MUSICMARAUDERS

The Aggie Theater Fort Collins, Colorado Words, Photos & Video By Nicholas Stock Fort Collins has a vibrant music scene; case in point the monstrous bluegrass tainted event at the Aggie featuring the homegrown duo Head For The Hills supported by The Holler!. Much of the time Fort Collins is overlooked when it comes to local music, or seen by touring bands as a warm up show. Over the years I’ve tried to share some of the incredible music that happens here on a weekly basis. This show is a prime example of why I’m happy to call FoCo my home. The Holler! who are usually relegated to playing festival stages, or smaller venues, found themselves with plenty of room for activities on the Aggie stage. I worried that they would sound thin, but from their opening notes it was clear that they came to play. Set One: Kitchen, Karakoram, Wildwood, Beyond The Mirror, You’re So Bad> Come Back Home, Climb, Just Like You, Red Dress> Peak, Memory, Gratitude, Song Remains The Same, Pea...

The Oriental Theater Denver, CO Join us on Friday March 1st at The Oriental Theater in Denver, CO for The Mickey Hart Band! Purchase Tickets Here: holdmyticket.com/checkout Facebook Event Page www.mickeyhart.net

Cervantes Masterpiece Ballroom Denver, CO Words & Photos By Brad Yeakel Although it's spelled oddly, Euforquestra was meant to be a contraction of euphoria and orchestra. Keeping that in mind made it much easier for me to pronounce. They were as advertised... a small orchestra devoted to your own euphoric listening experience. Friday was their first show with special guest saxophonist, the Motet's Matt Pitts. His playing was stellar and seemed to kick the band up a notch as they successfully tackled Bowie's "Let's Dance", Beck's "Nausea", and Lettuce's "Madison Square." Each were played with a combination of excellent reproduction and pioneering jams. During "Let's Dance," I was amazed at the drums and percussion which nailed every nuance of the rhythm. They just generally played an upbeat, joyous, party of a set that was worth the price of admission alone. Me? Fan. With a considerable percentage of Denver...

Cervantes Other Side Denver, CO Words & Photos By J-man Following a week of touring in Colorado, Jimkata made its final stop of their run at Cervantes Other Side for a show with Colorado's own, Kinetix. The evening kicked off with a sizable early turnout for the Upstate, NY band and would mark my first time seeing Jimkata in a few years. The last time our paths crossed was at Castaways in Ithaca, NY and at the time, I saw Jimkata as a band with a lot of potential, but a lot of room to grow. The show began and the room filled in at a rapid rate with folks who were without a doubt familiar with the band. Fans sang along and danced, with a clear connection to the band who looked down upon them with a smile. Jimkata's compositions were tight, their production was fantastic and the band reflected massive growth from when I had last seen them. Evan Friedell lead the charge with solid vocals and guitar work while Aaron Gorsch commanded most of the lead on guitar and keys. T...

The Fox Theatre Boulder, CO Words & Photos By Kevin Hahn It is becoming harder for me to write about a band that continually impresses night after night, concert after concert, and show after show. What I mean by this is, once I have praised a certain band for being spectacular, inspirational, and awesome, is it necessary to keep slathering on the musical compliments? Is there such a thing as too much “positivity” when it comes to your favorite band or musician? Can the outpouring of the emotions and utter jaw-dropping love get to a bands head and possibly affect their performance on stage? In this case, we will have to experiment with these very questions as I can truly not find a bad thing to say critically (I know, very surprising) with the 2-night run the Infamous Stringdusters provided us with at The Fox Theatre in Boulder, Colorado. Have you heard these bluegrass soon-to-be titans as of late? In my opinion these guys are the “hot” thing on the jam-grass scene, the next...

Dazzle Restaurant and Lounge Denver, CO Join us on Tuesday February 26th & Wednesday February 27th at Dazzle Restaurant and Lounge in Denver, CO for Rudresh Mahanthappa's GAMAK! Purchase Tickets Here: - Tuesday 6:30 PM Show - Tuesday 8:30 PM Show - Wednesday 6:30 PM Show - Wednesday 8:30 PM Show www.rudreshm.com www.dazzlejazz.com

The Bluebird Theater Denver, CO Words & Photos By Brad Yeakel Almost two years ago I arrived in Denver, and immediately heard about Yamn. They seemed to have an intense local following, and I wanted to know what all the hype was about. The first opportunity I had to see them was at Cervantes, and they were doing the Almost Famous soundtrack. I was very impressed. I was excited to have another opportunity to see them, but before long I heard they were taking a break to integrate a new key player. The wait was long, but in November, 2012 the band opened for Moe. at the Ogden. They also performed a New Year's Eve show in Vail, but the Bluebird show was their first headlining gig in Denver for quite some time. The anticipation was high. Our evening began with a decadent pot luck at a friend's birthday shindig before the party descended on the Bluebird. As we entered the theater, the opening act, Bedrockk were nearing the end of their set. Consisting of a drummer and gu...

