MUSICMARAUDERS

Dazzle Restaurant and Lounge Denver, CO Words & Photos By J-man There are Jazz clubs and there are "Jazz clubs." Dazzle is a Jazz club unlike any in its market. Candlelit tables extend across the dimly lit room and depending on the evening, one might catch a packed house. Regardless of the turnout, the music is always top notch. On this particular evening, a Tuesday in fact, I found myself in the back booth of the illuminated "main room" with the waitstaff buzzing back and forth. The present patrons grinned widely and laughed loudly during what could best be described as the "social hour" leading up to the show. Dazzle to me feels like home, tucked away in the back corner of the room. Past the presumed elitism of jazz music, I sit balanced, catching bits and pieces of conversation. The venue was littered with argyle and button-downs, though tie-dyes would have been equally suited. The one thing that Dazzle lacks is hippies. Not the loud, unkemp

Quixote's True Blue Denver, CO Words By Brad Yeakel Photos By J-man The Mayan calendar expired on 12/21 and Quixote's hosted two of the Front Range's better local entertainers to celebrate. The front bar was rocking to the blended bluegrass of Whiskey Tango while the main stage hosted Boulder's Springdale Quartet. I've seen Tango quite a few times, and always enjoy their show. I don't know how they repeatedly make me forget that they are way more than a bluegrass band, but each time I am surprised when they veer off and tear into some sort of sonic groove. In the case of "Apocalypse Friday" at Quixote's, it came in the form of an epic "Chameleon" by Herbie Hancock. The banjo added a unique flavor to such a funky tune, and I was caught off guard again. Great stuff! Their second set was also filled with high energy as they played a spirited version of "White Freight Liner." Whiskey Tango reminds me of String Cheese Incident

The Fox Theatre Boulder, CO Words & Photos By Brad Yeakel Welcome to an absurd world of kazoos, caricatures, mockeries, but most importantly... spectacular musicianship. It is the world of Frank Zappa, and it is being inhabited by his son, Dweezil. Frank once said, "progress is not made without deviation from the norm." Dweezil pointed out in his first DVD release that Frank's entire career was spent "absurdly corroborating that statement." Dweezil is keeping that torch ablaze, and lighting a new generation on fire. The Fox Theater in Boulder was far too small of a venue to contain the crowd or the talent of Zappa Plays Zappa. The crowd spilled into the lobby as Dweezil and company took the stage and ripped in to "Willie the Pimp", which is the first Zappa song that really caught my ear, and eventually the rest of "Hot Rats" wormed its way into my brain. That was the beginning of my slow and increasing appreciation for the mustac

Words By Brad Yeakel If there's one thing I like, it's a palindrome, so I went into Dopapod's new studio release, Redivider , with great expectations. The album began with a feedback laden track called "Build an Android." I felt the song was unnecessary, but did seem to transport me into Dopapod's world, and served as the springboard to the album. The next tune, "Brain Dead" is a bizarre tune that opened with accordion and suddenly became a hard rock song with a weirdness that would be at home in a Les Claypool project. The organ that eventually emerges in the instrumental segue leads to a section that brought the Grinch to mind for just a second. They play a compositional section before returning to their vocal harmonies. But when the song ended, I almost forgot about it entirely as the next tune, "Bubble Brain," jolted to life with a west coast rap synth. Think "California Love", but set to a song that touches dubstep, hard

Hodi’s Half Note Fort Collins, Colorado Words & Photos By Nicholas Stock It’s becoming a winter tradition that Kyle takes a trip down the Front Range sharing good music and first-class beer. This year he upped the ante by including Soulive as well as a couple fresh brews. He warmed up for two nights in Denver by bringing Eric Krasno to sit in for the show at Hodi’s in Fort Collins. Kyle also brought a variation on Avery’s dry-hopped Winter Day IPA that he collaborated on with the brewery. It was a spicy ale, balanced by an abundance of hoppy goodness. It’s definitely a nice holiday beer. Opening act Ruff Draft was a nice treat with members of Mofro, Nu Classics, and Super Collider. Focusing on a blend of jazz, funk, and hard hitting vocals this group really had some chops. It almost felt like being transported back to the age of cabaret in some smoky nightspot from long ago. Tightly wound horns backed a lockstep rhythm section that was very impressive. Their bassist was jam

Cervantes Masterpiece Ballroom Denver, CO Words & Photos By Kevin Hahn Audio By Peter Coffan With one of the more entertaining and epic musically inclined weekends of the year now in my rear view mirror, I am starting to realize and truly understand why people get stuck here in our great state of Colorado. Being a non-native (Bay Area, California) I thought I knew what a hip and ultra-cool place to live in was like. Then I decided to follow my best-friend out to Boulder, Colorado for college six long years ago and I could not be happier with my decision. This past weekend at Cervantes was a great example of why Colorado and more specifically the Denver area is a downright fucking awesome place to live, party, dream, escape, multiply, dance and rage your “prime” years away. If you were at Cervantes you know exactly what I am talking about because not only did we get Soulive (one of the funkiest jazz trio’s on the jamband circuit right now), but we got Kyle Hollingsworth (from

Cervantes Other Side Denver, CO Join us Wednesday at Cervantes Other Side in Denver for MusicMarauders Presents: Luke The Knife feat. Luke Miller (Lotus) & Chuck Morris (Lotus), as well as Beard of Bees feat. Jesse Miller (Lotus)! Doors: 8:00 pm / Show: 9:00 pm $8 Advance / $10 Day Of Show Purchase Tickets Here: www.ticketfly.com/purchase www.cervantesmasterpiece.com

