Before the band even takes the stage, the energy at "the rock show" is palpable:  Whiskey and flannel, talks of SEC football, and sweet sweet accents.  It's the closest to the south you’ll get on Pearl Street in Boulder, Colorado.

Being from the south, I've seen my fair share of Truckers shows.  The faces have changed over the years, but the backbone remains intact, The Patterson Hood/Mike Cooley "Dimmer Twins" standing like musical pillars.  The Drive-by Truckers have been a band for all intents and purposes since the mid 90's, but Cooley and Patterson are the only two original members left.  The band has seen Jason Isbell, Shonna Tucker and most recently pedal steel guitarists, John Neff come and go from their ranks.  But the music runs in their blood.  Patterson Hood's dad David was a rhythm and blues bassist in Muscle Shoals, Alabama back in the 1960’s and 70’s, and you can hear the influence. This is southern rock, alt country, and rhythm and soul all tied into one unique and incredibly relatable sound.

From the opening chords of “Forth Night of My Drinking” the Truckers' sound is dripping with authenticity. It's southern rock at its finest; loud, gritty, honest, and a little dirty.  But this band is not for the faint of heart.  It's no secret that the boys from Alabama have seen some pain in their days.  And you can hear it in some of their darker tracks like "World of Hurt," which they played in the encore both nights, and their chilling closer "Angels and Fuselage."

I'm going to be honest, this was not my favorite Truckers show ever.  It fell somewhere in the middle.  The set list, while hitting many crowd pleasers, left me wanting too much more.  But it wasn't for lack of time; the boys played it out for nearly 3 hours.  But even lacking a certain energy that I've grown accustomed to at Truckers show in the south, this is a solid band that puts on a hell of a show. Anytime I can see one of my favorite bands in a cool town, and they're partying as hard as I am, (passing a bottle of Makers around the stage) we'll call that a good night.  To be fair, Patterson warned us all that he was under the weather, mentioning at Friday night's show that he'd been chugging cough syrup.  And, sadly, it showed a bit.  But any amount of illness the frontman was working through didn't keep him from pouring his heart out on stage:  ending the show on his knees, shirt soaked through.

Patterson's lack of voice just meant we were in for a Cooley-heavy show, and as far as I'm concerned, bring it on.  I'd say the crowd agreed while singing along with every single word of "Zip City," "Marry Me" and "Three Dimes Down."  I only wish Cooley would let some of his personality, that is so evident at his solo shows, shine through a little more.  The man is seriously funny.  But where Cooley's personality fell flat, borrowed bassist, Matt Patton came through.  That boy has the best bass face around, grinning from ear to ear as he wiggles around the stage.  The Dexateens bassist joined the band for the spring 2012 tour temporarily and has been with them ever since.

Highlights for me:  "Zip City," "Better in the Song," and "Let there be Rock."

If you didn't get to see them this time around, don't fret.  The Drive-by Truckers aren't through with Colorado anytime soon.  And next time they head our way, they'll hopefully have some fresh tunes.  Patterson tells me a new album is in the works.

Check out more photos from the show.

