Happy first unofficial day of summer – Happy Memorial Day from a USAF veteran. Many are lost, few are remembered by more than those they left behind. I hope you lost no one and remember all who have been.
I took some time this weekend to twist, tweak, massage, and manipulate The Colorado Sound LIVE365. There currently are over 860 tracks in the online catalog. The average listening span is 18 minutes. In the last 30 days, 335 songs have been heard at least once. The top ten songs heard are:
Brothers Keeper – Days Go By
The Samples – Close to the Fires
A Tom Collins – Baby Doll
The Yawpers – Faith and Good Judegment
The Swayback – Double Four Time
The Subdudes – Sarita
Pandas & People – Out to Sea
Pandas & People – On My Way
Kramies – The Wooden Heart
Chain Station – Don’t Build Me Up
This weekend I added songs by Analog Son, Atomga, Ben Haugland, Brothers Keeper, Chris Daniels & The Kings, Doves & Wolves, Edison, Elin Palmer, Esme Patterson, Fox St., Glowing House, Great American Taxi. The H2 Big Band, In The Whale, Instant Empire, Jeff Austin, John Common, John Statz, Judge Roughneck, King Cardinal, the Knew, Land Lines, MEDIC, Michal Menert, Modern Suspects, Natalie Walker, Otis Taylor, Plum, Racing On The Sun, The Railsplitters, The Raven and the Writing Desk, Richie Furay, Rose Quartz, The Samples, SHEL, Sherri Jackson, The String Cheese Incident, The Subdudes, Taarka, Toad In the Hole, Todd Adelman, Treehouse Sanctum, Wendy Woo (Band / Trio), Whiskey Autumn. See full list of currently featured bands/artists.
June 6 – For Locals x Locals Presented by The Colorado Sound and Scene Magazine featuring Cracker, Post Paradise, Branded Bandits, Red Fox Run, Shaley Scott Band and Winchester Holiday. A music festival to celebrate and honor local musicians and local music industry vendors. The goal of this festival is to create a space for our musical community to thrive. If you are a local musician, we would like to offer you free admission and a beer. If you’re a fan, please be honest and support your local music scene with your ticket purchase. Treat this as an opportunity to meet new musicians, find out about local music industry and catch up with old friends.
June 12 & 13 The Greeley Blues Jam in Greeley with Austin Young– featuring Michaela Rae and friends + Maynard Mills Blues Band + George Whitesell and His All Stars featuring Jill Watkins+The Frails – all female review featuring Erica Brown, MJ, G’Jai, Michaela Rae, Miss Audrey, Susan Phelan & national headliners Delbert McClinton, Elvin Bishop and more.
August 1 – 8th Annual Carbon Valley Music & Spirits Festival in Dacono. Lineup TBA. The region’s first Spirits Competition event, started four years ago now. Previous headliners have included Richie Furay, Lionel Young, Drew Emmitt (Leftover Salmon) and others.
Five new music shares this week … that’s a lot I think. I was lucky that all the shares had Bandcamp pages. Please download, buy and/or share. Every dollar and every share is one more today than yesterday and how bands go from strictly “local” to “regional” to “national.”
HOUR 1
Poco “Crazy Love” from The Essential Poco (2005) Firefall “You Are the Woman” from Firefall (1976) (D) Treehouse Sanctum “Pilot & Crew” from Pilot & Crew (2015) The Samples “Nothing Lasts For Long” from No Room (1992) Katie Herzig “Drug” from Walk Through Walls (2014) (D) Modern Suspects “Told You So” from Modern Suspects (2015)The Fray “Hurricane” from Helios (2014) Ivory Circle “And I Try” from Isoceles (2015) String Cheese Incident “25th of November” from One Step Closer (2005) Hot Rize “Blue Is Fallin’” from When I’m Free (2014) Young Ancients “Nobody Loves You” from Y/A (2014) Ben Haugland “Lift” from The Point Of No Return (2012)
HOUR 2
Big Head Blues Club “Crossroads Blues (w/B.B. King)” from Big Head Blues Club: 100 Years of Robert Johnson (2011) (D) Edison “Be Someone” from Ghosts (2015) Arthur Lee Land “Cracked Wide Open” from Cracked Open (2013) Yawpers “Faith and Good Judgement” from Spokesbuzz Volume 5 (2014) (D) King Cardinal “Gasoline” from One A Giant EP (2015) Ark Life “Let Your Heart Break” from The Dream of You and Me (2014) Mollie O’Brien & Rich Moore “Keep It Clean” from Saints & Sinners (2010) (D) Michal Menert “Everything Shines” from Space Jazz (2015) Natalie Walker “Trust” from Strange Bird (2015) Ben Markley ~ Clint Ashlock Quintet “The Return” from The Return (2014)
B.B. King passing away overshadowed everything this past week. Like other icons his legacy and his influence permeates much of our culture. One simply does not talk about blues without B.B. King being present. And of course, there’s a Denver connection … or two.
