(Saturday April 5, 11PM) I feel old tonight. Johnny “O” Ohnmacht had a stroke sometime Saturday. According to blasts on FB, he’s in stable condition at St. Anthony’s. As anyone who’s ever dealt with stroke can attest – this is very serious, and will require a long and arduous path to recovery – especially to the level that John’s been giving us the past few decades. Much love my friend – I sure do hope you recover quickly. We need you on our stages.
This news came on top of learning this past week that legendary guitarist/vocalist Eddie Turner (Zephyr, the Otis Taylor Band) suffered a horrific accident to his picking hand this past fall. Eddie popped into the weekly blues jam at Oskar Blues Homemade Liquids and Solids in Longmont this past week and shredded a few tunes – he’s playing is fine, but limited, as doctors encourage him in his recovery. Best wishes to Eddie and Johnny O .. we are indeed getting old my friends.
(Sunday April 6, 10AM) All’s quiet this morning in the debate over the merits of the Westword Music Showcase and Awards nominations. Of course that won’t last long. The Westword Music Showcase is in its 19th year. I’ve been involved with the event in some way now for the past decade plus, doing sound, and as one of the fifty other music industry professionals who are invited to nominate acts every year. And that’s where the rub goes on.
Every year a handful of bands jump out on msg boards and on FB and Twitter to complain about the process, and how there are acts undeserving and how they didn’t make the cut and should have if only Westword recognized them – when it’s not Westword who does the recognizing to begin with.
The WMS/Awards is driven by the industry, and powered by the fans. The nominations are peer driven – nominated by foh engineers, door personnel, bartenders, studio engineers, radio talent, talent buyers, etc. The Westword takes that list and publishes it in April. In late June they hold the Westword Music Showcase. From April through the end of June the public votes on their favorites, and write in acts not nominated by the local music industry.
The Westword Music Awards is one of, if not the most prestigious local music awards program we have in Colorado. It is a celebration of our local talent – awarded by fans and industry. Several acts have won five times, and have been enshrined in the Westword Music Hall of Fame – including the likes of Wendy Woo, Blister 66, Hazel Miller and others.
The only other Hall of Fame presentation that carries more weight is the Colorado Music Hall of Fame, now a permanent fixture at Red Rocks Amphitheater. Sugarloaf, Astronauts, Flash Cadillac, Chris Daniels, Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Judy Collins, John Denver and others have already been awarded their place in our music history.
So gang – go get your vote on … WESTWORD MUSIC SHOWCASE NOMINATIONS/AWARDS BALLOT
APRIL EVENT of NOTE = FoCoMX 6 featuring some 150 NoCo and surrounding area acts in numerous genres/styles, at some 20 venues in Fort Collins. Those 150 acts were culled from 1300 submissions … 1300! … can you imagine being on the committee that has to sort through that? Did you know there were that many acts from the state, let alone the NoCo region (including some from Denver metro)? Hit the website – design your own schedule. April 25-26. See you there: I’ll be mixing at the Equinox Brewery both days.
Friday Night
Michael Kirkpatrick 3:30pm to 4:15pm (Friday)
Dee Tyler 4:30pm to 5:15pm (Friday)
Choice City Seven – aka the Fuse 5:30pm to 6:15pm (Friday)
Jami Lunde Band 6:30pm to 7:15pm (Friday)
Barbarosa 7:30pm to 8:15pm (Friday)
The 14ers 8:30pm to 9:30pm (Friday)
Saturday Night
Twirling Zucchini Trio 3:30pm to 4:15pm (Saturday)
Tallgrass 4:30pm to 5:15pm (Saturday)
Dead Drifters 5:30pm to 6:15pm (Saturday)
Smooth Beethoven 6:30pm to 7:15pm (Saturday)
Hallowed Oak 7:30pm to 8:15pm (Saturday)
Tuatha 8:30pm to 9:30pm (Saturday)
And you think you’re confused? There’s a bunch of names on those two nights I’ve never heard of, so this should be a blast, and a great way to make new friends in the scene.
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SUPPORT FOR THE COLORADO SOUND PROVIDED BY
Colorado Case Company: Colorado made insulated soft cases, gig bags, case covers and rigid cases for most instruments. This premium, professional grade, brand is designed, engineered and tested to provide incredible thermal protection for your valuable musical instrument. We specialize in unusual and hard to fit instruments. Info at www.coloradocase.com
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pokesBUZZ, a Colorado 501C3 with a mission to AMPLIFY THE COLORADO MUSIC SCENE, DEVELOP OUR PROFESSIONAL ARTISTS, PROMOTE COLORADO AS A PROGRESSIVE CULTURAL DESTINATION, and GROW LOCAL ECONOMIES. Please visit the website for information on bands that SpokesBUZZ supports, as well as shows and more. www.spokesbuzz.org.
Mishawaka Amphitheatre The Colorado Sound presents Head for the Hills, May 17. Tickets at www.themishawaka.com Check out this performance from H4TH at the Mish in 2012 …
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VIDEO PICK OF THE WEEK
Besides amassing one of the largest Colorado music collections that I know of in the state .. now weighing in at some 6000 tracks stretching back to the 1950s … I have also been collecting Colorado music videos the past couple of years. On our The Colorado Sound TV page, you can view a playlist of over 3 hours of some of the best.
This week’s Video Pick is from the forthcoming Esme Patterson release, which includes her response to the classic song “Jolene”
PLAYLIST S8 EP13 APRIL 2014
Jimmy Ibbotson “Saints and Sots” from More Than Mountains (2000)
Billy (Nershi) & Liza (Oxnard) “Barstool” from It’s About Time (2001)
Mosey West “Old Stone” from Bermuda (2014)
Yawpers “Sister Mary” from Spokesbuzz Volume 4 (2013)
Fierce Bad Rabbit “Matter of Time” from Maestro & the Elephant (2013)
Isa and JoeAlan “Slumlord” from Lifelines (2014)
Wendy Woo “Unwind” from Austerity (2011)
Drag the River “Wichita Skyline” from Drag The River (2013)
Danny Shafer “I Am” from Wherever You Are (2013)
Pete Kartsounes “Moonlight Romance” from The Only Way I Know (2011)
(D) Esme Patterson “Never Chase A Man” from Woman To Woman (2014)
Paper Bird “As I Am” from Rooms (2013)
Chip Stephens Trio “Cookin’ At the Continental” from Hold On to What Counts (2007)
Otis Taylor “Hands On Your Stomach” from Respect The Dead (2001)
The Samples “Wild River” from Return to Earth (2001)
(D) Branded Bandits “Hang Me High” from Branded Bandits (2013) The Swayback “Double Four Time” from Double Four Time (2012)
Blue Canyon Boys “I Want You To Want Me” from House Full Of Sorrows (2009)
(N) Musketeer Gripweed “End of the Day” from Floods and Fires (2014)
Whiskey Bottles “Baby, Your Bad Luck” from Ain’t No Crime (2011)
Kinetix “Can’t Undo” from Let Me In (2010)
(N) Euforquestra “The Price is Right” from Fire (2014) (D) SuCh (Su Charles) “Heaven” [single] (2014) The ReMinders “Shining Through” from Born Champions (2012)
Brad Goode “All Fall Down” from Chicago Red (2013)
Chris K's Colorado Playlist 