Like all things in this human condition, art also follows the circle of life. Having just seen the memorials in honor of Aretha Franklin’s passing and feeling like there is a vacuum now in the world of great vocalist…suddenly the circle closed and the gap was filled by Rachael Price of Lake Street Dive.
On Thursday, June 15th, the main street of Colorado’s most captivating town, was abuzz with an energy and excitement as the crowds (some there for days) made their way to Town Park for the start of the 45th Annual Telluride Bluegrass Festival. There is no better setting for a music festival; there is no better music for such a setting.
While The Congress is typically a powerful electric quartet, for this show at The Soiled Dove they are opting for a more laid back acoustic set-up to showcase songs from their sophomore album, The Game. With this record, the band has progressed further along a career path thats taken them from here in Denver, where they first formed, back to their hometown of Richmond, VA.
While the staple bands of the Telluride Bluegrass Festival provide the base and foundation for the event each year, and truly help to cultivate the experience and sound of the festival, it’s often the random variety of debut bands whose appearances are peppered in that truly add that unique spice to the festival and leave such unforgettable impressions.
As the Winter […]
Last Saturday night at Red Rocks could have been the most perfect night on The Rocks all season. The beautiful late summer day gave way to evening that was just on the right side of chilly and the steps were filled with music fans of all ages. There were veteran rockers on hand to witness Grace Potter’s 70’s leaning Rock stylings; there were hipsters with an open ear for opener Lake Street Dive and their Jazzy brand of Folk-Pop; one thing was for sure, everyone knew this was a monster triple bill.
In the 24 years since the modest “summit on the song” started in Estes Park the festival has moved (to the Planet Bluegrass Ranch in Lyons in 1994), grown, and created its own culture and spirit, while remaining true to the initial vision for spending a glorious Colorado summer weekend celebrating stories and songs — come celebrate this weekend in Lyons!
There was a buzz outside The Bluebird on Saturday night and, fresh off a string of West Coast dates with the new darlings on the Indie-Folk scene Lake Street Dive, The Congress brought the heat for an adoring hometown crowd. They’ve been good for years, but on Saturday The Congress proved they are blossoming into a real powerhouse on the Denver scene that has the talent to make it into the national spotlight.
There were a lot of people in Denver looking for a funk release on Friday night, perhaps from holiday stress or just overindulging, and the Ogden Theater had just the remedy. The crowd represented a broad mix of music lovers, from younger folks looking for a dance party to go along with their many beers, to much older folks who looked like they’d seen been to their share of New Orleans Jazz Fests. The crowd never stopped moving as the high-energy band moved through perhaps two dozen songs.