If you know nothing else about B.B. King you know The Thrill is Gone, the hit that launched him into both the blues and rock and roll stratosphere. The Thrill is Gone was produced by Bill Szymczyk, who for a brief moment would co-own Denver based Tumbleweed Records, and was a radio dj. He also produced the first album recorded at Caribou Ranch, Joe Walsh’s Barnstorm, during the time that Joe was living in the Denver area.
Connection number two: B.B. King and Big Head Todd & the Monsters – Crossroad Blues from 100 Years of Robert Johnson … a duet with Todd Park Mohr.
June 6 – For Locals x Locals Presented by The Colorado Sound and Scene Magazine featuring Cracker, Post Paradise, Branded Bandits, Red Fox Run, Shaley Scott Band and Winchester Holiday. A music festival to celebrate and honor local musicians and local music industry vendors. The goal of this festival is to create a space for our musical community to thrive. If you are a local musician, we would like to offer you free admission and a beer. If you’re a fan, please be honest and support your local music scene with your ticket purchase. Treat this as an opportunity to meet new musicians, find out about local music industry and catch up with old friends.
June 12 & 13 The Greeley Blues Jam in Greeley with Austin Young– featuring Michaela Rae and friends + Maynard Mills Blues Band + George Whitesell and His All Stars featuring Jill Watkins+The Frails – all female review featuring Erica Brown, MJ, G’Jai, Michaela Rae, Miss Audrey, Susan Phelan & national headliners Delbert McClinton, Elvin Bishop and more.
August 1 – 8th Annual Carbon Valley Music & Spirits Festival in Dacono. Lineup TBA. The region’s first Spirits Competition event, started four years ago now. Previous headliners have included Richie Furay, Lionel Young, Drew Emmitt (Leftover Salmon) and others.
The Czars “Killjoy” from Ugly People vs. the Beautiful People (2001) (D) Elin Palmer “Morning Light” from Elin Palmer (2015) Gromet “Sink or Sail” from Colorado Captain (2010) Rachel & the Kings “Not Giving Up” from Tonic (2013) Taarka “River’s Eddy Blues” from Making Tracks Home (2015) Bad Brad & the Fat Cats “Thunder On the Mountain” from Eyes on the Prize (2013) Grant Farm “Engineer” from SpokesBUZZ Vol V: Band Together (2015) Instant Empire “Dead Air” from Lamplight Lost (2015) Dubskin “Release Me” from Release from Fear (2011) Keith Oxman “Caught Between the Lion and the Twins” from Caught Between the Lion and Twins (2008)
HOUR 2
The Moonrakers “I’m All Right” from Anthology (2007)The Rainy Daze “That Acapulco Gold” from That Acapulco Gold (1967) (D) Doves & Wolves “Arkansas” from Doves & Wolves (2015) Bad Weather California “I’ll Reach Out My Hand” from Sunkissed (2012) The Lovely & Talented “Death Of The Lover” from The New American Fable (2010) Otis Taylor “Ain’t No Cowgirl” from Clovis People Vol. 3 (2010) Todd Adelman “The Devil is for Drinking” from Highways & Lowways (2015) Mollie O’Brien & Rich Moore “Sunday Street” from Love Runner (2014) (D) The Knew “Rally and Rumble” from Schmew (2015) Safe Boating is No Accident “Dye My Love” from Bonus Features (2014) Dressy Bessy “New Song (From Me To You)” from Dressy Bessy (2003) (D) Ben Haugland “A Weaver of Dreams” from A Million Dreams (2015)
I’m approached daily by musicians seeking answers to the mysteries of our industry. I’m proud to say we live in a state where information and resources are bountiful.
I attended four events in the past month that served no other purpose than to educate, develop, and promote all that is Colorado music, those who make it, and those who work on advancing it; the Denver Music Summit, FOCOMX, the Colorado Blues Society IBC finals, and the induction of six new bands into Spokesbuzz. Of course they’re not the only organizations or events designed for these purposes, but I was fortunate to attend events put on by all four.
Ultimately it is the fan, the audience, the listener, who is the deciding factor when it comes to how well we in the “business” are doing our jobs – and therefore it is important to have that perspective at the table when we’re talking about making music and getting it “out there.” Audience participation is appreciated. Please go visit those organizations online and find out what we have going on regionally.
