Considering that the Dead became known because of tape trading, Koritz added that sites like Archive.org give him the chance to enjoy Dead shows all over again, and it also allows the band to review a show they will play later that night.

Koritz was also forthcoming when asked about who has influenced him as a musician ? besides, of course, Mickey Hart and Bill Kreutzmann from the Dead. At 7 years old, Koritz went to see famed percussionist Buddy Rich.

From then on, Koritz said, ?I knew I was going to be a jazz drummer.?

Apart from the ?standard answers like Neil Peart and John Bonham,? Koritz really enjoys Stewart Copeland?s style (?I really wanted to be Stewart Copeland for a long time?), as well as Carter Beauford (?That guy is a sicko.?).

Koritz also considers the growing contemporary jam band scene to be exciting, and he is ecstatic that ?so many bands [are] doing really well.? He is also glad that the scene has evolved past every jam-band sounding like Phish to a genre with ?a lot of original-sounding bands.?

Koritz has ?no idea? how long the band will go on, but he definitely wants ?to stay in music, without a doubt.? Koritz is also quite optimistic for the future.

?You meet all kinds of people along the way, and you just never know what?ll pop up one day.?

You can see Dark Star Orchestra perform another classic Grateful Dead set Thursday at the Barrymore Theatre.