Dazzle Restaurant and Lounge Denver, CO Join us on Saturday February 23rd & Sunday February 24th for Kurt Rosenwinkel Quartet at Dazzle Restaurant and Lounge in Denver, CO! Purchase Tickets Here: -Saturday 7:00 PM Show (SOLD OUT) - Saturday 9:00 PM Show - Sunday 6:00 PM Show - Sunday 8:00 PM Show www.dazzlejazz.com

Cervantes Masterpiece Ballroom Denver, CO Words & Photos By J-man It was early 2000's and I recall sitting with some of my best friends in a party house in Ann Arbor, MI. As we smoked hookah and all sorts of various herbal selections, the room filled with smoke. The sun hit the smoke just right making it dance as we listened to a plethora of old records. As one record came to an end, another replaced it, until we arrived at this "new" record that our buddy had picked up. It was Easy Star All Stars' Dub Side of The Moon . I was blown away by the band's approach to the music of Pink Floyd and the album quickly became an essential in my collection. Fast forward a decade to current day and MusicMarauders was presenting Easy Star's Dub Side of the Moon 10th Anniversary Party at Cervantes Masterpiece Ballroom in Denver, CO. Upon our arrival, Colorado band, The Sesh, played to a near empty room. The band was made up of Cristian Basso on bass, Jeff Jani ...

Quixote's True Blue Denver, CO Join us on Friday February 22nd at Quixote's True Blue in Denver, CO for MusicMarauders Presents: Garrett Sayers Trio w/ Bluegrass Delta Force! Purchase Tickets Here: www.holdmyticket.com/checkout www.garrettsayers.com www.reverbnation.com/bluegrassdeltaforce www.quixotes.com

Words By J-man Build opens with a track called "Break Build Burn" that conjures images of an era long before Lotus' rise to the top; An era where horns and arranged music dominated the lounges. A subtle hint of current day sounds tease until the track drops and the two worlds collide in a chaotic scramble. "Massif" comes next and eludes to a much more characteristic sound. Dance beat in place, a dirty synth opens up a world that many Lotus fans are all too familiar with. A plethora of tones offer new possibilities of innovation while still paying homage to those electro bands that have come before and at the same time staying true to the band's sound. "What Did I Do Wrong" grabs the listener's attention with a haunting organ that transcends expected normality and welcomes it's electro counterpart, more synth. Siren like highs come crashing down with digital blips, all while the initial organ remains. Through straight forward progression...

Cervantes Masterpiece Ballroom Denver, CO Join us on Saturday February 23rd at Cervantes Masterpiece Ballroom in Denver, CO for MusicMarauders Presents: Juno What! Juno What will be joined by Dam Funk and Mike Moses. Purchase Tickets Here: www.ticketfly.com/purchase Doors: 8:00 pm / Show: 9:00 pm (event ends at 2:00 am) $12 Advance / $15 Day Of Show www.junowhat.net www.cervantesmasterpiece.com

HoodLab Colorado Denver, Colorado Words, Photos & Video By Nicholas Stock Audio By Corey Sandoval ( Kind Recordings ) This tight formation of Banyan consisting of Stephen Perkins, Willie Waldman, Tony Franklin, and Brian Jordan was smack dab in the middle of a two night run at Quixote’s True Blue. Perkins and Franklin arranged for a short drum and bass jam at the multi-purpose space known as HoodLab. Distributer of HoodLamb Hemp coats out of Amsterdam, HoodLab is also an art gallery and a space for live performances. Curated and owned by Adam Dunn, this place is one of the hidden gems in Denver. Opening up was self-described funk metal group Herb N’ War. They were without lead singer Eutimia Cruz Montoya. So, they played as a power trio and basically blasted through an improv set that featured heavy riffing and some tight drum work by Carter Casad. Without their voice they were left to focus on the music, and honestly this was a perfect fit for the Perkins Franklin jam. ...

