MUSICMARAUDERS

Words By Kristin Zachman ( Direct Attention ) Photos by Blake Barit ( Direct Attention ) We at Direct Attention were humbled to sit down with Claude Coleman Jr. while he was in Colorado. Coleman is a talented multi-instrumentalist, best known for his work drumming in the alternative rock band, Ween. This hardworking guy is notorious for collaborating with a variety of acts including the Mike Dillon Band, Angelo Moore’s Brand New Step, and Eagles of Death Metal. Since leaving the Northeast, Claude is hugely involved in the music scene of his new home, Asheville, NC. We sat down with Claude at a restaurant in Old Town Fort Collins before his gig with Matt Butler’s Everyone Orchestra. The food may have been stale, but the conversation was anything but. We got deep into Claude’s influences, what his plans are for Amandla, as well as the magic of Ween, and what may be coming next. DA: Hey Claude! You’ve been living in North Carolina for a while now. I know you’re working with a band c...

The Orange Peel Asheville, NC Photos by Alex Cox Photography View Alex's Full Photo Gallery Here! www.wish.org

Be On Key Psychedelic Ripple Denver, CO Photos by Doug Fondriest Photography View Doug's Full Photo Gallery Here! www.particlepeople.com

Nectar Lounge Seattle, WA Photos by Chris Davis View Chris' Full Photo Gallery Here! www.andycoe.org

The Royal Room Seattle, WA Photos by Chris Davis View Chris' Full Photo Gallery Here! www.jessicalurie.com

Stage Stop Rollinsville, CO Photos by Doug Fondriest Photography View Doug's Full Photo Gallery Here! www.facebook.com/GeneticsGR

Tractor Tavern Seattle, WA Words by Erica Garvey (Funk E. Bitch) Photos by Chris Davis The “trio” in Charlie Hunter Trio is a bit of a misnomer when it came to the group’s recent show at Tractor Tavern in Seattle. The full line-up of musicians included a drummer, a saxophone player...another saxophone player...and in charge of it all, a man carefully packing three instruments onto one guitar body. The first set, starting with “Who Put You Behind The Wheel?”, was largely focused on the Charlie Hunter himself, and rightfully so. Carter McLean (drums) and Rob Dixon (saxophone) hold their own, but Hunter is a one-man show no matter what. He and his seven-string guitar are their own full-sized band: Hunter plays bass with his thumb on the lower strings, while strumming rhythmic chords and bouncing out melodies on the upper strings. After a few songs with just the trio, Seattle-based saxophone hero (and member of Garage a Trois, one of Hunter’s prior acts) Skerik arrived onsta...

Nectar Lounge Seattle, WA Photos by Chris Davis View Chris' Full Photo Gallery Here! www.deadphishorchestra.com

Stage Stop Rollinsville, CO Words by J. Picard Photos by Blake Barit ( Direct Attention ) Note: J. Picard manages Fareed Haque and books music at Stage Stop. The fire was ripping at the Maylen's big red mountain house atop Coal Creek Canyon. I was getting the house ready for Fareed and his Funk Bros Alex Austin (Bass) and Greg Fundis (Drums). I have seeing the for probably over a decade in different forms, including MathGames. I was joined by Jeffrey Ervine (Genetics' guitarist) whom I brought along to enjoy the show and the experience! We made the short twenty-five minute drive to Stage Stop in Rollinsville, just outside of Nederland. The band was early, which is almost unheard of. They were setting up and soundchecking for the evening's show so Jeff and I grabbed beers and sat at a table on the lower level of the old hay barn, now incredible bar and venue that was built in 1868. Owner Heather Hatwan is known for her cooking and deep menu without a miss. We d...

The One Stop at Asheville Music Hall Asheville, NC Photos by J. Scott Shrader Photography View Scott's Full Photo Gallery Here! www.bradparsonsband.com

Boulder Theater Boulder, CO Photos by Blake Barit ( Direct Attention ) View Blake's Full Photo Gallery Here! www.rhymesayers.com/artists/atmosphere www.rhymesayers.com/artists/dematlas

Asheville Music Hall Asheville, NC Photos by J. Scott Shrader Photography View Scott's Full Photo Gallery Here! www.xmasjam.com

The Crocodile Seattle, WA Photos by Chris Davis View Chris' Full Photo Gallery Here! www.cahoneydrops.com www.supersaturatedsugarstrings.com

The Bluebird Theater Denver, CO Photos by Ryan Fitzgerald ( Jarred Media ) View Ryan's Full Photo Gallery Here! www.dynohunter.com www.tnertle.com

Crystal Bay Casino Crystal Bay, NV Words & Photos by Erica Garvey ( Funk E. Bitch ) The level of entertainment at Crystal Bay Casino was off the charts last Friday night when funk-afrobeat experts Polyrhythmics played nearly three hours of newer originals to a motley crew at the kitschy North Lake Tahoe establishment. Talking to locals around Tahoe that weekend, it became apparent that Crystal Bay Casino (or the “CBC,” if you want to sound like an insider) is the official hotspot for music and nightlife. Shortly before Polyrhythmics took the stage in the Red Room, guitarist Ben Bloom pointed out some of the dozens of crystals and geodes hiding in plain sight around the main slots area. The large rocks are easy to miss among the flashing colored lights of the slot machines, but the combination of all the stimuli here somehow amplifies the crystals’ magic. This place is fantastic. The Red Room was nearly empty until moments before the first song, at which point the regula...

