Last night, John Mellencamp proved that he still knows how to put on a show, even after decades in the business. The Ellie Caulkins Opera House provided an intimate setting for a Rock icon of his stature, allowing fans to get up close and personal with their hero.
Never miss a Sunday show is a mantra of the Widespread Panic faithful, and boy did it hold true this year. Sunday shows are always fun, they’ve got sunshine, a beach party vibe, and ear-to-ear smiles on 10,000 people packed into The Rocks. It’s one of the best days of the year, and yet again, the boys did not disappoint!
The tradition of the Sunday afternoon matinee as a grand finale to Widespread Panic’s annual Red Rocks stand is damn near timeless and, this past Sunday, the band and their fans proved why yet again. Beach balls bounced around a hot and sweaty crowd that smelled like “ladies lying in the sun” due to all the sunscreen applied to fend off the baking mid-day sun, and there was a carefree, beach party attitude in the air.
Sam Beam, better known by the moniker Iron & Wine, returned to Colorado Friday night, in support of his latest album Love Letter for Fire, a collection of duets with singer-songwriter Jesca Hoop. Flannel clad Gen X’ers filled rows of chairs well before the start of the show in anticipation of the intimate evening. The stage was barricaded with a large collection of table lamps of various shapes and styles, creating a house show vibe in the thousand person venue.
Team work makes the dream work. Instrumentalist, and songwriter/producer Marco Benevento’s most recent album “Swift” is proof of it–so much so that he named the album after one of his collaborators. With the talents of Producer Richard Swift and the lyrical genius of Aaron “Gene Ween” Freeman in his pocket, Benevento’s latest masterpiece is a graduation of his previous efforts–with the same sound that fans have come to love, but also an added lyrical seriousness. Give it a listen and go check out Benevento at the 1up Colfax this weekend.
The Ogden Theatre is one of Denver’s best mid-size concert venues, and it was the perfect setting for this highly anticipated Rock n’ Roll double feature of The Hard Working Americans and Jason Isbell. It is intimate enough to get close to the bands, but big enough to feel like more of an “event” than your average rock club. The evening was packed with rowdy Rock n’ Roll, dramatic balladry, and a fair amount of psychedelic exploration thrown in for good measure.
If you love Rocky Mountain Bluegrass as much as we do, you’ve surely happened upon the skilled sounds of Trout Steak Revival. The quintet is making waves in our little pond with their elaborate harmonies, which are backed by strong instrumentation and impressive song writing abilities. While the group hails out of Denver, their music was inspired by what lies just beyond our city in the “misty high country” where they say the music was born. They started as an informal Bluegrass Jam group and have made huge leaps in years since.
A warm nostalgia descended on Red Rocks Thursday night, as anyone who came of age at approximately the same time lives were being changed by the Shins showed up to revisit those overly wrought youthful emotions. Any wisdom or perspective gained in the ten years since The Postal Service’s one and only album, ‘Give Up,’ can’t be confirmed, but a quick scan of the crowd indicated that most had at least conceded victory to the more responsible ideas of fleece jackets, close-toed shoes, and drinking in moderation.
With a sound that resembles a combination of Tom Waits and Dave Matthews, Andy Palmer’s hard, songful rasp brings the archetypal poet back to life. Coming out of Denver, Palmer’s 2nd full length album Hazard of the Die is an insightful reflection on both the city’s innovative music scene and its eclectic culture. Palmer paints a picture of a city’s culture that is up and down, black and white, good and evil. The album takes a bold step in portraying the realities of a world that is oftentimes cruel and unfair, with its raw poetics exposing life’s injustices.
You may know him as the man behind the dirty Wurlitzer of the Benevento-Russo Duo or you may remember him as the left hand man of Garage A Trois, but you should know him as the riff mastermind soundscape artist Marco Benevento. While he is certainly a man about…everywhere, his trio of three years, as well as his new album, ‘Tigerface,’ is where it’s at.