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Showing posts from August, 2018

Jam In The Trees 8.25.18 (Photos)

Pisgah Brewing Company Black Mountain, NC Photos by J. Scott Shrader Photography View Scott's Full Photo Gallery Here! www.jaminthetrees.com

Dave Matthews Band 8.24.18 (Photos)

Fiddler's Green Amphitheatre Greenwood Village, CO Photos by Nancy Isaac Photography View Nancy's Full Photo Gallery Here! www.davematthewsband.com

Ry Cooder 8.14.18

Paramount Theatre Denver, CO Words by Elliot Siff ( Elliot Siff Photography ) Photo by Don Titelman Ry Cooder is a major bucket list artist for me and many others. His tours are rare and often tend to feature him in various collaborations with other artists. That is what made this tour so special- Ry cooler doing his thing, a retrospective of his stylings from over 4 decades, in top form, showcasing his mastery of the bottleneck slide guitar and unique showmanship with his personal approach to Americana music and obscure folk tunes. Immediately following the performance, the man in front of me turned around and we looked at each other in awe and happiness and he said “I’ve been waiting 40 years to see that show!”- which kind of sums it up for any Cooder fan. His new Album Prodigal Son , marks 48 years of solo releases and fits right in as another classic album of his. The show featured a mix of material from the new album and plenty of material all the way back to the 70’s. Th

Joe Russo's Almost Dead 8.16.18 (Photos)

Red Rocks Amphitheatre Morrison, CO Photos by Doug Fondriest Photography View Doug's Full Photo Gallery Here! www.joerussosalmostdead.com

TRACK PREMIER & ALBUM REVIEW: Spyn Reset's Dots

Words by Erica Garvey ( Funk Fiend ) Dots is a fresh take on the electro-rock concept and a natural step for Spyn Reset. The music itself is just one sensible rung up the ladder from their previous work, and the tip-top sound engineering allows the songs to reach their full potential. Spyn Reset’s music veers slightly outside of my usual genres, but the high level of creativity and musicianship shown here speaks across generations and cultures. Progressive, complicated electronic sounds make up 80% of the music, flourished with breaks of beautiful raw piano phrases, thumps of actual snare and kick drums, and simple guitar melodies. The proportions of electronic, electric, and acoustic tones seem perfectly suited to this trio and are consistently displayed through the tidy 49 minutes of album tracks. Recorded at London Bridge Studio near the band’s homebase of Seattle, Dots is the fourth album from Spyn Reset, which, in the band’s present form, consists of Yasu on keys and voca

The Record Company & The Wood Brothers 8.18.18 (Photos)

Breckenridge Brewery Longmont, CO Photos by Derek Miles ( Miles Photography ) View Derek's Full Photo Gallery Here! www.thewoodbros.com www.therecordcompany.net

Railroad Earth & Fruition 8.18.18 (Photos)

Red Rocks Park & Amphitheatre Morrison, CO Photos by Nancy Isaac Photography View Nancy's Full Photo Gallery Here! www.railroad.earth www.fruitionband.com

Black Moth Super Rainbow, Stargazer Lilies & Air Credits 8.12.18 (Photos)

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

Roosevelt Collier Trio wsg. Victor Wooten 8.11.18 (Photos)

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

Victor Wooten & Roosevelt Collier Trio 8.11.18 (Photos)

Cervantes Masterpiece Ballroom Denver, CO Photos by Elliot Siff Photography View Elliot's Full Photo Gallery Here! www.victorwooten.com www.rooseveltthedr.com

Jeff Austin Band 8.11.18 (Photos)

Ullr's Tavern Winter Park, CO Photos by Nancy Isaac Photography View Nancy's Full Photo Gallery Here! www.jeffaustin.com

Victor Wooten, Roosevelt Collier & Hot Buttered Rum 8.10.18 (Photos)

Boulder Theater Boulder, CO Photos by Doug Fondriest Photography View Doug's Full Photo Gallery Here! www.victorwooten.com www.rooseveltthedr.com www.hotbutteredrum.net

Pierce Edens, Kind Hearted Strangers & The Mammoths 8.10.18 (Photos)

Oskar Blues Black Buzzard Denver, CO Photos by Derek Miles ( Miles Photography ) View Derek's Full Photo Gallery Here! www.pierceedens.com www.kindheartedstrangers.com www.themammothsmusic.com

Sawtooth Valley Gathering 7.27 & 7.28.18 (Photos)