Modern Funk's native sons are releasing a new album at the end of April and it's exactly what you would expect, which is a good thing.Dumpstaphunk's "Dirty Word" is a solid album from a seasoned group of musicians. The band started as a side project in 2003 and has been grooving ever since, collaborating with new artists along the way.  You've got Ivan and Ian Neville, who seem to have been born with a funk gene, the 2 bassists in Nick Daniels and Tony Hall, and the vocal powerhouse Nikki Glaspie belting bayou blues and keeping the rhythm on drums.  Add to Dumpstaphunk's lineup a horn section on select tracks and you've got yourself the epitome of Modern New Orleans Funk.I dare you to listen to all 11 tracks of "Dirty Word" without dancing.  The album is upbeat, with a positive energy, and, well, funky, of course.  With so much music in their lineage, trickling down from The Meters, and The Neville Brothers, this group is close to flawless on their instruments.  It should come as no surprise that the quintet wrote all but 2 songs on "Dirty Word" themselves.Though you may know what you're getting when you turn on Dumpstaphunk, the group still knows how to keep it interesting; livening up some tracks with the likes of Ani DiFranco and Flea of the "Red Hot Chili Peppers."  (It's funny; Dumpstaphunk is so upbeat, they can even make Ani sound happy).Dumpstaphunk opens up the album with Ivan Neville commanding you to "let it speak to you," and you should.  What comes next is 55 minutes of some of the funkiest, happiest tunes with slappy bass and psychedelic touches.  The horn section on tracks like "I Wish You Would" is impressive to say the least.  At times, I felt like I was in a Delta church house listening to old gospels from decades ago.Ivan Neville gives a shootout to his past in "Blueswave," possibly my favorite track on the album.  In the song, he talks about his parents playing the blues when he was a boy and singing along with Muddy Waters, Chuck Berry and BB King - well with a past like that, you would expect him to be able to spin out a well-executed album, and he does.This week there were tragedies across the country, from Boston to Texas. "Dirty Word" is the type of album your collection is craving right now:  upbeat, motivating, and preaching a positive message.  In "Reality of the Situation" Ivan and Nikki slow it down a bit to send the simple message of peace.  Then follow it up with a note of encouragement in "Take Time."  This album is warm; both in the sense that it makes you feel like you're in the muggy air of New Orleans, but also because it's filled with a warm energy that resonates through the music.1. Dance To The Truth 2. Dirty Word (feat.Ani DiFranco)3. I Wish You Would (feat. Skerik and Troy Andrews)4. They Don't Care5. I Know You Know - (feat. Grooveline Horns w/ Carlos Sosa, Fernando Castillo, and Reggie Watkins)6. If I'm in Luck - (feat. Flea of the Red Hot Chili Peppers)7. Water - (feat. Grooveline Horns w/ Carlos Sosa, Fernando Castillo, and Reggie Watkins)8. Blueswave9. Reality of the Situation10. Take Time11. Raise the House (feat. Art Neville, Rebirth Brass Band, and Troy Andrews)

The great thing about a small venue like the Bluebird is you can literally feel the music.  You can feel the floor shaking to the beat as people dance and jump about.  You can feel the bass and kick drum in your chest. You can talk to the artist on stage, and they'll talk back.  It's an intimate experience, which is a good thing for a band like Lucero.

Lucero is a punk/southern rock, alt. country band out of Memphis, Tennessee.  They've been playing since 1998, and have added pieces to the group along the way.  The members of Lucero are Roy Berry (drums), John C. Stubblefield (bass), Brian Venable (guitar), and Ben Nichols (guitar & vocals), and occasionally Rick Steff (piano, organ, accordion).  There's also a horns section in a few of their songs.

Lucero played three packed nights at the Bluebird Theater on Colfax 4/20 weekend.  Friday's sold out show had the crowd spilling out over the aisles and crammed into the front rows.  These fans are diverse, to say the least, ranging from 16-year-old girls to 40-year-old men (not together, I don't think).  I met a couple from Philly, a group of guys from Wyoming, and a girl from South Carolina.  It was funny to hear the Wyoming boys singing at the top of their lungs "I'm just another southern boy" in "Tears Don't Matter Much."

If you've ever listened to Lucero, there are a couple of themes that run through their songs:  alcohol and women.  Frontman Ben Nichols started off the show asking the crowd "are you as hung over as I am?"  In "I ain't so Lonely," Nichols sings "Been awhile since I've seen myself act like such a fool," then adds "about 24 hours."  Then in "Downtown" the frontman promises he'll behave, to which guitarist, Brian Venable shakes his head.  All the while, Ben is taking crowd-bought shots.

To understand the "type" of music Lucero plays… it would help to know a little bit about Memphis, Tennessee.  Memphis is the New Orleans of Tennessee.  A southern city with delta influences.  Lucero comes from punk roots, mixing heavy guitar, and rock beats with a horns section and an accordion, making for a sound as unique as Memphis.

Ben Nichols voice is as grizzled as he is, and as sexy too.  Nichols flirts with his fans from stage, sometimes decades younger than him; the girls don't seem to mind a bit of gray hair on the frontman. Nichols is constantly tuning his guitar while he's singing.  It reminds me of Bob Dylan tuning the guitar to match his voice, since Nichols' voice is never really quite on pitch.