Cervantes Masterpiece Ballroom Denver, Co Words By J-man Photos By Carly Marthis & J-man Video By J-man For the last decade I have listened to no band more than Iron Horse. Made famous by their bluegrass covers of such mainstream acts as Metallica, Ozzy, Led Zeppelin, Modest Mouse, The Goo Goo Dolls and more, Iron Horse has become a force to recon with. Through their recognition, the band has remained elusive, with limited tour dates and what appears to be a local vision to touring. After ten years of checking their website and waiting to see them live, the day finally came. We did everything that we could to promote the event and make folks aware that Iron Horse was coming to town. We arrived early at the near empty venue and as the time grew near that Iron Horse would take the stage, a certain sense of disappointment overtook me. Where was the crowd of music fans? Did people not get the memo? As Iron Horse took the stage, a massive influx of young folks poured into Cervan

Highland Tap & Burger Denver, CO Words By J-man Photos By Kevin Hahn & Carly Marthis Audio By Ed Simon Vital Organ Live at Highland Tap & Burger on December 5, 2012. Of the bands that play the Wednesday Music Showcase at The Highland Tap & Burger in Denver's Lower Highlands, none draw a larger crowd and provide more energy than Vital Organ. Garrett Sayers Trio is great, as is Joey Porter Trio, however, having both projects come together with Dan Schwint and Daren Hahn is as close as it gets to a super group. On Wednesday the fifth of December, folks at the Tap had the privilege of seeing Vital Organ, as is usually the case on a once-a-month basis. That night would mark the first time that a $5.00 cover charge would be instituted. Outside of a few bogus music fans, folks paid without question to see one of the most incredible bands in the area. The reason I say "bogus" is that if one was actually a music fan, they wouldn't complain about thr

Dazzle Restaurant and Lounge Denver, CO Words & Photos By Brad Yeakel Odds are, if you live in the Denver area and you like funk, you've likely seen Pete Wall guesting with any number of bands from Particle or The Recovery Act to Polytoxic's Last Waltz... Wall is a fixture on sax in the Denver clubs. Much like Warren Haynes, he loves to play and does so any time he can. I went to see Pete's project, Textiles, who was playing at Dazzle, a jazz club with cool lighting, nice ambience and upscale fare. As I made my way inside, I was greeted by soft, colorful lights (some in funky psychedelic fixtures) and the soothing sound of jazz. I was immediately aware that this club was a perfect venue for the music that was being played. The kind of place where a hippie might feel comfortable wearing a tie. The music had a sophistication, a swagger and a looseness that translated well to the room. There were several things that made this outfit unique. For starters, Pete Wall.

The Ogden Theatre Denver, CO Words & Photos By Nicholas Stock Audio By Chuck Miller Show two from moe. was on the dock and ready to jump into the icy lake that is the Ogden. After a strange first night I was ready for a more chill experience and some classic jamming from one of my favorite bands. I spent the day playing some disc golf and then lounging at the Rockmada before heading to dinner and then the show. It was a nice relaxing day that got us ready to rage one more night. Local favorites The Congress had been selected to fill the opening slot. Ironically the first time I saw The Congress was opening up for moe. a few years back in Breckenridge. Lead by the powerful vocals and bass of Jonathan Meadows, the band is now striped down into a power trio with Scott Lane on guitar and Mark Levy on kit. Scott gyrates wildly onstage as he sets fire to the neck of the guitar. It’s great to see a rock outfit of this caliber playing in utter synchronicity. Again making the most of

The Ogden Theatre Denver, CO Words & Photos By Nicholas Stock Audio By Chuck Miller moe. made their jubilant return to Denver as makeup for two missed shows in July. Their drummer Vinnie Amico came down with a case of mono and they had to postpon several shows at the end of the summer tour. The wait was long, but worthwhile, as the shows added openers for both nights that included local favorites Yamn and The Congress. Yamn has been in Jam Band Purgatory and are just back from a yearlong hiatus. New to the group is Paul Evans on keyboards, which is part of the reason for the extended absence from the scene. One would expect some jitters or general nervousness from the band considering the time since their last show. Quite the opposite was true with Yamn coming out as the consummate showmen and blasting through a smoking opening set. Set One: Burner, Apparition, Floating Leave, Low Gravity, Ricochet, Home Sweet Home^ ^w Chuck Garvey As the opener for a band like moe.

Cervantes Other Side Denver, CO Words By Brad Yeakel Photos By Britt Nemeth The weekend began with high hopes as I knew I'd be covering two bands from my home state of Pennsylvania. Friday at Cervantes Other Side, Brothers Past brought the livetronica fans out in full force. The club was elbow to elbow back to the lounge area in the rear. I arrived just as Tiger Party was taking the stage. Being billed with BP, I expected another electronica act, especially considering I've heard some of the members in other projects that lean on electronic. Seth Fankhauser, the drummer of Malah, kept a tight funk based groove going strong. Guitarist Ryan Burnett, from Signal Path, played series after series of mercurial riffs creating a morphing metallic timbre that was edgy, smooth, and sleek, like the bad guy from Terminator 2. The band is a collaboration of musicians in several other bands and keyboardist Blake appears to conduct the pieces, signaling for changes and leading many of