Blackwater Music Festival 2011 will rock the Spirit of the Suwannee Music Park in Florida from September 22- 24.  Alongside the lazy flowing “blackwater” Suwannee River, the festival has a unique combination of an awesome lineup with great camping.  The festival grounds are shaded with ancient moss draped live oak trees and are speckled with picturesque ponds.  You can even jump in the river for a brisk morning wake up if you want.  Three nights of soul lifting tunes will be played on five different stages.  Headlining are the nearly indescribable psychedelic Flaming Lips who are sure to treat Blackwater Festival goers to a unique, elaborate show experience.  Other artists such as the Easy Star Allstars, The Expendables, Pepper, Mishka, Spiritual Rez, Buckethead, Iration, Passafire and many more promise to deliver everything from high energy funk rock and ska to chill, melodic reggae serenades. 

Blackwater is approaching quickly so get your tickets Now!

See you there!

Von Ehrics newest CD, Two Foot Stomp, is an up and down ride filled with Punkabilly drive and an authentically Texas flavor. Songs like the first single, "Lord I Pray" are new, refreshing, and fun while other like "Rock and Roll" fall a little flat in energy and creativity. The album is an overall success in authenticity, with a real feeling that you could stumble across the Von Ehrics playing around town in Denton, the funky college town music hub of North Texas where Two Foot Stomp was recorded. The album is also successful in screaming "if you think this is good, our live shows are 100 times better".  I am convinced, and definitely will be buying a ticket next time these boys roll through Colorado.

The Highlights:

"Lord I Pray", the album’s first single, is also it’s height of creativity, combining gospel, thrashy rock guitar, and a hyperactive drum set. “Lord I Pray” is soulful and cynical at the same time. The single is a satirical reflection on consumerism, but avoids a “preachy” feel for a rather funny one as lead singer Robert Jason Vandergrift prays for material good while being back up by a full gospel choir.

"Down the Road Tonight" also shines on the album. The song is reminiscent of REM's "It's the End of the World as We Know It". That is, if the whole world existed in Texas. You could probably take the lyrics and make them into a scavenger hunt in downtown Austin. Overall it’s super fun.

"Goodbye/The Ride" is a fun, biting little break up song. Vandergrift sings in sweet and slow ballad voice, which we soon learn is totally ironic:

"It's a beautiful night,
the stars are all bright
I've got the moon on my left
and my girl on my right
things are changing tonight
she can kiss my ass goodbye"

then the speedy drummer kicks and one gets a feel of how the guys really feel. I always love a fun break up song.

The guitar lines are a great highlight throughout the album. Just listening to the things Gabe Aguilar (drums) and Clayton Mills (guitar) make up is one of the best parts of the album.

The Not-so-Great:

"Rock and Roll" is a halfhearted cry for what else, rock and roll. I'm not really that convinced, based on this song that the band believes in the spirit of rock ‘n’ roll. The Von Ehrics take lyrics that belong in a song like Joan Jett’s “I Love Rock N Roll” and play them with the enthusiasm of Neil Young's “Hey Hey, My My”.

It sounds like the guys wanted a Beastie Boys' "You Got to Fight for Your Right to Party”, but were just kind of tired or hung over or something that day.

"Downtown" is another one of the tunes that is missing the party soul. Maybe the song is much better live, at the actual party. Though the song is low energy, guitarist Clayton Mills picks it up with an exciting solo.

"Texas" (When I Die) is the albums only successful anthem, but it really gets the job done.  It's not a call to rock out or party hard, as the boys attempted in other songs, but an anthem for Texas; the state that encompasses of both of the previous. "Texas" succeeds where some of the other attempts on the album failed in my opinion because Texas is very unique to the Von Ehrics. You can hear conviction in their voice as they sing "when I die, let me go to Texas".

“Texas” is the true call of Two Foot Stomp , and really ties the album together as its last track. Two Foot Stomp is a call to this: party, rebel, dance around, stomp your feet, and do it all in Texas.  I am totally in support of it!

San Diego based, award-winning reggae band Tribal Seeds announced today the dates for their upcoming fall 2011 tour.  The shows will span over 25 dates in two months, kicking off in Tucson, Arizona at The Rock on October 12, 2011.  Tribal Seeds have become known for their spiritually driven, refreshing rock vibe, that they have intertwined with the roots style of reggae music.

Of the tour, the band shares, “We look forward to bringing a new show with songs from our latest EP ‘Soundwaves’ and new twists to some of our older fan favorite songs. Fans might get sneak peak of some brand new unreleased stuff as well! Have to come out and see for yourself!”

On July 19, 2011, Tribal Seeds gave listeners a brand new EP entitled “Soundwaves,” which peaked at number 2 on the Billboard Reggae Charts. Their previous efforts,  their debut, self titled album, “Tribal Seeds” was released in 2008, and their second album “The Harvest” was released in June of 2009. iTunes named both albums the “Best Of” in the Reggae genre, for their respected years. Their debut album helped garner them the “Best World Music” title at the San Diego Music Awards in 2008, and “The Harvest,” which contained fourteen new and original songs, debuted at the number 5 spot on the Billboard Reggae Charts.

Tribal Seeds have toured throughout the United States, and have also performed in Mexico, Guam, Aruba, and Hawaii. They have shared the stage with artists such as Matisyahu, MGMT, Cee Lo Green, Jason Mraz, Sublime with Rome, Taking Back Sunday, O.A.R., Pretty Lights, Pepper, Collie Buddz, The Wailers, Stephen Marley, Gregory Isaacs, SOJA, Rebelution, and many more.

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97.3 KBCO is proud to present the Yonder Mountain String Band’s Colorado Countdown New Year’s Eve Celebration at the Boulder Theater Tuesday, December 27^th, 2011 through Saturday, December 31^st, 2011. Tickets will go on sale to the public on Wednesday, August 31st for $35.00 General Admission, $65.00 New Year’s Eve and $185.00 for the 5-Day Pass.

97.3 KBCO & Z2 Entertainment are proud to present Robert Randolph and the Family Band at the Boulder Theater on Friday, October 21st, 2011. Tickets go on sale Friday, August 19^th at 10:00 am for $28.50 in advance and $33.00 day of show.

This record is a celebration of African-American music over the past one hundred years and its social messages from the last thirty. Although we cover a whole timeline of different eras on We Walk This Road, what ties these songs together remain their message of hope, their ability to uplift.

After our last record, Colorblind, we began searching for a great producer to help guide the follow up. We wanted someone who understood me and the road I’ve walked this far, who understood our connections of my roots within rock and gospel and the church, who would help us put those things in their most compelling context.

T Bone Burnett shared the vision of how gospel, blues and rock could be put together in a way that could relate to my history and connect to my present. It was important to us that we make the record we wanted to make, even if the end result was unclassifiable. We just focused on making great songs and great music that spoke to me, and that reflected the way I try to speak to the world.

We recorded We Walk This Road over two years, after T Bone had finished his record with Alison Krauss and Robert Plant. We went into the studio with virtual libraries of songs, whole volumes worth of material to go through. T Bone brought in old archival songs from the twenties and thirties and many of them were in the public domain. I had songs that I had written with the band, or that other artists had sent me, and we sat down and starting sifting through history.

We Walk This Road was done in our belief in what we all need right now: young voices saying something positive without preaching in hopes of inspiring people. When you stick to what you believe in, and with the roots of where you come from, things will always work out.

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Robert Randolph and the Family Band

Boulder Theater

Friday, October 21st, 2011

Doors:  8:00 pm

Show Time:  9:00 pm