Stanley, ID Photos by Ryan Fitzgerald ( Jarred Media ) View Ryan's Full Friday Photo Gallery Here! View Ryan's Full Saturday Photo Gallery Here! www.sawtoothvalleygathering.com

Short's Festival 8.4.18

Short's Brewing Co. Elk Rapids, MI Words & photos by Kevin Alan Lamb When I learned the Michigan Rattlers were playing Short’s Fest it felt like I was supposed to be there. When I learned that the Paddlebots were headlining the very same evening I opened myself to the realistic possibility, that I would be finding my way up north for an overnight filled with joyous smiles, delicious beers, and the medicine I cannot live without - music. I spent the Friday prior on a beautiful, secluded, and quite possibly sacred property in South Lyon. These lives we live push and pull us to and away from those we are supposed to spend our time with, but the trick is letting your intuition and imagination decide just who. The more in tune we are with each, the more efficiently we navigate one story into another, until eventually all of our stories intercept, and carry on as parallels. While on Beaver Island with The Gasoline Gypsies, I met a wonderful woman named Nancy Phares, who i

Zeppephilia 8.4.18 (Photos)

Fiske Planetarium Boulder, CO Photos by Derek Miles ( Miles Photography ) View Derek's Full Photo Gallery Here! www.sepulvedamusic.com

Yonder Mountain String Band & The Infamous Stringdusters 8.4.18 (Photos)

Red Rocks Amphitheatre Morison, CO Photos by Nancy Isaac Photography View Nancy's Full Photo Gallery Here! www.yondermountain.com www.thestringdusters.com

ALBUM REVIEW: Aniana's Chapters

Words by Mitch Melheim Some albums are just albums. Merely a collection of songs that an artist was inspired to write during a certain period of their life. Portland, Oregon’s fiery, soulful neo-diva, Aniana, challenges that notion with her debut album, Chapters . Written in chronological order, both lyrically and stylistically, Chapters spans the entirety of Aniana’s adult life. From playing with reggae and hip-hop bands in Phoenix to the funk, soul, and rock & roll she’s become known for in Portland, all genres are represented in the album and symbolize her turbulent yet triumphant journey through life. The album begins with the title track, “Chapters,” which acts as a preface to the album’s story. “Been up and down this road a thousand times. I ain’t got no regrets and I’ve still got love for the journey,” she sings as a three-piece horn sections comes in and leads the listener into her most infectious chorus of the album, backed vocally by Kellen Asebrook (Fruition) and

Electric Forest 6.21 - 6.24 & 6.28 - 7.1.18

Double JJ Resort Rothbury, MI Words by Norm Kittleson Photos by Brandon Johnson Photography & Kevin Alan Lamb The 2018 Electric Forest Festival was the 8th edition of the event, preceded on the same festival grounds by the Rothbury Festival in 2008 and 2009. The Electric Forest Festival continues to be primarily an EDM/DJ oriented festival that is very heavy on the bass. In the spirit of full disclosure, I admit that I am not a fan of EDM/DJ or bass-heavy music, so if you're looking for a review of those genres, you won't find it here. That being said, there is always enough music from other genres to keep me busy, and of course, Sherwood Forest, other attractions, and the performance art are worth the price of admission alone, even if you didn't see any music. The last two years the festival expanded to two weekends, each lasting four days. Many of the artists appeared both weekends and others only appeared at one weekend or the other. The driving force b

Akenda 8.3.18 (Photos)

Cervantes Other Side Denver, CO Photos by Derek Miles ( Miles Photography ) View Derek's Full Photo Gallery Here! www.akenda.com

Mo Pop Detroit 7.28 & 7.29.18

West Riverfront Park Detroit, MI By Kevin Alan Lamb Another Mo Pop Fest in the books, and I must say, Detroit you’re doing a great job. Experiencing its best attendance since its inception in 2003, Mo Pop offers a glimpse into the festival world, offering easy access and fun amenities which allow folk from young to old to dip their feet into the water, before jumping in. If children are our future then the horizon shines bright thanks to parents who understand the value of introducing their kids to music, and specifically, music festivals at a young age. I didn’t attend my first music festival until 2013, making me 28 at the time. I’m grateful for parents who have achieved a greater sense of self and community through music, and are eager to share that gift with their children. The world is a scary, crumbling, and infected place: It is also beautiful, capable, and filled with inspiring people who wish to pick up the pieces and build - together. I believe within music resides

Melvin Seals & The Jerry Garcia Band 8.1.18 (Photos)

Psychedelic Ripple Denver, CO Photos by Elliot Siff Photography View Elliot's Full Photo Gallery Here! www.melvinsealsandjgb.com