Stepping into legendary shoes is never easy, no matter how much prowess an artist brings to the table. Well, that is just what Mark Karan did in 1998, filling in for the incomparable Jerry Garcia with The Other Ones, a band formed by former members of the Grateful Dead.

Karan went on to become a member of another “Dead”-inspired band RatDog and has been since 98. Karan not only filled a serious void “Deadheads” would be craving if these eclectic bands not existed but in the process, the man who is clearly one of the most accomplished guitarists in the past 20 years became a legend in his own right.

Mike Rothman got a chance to riff with Karan to discuss his 9 p.m. Friday show with his own band Jemimah Puddleduck performing at the Funky Buddha Lounge & Brewery, 2621 N Federal Highway in Boca Raton. Karan also discussed his new personal album Walk Through the Fire, his battle with cancer and if any current band will ever be as universally popular as the great Grateful Dead.

Mike Rothman – For those who don’t know, tell us a little about the sound of Jemimah Puddleduck?

Mark Karan – I’m a guy who has my roots pretty firmly in classic rock. We include everything from the Grateful Dead to Little Feet to The Beatles to Marley. Influentially, that is where we come from.

We like to play with a lot of conviction and be faithful to the song… Then when it comes time to jam, give it a swift kick in the ass and see where we can take it.

What should fans expect Friday? Some songs from your own album, Walk Through the Fire?

I definitely do quite a few tunes from the album. Those being my originals and all that kind of stuff. Other than that, we try and do covers that aren’t played to death.

Any favorite covers?

I love doing “She” by Gram Parsons. We recently started doing a song called “I Wish I Knew How” off Levon Helm’s Electric Dirt album. We do a little bit of “Dead”, we’re in no way a Dead cover band. But, we definitely honor my roots and what I’ve been up to for the last 12 years.

Talking about Walk Through the Fire, it’s relatively new (2009), what kind of identity did you want for that album?

In today’s world, I’m not even sure what an album is anymore. The relationship to records and music has really changed in the last decade… So what do I want out of the record? Just for people to get turned on to good music. Do I want to sell as many copies as I can, sure. But most importantly, it’s just getting the music out to people.

Are the songs off the new album originals from over the years?

Yeah it’s a trip. I made that record after I went through my cancer treatment [2007]. I had been wanting to make my own record my whole life. I played on a ton of other people’s records… Coming out of cancer, I just had this imperative. No more waiting around!

I had a bunch of tunes, this song called “Bait The Hook” that I wrote when I was 20. Then the title track “Walk Through the Fire” was written as I was in my hospital bed going through my first round of Chemo. It spans 25-30 years.

As such an accomplished guitarist, is there anyone in your field right now you look up to?

Oh God, there’s so many. I think Derek Trucks is a brilliant guitar player. I’m a huge fan of Bill Frisell… I keep hoping to hook up with Bill when we go to New York City. I’m a huge Wilco fan.

Obviously with your history working with The Other Ones, which is a Grateful Dead-inspired band, do you see any current bands that have the staying power of a 30-year band like the Dead?

I think it’s a different era now… Even just musically, there is so much available now. In the days when the Dead were coming up, there were just a few bands… There’s just so much music that people’s attention gets spread out. I think it’s hard for a band to get as big as bands used to get and to stay there is even harder.

For the fans it’s kind of a shame not to have that long-term relationship with a band these days, as you get older you lose bands that drop off or break up and you almost lose a part of your growth as an adult?

Sure, you brought up the Dead earlier and look what happened when Jerry [Garcia] passed. That was obviously a huge portion of what that band was all about. While there has been a lot of music to follow it up, I don’t think anything has quite risen to what the Grateful Dead was when Jerry was still here. 

If you could perform with anyone dead or alive, who would it be?

There’s one that instantly comes to mind, but it is such from a fanboy perspective. But, I would say [Paul] McCartney, The Beatles will probably always be my favorite band and I love the guy.