MUSICMARAUDERS

Words By J-man December 31st, 1991 marked the closing of a great year musically for The Grateful Dead. This show from Oakland, CA reflects an interesting time of transition. The energy seemed odd though the audio quality is great and the setlist solid: Grateful Dead Live at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum on December 31, 1991. SET I: Hell In A Bucket, Candyman, Beat It On Down The Line, It Must Have Been The Roses, Black Throated Wind, West L.A. Fadeaway, When I Paint My Masterpiece, Help On The Way-> Slipknot!-> Franklin's Tower SET II: Not Fade Away-> Eyes Of The World-> Estimated Prophet-> Drums-> Jam-> The Other One-> Wharf Rat-> Sugar Magnolia, E: Knockin' On Heaven's Door That New Years would be the first without legendary promoter, Bill Graham. Bill died just months before in a tragic helicopter crash. There was a certain somberness to the band's music and although this show has gotten a lot of criticism, there are some great high po

Quixote's true Blue Denver, CO Words & Photos By J-man Audio Recording By Corey Sandoval ( Kind Recordings ) What better way to kick off the New Years run of shows than The Jerry Garcia Band at Quixote's? Located on the outskirts of downtown Denver, Quixote's is basically a mecca or a museum for Grateful Dead fans. Three nights of JGB seemed only fitting for such an establishment. Leading up to the event I spoke with promoter, Jay Bianchi, regarding upcoming ticket giveaways and he was kind enough to open up the guestlist to fans of MusicMarauders... One hundred and fifty people later, the ultimate miracle was in place. I arrived at the venue shortly before 8:00 to find that the party had already begun. Folks were assembling and pre-gaming with a purpose. The venue looked great, lit with Christmas lights and a colorful array of artwork. In the back of the room resident painter, Don Callarman's beautiful work was on display for the wide-eyed fans. It's easy to g

Words By Nicholas Stock ( phatphlogblog.blogspot.com ) In honor of their upcoming three night New Year’s run in Denver we thought we‘d turn our Jam Band Spotlight on Railroad Earth. Railroad Earth hails from Stillwater, New Jersey and got their moniker from a short story by Jack Kerouac. With elements of bluegrass, rock, jazz and Celtic music their eclectic sound has been a foundation of what RRE is all about. Beginning in 2001, the original lineup came together just to jam. Playing mostly Todd Sheaffer penned songs, within three weeks they had cut a demo and quickly after had nailed down a slot at the Telluride Bluegrass Festival. This set ended up being their tenth live performance and catapulted them into the scene as well as landing them a recording contract with Sugar Hill Records. With the only real lineup changes coming in the bass slot, they've had a pretty solid union from the beginning. Finally, in February of 2010, Andrew Altman from the Codetalkers and Blueground Under

Words By J-man Happy holidays to you and yours! Why listen to Christmas songs when you could listen to Jerry and the boys to celebrate holidays with family? This gem from Illinois State University in 1978 boasts one of the better setlists and quality recordings of that era. This often overlooked show features a setlist of incredible songs with mind-blowing jams and transitions. Look at the set... I don't need to tell you to listen all of the way through. Just click play! Grateful Dead Live at Horton Field House, Illinois State University on April 24, 1978. SET I: The Promised Land, Ramble On Rose, Me And My Uncle -> Big River, Friend Of The Devil, Cassidy, Brown Eyed Women, Passenger, It Must Have Been The Roses, The Music Never Stopped SET II: Scarlet Begonias -> Fire On The Mountain -> Good Lovin', Terrapin Station -> Drums -> Space -> Not Fade Away -> Black Peter -> Around And Around ENCORE: Werewolves Of London