Check out the current #6 Colorado album title SpokesBuzz Vol 5
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Congratulations to Randall Dubis & Dan Treanor who will represent Colorado at the IBC in Memphis next winter in the solo/duo category and to Rex People’s and X-Factor who will represent in the band category. Good luck in Memphis next winter to all.
Cracker has been added and identified as (CC) for the purposes of tracking Colorado music. Band co-founder Johnny Hickman is a local guy and has been for many years now. In a conversation with his wife recently I learned that she used to listen to me on the air at 96.1 K-SKY in the late 80s when she was in high school. I totally cracked up.
Also, I’ve added and tracked other artists who I’ve identified with a (CC) tag, namely Sara Cahoone, John Oates, Bill Frissel, Tia Fuller and others so I have no idea why it’s taken me so long to put Cracker in the mix. Cracker’s latest Berkeley To Bakersfield came out last fall. The band itself seems to be picking up some love among other local music supporters around the state … Cracker is making a few appearances locally this summer for you to keep your eyes open for.
I suspect that we’ll see Wendy Woo, the Railsplitters, and Ragged Union stick around on the charts the longest. Wendy is broadly known around the state, and does a great job of getting her work to interested djs. The Railsplitters and Ragged Union are bluegrass bands of note in the state, and there is no shortage of independent djs who do favor Colorado bluegrass and Americana releases.
11 videos wound up in the video playlist for May … from Dearling, Esme Patterson, Strange Americans, Nathaniel Rateliff & the Nightsweats, Leftover Salmon, Ivory Circle, Instant Empire, Sound of Ceres, Tennis, Megan Burtt, Todd Adelman
June 6 – For Locals x Locals Presented by The Colorado Sound and Scene Magazine featuring Cracker, Post Paradise, Branded Bandits, Red Fox Run, Shaley Scott Band and Winchester Holiday. A music festival to celebrate and honor local musicians and local music industry vendors. The goal of this festival is to create a space for our musical community to thrive. If you are a local musician, we would like to offer you free admission and a beer. If you’re a fan, please be honest and support your local music scene with your ticket purchase. Treat this as an opportunity to meet new musicians, find out about local music industry and catch up with old friends.
June 12 & 13 The Greeley Blues Jam in Greeley with Austin Young– featuring Michaela Rae and friends + Maynard Mills Blues Band + George Whitesell and His All Stars featuring Jill Watkins + The Frails – all female review featuring Erica Brown, MJ, G’Jai, Michaela Rae, Miss Audrey, Susan Phelan & national headliners Delbert McClinton, Elvin Bishop and more.
August 1 – 8th Annual Carbon Valley Music & Spirits Festival in Dacono. Lineup TBA. The region’s first Spirits Competition event, started four years ago now. Previous headliners have included Richie Furay, Lionel Young, Drew Emmitt (Leftover Salmon) and others.
August 9 – The Colorado Sound PresentsHazel Miller, Chris Daniels & the Kings, Goatz!, and William’s Reserve on Aug 9 at the Mishawaka
185 titles tracked
Titles tracked = released between Nov 1 2013 and April 27 2015
105 (57%) titles identified as played at least once in the reporting period
Stations/shows surveyed: 15
(CC) = Colorado Connection
