MUSICMARAUDERS

Neptune Theatre Seattle, WA Photos By J. Scott Schrader Photography View Scott's Full Photo Gallery Here! www.railroadearth.com

Nectar Lounge Seattle, WA Photos By J. Scott Shrader Photography View Scott's Full Photo Gallery Here! www.earphunk.com

Words By Mitch Melheim I have to admit, upon seeing the list of guests on this album, it immediately became my most anticipated release of the winter. Always innovative and pushing boundaries, I was eager to see what type of magic Larry Keel could pull of with a list of guests that included Keller Williams, Del McCoury, and Sam Bush. Fittingly enough, the album is named Experienced as he returns with his usual Larry Keel Experience band members, Will Lee, on banjo and vocals, and Larry’s wife, Jenny Keel, providing both the bass line and some beautiful harmonies. The album wastes no time as it starts with one of the standout tracks, “Ripchord." Featuring Newgrass legend and pioneer, Sam Bush, on both mandolin and fiddle, this instrumental makes you want to dance no matter where you are or what you’re doing. Bush provides us with both great violin and mandolin solos, yet composer Will Lee’s banjo proved to be the most impressive sounding of the four tremendous players on ...

Stage Stop Rollinsville, CO Words & Photos By J. Picard Up and down switchbacks, through small mountain towns we headed from our friend's (Matt and Teri's) newly acquired mountain home towards Nederland, CO! The sun was still high in the sky as we arrived at Silver Stem Fine Cannabis. We headed in to purchase a couple different varieties of cannabis including Purple Kush and another strain that tasted like cherry pie. Additionally, we purchased a few kinds of cannabis candy and mentioned the evening's Drunken Hearts' show to receive our free Drunken Hearts O.Pen Vape batteries for our hash oil cartridges. As we returned to the van to head to the venue, I glanced over at Kathmandu Restaurant where I had wished we would be dinning on incredible Nepalese food. We loaded up and headed out of Ned towards Rollinsville, CO, just a few miles up the road. A short time later we pulled into the Stage Stop as the sun was starting to set and my excitement for both seeing...

Seattle, WA Nectar Lounge Words By Coleman Schwartz Photos By J. Scott Shrader ( J. Scott Shrader Photography ) Bellingham, WA-based electro-funk outfit, Acorn Project, returned to Seattle’s Nectar Lounge for another stellar two-set show on a Friday evening. The psychedelic sextet is comprised of Sam Lax (saxophone, electronic percussion, laptop production, vocals), Andy Pritiken (rhythm guitar, lead vocals), Oskar Kollen (keys, vocals), Scott Vaillancourt (bass guitar), Kevin Chryst (drums) and Sammy Eisen-Meyers (lead guitar). This was the group’s first Seattle appearance since the Fall of 2015, and they made sure to deliver to a great crowd of regional fans. This group is a jamband that tastefully integrates funk, electronica and rock into their material. Their improvisation is a wild, groovy ride that often features direction from Vaillancourt. Without detracting from the band’s groove, Vaillancourt was able to effectively use the bass guitar as a lead instrument throughou...

Seattle, WA Moore Theater Words By Coleman Schwartz Photos By J. Scott Shrader ( J. Scott Shrader Photography ) The Wood Brothers’ early 2016 Seattle date may have fallen on a Monday, but that did not stop either the band or the audience from treating it like a weekend show. A solid crowd comfortably filled the city’s historic Moore Theater, eagerly awaiting the trio’s appearance onstage. As they emerged from behind the curtain and took their place at the center of the stage, I couldn’t help but notice how empty the massive stage looked with only three musicians on it. Once they began to play, however, they commanded it with the authority of a full orchestra. This show demonstrated the breadth of the group’s material, starting off with softer, acoustic music and progressively adding in more distortion (and electricity) as the performance went on. The first songs featured Oliver Wood’s twangy acoustic guitar work, which held the crowd mesmerized and silent. It took a thunderous...

The Barkley Ballroom Frisco, CO Join us on Wednesday February 17 and Thursday February 18 at The Barkley Ballroom in Frisco, CO for two nights of Roosevelt Collier's Colorado Get Down feat. Bill Nershi (The String Cheese Incident), Alwyn Robinson (Leftover Salmon) and Josh Fairman (Kinetix, Analog Son)! Colorado's own, Genetics, will be opening both evenings and both shows will be free! www.barkleyballroom.com

Nectar Lounge Seattle, WA Words By Coleman Schwartz Photos By J. Scott Shrader ( J. Scott Shrader Photography ) Kung Fu made their Seattle headlining debut on a chilly Saturday evening at Fremont’s intimate Nectar Lounge. After years of hearing overwhelmingly positive reviews of the band, I was ecstatic for my first chance to verify in-person just how well they could stand up to the talk. The venue filled out nicely during the fun opening sets by local acts N8 and Friends (ft. members of the Polyrhythmics) and the Fabulous Party Boys, and Kung Fu took the stage to a wide-eyed crowd of curious fans, excited to see what they had to offer. From the opening track, “Chin Music,” saxophonist Robert Somerville jumped out to the front of the mix. He is a smooth and agile player, and this song sees him in the driver’s seat. As a guitarist, I was immediately drawn to pay close attention to Tim Palmieri’s impeccable technique. Just watching him hold the guitar was a game-changer. His fin...

