Reviews
Most tribute bands fall short of capturing the true essence of their musical pioneer predecessors.
Picture this: it's the night before the New Year and throngs of revelers in all stages of anticipation are moving on downtown Boulder. Some of us are eager to put the shit behind us and start anew, others of us are ready to step it up a notch and make the next year even better, some of us are just out to party, and still others are wondering where we all go from here. 2009 has a lot worth to look forward to – a new president, a new age of reason, and a new chance to do all the stuff we forgot to do last year. And what better way to ring in the New Year than with the loudes
With one of the biggest food and family holidays only a few days behind us, and the always-rowdy student population on hiatus until early January, Downtown Boulder was a quiet place to be on December 28. The scene was atypical, and I felt out of place as one of only about three people on the town. The music scene, however, never sleeps, and those of us fortunate enough to be out and about were in for a special treat. Turbine was set to tear up the Red Fish
If you're looking for something to do New Year's Eve this year and you're in the neighborhood of Minneapolis, fall by The Boardroom at Trocaderos on Wednesday night for a four-band groove extravaganza on two stages, hosted by local music partiers The Big Wu. Doors open at 7:30 with the first band starting at 8 pm.
It's a Friday night, and I'm back at the Fox Theatre in Boulder, CO. The moon overhead is as big as it'll be for the next 8 years or so. For the beginning of the weekend it's kind of slow, maybe because it's seriously cold outside. The mood inside seems appropriately low key as well, featuring only three performers in total. Joe Pug is on stage now, and the Boulder born and raised Wood Brothers
Last Saturday night was a regular jamfest down at the Boulder Theater, and something like a showcase of local mountain bluegrass scene. The evening's festivities featured the likes of Great American Taxi, the Emmitt Nershi Band, Oakhurst, the Jefferson Hamer,
Living in Colorado, the chance of an epic snowfall during the winter can be pretty good. One such weather occurrence happened in late 2006 when three straight weekends of blizzards hit Denver and the surrounding Front Range. The city essentially shut down those days, and holiday travels were next to impossible. In the midst of those storms a highly anticipated two-night run of the Stephen Perkins-led project Banyan was cancelled. As fate might have it, out of the darkness came light as a new improv group called PRAANG was born.
The holiday weekend gave most us a chance to enjoy some needed time off from our daily grinds, as well as fill our homes with friends and tons of the usual Thanksgiving feasts. And what better way to work off the turkey and tators than by dancing to the reggae, rock, and hip-hop sounds laid down by Michael Franti and Spearhead, who brought the noise this last Friday to Denver's
Unlike the raw, folk music I heard during Nathan Moore's thought provoking solo sets on a recent short tour of the Northeast, his latest release, 'You Yeah Smokin' Hot', takes advantage of what the studio has to offer today's musician.
Nearly every performer out there is touting some sort of Christmas or holiday album. Among those that came across my desk was a little gem called The Jewish Songbook: The Heart and Humor of a People (2008). It's a CD compilation from Shout Factory and the Jewish Music Group put together by record producer, recording engineer, playwright, singer, and screenwriter, Brooks Arthur.
