The Colorado Sound S7 EP34 SEPT 2013

Not a lot of time to hang out and write today.  Fortober Fest 2013 was a blast.  Thanks to The Fort Collins Downtown Business Association for inviting me to be a part of things this year.  What a fun season.  Thanks to the Railbenders, Jeff Brinkman, 12 Cents for Marvin and the other 12 bands that made the 2nd season of the festival so much fun.  The DBA donated 10% of profits and 100% of tips to flood relief – thank you executive director Michael Short and asst e.d. Peggy Lyle … much love you guys.

Today I’m off to host BIODIESEL FOR BANDS FIRST ANNUAL MEMBER MEETING AND PARTY with Mama Lenny & the Remedy and Carlton Pride & Mighty Zionhttp://www.biodieselforbands.org/ for more information.

Good news since last week.  Oskar Blues Lyons survived the horrific damages in Lyons.  Of course, the not so good news that also came out is that it will take 2-6 months before the city of Lyons gets back up.  In the meantime, the only people allowed to stay are those who are completely self sufficient.

Video Pick of the Week:  

PLAYLIST S7 EP34 SEPT 2013

The Christines “In Your Space” from Living At the Bottom of the Sea (1996)
The Apples in Stereo “Ruby” from Her Wallpaper Reverie (1999)
(D) Katelyn Benton “Fix” from Fix (2013)
The Fray “How To Save A Life” from How to Save A Life (2005)
KING “Need A Woman by Friday (feat. Trombone Shorty)” from Need A Woman by Friday (feat. Trombone Shorty) (2013)
(D) Ichiban – InkLine – ManeRok “Galileo’s Dilemna (f. Ichiban)” from The Gem In I (2013)  Churchill “The War Within” from War Within EP (2013)
Achille Lauro “Upward Away From the Ground” from Flight or Flight (2012)
Escape Goats “Sensitive Situation” from On The Lam (2013) Cary Morin “Streamline” from Streamline (2013)
(D) Patrick Dethlefs “While You’re Carrying The Weight” from While You’re Carrying The Weight (2013)
Gabrielle Louise “Midnight Molasses” from Mirror the Branches (2010)
Lindsey O’Brien Band “Broke My Heart” from As Long As It Matters (2008)
Joshua Trinidad “The Coast” from Maritime (2013)
Townes Van Zandt “Snowin’ On Ratone” from E-Town Live Two (1999)
Big Head Todd & The Monsters “It’s Alright” from E-Town Live (1992)
(D) Dixie Leadfoot & Brent Loveday “Golden Ring” from Golden Ring (2013)
Halden Wofford & the Hi Beams “White Freightliner Blues” from Rocky Mountain Honky Tonk (2013)
Whiskey Bottles “Fall In Love With A Stranger” from Grandville (2013)
(D) John Oates “Pushin’ A Rock Uphill” from Pushin’ A Rock Uphill (2013)
The Congress “Killing Me Softly” from Loft Tapes (2013)
Mike Clark & the Sugar Sounds “Good Love” from Round and Round (2013)
(D) Varlet “The Nod” from American Hymns (2013)
The Fluid “On My Feet” from purplemetalflakemusic (1993)
Rose Hill Drive “Cool Cody” from Americana (2011)
Tom Gershwin “Stompin’ At the Savoy” from Sweet Pastimes (2013)

The Colorado Sound S7 EP33 2013

NEWS NOTES THOUGHTS & THAT OH TOO RARE REVIEW

Feeling helpless sucks.  That’s about the whole summation of my personal experiences the past several days sitting here in reasonably dry, warm, safe conditions, cut off physically from so many of my closest friends and “families.”  ***as I write just before publishing today, it’s pouring / Sunday 12:50PM***

wedding pic 10
Oct 25, 2009

Miss Pattie and I are heartbroken – all the more so me worrying, not knowing the condition of our “wedding chapel” – Oskar Blues Lyons – the place where every time I step foot in the door I am reminded of the most joyous day of the past 15 years of my life, and where I still feel and hear the scene taking place around me as if it were yesterday… and that is literally home for so many of our family of friends.

Over the next several days we’re going to have to make an assessment of the needs of our families in Lyons, Boulder, and Longmont, and begin the work of getting some of those needs met.  

With so much rain ..it was a good chance to hang out and work on my music collection.  I was introduced to three new releases – two via YouTube.  On the bluegrass front I spent a lot of time listening to the upcoming new release from the Boulder/Lyons quartet the Railsplitters.  Add it to the growing list of stellar bluegrass releases already out this season.  I’m rarely driven to write reviews – less so when asked.  I’ve started four in the past several days, rained in, listening to a lot of music… thinning out the collection …this one stuck.

“GOLDEN RING”Dixie Leadfoot & Brent Loveday – There have been some raging country fried reinterpretations of rock and country classics over the years in Colorado.  Halden Wofford & the Hi*Beams, Drag the River, and the Railbenders are all known for twisting rock and country classics well out of the boxed-in staid remembrances of the songs’ original fans.  Punk rock lead vocalist Brent Lovejoy (Reno Divorce) and local rockabilly bassist/vocalist Dixie Leadfoot (former Frank Zappa vocalist Suzannah Harris) pair up for an unexpectedly glorious reinterpretation of the original George Jones / Tammy Wynette duet Golden Ring, bringing far more vocal edge, a looser feel among the players, and a more wide open and sparsely produced recording.   Highly recommended for fans of Kasey Chambers & Shane Nicholson and Caitlin Cary & Thad Cockrell (Begonias, 2005) .. it would be a great joy to hear more reinterpretations and self penned personal insights from this duo.    

