All Reviews Articles

State of the Scene: Where Have All the Good Bands Gone?

Festival season!  I love it, and it is almost upon us.  After viewing the initial lineups for some of the big music festivals I couldn’t help but notice the large number of indie rock bands that are sneaking their way into what are usually very jam-heavy celebrations. For instance, look at the headliners for the… Continue reading State of the Scene: Where Have All the Good Bands Gone?

New Mastersounds Give Denver the Funk of its Life

When we Yanks think about England, what comes to mind? High tea? Mary Poppins? The Queen Mum? The Stamp Tax? What about gumbo? How about fur-lined bucket hats and matching full length mink coats and platform shoes with the goldfish in the bottom? No? Allow me to spot you three letters and that should be… Continue reading New Mastersounds Give Denver the Funk of its Life

Phish | Vegas '96 | Review

Years ago when trading cassette tapes of live Phish shows was all the rage, I remember coming across this historic performance and just being in awe of the amazing energy and enigmatic jams heard throughout this show. You can imagine my joy to hear that the Vermont quartet was going to release a digitally mastered… Continue reading Phish | Vegas '96 | Review

Untitled | Wake Up! | Review

Like many music journalists, I’ve reviewed a wide range of genres, including Christian artists. I reviewed hot gospel groups that got me up moving to their beat, soul singers who thrilled me with their vocal talents, and grungy screamer bands that I had to admire for playing rough metal venues. Some of the messages were… Continue reading Untitled | Wake Up! | Review

Keller Williams, Ratdog, and The Allman Brothers = Guitar Fest!

On August 18th, 2007 at the Tweeter Center in Camden, the sounds of powerful guitar combinations took center stage. Most people who love music equate the summertime with sitting on blanket on a lawn or dancing barefoot on the lawn of an amphitheater and enjoying the fruits of their favorite bands. This is what this… Continue reading Keller Williams, Ratdog, and The Allman Brothers = Guitar Fest!

The Warren Haynes Christmas Jam | 2007

The Warren Haynes Christmas Jam, an annual event to benefit Habitat for Humanity, brings some of the top musical talent in the world to the beautiful mountain city of Asheville, NC.  This year the lineup stretched further beyond its traditional jam band focused roster to include such musical greats as Jackson Browne and Peter Frampton. Additionally,… Continue reading The Warren Haynes Christmas Jam | 2007

Keller Williams | 12 | Review

Believe it or not, multi-instrumentalist Keller Williams is set to release his twelfth album to date.  Most marquee artists who have had longer careers have not released that many albums.  It goes to show that Keller is constantly creating and eager to share his art with the willing masses.   Aptly titled 12, the disc is… Continue reading Keller Williams | 12 | Review

The New Mastersounds | Denver, CO | 11/16/07 | Review

Send out the riders, the British are coming, and they’re packing heat. The four lads from Leeds known as The New Mastersounds opened for J.J. Grey & Mofro, hitting the Ogden Theatre in Denver on Friday night like a punch in the face and sending the crowd home with sore muscles. Why this four-piece funk band has not literally exploded… Continue reading The New Mastersounds | Denver, CO | 11/16/07 | Review

Umphrey's McGee Terrorizes the Fillmore!

This Halloween the Chicago-based sextet Umphrey’s McGee brought their progressive jam-rock to the Fillmore Auditorium in Denver, and in turn paid homage to some of the greatest horror movies of all time.  Not only did they feed the Colorado faithful two monstrous sets, but also synched their music with classic horror cinema. The show was… Continue reading Umphrey's McGee Terrorizes the Fillmore!

Umphrey's McGee | Live at the Murat | Review

One would think that a band that is so well-known for their live performances would have released multiple concert discs by now.  With the exception of a few “indie” releases years ago, prog-rock kings Umphrey’s McGee waited until this month to birth their first commercially available, official live album entitled Live at the Murat. Many of the… Continue reading Umphrey's McGee | Live at the Murat | Review