MUSICMARAUDERS

Allegany County Fairgrounds Cumberland, MD DelFest, the 6th annual celebration of both Del McCoury and all things bluegrass, returns to The Allegany County Fairgrounds in Cumberland, MD! This year's event takes place Thursday May 23rd through Sunday May 26th, 2013 & MusicMarauders is thrilled to be providing coverage! This year's line-up includes: Trey Anastasio Band (2 Sets), Old Crow Medicine Show, Yonder Mountain String Band, The Masters of Bluegrass, Trampled by Turtles, Leftover Salmon, The Travelin' McCourys, Keller Williams with More Than A Little, Carolina Chocolate Drops, Jerry Douglas Band, The Infamous Stringdusters, Greensky Bluegrass, Red Baraat, The Campbell Brothers, Sarah Jarosz Pikelny, Sutton, McCoury, Bulla & Bales, Davisson Brothers Band, Larry Keel and Natural Bridge, Elephant Revival, Danny Barnes, Aoife O’Donovan, Missy Raines and The New Hip, Reverend Peyton's Big Damn Band, The Rambling Rooks, Hackensaw Boys, Joe Craven, Mamajowa...

Park West Chicago, IL Words & Photos By Brad Yeakel Innovation has opened doors to progress throughout history. New, adventurous ideas were responsible for the invention of airplanes, television, computers, and smartphones. Adventurous ideas were also responsible for meatloaf icecream, chuteless skydiving, and bears riding tricycles... but they were bad ideas. I went to Chicago to experience some GOOD innovation in the form of Umphrey's McGee's UMBowl IV. I've seen a lot of music over the years, and this experience was one of the most unique, groundbreaking, creative, and enjoyable concert experiences I've ever seen. Much like the Super Bowl, UMBowl was designed to be the ultimate experience of the year for Umphrey's McGee and their fans. The venue, Chicago's Park West, was chosen for its size, acoustics, design, and location. The 770 person capacity was perfect. It was intimate, comfortable, and open. Everyone could see, everyone could hear, everyo...

Cambria Suites Hotel Lobby Fort Collins, Colorado Words, Photos, & Video by Nicholas Stock Sometimes things happen. To the dismay of fans that traveled over a thousand miles to see their hometown favorites Old Shoe in Colorado, their first show of the run at Hodi’s Halfnote was postponed. A combination of three days of blizzard and cancelled flights contributed to the decision, but people were certainly disappointed. Personally I had been looking forward to the show for months, and given their place as renowned Summer Camp alumni, I was excited to see them live. CIT Dave Weckstein was traveling with the band and I met him early for some dinner and a beer. We were just finishing up when Hodi’s posted that they would not be having the show. I was baffled because the three days of blizzard had finally subsided and the sun was actually out. Understanding that they had many friends in town Old Shoe arranged to play in their hotel lobby at Cambria Suites at 10 PM. Word spread fast ...

Highland Tap & Burger Denver, CO Words By J-man Photos By Carly Marthis Blake Mobley's brainchild, Tiger Party, a collection of musicians from an array of bands, released its debut self-titled album, Tiger Party, Wednesday April 24th at The Highland Tap & Burger in Denver, CO! The product is the result of a successful Kickstarter campaign and hours of hard work in the studio. The album's intro starts with a Melancholy piano before launching into "Roar Like A Tiger," a track that incorporates a combination of samples and vocals that basically repeat the words "Tiger Party." "Rhythm of The Heart" may be the most obscure track on the album, offering layers of Latin swing, horns and poppy vocals from Jon Wood. Standing alone, the track offers no hints of the Tiger Party vibe and without being told, even the most passionate Tiger Party fans would have difficulty identifying the composition's originator. "Justified" returns t...

Quixote's True Blue Denver, CO Words & Photos By Brad Yeakel Audio By Corey Sandoval( Kind Recordings ) Max Creek Live at Quixote's True Blue on April 20, 2013. It was 4/20, and Denver's musical celebrations were plentiful. I decided to check out Max Creek at Quixote's. The New England based jam-band have been playing as long or longer than almost anyone in the business. It showed. I've seen an embarrassing number of shows in my life, and I have rarely seen a band who is so deeply in tune with each other as Max Creek. 40 years of playing together has made them masters of musical telepathy, and they delivered some of the most adventurous and well-executed jams you could hope to find. At the heart were guitarist Scott Murawski, key player Mark Mercier, and bassist John Rider... The same as it has been since 1973. New drummer Bill Carbone and percussionist Jamemurrell Stanley brought a youthful energy to the band much as John K and Joe Russo did with Fur...

