Fox Street All Stars “Galactic After Parties” – March 16th & 17th – Pete’s Monkey Bar

Estimated read time 6 min read

Photos by Tim Dwenger

The Scene: Fox Street All Stars have been hosting their annual Galactic After Parties for four years now and it’s always a great time.  The strong drinks and warm atmosphere set the scene and with people coming in off the street, stumbling in from Galactic, and core group of local musician friends hanging by the stage, the room was bubbling with excitement.  While the crowd was a little lighter on Friday than it was on Saturday, people were dancing and singing along with Fox Street originals and some stellar covers on both evenings.

Fox Street All Stars: On Friday night the boys decided to “give the drummer some” as they paid tribute the hardest working man in any band, the drummer.  Fox Street’s Eric Low manned one kit, while another sat waiting next to him for a rotating cast of some of the best drummers in town to take a seat and go head to head with him.  The evening started with Johnny Schmidt from Trio Blue on a trio of songs including the Fox Street original “Standin’ Alone,” and moved on to The Big Motif’s baby faced Jeff Jani who added some great texture to The Mighty Hannibal’s “Somebody In The World For You.”  This song has become a staple of the Fox Street catalog over the years and having two drummers cranked it up even a little more than usual.  Clapton’s “Got To Get Better In A Little While,” allowed guitarist James Dumm to really strut his stuff as he pulled some of the spotlight off the twin drum kits and over his way.

The night really got cookin’ when Scott Roush of Jonah and The Whales took to the stage  and the band ran through a four song section of the show that included the blues standard “Mystery Train,” The Meters’ “Just Kissed My Baby,” “That’s What Love Will Make You Do,” and a great take on The Stones’ “Dead Flowers.”  As Roush waved his goodbyes, Nate Barnes, drummer for Rose Hill Drive, slid in behind the kit and the boys turned the dial to Classic Rock.  In his years with Rose Hill, Barnes has gotten to share the stage with The Who, Van Halen, and Aerosmith, and as he displayed his chops on The Stones’ “Can’t You Hear Me Knockin’,” The Who’s “Squeeze Box” and “The Seeker,” Dumm commented that “it’s a little intimidating playing some of these tunes with Nate because chances are he’s played with the guys who actually wrote them!”  The band closed out their mini-set with Barnes with a  scorching take on Led Zeppelin’s “Wanton Song.”

Now, at this point in the night, rumors had been swirling for hours that Galactic’s Stanton Moore would make an appearance, but the clock was pushing past 1:30 and there was still no sign of the legendary drummer.  Though they themselves cast glances toward the door from time to time, the boys in the band didn’t miss a beat and proceeded to deliver a spot on rendition of the Zepp classic, “Black Dog.”  From the vocals, to the drumming, to the guitar licks, it was one of those moments where you know a song is tailor made for a band, and I would be stunned if Fox Street didn’t weave this gem into their regular rotation.

With the lights up, and the bar just about to close, Moore slid into the venue at the last possible moment and jumped up onto the stool at the empty kit.  With Low playing alongside his mentor and one of his heros, the group rocked their way through “Ain’t That A Bitch” and at one point everyone else on stage stood aside allowing the two drummers to break it down with some of the funkiest drumming I’ve heard in a long time.  It was a great way to end the evening and whet everyone’s appetites for night two!

Saturday was of course St. Patrick’s Day and my crew waded through the throngs of green clad revelers on Colfax to catch Galactic at The Ogden (see our review here) before ending up back at Pete’s to close out the night with Fox Street.  We found ourselves in front of the stage as the band was kicking off their second set of the evening with “Take It Or Leave It.”  The guys then started inviting their friends up on stage, first welcoming Josh Fairman of Kinetix and Jonah Wisneski to help them out on Wisneski’s original tune “Grant Me Patience.”  From there Kinetix guitarist Jordan Linit joined the fray and things started to get a little crazy as the dance floor really started to fill up when the crowd from The Ogden finally made it down the street.

It wasn’t long before the familiar face of Stanton Moore was spotted in the crowd and alongside him, Rebirth Brass Band trombone player, Corey Henry who was touring with Galactic.  After Fox Street killed a version of AC/DC’s “Rock & Roll Damnation” that got fists pumping in the air, Moore took to the stage and the energized group launched into a soulful and edgy cover of Stevie Wonder’s “Living For The City.”  What a moment this was for everyone who got to witness it!  From there the boys gave us another, slightly funkier, taste of “Black Dog” that sounded even sweeter one night two with Moore’s contributions on the skins.

As the night was drawing to a close, Henry jumped up on stage with Josh Fairman to take things down to New Orleans with a rockin’ take on a classic New Orleans Second Line style number.  The group traded solos around and were all smiles as they stretched the tune way out to the delight of the dancers that filled the room.  These are the moments that Fox Street strives for during their after parties and this year they outdid themselves with not one but two nights of madness.  They wrapped up the festivities on their own with another take on The Mighty Hannibal’s “Somebody In The World For You,” that left us all satisfied and thrilled we had braved Colfax on St Patty’s Day for a little taste of the Fox Street All Stars!

Don’t Miss Members of Fox Street All Stars Playing in “Revenge of The 90’s” On Friday Night!!!

Energy: A-
Sound: B
Musicianship: A
Stage Presence: A
Set/Lights: N/A

Overall: A-

tdwenger http://www.listenupdenver.com

Music has always been a part of my life. It probably all started listening to old Grateful Dead, Peter Paul & Mary, and Simon & Garfunkel records that my parents had, but it wasn't long before they were taking me to concerts like Starship, Crosby, Stills & Nash, and Huey Lewis & The News. I got the bug to write about music after reviewing an Eric Clapton concert for a creative writing project in high school but didn't really take it up seriously until 2002. Since then I have published countless articles in The Marquee Magazine and done some work for Jambase.com, SPIN Magazine, and various other outlets. I started Listen Up Denver! as a way to share the music information that is constantly spilling out of my head with people who care. Please enjoy!

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