It seems the band loves another thing as much as they do alcohol and the ladies, and that is tattoos.  Nichols and both the bassist and guitarist have arms covered in ink.  Both Stubblefield and Venable were sporting tattoo parlor t-shirts.  Stubblefield even gave a shout-out to a Denver tattoo shop, saying they had fresh ink done while they were in town.  Ben's new tattoo:  "Hey" on one arm "Baby" on the other.  Did I mention he's kind of a flirt?

My only complaint:  The show was 16+ and you could tell.  The band left the stage at one point, leaving Nichols to do a solo acoustic set.  The songs were some of Lucero's quieter, darker, more solemn songs.  There were girls talking loudly with no regard for the talent on stage or the devoted fans around them.  Then in the middle of a heartfelt song to his mother, "Mom," two guys broke out into a fight.  That's when I saw something I've never seen at a show before.  Nichols stopped the song midway through, and scolded the two young men from stage saying "I don't care who's right or wrong, you don't fight during "Mom."  He then picked back up and finished the song.

The acoustic set was a nice changeup in the middle of the show, slowing things down.  One girl yelled "boring."  And though Nichols apologized for the slow set, he quickly followed up that apology by saying that the slow ones are some of his favorite (mine too), so he played more.

Highlights for me:  The Townes Van Zandt "Colorado Girl" cover, "Slow Dancing," "Nights Like These," and "I Ain't so Lonely"

Another highlight:  the opening group Langhorne Slim and the Law.  The sleeveless storyteller seriously amped up the crowd.  And we were in for a treat:  blues musician, Otis Taylor joined Langhorne and the Law on stage to do a rendition of "Hey Joe."

Lucero just released a 4-song EP this week, more songs about booze, ladies and the south.

Blown away.If you have the opportunity to see Shovels & Rope live in concert, go. I caught the duo at the intimate Bluebird Theater in Denver on their 35th day on the road.  A straight month of playing across the country did not wear these two out; the energy on stage was incredible.  This was the best show I've seen in a long time, and I see a lot of music. Everything was right. 

Shovels & Rope is the loving, musical partnership between Cary Ann Hearst and husband, Michael Trent from South Carolina.  Both musicians also have solo work that is good, but together, they create a dynamic country-folk and bluegrass creation.  It's just the two of them on stage, and between the two they cover vocals, drums, keys, and guitar, each playing different parts throughout the show.  It is a sight to see.

Don't expect a sleepy sit-down kind of show.  These two are rocking with so much energy, they are literally dripping sweat.  At one point, Trent was jamming so hard he rocked his hat off his head. 

From "Ticking Bomb" to "Box Car," and every single note in between, Shovels & Rope takes you on an emotional tour of love.  Digging deep into your soul in "Carnival" then kicking it up a notch to have you stomping your boots with "Hail! Hail! Rock 'n' Roll" and "1200 Miles."

I stood in awe as Cary Anne's raspy, twangy voice belted out note after note, never missing a beat.  She and Trent left it all on the stage.  And the pair seemed equally as awed at the 500 fans screaming their lyrics right back at them.

Cary Ann and Michael have got to be the cutest couple in music, like Johnny and June without the drama.  At points they share a microphone, not because they have to, or need to, just because they're cute like that.  They flirted on stage, joking with each other about who would get the last note of a song; Cary Anne, in all of her sass, won that battle, hitting the symbol one last time with a smirk spreading across her face.

Highlights for me:  "When I…," "1200 Miles," "Birmingham" and their cover of Bruce Springsteen's "Johnny 99."  But let's be honest, the entire show was a highlight.

My only complaint:  the ultra-hipster, plaid-clad opening band, "Denver" from, where else, Portland, Oregon.  Musically, they were ok, just way too sleepy and generic to get the crowd ready for what was coming.

