Casa De Paul Brown
Denver, CO
Words By J-man
Photos By J-man & Carly Marthis
Who is Poor Man's Whiskey? Are they just another gimmicky cover band exploiting the popular music of a past generation or could their original music stand on it's
I ducked upstairs to use the
"Hey! What's up Man?" Kang said excitedly.
"Looking forward to hearing what Poor Man's Whiskey is capable of!" I responded
"You've been keeping busy, huh?" Michael said with a smile.
At which point we went into a discussion about how the Colorado scene is thriving, as we compared it to other music communities such as NYC, NOLA, San Fran, etc. I was excited to catch up with Micheal as I headed downstairs to the packed main level of Paul's house. Ton's of tickets were sold to excited fans and friends as the band drew their instruments from their holsters. It was time for a musical shoot out.
One Set: Stuck in Colorado, White Freight Liner, Friend of The Devil, Pig in a Pen, Sweet Child O' Mine, Midnight Moonlight, Wagon Wheel
The music was fairly roots oriented with a rowdy edge to it. The songs and instrumentation were fun and the vibe was through the roof. Folks danced and sang in
I left Paul's house that evening feeling so energized, but unlike the rest of the party, Carly and I made our way not to the Oriental Theater for PMW w/ Kang, but to Quixote's where we would catch The Henhouse Prowlers. As we left, we could see Kang in the upstairs window practicing. I felt some regret missing the show, but looked forward to my next PMW experience, which came sooner than expected.
This is where our coverage should have ended, but in fact this is the point where the story took a crazy twist...
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The Highland Tap & Burger
Denver, CO
The following day Carly and I had brunch plans with friends. We recommended The Highland Tap, as it has quickly become one of our favorite new spots. I shot Paul a text that read "We're heading to the Tap for brunch, you should join us for a drink" which to my delight he responded "We're here, see you shortly." Walking in the door
We dined while I was caught up to speed on the previous evening's happenings and crazy stories. As PMW talked about that evening's show in Boulder, I reflected on my plans. "Since Carly is hanging out with the girls and I tonight, you should go with the guys to Boulder," Shelly said with a smile. "Yeah, we've got room," Paul said with a smile. With that, my evenings's plans were set. I would be riding to Boulder with PMW's manager Eric Walton, Kang and Paul.
A couple of hours later I found myself at The Casa De Paul Brown once again, loading the car for our short trek to Boulder. We listened to Sirius Jam On and at one point I told the guys how I had met Carly at String Cheese Red Rocks, to which we all had a good laugh.
www.highlandtapdenver.com
The Fox Theatre
Boulder, CO
Arriving at The Fox, soundcheck ensued before the band went it's seperate ways in search of food. I recommended Mamasitas, a little Mexican restaurant next door to The Fox. We were joined by the bulk of the band for a meal before heading back to the greenroom at The Fox. PMW picked and warmed up as great energy
PMW's first set began in plain clothes with the band plus Katy Rexford (Fiddle) on "Lets Go Out." Katy exited the stage as the band played a great version of "Down Under," substituting lyrics such as "You better drink, you better drink whiskey." Katy returned to the stage for "Good Morning," before the band brought out their guest of honor. "Old Joe Clark>Cripple Creek" brought Kang to the stage for some duel fiddling with Katy. At first Katy seemed timid/hesitant, but as the set went on she loosened up and dug into the music. The banter between songs was entertaining and was often led by Josh Brough (Banjo, Keys).
PMW teased the crowd as Kang returned to the greenroom following just one song. We sat and chatted about Michael's schooling and what it was like growing up in Berkeley and Oakland. As we talked the band launched into "Country Song," encouraging the crowd to participate vocally. As "PMS" started, Micheal laughed and told me to listen to the words of the song. It was indeed a song about PMS. With the first few notes of "Catfish John" I headed upstairs to catch the jam. Their version was near perfect and
What came next was one of the highlights of the show. "Orange Blossum Special>Rivertrance" had the crowd roaring and dancing like crazy. I was overwhelmingly impressed with the playing of Sean Lehe (Guitar). Sean ripped through some incredible acoustic and electric guitar work. Equally impressive was Kang on "Rivertrance," a song that he has made his own. With the closing of the first set, there was a dash for the door from fans, as the band retreated to the green room. I joined to see what antics would take place during their transformation into the characters of The Wizard of Oz.
Looking around the room I saw Paul Brown tying the strings of Michael's Tin Man costume, as well as Katy and PMW's road manager braiding Josh's hair. A gentleman who was introduced to me as "String Cheese's Accountant," commented on who the obvious Dorthy would be, as there was only one woman in the band. As I glanced over at Josh,
The crowd cheered and the room filled in once again. It was great to see a group of grown men in costume, so light-hearted. The second set was a hodgepodge of Bluegrass, Rock and Jam. According to the setlist they played "Darkside," "Willie" and "Rockstar." For me, I was having so much fun that I lost track. The music was really enjoyable and I was really impressed with Jason Beard (Guitar, Mandolin) who seemed to be having a blast. The rhythm section of Aspen Stevenson (Bass) and George Smeltz (Drums, Suitcase) was also extremely sound, creating some cool rock moments.
The second highlight of the
Backstage the party was on as the band was excited about the show! Slowly the evening wound down, with The Fox clearing out completely and load-out wrapping up. We said our good-byes and headed back to Denver. Back at Paul's house we reconnected with Shelly and minutes later Carly walked through the door to find me sitting on the couch in the living room with Paul on his back and Kang doing yoga. She looked at me and smiled... What a night!
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www.poormanswhiskey.com
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