With an ease and endurance uncharacteristic of many local bands, The Deadbeats and their music have become an integral part of the fabric of Nevada County over the years, with a fan base that spreads far and wide and often travels many miles to hear one of their increasingly rare performances.

In stark contrast to what many would expect from a "Grateful Dead cover band," they possess a style as fluid and fresh and full of originals as the light shows that dance behind them when they play. Yet it is their expertise at conjuring up both the sound and feel of the Grateful Dead experience that keeps the diehard fans faithful and lures a constant stream of new ones into the fold.

Rumors are flying that The Deadbeats' New Year's Eve performance at the Nevada County Fairgrounds Amaral Center in Grass Valley may be their last. They are pulling out all the stops and performing in their original seven-member configuration with Dave Smith and Glen Tucker on keys, Eric Menig on bass, Rob Kopp and Gary Campus on drums, and Tom Menig and Paul Kamm on guitar and vocals.

This New Year's extravaganza, hosted by KVMR, will feature opening act Blue Turtle Seduction, an array of food and merchandise vendors, a beer and wine bar, a Liquid Light show, a special New Year's Eve moment, and more. The show starts at 8 p.m. Tickets are $28 for KVMR members, $30 general, and free for those under 8 who are accompanied by an adult; they are available online at KVMR.org, at BriarPatch Community Market and Record Connection in Grass Valley and the KVMR office in Nevada City.

Call 265-9073 for more information.

When the Prospector heard this might be the last performance of the Deadbeats - oh, say it ain't so - we called Gary Campus to find out the story.

It was supposed to be, says Gary. The plan was to release the band's new CD and say goodbye to this incarnation of the band, but the CD isn't ready and they actually have one more Dead gig - the annual tribute to Jerry Garcia "Dead on the Creek" in Willets in mid-August.

The Deadbeats got its first gig "at The Pub in Nevada City in 1994," says Campus (it's now extinct). "We played Grateful Dead music; it was big. But when Garcia died, the hunger got even bigger - so we filled a niche for hardcore deadheads. We never toured, though, because we spent several years raising families instead, first one of us, then another."

Concurrent with retaining their Deadbeat persona for a while longer, the group hopes to reincarnate as Monkeyhouse. Why, when they've been so successful as the Deadbeats? To get more gigs, says Campus, that showcase the original music that Paul Kamm, especially, is writing. Until now they've been considered a Grateful Dead cover band. "We (the core of Campus, Kamm and Menig) want a new focus, and we're being noncommittal to anyone else."

What, then, will be so fantastic about their New Year's gig? "It'll be a reunion of our long-standing lineup of members, old buddies," says Campus, "especially of me and Robby playing together. That's excitement. We're going to have a blast and be in drummer's heaven." Even Dave Smith, who by his own admission left the band under a cloud, will be there, happy, he says, to be playing this (perhaps) last gig with the Deadbeats.

And in the New Year, look for Monkeyhouse in the same venues you've heard the Deadbeats. "We're not sure when we'll debut." Probably when their new CD that has been in the works over a year is ready to release, and that, says Campus, "for now is a work in progress."