Quixote's True Blue Denver, CO Words By J-man Photos By Kevin Hahn & J-man Audio By Corey Sandoval ( Kind Recordings ) Does it get any funkier than Bernie Worrell Orchestra & Vital Organ sharing a bill on a Monday? The short answer is no. The long answer offers an explanation of sorts, although many would agree that an explanation is unnecessary. Arriving at Quixote's around 9:00 PM, I found an almost empty venue, as is often the case that early. Both stages were packed with gear, so I headed around back to go through the backstage entrance. Unfortunately, the door was closed and locked. A quick knock on the door and it was opened from inside by the Wizard of Woo himself, Mr. Bernie Worrell! "Justin!" Bernie yelled with a smile on his face, introducing me to his young bandmates who were present. It was good to see a couple of the guys whom I had previously booked with Bernie. Shortly to follow the gentleman from Vital Organ began to turnout and set up....

Sancho's Broken Arrow Denver, CO Words & Photo By J-man Audio By Corey Sandoval ( Kind Recordings ) Shakedown Street Live at Sancho's Broken Arrow on April 20, 2013. What better occasion than the high holy day of April 20th to get together in the parking lot of the mile high city's premier counterculture bar for a 4:20 PM smoke out? Unlike the violent scene of gunfire that erupted at Civic Center Park, the peace was kept at Sancho's Broken Arrow just blocks away. Entering through Sancho's main entrance on Colfax Ave. I was greeted with a smile by Sancho's/Quixote's staple and my good friend, John. The energy was fantastic as folks bounced around the crowded bar with smiles on their faces and bells on their shoes. The party atmosphere carried all of the way to rear of the venue, into the parking lot that was fenced in and secured for the festivities. Familiar faces mingled among merch and beer/alcohol vendors. A stage was brought in for the get...

The Aggie Theatre Fort Collins, CO Words, Photos & Video By Nicholas Stock Leftover Salmon is a Colorado tradition. They are the source from which so much jam and bluegrass flows. String Cheese Incident, Yonder Mountain String Band, and so many others would not be what they are today if it wasn’t for the trail blazed by Salmon on a cold night in Crested Butte over twenty years ago. Leftover has gone through some transitions through the years. The passing of Mark Vann, the departure of Jeff Sipe and Bill McKay, the search for formidable replacement on banjo that ended with Andy Thorn have all had an effect on the band. They have persevered and their music is as vibrant as ever. Their show at The Aggie Theater in Fort Collins was completely sold out meaning tight quarters were the order of the night. I staked my spot Vince side on the rail. They took the stage just before 10 PM with a quick “Liza.” Leftover Salmon Live at Aggie Theater on April 13, 2013. Set One: Liz...

Boulder Theater Boulder, CO Words & Photos By Kevin Hahn Let’s make this very clear from the beginning, when I requested to cover the recent 3-night Lotus run in Boulder I was expecting to attend only the Thursday show with a critical perspective and go on being a non-Lotus fan with an overall disdain for the “Jam-tronica” scene. Upon arriving at the glorious music venue known as the Boulder Theater I was immediately greeted with a massive crowd of Coloradoans itching to get their dancing shoes going and party faces melting, with a very diverse range of ages that is always good to see. After waiting approximately 30 minutes to attain my various tickets for the evening I entered through the awesome, yet surprisingly still secret George’s entrance and slammed my usual Vodka Tonic to help me enjoy what I was about to hear. I chose the awesome Boulder Theater balcony for my first viewpoint and just as I was settling in, the lights went down and this “Jam-tronic” 3-night rage fest...

The Fox Theatre Boulder, CO Join us on Saturday May 4th at The Fox Theatre in Boulder, CO for Rob Drabkin! The show comes on the brink of the release of Rob's new full length album and in support of his Pledge Music Campaign ! Doors: 08:30 PM Show: 09:00 PM $9 ADV / $12 DOS + $2 for under 21 tickets All Ages Purchase Tickets Here: www.foxtheatre.frontgatetickets.com Facebook Event: Rob Drabkin at The Fox Theatre in Boulder, CO www.robdrabkin.com

Cervantes Masterpiece Ballroom Denver, CO Words & Photos By Brad Yeakel As winter and spring battled for the upper hand in Denver, I ventured out for some music that was as swinging as the temperature. While we waited in line at the box office, I heard a fan on the phone with his friend, "We're good dude, Dumpstaphunk hasn't even gone on yet." Surprise. Surprise. I hadn't even realized they were playing. Bonus. Dumpstaphunk has laid down some of the dirtiest, baddest funk on the planet. Bass player, Nick Daniels III slapped and popped his way into my favorites with a thick, rich tone and more bounce than those old Nike Basketball commercials where everyone did the fancy dribbling. If I had only one thing to say about the evening, it was that Daniels was an animal. Dumpstaphunk took a lot of their sound from Daniels' work, and while the other musicians were proficient, none stood out so clearly. The bass has always been paramount in funk music, and D...