(D) = album/ep/single debut on chart
(R) = re-enter
[date] = Date added to reporting list
(4) 1. Hot Rize – When I’m Free (Thirty Tigers) Bluegrass [Sept 15, 2014]
(2) 2. Chris Daniels & the Kings – Funky To the Bone (Moon Voyage) Blues/funk [Jan 15, 2015]
(3) 3. Jeff Austin– The Simple Truth (Yep Roc) Rock/AAA, bluegrass [Jan 2, 2015]
(8) 4. Ark Life– The Dream of You & Me (Greater Than Collective) Rock/AAA [June 28, 2014]
(R) 5. Reed Foehl – Lost In the West (NeverFoehl Records) Pop/singer-songwriter [Sept 13, 2014]
(7) 6. Various– SpokesBUZZ Compilation V (SpokesBUZZ) Various [Dec 20, 2014]
(28) 7. Big Head Todd & the Monsters –Black Beehive (Shout! Factory) Rock/blues-rock [Jan 25, 2014]
(R) 8. Plum – Behind Your Man [single] (self) Rock [Feb 1, 2015]
(D) 9. John Common – The River Is Moving [single] (Immersive) Rock [April 1, 2015]
(D) 9. Wendy Woo Band – Tipping Point (Woo Music) Pop/Adult Contemporary [April 13, 2015]
(D) 10. Esme Patterson – What Do You Call A Woman EP (Greater Than Collective) Indie/New Alternative [April
1, 2015]
(18) 10. Todd Adelman – Highways & Lowways (Porch Lantern Music) Americana/alt-country-rock [Jan 8, 2015]
(D) 11. The Railsplitters – The Faster It Goes (self) Bluegrass (April 20, 2015)
(1) 12. Bill Frisell–Guitar In the Space Age (Okeh Records) Jazz/Instrumental [Nov 18, 2014] (CC)
(6) 13. Richie Furay – Hand In Hand (ENT ONE Music) Americana/country-rock [March 1, 2015]
(R) 14.You Me & Apollo – Sweet Honey (self) Indie/New Alternative [April 26, 2014]
(30) 15. Trout Steak Revival – Brighter Every Day (self) Bluegrass [March 20. 2015]
(16) 16. The String Cheese Incident – Song in My Head (SCI Fidelity) Rock/AAA [April 14, 2014]
(D) 17. Natalie Walker – Strange Bird (Dorado Records) Pop/Adult Contemporary (April 1, 2015)
(15) 18. Tennis – Ritual in Repeat (Communion Records) Indie/New Alternative [Aug 14, 2014]
(R) 19. Musketeer Gripweed – Floods and Fires (self) Rock/jamband [March 29, 2014]
(R) 20. Calder’s Revovlers – Sunday Morning (self) Rock/rhythm & blues [June 13, 2014]
(R) 21. Euforquestra – Fire (self) Funk/reggae [Feb 22, 2014]
(22) 21. Taarka – Making Tracks Home (self) Folk [March 9, 2015]
(12) 22. Snake Rattle Rattle Snake –Totem (self) Indie/New Alternative [Nov 8, 2014]
(D) 23. Cracker – Berkeley To Bakersfield (SLG) Rock [Nov 8, 2014] (CC)
(R) 24. The River Arkansas – The River Arkansas (Blank Tape Records) Alt-country-rock [Feb 1, 2015]
(R) 25. Montropo – Follow Me (self) Pop/singer-songwriter (Nov 14, 2014]
(9) 26. Leftover Salmon–High Country (LoS) Rock/bluegrass [Nov 8, 2014]
(D) 27. The Raven and the Writing Desk – Some Get Started EP (self) Indie/new alternative [April 1, 2015]
(R) 28. The Motet – The Motet (self) Funk [Jan 4, 2014]
(D) 29. Michael Kirkpatrick – Honey Rider (self) Country/Folk [March 1, 2015]
(28) 30. Rob Drabkin – Little Steps EP (self) Rock/AAA [Jan 1, 2014]
(29) 31. Safe Boating Is No Accident –Bonus Features (self) Indie/New Alternative [Feb 20, 2014]
(R) 31. Strange Americans – That Kind of Luster (self) Rock [Aug 23, 2014]
(27) 32. Young Ancients– Y/A (self) Americana [Feb 11, 2014]
(D) 33. Ragged Union– Hard Row to Hoe (Shining Castle Music) Bluegrass [March 21, 2015]
(19) 34. Blake Brown & American Dust Choir –“3” (self) Rock/AAA [Aug 13, 2014]
(13) 35. John Statz – Tulsa (self) Americana/country-folk [March 1, 2015]
(D) 36. Clouds & Mountains– Slumber (self) Folk [Feb 1, 2015]
