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Red Rocks Amphitheatre Denver, CO Words & Photos By Brad Yeakel ( Opti Mystic Outlooks ) Audio By Corey Sandoval ( Kind Recordings ) The forecast for Friday night in Morrison was bleak. Cold, wet, and windy were on the menu, and I decided to get into the idea. I bought a PVC rain suit, dressed in layers, and prepared myself to dance in a blizzard if it came to it. In fact, I was looking forward to that exact idea if I was being honest. On arrival at Red Rocks, the weather appeared quite mild. I grabbed a second hoodie from the car and had my rain suit packed in my bag in case things got hairy. The opener, Break Science (full band), had just wrapped up as I got into the venue. After a half hour or so, the Biscuits appeared and launched into the only true Disco Biscuits set of the night. I'd seen them more than a handful of times and have had varying responses. I was never the biggest electronica fan, and when they leaned heavily that way in the early 2000's, it was ...

Planet Bluegrass Lyons, CO Words & Video By Jesse Filippelli ( Filippelli Photos ) Earlier this month, I had the opportunity to sit down and hang out with the guys from Head for the Hills before their performance at Planet Bluegrass in Lyons, CO at the Wildflower Pavilion. Aside from the overall hospitality I felt from the band and manager Sean MacAskill, these individuals are not only extremely talented musicians, but are as a group some of the nicest people I’ve dealt with in the music industry. After a quick interview, the band agreed to play a few songs for me that we recorded on the bank of the St. Vrain River. Read below for the interview and video! Head for the Hills is Mike Chappell (Mandolin), Adam Kinghorn (Guitar), Joe Lessard (Fiddle), Matt Loewen (Bass) Honorary Head for the Hills Member, James Thomas (Piano/Keyboards) Jesse Filippelli: First off, what is your favorite part about bluegrass music? Head for the Hills: (Mike) Specifically, the flexibilit...

Hodi’s Half Note Fort Collins, CO Words & Photos By Nicholas Stock ( Fat Guerilla Productions ) Fort Collins has not had the best track record with audience turnout in recent months. So I was happy to see that a line out the door when I arrived at Hodi’s for The Reverend Peyton’s Big Damn Band. This power trio consists of the good Reverend on anything with at least three strings, his wife Breezy Peyton on washboard, Ben “Bird Dog” Bussell on drums and all three sharing vocal duties. They are Americana distilled through the finest of filters with most of the music feeling like it was written on a front porch where the mosquitoes fly freely. Hailing from the wilds of Indiana, The Big Damn Band tours prolifically clocking in a couple hundred shows or more a year. This current tour is in support of their recently released EP, So Delicious . This is the fifth album from Reverend Peyton and it’s a ball of fire from start to finish. In fact, much of their set list would be dedicated...

The 1up - Colfax Denver, CO Words By J. Picard Photos By Jim Mimna ( J. Mimna Photography ) Super Jams are what I enjoy most about my job. As the Talent Buyer for The 1up - Colfax, a new venue arcade, in our second year, in one of the most competitive markets in the country, we've had to get creative to make a name for ourselves. The concept of the Super Jam is something that we did a couple of times before completely embracing it. We've done a handful of funk Super Jams, but the Denver Bluegrass Generals would be our first from the genre. The project began with Chris Pandolfi and Andy Hall of The Infamous Stringdusters and quickly grew following the addition of Sam Bush, Sam Grisman and finally Larry Keel to round it out. The artists were announced in stages, resulting in waves of excitement and anticipation leading up to the two nights. The Thursday prior to the shows, I was paid a visit to my office by one of my absolute favorite guitarists from the bluegrass real...

Nectar Lounge Seattle, WA Photos By Scott Shrader ( J. Scott Shrader Photography ) View Scott's Full Photo Gallery Here! www.mainsqueezemusic.com www.thecongressmusic.org

Interview & Photos By Scott Shrader ( J. Scott Shrader Photography ) Words By Lena Brodsky Yo Mama’s Big Fat Booty Band is a name that is hard to forget, and if you’ve had the pleasure of “getting the funk down” with The Booty Band, then that’s something you will not forget either. I had the pleasure of chatting with Mary Frances, aka Mama Funk, while the band was on their West Coast tour through Arizona, California, Oregon, Washington, Montana, Wyoming and Colorado. When I spoke to Mary, the band was on their way to Oregon, kicking off an impressive 12-day run of shows to wrap up the tour. For anyone who’s not familiar with “The Booty Band,” the outfit consists of Lee Allen (Drums), Mary Frances (Keys), Al-A Ingram (Bass), John-Paul Miller (Guitar) and Derrick Johnson (Trombone). The group pretty much has one mission: to deliver the funk. They’re best known for having a heavy funk/rock sound with influences from hip-hop. Their live shows often have an entire audience shaking...

Lost Lake Lounge Denver, CO Words & Photos By Brad Yeakel ( Optimystic Outlooks ) East Colfax's Lost Lake Lounge was a dismal bunker of Denver's musical landscape. Entering the lounge, I was immediately confronted with the worst layout I've ever seen. The bar arched widely into the floor space by the stage. Behind the bar was a wall obscuring the view of half the room. The result was about 80% unusable area in what may have been an ok space. The walls were a patchwork of drywall, poster board, wood, and trinkets. The vibe was of a rustic workspace housing a barn dance. Though the venue wasn't the classiest I'd seen, it did add an element of antiquity that seemed to work with Cabinet's old timey catalog. With an advertised showtime of 12:30am, I wasn't alone in questioning the late start. Adding to the delay were sound issues, resulting in a rather short set for the $15.00 cover charge. Fortunately, Cabinet were professionals and delivered a set ...

Paramount Theatre Seattle, WA Photos By Scott Shrader ( J. Scott Shrader Photography ) View Scott's Full Photo Gallery Here! www.belleandsebastian.com

Showbox Presents Seattle, WA Photos By Scott Shrader ( J. Scott Shrader Photography ) View Scott's Full Photo Gallery Here! www.darkstarorchestra.net

Cannery Ballroom Nashville, TN Photos By Will Rawls ( The Lot Scene ) View Will's Full Gallery Here! www.leftoversalmon.com

The Aggie Theatre Fort Collins, CO Words & Photos By Brad Yeakel ( Opti Mystic Outlooks ) With a handful of friends, old and new, I ventured to Fort Collins' Aggie Theatre to indulge in another night of Twiddle. I was immediately delighted to see Jaden Carlson was the only opener. That meant Twiddle would likely play the second set that Denver could have used. Jaden looked at home on stage, expertly dropping guitar solos and sonic waves with hints of Buckethead, Steve Vai, and several other freakish virtuosos. Her set was phenomenal, highlighted by a cover of "Listen to the Music" with all of Twiddle guesting. She and her musical allies also "Rick Rolled" us with a surprise cover of Astley's "Never Gonna Give You Up." When Twiddle hit the stage next, I was optimistic that we would get two sets. As the first set kicked off, the vibe seemed quite different than the previous show in Denver. The crowd, much thinner, was of a different var...