PLAYLIST S7 EP33 SEPT 2013

The Czars “Paint the Moon” from Goodbye (2004)
Jay Munly “Amen Corner” from Munly & the Lee Lewis Harlots (2004)
(D) Kramies “The Wooden Heart” from The Wooden Heart (2013) String Cheese Incident “Sirens” from Untying the Not (2003)
Thom Chacon “American Dream” from Thom Chacon (2013)
Katey Laurel “Hurricane” from Periscope (2013)Fierce Bad Rabbit “Matter of Time” from Maestro & the Elephant (2013)
Jeff Brinkman “Island” from Strange (2012)
(N) Elephant Revival “Grace of A Woman” from These Changing Skies (2013)
The Holler! “Yellow Moon” from Gratitude (2011)
Katya Chorover “Whiskey Clouds” from Big Big Love (2012)
Mollie O’Brien and Rich Moore “Losers” from Saints & Sinners (2010)
Peter Sommer “The Sweeper” from Tremolo Canteen (2010)
Acoustic Junction “Every Heart” from Strange Days (2000)
Leftover Salmon “Baby Hold On” from Euphoria (1997)
Gregory Alan Isakov “Living Proof” from The Weatherman (2013)
(N) Covenhoven “Young At Heart” from Covenhoven (2013)
Devotchka “100 Other Lovers” from 100 Lovers (2011)
GogoLab “Tumbleweeds” from Border Patrol (2013)
(N) Pretty Lights “Always All Ways” from A Color Map of the Sun (2013) P-Nuckle “The System” from The System (2013)
Beki Hemingway “Lay It Down” from I Have Big Plans for the World (2013)
Chris Daniels “Wildcat” from Better Days (2012)
Chie Imaizumi “The More the Merrier” from Unfailing Kindness (2006)

The Colorado Sound S7 EP32 SEPT 2013

Goat_Logo_color_on_whiteI’m so done with the heat until next June.  Seriously.  I am not done with festival events however 🙂 …. One more – SEPT 20-21 – Fortober Fest – Fort Collins – bicycles, beers, and bands is the theme for this newer annual event now in its second year.  This year’s featured acts = 12 Cents for Marvin, the Railbenders, P-Nuckle, Jeff Brinkman Band and several others.  It’s the last big chance I know of to catch some of the region’s top bands outdoors before the fall sets in hard.  Time to decorate the bike and join the fun … hope to see you there.  Isn’t September 21 the first day of fall?  Hmmmm.  

In artist related news – congrats to John Common and Jessica DiNicola on their wedding this past week … nicely done you two 🙂  If you don’t know these two fine singers, check out this video of John & Jessica performing at the Soiled Dove Underground in 2011 … 

SuCh Stretch MarksCongratulations are in order for Colorado actress and neo-soul songstress Su Charles who goes by the handle SuCH … she signed a distro deal for her more recent album, Stretch Marks, to be sold at retail in Japan – a pretty big deal there .. and she also won Denver’s equivalent to the Tony Award – called the Henry Award – she won for outstanding lead actress in a musical for her performance of Celie in the Colorado Purple.  SuCh is a Boston born, New York raised, California educated, Chicago groomed soul singer living and working in Denver – and I for one am glad she is.

News broke just this morning that Jeff Brinkman made the cut for this season’s X-Factor …  see the video here => https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=10151552424196895  “The X Factor” Season 3 premieres Wednesday at 8/7c on Fox.  With that … the Featured Video Pick of the Week is Jeff Brinkman – Island … 

PLAYLIST S7 EP32

Boenzee Cryque “Still In Love With You Baby” [single] (1967)
Zephyr “I Am Not Surprised” from Sunset Ride (1972)
a. Tom Collins “Mambo” from Stick & Poke (2013)
3 Twins “Little Bird” from De Nada (2013)
Bad Brad & the Fat Cats “Thunder On the Mountain” from Eyes on the Prize (2013)
Meniskus “The Equalizer” from Stowaway (2013)
Lion Drome “Curve of the Earth” from Curve of the Earth (2013)OneRepublic “Light It Up” from Native (2013)
Pretty Lights “Around the Block (feat. Talib Kweli)” from A Color Map of the Sun (2013)
(D) Gabrielle Louise “Colours” from The Bird in My Chest (2013)
Newcomers Home “Hold On” from In the Hour (2004)
GogoLab “Honey Trap” from Border Patrol (2013)
Cory Harris “Got to Be A Better Way” from Daily Bread (2005)
India.Arie “Slow Down” from Voyage to India (2002)
Flobots “The Rose and the Thistle” from The Circle in the Square (2012)
12 Cents for Marvin “Russian Roulette (Tragedy Version)” from Change (2006)
Dubskin “Warrior Stomp” from Release from Fear (2011)Head for The Hills “Never Does” from Blue Ruin (2013)
Thom Chacon “Ain’t Gonna Take Us Alive” from Thom Chacon (2013)
Patti Fiasco “Small Town Lights” from Small Town Lights (2013)
Yonder Mountain String Band “Criminal” from The Show (2009)
Wendy Woo Band “Hold On” from Live (2013)
Danny Shafer “I Am” from Wherever You Are (2013)
Fingers of the Sun “The Leaves Were So Green” from Fingers of the Sun (2011)Jim Stranahan “I’ve Got No Rhythm in My Feet” from Free For All (2010)