DROPPED OUT OF TOP 40 IN APRIL
5. The Railsplitters – The Railsplitters
10. Brothers Keeper – Todd Meadows
14. Rose Quartz – Axis of Love [EP]
17. John Oates – Good Road to Follow
20. Cary Morin – Tiny Town
21. Jayme Stone – Jayme Stone’s Lomax Project
23. Mollie O’Brien & Rich Moore – Love Runner
24. Dana Landry Quartet – Standard Elevation
25. Moors and McCumber – Pandemonium
26. Esme Patterson – Woman to Woman
29. Danielle Ate the Sandwich – The Drawing Back of Curtains
31. Analog Son – Stomp and Shout!
32. Richard Dean – Accidental Human
33. SHEL – The Lab Sessions
33. Toad In the Hole – Wallflower
34. Land Lines – The Natural World
35. Grant Farm – Plowin’ Time
35. In The Whale – Nate & Eric
36. H2 Big Band – It Could Happen
ADDED TO TRACKING APRIL 2015
Chuck Pyle – Cover Stories Cracker – Berkeley To Bakersfield
Dearling – Landslide [single]
Elin Palmer – Elin and Friends
Elise Wunder – In the Darkness of My Light
Esme Patterson – What Do You Call A Woman EP
Fox St. – Ain’t Easy [single]
Inner Oceans – 8 Cousins / Everything’s Alright [single]
Instant Empire – Lamplight Lost
Ivory Circle – Isoceles
John Common – The River Is Moving [single]
Kenny Knight – Crossroads
The Knew – Schmew
Medic – If I Could Stay [single]
Motion Trap – Palebluedot
Natalie Walker – Strange Bird
The Navigators – All About the Ride
Racing On the Sun – Self Destruct [single]
The Railsplitters – The Faster It Goes
The Raven and the Writing Desk – Some Get Started EP
Steve Kovalcheck Trio – Stomping Ground
Tim Ostdiek – Temporary Home EP
Wendy Woo Band – Tipping Point
STATION BY STATION
[XX] = number of reported current year (Nov 2013-April 2015) titles
Stations monitored for spins = KAFM, KBUT, KDUR, KGNU, KOTO, KRCC, KRFC, KRZA, KSJD, KSUT, KUNC, KVNF, OPENAIR 1340, Radio 94.9 Colorado, The Colorado Sound radio show and The Colorado Sound LIVE365. Stations with minimum 10 “currents” featured in breakout.
KAFM (Grand Junction) [13]
1. Richie Furay – Hand In Hand
2. Bill Frisell – Guitar In the Space Age
2. Dana Landry Quartet – Standard Elevation
3. Hot Rize – When I’m Free
3. Slopeside – One Lane Town
KDUR (Durango) [12]
1. Chain Station – Dancin With the Law
1. Hot Rize – When I’m Free
1. Leftover Salmon – High Country
2. Montropo – Follow Me
3. Chris Daniels & the Kings – Funky to the Bone
KGNU (Boulder) [10]
1. Hot Rize – When I’m Free
2. Chris Daniels & the Kings – Funky to the Bone
3. Snake Rattle Rattle Snake – Totem
4. Taarka – Making Tracks Home
5. Ark Life – The Dream of You and Me
KRFC (Fort Collins) [75]
1. Michael Kirkpatrick – Honey Rider
2. Cary Morin – Tiny Town
3. Trout Steak Revival – Brighter Every Day
4. Taarka – Making Tracks Home
5. Deadwood Saints – 6th Street and Trinity
KUNC (Greeley) [15]
1. Jeff Austin – The Simple Truth
2. Chris Daniels & the Kings – Funky to the Bone
3. Hot Rize – When I’m Free
4. Reed Foehl – Lost In the West
4. Various – SpokesBUZZ Compilation V
OPEN AIR 102.3 (Denver) [25]
1. Plum – Behind Your Man [single]
2. Snake Rattle Rattle Snake – Totem
3. Inner Oceans – 8 Cousins / Everything’s Alright [single]
4. John Common – The River Is Moving [single]
5. Land Lines – The Natural World
The Colorado Sound [38]
1. Natalie Walker – Strange Bird
2. Esme Patterson – What Do You Call A Woman EP
2. John Common – The River Is Moving [single]
2. Plum – Behind Your Man [single]
2. The Railsplitters – The Faster It Goes
June 6 – For Locals x Locals Presented by The Colorado Sound and Scene Magazine featuring Cracker, Post Paradise, Branded Bandits, Red Fox Run, Shaley Scott Band and Winchester Holiday. A music festival to celebrate and honor local musicians and local music industry vendors. The goal of this festival is to create a space for our musical community to thrive. If you are a local musician, we would like to offer you free admission and a beer. If you’re a fan, please be honest and support your local music scene with your ticket purchase. Treat this as an opportunity to meet new musicians, find out about local music industry and catch up with old friends.
June 12 & 13 The Greeley Blues Jam in Greeley with Austin Young– featuring Michaela Rae and friends + Maynard Mills Blues Band + George Whitesell and His All Stars featuring Jill Watkins+The Frails – all female review featuring Erica Brown, MJ, G’Jai, Michaela Rae, Miss Audrey, Susan Phelan & national headliners Delbert McClinton, Elvin Bishop and more.
August 9 – The Colorado Sound Presents Hazel Miller, Chris Daniels & the Kings, Goatz!, andWilliam’s Reserve on Aug 9 at the Mishawaka
I’m approached daily by musicians seeking answers to the mysteries of our industry. I’m proud to say we live in a state where information and resources are bountiful.
Congratulations to Randall Dubis & Dan Treanor who will represent Colorado at the IBC in Memphis next winter in the solo/duo category and to Rex People’s and X-Factor who will represent in the band category. Good luck in Memphis next winter to all.
(4) 1. 
KAFM 
KDUR
KRFC
KUNC
OPEN AIR 102.3
The Colorado Sound
Chris K's Colorado Playlist 