Cervantes Masterpiece Ballroom Denver, CO Words & Photos By Kevin Hahn My friends ask me all the time, “Kevin, what do you think is the most important instrument in a jam-band?” To me this is a very interesting question, as I always thought that the words piano or keyboard would immediately jump out of my mouth. Being a pianist I am usually biased towards the melodic nature that the ivories provide, but recently I have started to notice that without a decent bass player on stage, my feet just don’t get that same “dancing” feeling. So when I saw our homegrown bass virtuoso, Garrett Sayers, on the same bill as international bass god, Victor Wooten, I knew it would be a special night. When I arrived at Cervantes I immediately noticed how packed it was for the opening band, the Garrett Sayers Trio. In the approximately fifty times I have seen a show at Cervantes I had never seen it that packed for any opening act! Maybe the weekly residency at the Highland Tap had really gaine...

Highland Tap & Burger Denver, CO Words By J-man Photo By Carly Marthis It was Wednesday on Colorado's Front Range, which meant folks would be making their way to The Highland Tap and Burger in Denver's Lower Highlands to get down for HTB's Wednesday Music Showcase. That specific Wednesday would feature "supergroup" and Motet side project, Vital Organ, which is comprised of Joey Porter (Juno What, The Motet), Garrett Sayers (Garrett Sayers Trio, The Motet), Dan Schwindt (Kyle Hollingsworth Band, The Motet) and Daren Hahn. The night kicked off with a thinner crowd than usual, which was to be somewhat expected with Vital Organ launching a weekly residency at Quixote's true Blue just a couple of nights prior. As the music and energy grew, so to did the crowd. From funk to jazz to rock and back the group went with precision and a strong compositional vibe. The band was tight and it was clear that they had been fine tuning their songs and playing togethe...

The Fox Theatre Boulder, CO Words & Photos By Kevin Hahn Jimkata. By the name alone I really had no idea what kind of music this band was going to be playing or what scene they would be providing when they came to play the Fox Theatre in Boulder. I started to do my homework, and what I found was that Jimkata is being described as an “Umphrey’s Mcgee” type of jam-tronica act with a very devoted group of fans and a bright future in front of them. What I heard and saw at the Fox the other night was much of the same. A four member unit, Jimkata is definitely an up-and-comer on the jamband/live music scene and the Boulder fans were whole-heartedly showing their sincere appreciation for these Ithaca, New York based musicians. Playing numerous songs from their new album “Die Digital,” Jimkata gave us a good “ragefest” as fists were pumping and all the girls were dancing. Backed by an impressive lighting rig, these East Coasters brought their “A” game to the small and intimate venu...

The Bluebird Theater Denver, CO Words & Photos By Brad Yeakel I had not heard of the Tumbleweed Wanderers until I arrived at the show. This Oakland based band started with a sound that matched their name... A rock band with a breezy, dusty, rambling spirit. Their country-kissed rock could have been on the soundtrack to the Big Lebowski, an album featuring artists such as Bob Dylan, Don Henley, Kenny Rogers, Jagger and Richards, John Fogerty, and more. Suddenly a wash of liquid echoes and reverb enveloped the sound, and the band delved into a vintage late '60s sound reminiscent of Syd Barrett's time with Pink Floyd. The rest of their set triggered memories of Led Zeppelin, the Who, and the Beatles as they played with an authentic British rock tone. It's almost as if Tumbleweed Wanderers had come from a time gone by, to bring back a small piece of those sounds that changed the world. By the time Tea Leaf Green took the stage, the theater was full of fans, some d...

The Aggie Theatre Fort Collins, CO Words, Photos & Video By Nicholas Stock For the second night in a row I ventured down to the Aggie Theater for some live music. It was a co-bill between local favorites Euforquestra and reggae powerhouse John Brown’s Body. It had been three years since JBB last performed in Fort Collins. I first saw JBB very early in my concert-going career; in fact they were a band that demonstrated to me what was possible on any random Wednesday night in a sweaty, crowed bar. The last time I saw them was around 2006 and seeing them live in Fort Collins it was evident that this band had evolved. As we entered the room Mikey Thunder was gracing the slowly growing crowd with a tasty mix of funk and jazz backed by some palpable beats. At times in the past I’ve found Mr. Thunder’s heavier electronic sets to be off-putting, but he sounded really solid. The audience was unenthusiastic and Thunder politely called them on it. He also performed during the setbreaks,...