Cervantes Masterpiece Ballroom Denver, CO Words By J-man Photos By Carly Marthis & J-man Audio Recorded By Corey Sandoval ( Kind Recordings ) These are the shows I live for. Supergroups have come to embody what I love about our scene. In this situation, it came to us in the form of a well rehearsed, well established project. Garage A Trois has been out-putting intense and thrilling music for some time, but very rarely do the stars align for a tour. Realize, all of the members have other projects going on, so to find time that all are available to hit the road is a rare treat. That night in Denver would mark an epic musical experience for those who attended. Initially I was curious as to how the turn out would be. The musicians are solid and reputable, but was the name "Garage A Trois" recognizable outside of a small group of folks? The answer was yes. With the opening band Zobomaze' hitting the stage to a respectable crowd, I was drawn to Zobomaze's organization

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Boulder Theater Boulder, CO Words By J-man Photos By Carly Marthis & J-man The Mark Vann Benefit had been on the radar for a while. The line-up featured the ever-so-rare, Contribution, as well as Great American Taxi and The Everyone Orchestra, among others. Add to that "friends" and "special guests" and you've got yourself one hell of a night on music! I've listened to a lot of older Leftover Salmon recordings and I've heard a lot of Mark Vann's playing, but I didn't really know all that much about his life and who he was. We headed to Boulder to celebrate and find out more about Salmon's original banjo player and to enjoy an evening of music with friends. We arrived at the Boulder Theater shortly following doors and headed next door to George's to grab a bite to eat with Pete Wall (Motet). Pete would be sitting in with a couple of the bands that evening, further elevating the stacked line-up. We dined and drank before heading over to

The Aggie Theatre Fort Collins, CO Words & Photos By Nicholas Stock ( phatphlogblog.blogspot.com ) Garage A Trois is a super group of epic proportions. Skerik, Mike Dillon, Stanton Moore, and Marco Benevento come together as an all out audio assault on any music fan brave enough to witness them live. What began by Moore as a side project to his main gig with Galactic has truly transformed over the years. Originally created with Charlie Hunter on guitar playing a few dates a year has continued with Benevento as a still somewhat rare live experience. Mainly because of a solid relationship between Scoo, the owner of The Aggie, and Skerik, we are lucky enough to get to see this project on a somewhat regular basis. I caught them last year with Zobomaze opening at Cervantes but saw the original lineup many years ago at the inaugural Bonnaroo. The show began with Scoo giving an introduction that sounded like an extended inside joke with the members of GAT taking the stage in their signa

Words By J-man Photos & Video By Carly Marthis & J-man It was a standard Thursday in Denver. My girlfriend Carly and I sat on the couch in our living room eating dinner after a long work day. We had just popped in a DVD to watch as we wound down for the evening when my phone rang. The name "Tim Carbone" popped up on the screen. I knew the Contribution was in town rehearsing so I figured Tim was calling to grab a bite to eat following their rehearsal. "Hey Justin, how are you, man?" Tim asked. "We've been rehearsing all day and we'll still be going for a couple of hours if you want to come by" he said with a sense of excitement. Based on his tone, I assumed the rehearsal was going well. We shifted gears and headed out the door with our equipment into the cold Denver night. A short twenty minute drive would take us to the doorstep of Paul Brown, one of the owners of The Highland Tap & Burger. We were greeted at the door by what could onl

Highland Tap & Burger Denver, CO Words By J-man Photos By Carly Marthis & J-man Wednesdays have become an escape from the work week grind at The Highland Tap & Burger in Denver's Lower Highlands. This week The Garrett Sayers Trio's residency rolled on with a continuation of great vibes coupled with masterful tunes. Looking around the room, many familiar faces could be seen both doing their part for the scene and enjoying the music. On the left side, Ryan Garrett stood behind his Hi-def digital camera filling the evenings affairs. On the keys, Patrick Lee contributed massive instrumentation and lively chops that impressed the room. On bass, the man of the evening, Garrett Sayers, flew through scales and progressions with virtuoso-like precision. Watching Garrett play is like watching a kung-fu master strike his opponent. Between Garrett and Patrick was Ed Simon's audio rig, recording the output to be uploaded to The Archive for free download. Sitting in