Words By J-man The Manhattan Project, one of the northeast's newest powerhouses, came on to the scene in 2010 and is further making a name for itself with the release of Atomic Bomb Party vol. 3! The album's opening track, "Endless Nights," builds from the start into an all out barrage of sonic output layered with tasteful precision. Deep tonal exploration collides with danceable grooves for a menacing yet satisfying start to the party. Police sirens scream out in the background as Shawn Drogan's drums continue to build the track for one last explosion of sound. The synth-heavy "Full Bounce" eases its way in with Charlie Lindner at the helm before the beats hit. Enter a layer of dub bass that tactfully wobbles in the background and the track is in full swing with a plethora of hihat chops. The breakdown is soothing and reflects a great contrast and range in the duo's highs and lows. Beautiful vocals come and go taking the mind with them and return...

Ghost Ranch Saloon Steamboat Springs, CO Words By J-man Photos By J-man & Carly Marthis With all of the work that we've been outputting in the city, we thought it best to head to the mountains for a weekend of rest and relaxation. We hopped into the Jeep and headed up just a few hours away to Steamboat Springs. Our time there would be spent hiking and visiting Strawberry Park Hot Springs as opposed to seeing music as we always do. While having lunch, we checked the local night activity in the town and noticed that Great American Taxi was playing over at Ghost Ranch. "We don't have to go," I said to Carly, "but I would like to poke my head into the venue just to check it out." Following lunch we headed across the street to Ghost Ranch and the friendly staff invited us in to check it out. The open room was crafted from beautiful wood, with columns that supported an upper floor/balcony. Throughout the room were a wide array of taxidermy that added to...

Quixote's True Blue Denver, CO Words, Photos & Video By J-man Audio By Corey Sandoval ( Kind Recordings ) Genetics Live at Quixote's True Blue on March 30, 2013. It was a packed evening of sold out (or close to sold out) shows in Denver, as is often the case on any given weekend. A lot of thought went into which show(s) to attend for a lot of people, but for me the decision was clear. Guitarist, Fareed Haque, would cover Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young's Deja Vu with his band MathGames. Leading up to the event Fareed reached out to me about needing keys for the project. There was only one person who could properly field the material and keep up with Fareed, and that person was Patrick Lee (Garrett Sayers Trio). I was also asked by MusicMarauders' client, Genetics, if they could get onto the bill as Fareed was one of their all time favorites as well. Calls were made and the gig was set. Just prior to their opening slot, I headed backstage to let Gene...

Dazzle Restaurant and Lounge Denver, CO Words By J-man Photos By J-man & Carly Marthis As is often the case with Ron Miles' shows, that evening at Dazzle was sold out! The sell out was well deserved as Ron always brings an assortment of world class musicians. That night Ron was joined by Eric Gunnison (Piano), Kent McLagan (Bass) and Alwyn Robinson (Drums) for a powerhouse group that at times even made Ron smile with excitement. Through beautifully charted material, the quartet resembled a well-oiled machine. Gunnison's key work was all over the map, with Alwyn keeping a close watch as the drums were often chasing the piano. Kent kept up with Alwyn, while all the time being aware of what Ron was looking for musically and nailing every note on the fretless upright. There is something about Ron Miles' playing the resonates deeply with jazz fans. Whether it's his ability to cross genres, circular breath for an incredibly extended note, or the raw talent that see...

Georgia Theater Athens, GA Words By Scott Shrader Photos By Lance Bryant Perpetual Groove Live at Georgia Theatre on April 5, 2013. Indefinite Hiatus: two words that any music fan dreads to hear from their favorite band. Unfortunately, Perpetual Groove announced their rift earlier this year by releasing two press statement’s; one from Brock Butler and the other from the remaining members of the band (Adam Perry, Matthew McDonald, and Albert Suttle) announcing that the band would officially go on hiatus April 6, 2013. As one story ends, another begins. The three remaining members will begin touring under the name “Ghost Owl” and will be experimenting with a new sound and visual stage presence this Spring. Brock will be focusing on his health and taking some time off from extensive tour life. Don’t fear, the guitar wizard will still be touring solo later this Spring and has no plans to stop playing music anytime soon. To those who know Brock personally, this announcement may...