Bluegrass has become more obscured than ever. Is there even such a thing as “pure” bluegrass? Some would argue that the music of Bill Monroe and his alumni are as accurate of a way to directly describe the genre. In truth, there is no such thing as “pure” bluegrass since it’s inherently a hybridized form. Sure there’s context and history, but bluegrass is actually an amalgamation of blues, folk, country, and spiritual music, none of which can be encompassed by one definitive style or form.

In the midst of a full-on revival, Primus played a sold-out show at the Fillmore on Saturday night. This was not to be a typical concert experience however; this tour has been billed as Primus 3D.

Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) is celebrated at the end of October or early November across Mexico as a celebration and worship of ancestors long since passed.  In more Southern areas of Mexico, home to Mayan ancestors, the holiday is called “Hanal Pixan”; which translates to ‘souls food’.  People celebrate by making food and altars to present to their deceased family members.  At Boulder Theater, DeVotchKa fed our souls with haunting, beautiful, and stirring songs and

Donna the Buffalo has been touring for the past 20 years and has deservedly built up its own fan collective known as The Herd. That’s why I was initially mystified at the barren nature of The Dirty Bourbon in Albuquerque on Monday. In retrospect, I really should not have been too surprised. After all, how many shows have you seen on a Monday?

Ryan Adams played a free show last night at the Boulder Theater in support of Barack Obama's re-election campaign. The packed Boulder house was politely quiet throughout the entire hour and a half solo acoustic set. Nowadays Adams likes his shows intimate and free of distraction and the crowd respectfully abided, for the most part. "Thanks for choosing Boulder," a fan yelled.

On Wednesday, October 17th, The Heartless Bastards took to the stage at the Fox Theater and it was on- a relentlessly focused ride through stripped down, American garage style rock and roll. The frills were minimal and the sound was across-the-board bold and driving.

Last night at George's Majestic Lounge in Fayetteville, AR, a large crowd filtered into the bar to see an energetic, eclectic, graceful, bass-heavy show. As the night progressed, so did the crowd; as Beats Antique took the stage, a shoulder-to-shoulder audience cheered and roared.

The Trey Anastasio Band, or TAB as it is affectionately called by many, breezed into Columbus, OH on Saturday for the third show on the tour and the third in consecutive nights for the Phish frontman and his 7-piece band, and if anyone thought there would be a fatigue factor from three days of travel and shows, TAB would put them to rest quickly and decisively.  Heck, the tour is in support of TAB's new album, aptly named Traveler, and Trey has been on the road

Since I started reviewing shows, I have taken great care to listen not only to the music made on stage, but also to those who bring live improvisation to climactic heights with their ears and energy: the crowd. At any show, the canvas is always painted by the musicians, yet concomitantly framed by the listeners. Two crowd members, in particular, helped me frame Dark Star Orchestra’s superb tour closer at the Boulder Theater last Saturday.

How many Grateful Dead tribute bands does the scene need? The answer could be endlessly debated each way forever. I suppose it’s fair to say that since Dead music is a rolling snowball of endless genres, sporting both originals and reinvented covers with thirty years of varying performances where supposedly “no show was ever the same twice,” that room for countless cover acts isn’t unfound. After all, people still want to listen to their music, obsessively, even though they haven’t been around for seventeen years.