The Goodfoot Pub & Lounge Portland, OR Words & Photos By Coleman Schwartz Brothers Gow is one of the hardest-touring young jambands on the scene today. Unlike most of their contemporaries, they call the west coast home and tour it extensively several times per year. Hailing from San Diego, this five-piece group plays progressive jam-rock music that delves extensively into electronica, reggae, jazz and g-funk influences. The band is comprised of Alex Gow Bastine (keyboards/vocals), Nathan Walsh-Haines (drums/vocals), Ethan Wade (guitar/vocals), Kyle Merrill (guitar/vocals) and Carson Church (bass guitar). Lighting designer Matt Collier is the unquestioned sixth member, bringing the entire show together with his top-notch visuals. A rainy Thursday in Portland saw the band playing local hotspot the Goodfoot Pub & Lounge. This venue is well-known for its support of up-and-coming local talent by enlisting local bands (recently including Shafty, Yak Attack, and Asher Fu...

Showbox SODO Seattle, WA Words By Coleman Schwartz Photos By J. Scott Shrader ( J. Scott Shrader Photography ) STS9’s long-anticipated return to the Pacific Northwest took the band up to Seattle for a Saturday night throwdown. After stellar performances the previous two evenings in Portland and Eugene, fans were eager to see if the band could continue their upward trend in the Emerald City. The show had originally been booked at Showbox Market, an 1,100-capacity venue in the heart of downtown Seattle. After a quick sellout, the decision was made to expand the capacity by moving the event to Showbox SODO, an 1,800-capacity venue in Seattle’s industrial district. This move was met with ample backlash from fans, who expressed concern about SODO’s location, acoustics and low ceilings. Luckily for the fans, the band and their crew went the extra mile to ensure that these potential issues were mitigated (aside from location). Lighting Director Saxton Waller did have to use a smaller...

Words & Photos By Nicholas Stock ( Fat Guerilla Productions ) Audio By Gerry Gladu & KIND Recordings moe. hit the Front Range like a freight train blasting through a sleepy mountain town on a Sunday. They took no prisoners on their two-night, sold-out romp that bounced from the Boulder Theater to The Ogden. moe. is like the reliable Buick that just runs… and runs well I might add. I ran into a kid who had been sequestered with Widespread Panic for some time and he said, “Wow these guys are amazing, I shouldn’t have waited so long to see them again.” My response was a simple and knowing nod. Seriously, considering the mileage I’d say you should buy this Buick before someone else does. Boulder Theater Boulder, CO I was escorting my beautiful and ever-understanding 8 ½ month pregnant wife to both shows. We arrived at the Boulder Theater to find out that they had no accommodations for such a condition so I found her a spot up top. (I’m exaggerating a little we met at a moe...

The Seamonster Lounge Seattle, WA Words By Coleman Schwartz Photos By J. Scott Shrader ( J. Scott Shrader Photography ) Unsinkable Heavies is a side project for most of the members of Seattle’s Polyrhythmics. The group features Ben Bloom (guitar), Art Brown (alto sax, tenor sax and flute), Jason Gray (bass guitar), Grant Schroff (drums) and Nathan Spicer (organ). They are similar to the Polyrhythmics, but lack two horns and a Latin percussionist. This enables the group to focus more on deep-funk improvisation, and places the emphasis even more firmly on their groove. Basically, they are a stripped-down, Polyrhythmics-style jamband. They have a residency at the Seamonster Lounge, in the Wallingford neighborhood, where they play the third Wednesday of each month. With the Polyrhythmics’ busy touring schedule, this builds a night into each month for the band members to let loose at home and try out new things in a relaxed setting. The Seamonster is known for attracting a great ne...

We're excited about Pink Talking Fish's return to Colorado, this time to perform Phish's Gamehendge! Support includes The Malai Llama performing the music of the Red Hot Chili Peppers! -2.3 PTF at The Aggie Theatre in Fort Collins, CO - Tickets: www.aggietheatre.com -2.4 PTF at The Fox Theatre in Boulder, CO - Tickets: www.foxtheatre.com -2.5 PTF at The Oriental Theater in Denver, CO - Tickets: www.theorientaltheater.com -2.6 PTF at The Barkley Ballroom in Frisco, CO - Tickets: www.barkleyballroom.com www.pinktalkingfish.com