The acoustic Goose offshoot Orebolo (“Acoustagoose” as my 10 year old daughter calls them) returned to Colorado this past weekend for three nights at two beautiful venues. The first night’s festivities took place at the Gerald Ford Amphitheater in Vail, while the second two nights of the run were held in the old barn at Chautauqua Park in Boulder.
The Tedeschi Trucks Band at Red Rocks has become a show of the summer for many in Colorado and beyond. This melting pot of a band is nothing short of a love letter to big bands of yesteryear and there is no doubt they are the torch bearers of R&B’s legacy of groove, best seasoned by the South. The maturity and poise they bring to the stage creates a safe place to feel the music, express that feeling, and dance like no one is watching.
This year’s installment of Telluride Bluegrass Festival saw a multitude of new acts and many mainstays. The weather was pristine and the people were generous with a place on their tarp or camp and an easy smile. Every day seemed to boast weather better than the last and each act left the faithful thinking, “well there is no way they can top that. Friends old and new, families of tradition and families making new traditions, all came together for the undeniable love of Bluegrass music.
THE AVETT BROTHERS […]
Telluride Bluegrass. Once you’ve been there, whether it’s for a day, a week, or forty consecutive years, it becomes part of you. It’s the smiles on the faces of the performers as they look out from the stage over the most beautiful landscape their songs and melodies have ever echoed across. It is the meticulous, almost anal-retentive, organization of the event that somehow translates to a vibe conducive to dancing and singing and a passionately laid-back attitude from some of the most fervent music lovers anywhere.
From Open Mic night to editor’s pick, Mathias Olson has come along way to find himself on the beat of The Crooked Streets. The band formed in 2011 when the singer/songwriter decided to take his solo project to the next level. Three years and several craigslist ads later, he now fronts the five-piece Denver Indie Folk band that many locals have come to love. Their crooning gypsy sound is gritty but has a certain charm–the shabby chic sort of feel that is so common of the great modern Indie Folk groups of our time.
As you would expect from a night of music from two folk legends, the crowd at Red Rocks Amphitheatre on the first day of June was full of kind, excited fans who anxiously awaited the music of Emmylou Harris and John Prine. When the ever-beautiful Emmylou Harris walked onto the famous Red Rocks stage, it was like watching a legend meet a legend. The multiple-Grammy-winning singer-songwriter looked up toward the back of the historic venue and softly said, “This is the most beautiful venue in the world.”
Portland Americanagrass rockers, Fruition posted up at The Other Side last Friday night for a WinterWondergrass warmup. After last fall’s opening slot on the Greensky Bluegrass Fall tour closing run at the Gothic, it’s no surprise Cervantes’ Other Side was packed. While many of them were most likely newer fans, many were singing along with the band on every song. The front of the room was full of energy, and the whole night had a great vibe.
What happens when lifelong friends decide to hitch their wagons together and go into business? Well, often it ain’t pretty, but in some very rare cases the years of late night conversations, heated arguments and roadtrips prove their worth and the result is something very special. This is the case with Jamestown Revival, a duo that draws inspiration from Jonathan Clay and Zach Chance’s roots in the rural east Texas town of Magnolia.
A touching and empowering night of music from the legendary Miss Bonnie Raitt met every Bonnie fan’s expectations at the intimate Bellco Theatre in mid-October. The 5,000-seat venue had to be sold out, if not close to it and the set on stage was gorgeous with vibrant panels of purple, blue, and black that glittered behind the band as they tore through Raitt’s vast catalog of Blues and Soul inspired Pop. With a huge smile on her face and continually improving slide guitar chops, Raitt has carved her way into true legend status.