Cervantes Other Side Denver, CO Photos by Doug Fondriest Photography View Doug's Full Photo Gallery Here! www.junowhat.net

Cervantes Masterpiece Ballroom Denver, CO Photos by Nancy Isaac Photography View Nancy's Full Photo Gallery Here! www.delmccouryband.com

By Kevin Alan Lamb When “King Without A Crown” broke in 2004, I was fresh out of West Bloomfield High School, where I was better versed in jewish culture than most 18-year-olds, but had no idea who Matisyahu was, nor where he came from. I remember his appearance clearly: Long, dark, full beard with a black top hat. Thirteen years later I found myself sitting next to him, another world away, with his beard shaved, hair grayed and cut, but the man remained. Born Matthew Paul Miller, Matisyahu “City of God” faced great scrutiny in the wake of changing his appearance, the devout lifestyle it entailed, vocal problems, and divorcing his wife, yet a man of great faith endured, intent on reclaiming himself. Here’s my conversation with the 38-year-old man who stole the show from Trey Anastasio the first time he stepped on a major stage when he was 16, and learned the most important lesson of his life from his father, to be yourself. KAL: So I always feel like a lot of places overlook...

Cervantes Masterpiece Ballroom Denver, CO Photos by Doug Fondriest Photography View Doug's Full Photo Gallery Here! www.delmccouryband.com

The Orange Peel Asheville, NC Photos by J. Scott Shrader Photography View Scott's Full Photo Gallery Here! www.kamasiwashington.com

Tractor Tavern Seattle, WA Photos by Chris Davis View Chris' Full Photo Gallery Here! www.jeffaustin.com

The Fillmore Auditorium Denver, CO Photos by Doug Fondriest Photography View Doug's Full Photo Gallery Here! www.yondermountain.com www.kylehollingsworth.com www.dragondeer.com

The Orange Peel Asheville, NC Photos by Alex Cox Photography View Alex's Full Photo Gallery Here! www.cutcopy.net www.palmbomenmusic.com

The Fillmore Auditorium Denver, CO Photos by Nancy Isaac Photography View Nancy's Full Photo Gallery Here! www.yondermountain.com www.kylehollingsworth.com www.dragondeer.com

The Bluebird Theater Denver, CO Photos by Doug Fondriest Photography View Doug's Full Photo Gallery Here! www.dopapod.com www.facebook.com/GeneticsGR

Nectar Lounge Seattle, WA Words by Erica Garvey ( Funk E. Bitch ) Photos by Chris Davis Attending a performance of Poor Man’s Whiskey’s “Dark Side of the Moonshine” is less of a concert and more of an experience. The band’s recent show at Nectar Lounge in Seattle was a medley of clever “newgrass,” both PMW originals and their widely-known, beautiful rendition of the famous Pink Floyd album. Added to this was an opener with an understated mastery of bluegrass, a viewing of “The Wizard of Oz” (obviously with the Moonshine tunes timed perfectly as a soundtrack), and some Wizard-themed costumes. Not surprisingly, it turns out that this is a recipe for an amazing show and a crowd that never stopped smiling. Colorado-based Head for the Hills warmed up the audience with a set that was, comparative to the night’s main act, quite traditional bluegrass played on guitar (Adam Kinghorn), mandolin (Sam Parks), bass (Matt Loewen), and violin (Joe Lessard). The Friday night crowd was already...

Paramount Theatre Austin, TX Photos by Rich Denis ( Bigfoot Exposures ) View Rich's Full Photo Gallery Here! www.johnmclaughlin.com

Words by Derek Miles ( Miles Photography ) The Runnikine are a local three piece band made up of Eric Luba, Will Trask, and Jon McCartan, which started up in November of 2014. What began as a side project for the members while touring with other bands has now become a more realized outfit with the release of this EP, Danger Close. This collection of three tracks was recorded at Scanhope Sound in Littleton, CO over the course of several months this year. The first of three songs is a mid-tempo dance groove with plenty of keyboard ear candy. Synth licks overlay another electric piano track that pans and sweeps from left to right speaker, creating a dimensional motion to compliment the reflective nature of the lyrics. Eric Luba handles both the vocal and keyboard duties on the album. Interspersed on “Vice” are tasteful vocal harmonies and the stuttering sound of a subtle funky guitar (also Luba) to keep things fresh through the verses. The lyrics evoke the importance of remaining t...

The Ogden Theatre Denver, CO Words & photos by Ryan Fitzgerald ( Jarred Media ) November 18th at the Ogden Theater in Denver saw night one of a two-night run for Scott H. Biram and The Devil Makes Three, closing out an insane fall tour that covered the U.S. from the Dirty South to the Pacific Northwest, leaving behind a trail of sonic destruction along the way. Having lived in Austin before my time in Denver, I became very familiar with the work of Scott Biram and his “dirty old one man band.” If punk, blues, country, and metal had a whiskey-fueled four-way, Scott would have been the bastard lovechild. The Devil Makes Three, with a sound all their own that I’ve since only been able to describe as “Spookygrass,” made their way into my heart shortly thereafter. Seven years ago I would have never imagined the two acts on the same stage on the same night, though now that I’ve seen it I suppose I should have... Scott took the stage early, kicking things off with all the fire and...