About 40 devoted fans stuck it out through two very mediocre bands to hear Filligar on a Tuesday night at Larimer Lounge.  The rock quartet is made up of three blond brothers: Johnny, Teddy and Pete Mathias with their childhood friend Casey Gibson.  They formed in Chicago in 2000, and have released 4 albums.They’ve been named one of music’s “Next Big Things” by SPIN Magazine and listed along with Wilco, Delta Spirit, and Heartless Bastards as “One of America’s Top 8 Live Acts” (Boston’s RSL music blog).While Filligar is a tight solid group of musicians, I was left wondering "what's the big deal?"  With such high accolades, I was expecting to be impressed, blown away even.  Don't get me wrong, the guys show promise, they don't miss a beat, and their songs are catchy, poppy even.  But I was still waiting for that special something to set them apart from every other struggling group of indie rockers touring the nation.The major highlight for me:  Keys/Harmonica player Casey Gibson.  Without him, Filligar would've fallen totally flat for me.

Ryan Bingham has a musical style beyond his years.  Without looking, you'd think a weathered, country veteran was on stage strumming that guitar, with his gruff voice and the hard life he sings about.  Much to the contrary, he is a young, incredibly sexy musician. Bingham is not only a skilled lyricist with a voice made for country-folk music, he's also a master on the guitar.  Props to the roadie; Bingham switched guitars like a sorority girl switches purses:  almost every song required a new one.  And it's not just rhythm, Bingham jams out on his guitar of choice, and plays the slide too, soothing the crowd into the ultimate music mood - at peace, in tune, hanging onto every chord, every word.Ryan Bingham is best known to the non-fan for his work on the "Crazy Heart" soundtrack starring Jeff Bridges, for which he won a grammy for the song "Weary Kind."  He's a singer-songwriter with country-folk influences.  And, on this night, he was backed by his ever-talented backup band:  The Dead Horses.The Chautauqua Theater in Boulder was the perfect spot to see Bingham; airy and more than a century old.  It felt like the songs rang through the rafters filled with the ghosts of concerts past.  "The Weary Kind" to "Southside of Heaven," the music echoed through the ceiling of the old barn.The crowd was impressive.  The auditorium seats about 1300, and every seat was full.  This is truly a *theater, so the show started with every soul sitting, that is, until Ryan told everyone this is a "ho-down" and to get up and stomp your feet, I was thankful he changed the tone.  I was also thankful for the diversity of the fans in attendance.  There were small children dancing in sun dresses, gray-haired men in Hawaiian shirts, mid-twenties men in flannel, and young women swooning over the dreamy, but married frontman.I've seen him before, I'll see him again. Ryan Bingham is a talented singer-songwriter:  relatable, unique and did I mention beautiful?Highlights for me:  "Depression," "Day is Done, "Tell My Mother I Miss her So," and the moment he took his cowboy hat off in the encore so you could see his face.

There are certain bands that you hear recordings of, and they're decent, good even, but when you see them live, it changes your perception all together; that is The Silent Comedy.  

The Silent Comedy hail from San Diego, California founded by brothers Jeremiah and Joshua Zimmerman.  The brothers are backed by friend Chad Lee on drums, Justin Buchanan (we'll get to him in a minute), and on this night, Elijah Ford played along.  They're a versatile group, playing everything from radio-friendly indie-rock like their new single "God Neon," to covering Johnny and June's "Jackson."  They sing beautiful harmonies, and scream while head-banging, all within the span of two songs.  These guys show such raw emotion, screaming "I'm doing just fine" in "Gasoline" as if to convince themselves of the notion.

The band blew the roof off from the first note.  They were loud, to the delight of the dozens of fans who roughed out a monsoon to hear them on this night at the Larimer Lounge in Denver.  Joshua Zimmerman walks his bass, and screams his songs with almost metal vocals, all the while swinging his long hair and flashing Charles Manson-esque eyes.  Meanwhile, brother Jeremiah sings the folkier numbers while jumping back and forth between piano and guitar.

Possibly my favorite member to watch:  Justin Buchanan; mainly for the floppy hair and handlebar mustache, but also because he moves back and forth between his banjo and mandolin with ease, and it doesn't have to be a bluegrass pickin' or country song for him to rock out.

The Zimmerman's father was a preacher, and it comes out in some of the tracks - namely "The Well."  This one was fun, to say the least.  Before it even started Jeremiah announces "This song is a little bit about going to church & a lot about drinking whiskey," and it was.  By the end of it, the crowd became the chorus echoing "amens."

The Silent Comedy is certainly something to behold, but it must be done live.  Don't go searching online and write me off because you aren't impressed.  Trust me, the album doesn't do this band justice.