MUSICMARAUDERS

Town Park Telluride, CO Words, Photos & Video By Nicholas Stock ( Fat Guerilla Productions ) Friday August 1st: Few places are as overwhelmingly picturesque and utterly glorious as the sleepy mountain town of Telluride. Sleepy may be a bit of an understatement, considering this burg plays host to some of the most sought-after festivals in the United States. Home to the Telluride Bluegrass Festival, Blues and Brews, The Ride Festival, Telluride Film Festival MountainFilm, and so much more, Telluride is an oasis of culture in the San Juan Mountains. One of the lesser known, but equally impressive, events is the Telluride Jazz Celebration. 2014 marked the 38th time that jazz musicians from all over the world descended on Town Park for three days of superbly good times. The lineup this year was a veritable who’s who of modern funk, fusion, and Latin jazz. The featured musician, Poncho Sanchez would join in on three sets over the weekend, but first we had to get there. Telluri...

Rancho Del Rio Bond, CO Words By J. Picard Photos By Kevin Hahn ( Split Open & Shoot ) Videos By Steve Wilner Friday August 15th: Rancho Del Rio is a Colorado paradise, nestled in and surrounded by the Rocky Mountains. The Colorado River runs right through the site, making it the perfect launch and landing point for rafters looking to spend some time on the river. Once a year, the site is transformed into festival grounds for YarmonyGrass, a three day music and camping festival featuring some incredible Colorado and national talent. The night prior to our departure from Denver, we picked up our friend Roosevelt Collier (The Lee Boys & Colorado Get Down) from Denver International Airport. Back at the house, my good friend Murray and my girlfriend, Carly, were preparing for that weekend's YarmonyGrass and the following weekend's Burning Man. There were supplies strewn throughout the house heading towards large bins and their eventual place on a river or Play...

Fox Theatre Boulder, CO Words & Photos By Brad Yeakel ( OptiMystic Outlooks ) Few things would have lured me out to Boulder on a Sunday night. After all, I had work at 7:00 AM Monday morning. Greensky Bluegrass tipped the scale. My plan was, go grab some pictures, get a feel for the show, and maybe head home at set break. If it was really good, I thought, I'd stay until 11:00 PM. I was just trying to be a responsible adult. I got situated in the small venue and waited for the mayhem. When the band took the stage, the crowd was primed. Nodding to Boulder's inaugural Ironman competition, the band opened with a quick tease of Black Sabbath's rocker, "I Am Ironman," before a segue lead to a grassy take on Prince's "When Doves Cry." And there was no doubt they were off and running. The crowd hung on every note... Puzzled, surprised, humored. The rest of the set was spirited, intricate, downright dirty bluegrass. I really enjoyed "Jay...

The 1up - Colfax Denver, CO Join us for two night of MusicMarauders Presents Marco Benevento with The New LPs (Friday) and Spring Dale Quartet & Friends and The Bonzo Terks (Saturday) at The 1up - Colfax venue/arcade in Denver, CO! Purchase your FRIDAY tickets here: www.the-1up.com/event Purchase your SATURDAY tickets here: www.the-1up.com/event www.marcobenevento.com www.the-1up.com

The 1up - Colfax Denver, CO Words By J. Picard Photos By Jim Mimna ( J. Mimna Photography ) July 31st was not just another Thursday in Denver, for that night, string music fans would gather for a magical evening that included some of their favorite musicians and unexpected happenings. Leading up to the event, the words "very special guests" were used to convey the significance of those who would turn out without utilizing their names as a handful would be playing Red Rocks in the days to follow. Acoustic duo, Wichita Run, got the evening started as folks began to filter through the door. Out in front of the venue a line started to form as Tim Carbone and Andy Goessling of Railroad Earth arrived. While walking through the arcade with Tim and Andy, it was great to see people stop what they were doing, take note of the guests and respond with pure joy. The incoming musicians were escorted backstage where they were greeted by Andrew McConathy and The Drunken Hearts, a...

Bellvue, Colorado Mishawaka Amphitheatre Words, Photos & Video By Nicholas Stock ( Fat Guerilla Productions ) Audio By Eric Wilkens Note: I apologize for the number of times I use the word "funk" in the following review. There is no synonym for funk. Funk. The dirtiest style of music there is. Derived from the back alleys of Blues, the shadowy underworld of Jazz, and the dark side of Soul. According to Old Gregg, "The funk is a living creature from another planet." On Saturday night in the sleepy little town of Bellvue, Colorado at the famed Mishawaka Amphitheatre the funk came home to roost. After an extraordinarily funky night in Denver, Kung Fu, Juno What, Euforquestra, and Punch Drunk Munky Funk kept the train rolling with a seven-hour celebration of all things funky. Punch Drunk Munky Funk got the night started with their blend of soulful Jazz and dirty jams. They were already on stage when the second bus up the canyon arrived. I got in quic...

Rancho Del Rio Bond, CO Join us for one of our favorite Colorado music festivals, YarmonyGrass, taking place Friday August 15th - Sunday August 17th at Rancho Del Rio in Bond, CO! This year's line-up swings for the fence with the following bands and musicians: All festival tickets include camping, music, workshops, direct access to the Colorado River and all associated facility fees. YarmonyGrass encourages all festival-goers to carpool. Parking is NOT included with purchase of a festival ticket. You must purchase a separate parking pass. Also, please note the special parking restrictions for RVs and boat trailers. Rancho Del Rio will open to YarmonyGrass patrons at 1:00 PM on Friday, August 15th. Campsites are a short walk from the river and stages! www.yarmonygrass.com/buy-tickets www.yarmonygrass.com

FirstMerit Bank Pavilion at Northerly Island Chicago, IL Words & Photos By Nicholas Stock ( Fat Guerilla Productions ) Friday July 18th: By the time Phish landed in Chicago on July 18th they had already proven that the summer of 2014 was going to be a high point of the 3.0 era. With the release of their newest album Fuego, Phish is a band reenergized and ready to strike out into untapped musical territories. They hit the ground at full throttle with impressive runs at SPAC and Randall’s Island so expectations were high as fans flowed inside on night one. This is Phish’s second year spending three nights at FirstMerit Bank Pavilion at Northerly Island and as you walk inside, it’s obvious why. First of all, the skyline views are grand. This thoughtful venue is laid out well with grandstand seating framing the spacious GA Floor. The lawn is slightly larger with ample vending and easy access to bathrooms. I heard complaints that it was hard to see from the lawn last year, but I...

DTE Energy Music Theatre Clarkston, MI Words By J. Picard Photos By Jessica Pace & J. Picard The summer schedule was quickly filling up leaving us with just a few options to see Phish. As dates fell into place, it seemed only fitting that we would head back to my home town of Detroit, MI to enjoy Phish among friends and family. A lengthy drive through the ruins and returns of Detroit with my folks took us across the Ambassador Bridge to Canada and back before heading down to Mexican Village to meet up with some of our best friends; Matt, Teri, Andy and Zach. That night over copious amounts of queso and tortillas, we monitored the live setlist updates out of CMAC and discussed the following night's potential. The conversation of "parents night" came up and to my surprise, Tom (my father) joined the scenario. That night we rode out to the farm with Matt and Teri knowing full well the glory the following day would bring. Brilliant sunlight cast over the green gr...