Mike Cooley. Larimer Lounge. 12.02.16 / 12.03.16 Last time Mike Cooley passed through town without the other Truckers, he was welcomed by a blizzard. After a long day of travel from Seattle, “delirious and drunk were staring each other down and neither could see shit,” but that didn’t stop him from performing almost every song he had released up until… Read more →
Jason Isbell / Lucero. Red Rocks. 09.14.16 “You come to shows here often?” It was an honest question, but it sparked a pissing contest of sorts. We were on the ramp leading into the venue from the Upper North Lot and a married couple behind us was trying to determine the odds of getting decent seats. It was my 27th show of the season… Read more →
Ryan Adams. Red Rocks. 08.17.16 “This actually fucking happened! Mike, look at that! There are a bunch of people right there, look! They are right there!!!” Ryan Adams was speaking to Mike Viola, the guitarist for his latest band, The Shining. The thing which had just happened (and was still happening) was the last performance of their short summer tour.… Read more →
case/lang/veirs. Denver Botanic Gardens. 07.10.16 July 10th, 2016 was a hot day in Denver, Colorado. Brutally hot. The blazing sun scorched the asphalt on York Street, while the informed ‘friends’ of the Botanic Gardens lounged in regulation folding chairs. Sipping cold drinks under the relative comfort of large umbrellas, the faithful formed the majority of a line that stretched from the… Read more →
James McMurtry. Bluebird Theater. 06.24.16 Before moving to Colorado I didn’t have any friends who were into jam bands. I also didn’t have any friends who were into EDM. Sure, most of us had hung out in the parking lot at a Dead show, seen Phish once or twice, and attended our fair share of warehouse and desert raves, but… Read more →
Lucinda Williams. Bluebird Theater. 04.12.16 Seeing Lucinda Williams’ name lit up on the marquee at the Bluebird Theater was something special, but being in such close proximity to the living legend while she performed one of my all-time favorite songs was something else altogether. Quoted as saying she’d rather “play a few nights at the Fillmore than play one night… Read more →
John Moreland. Swallow Hill. 03.06.16 Yesterday I wrote about my experience taking a couple teenagers to see Carly Rae Jepsen in concert. A few hours later, I found myself in a completely different situation altogether. Witnessing John Moreland perform for a silent, seated room of 300 people at Swallow Hill was nothing like seeing Carly Rae Jepsen lead a multi-generational… Read more →
2015 was an interesting year in music. I spent time with many releases, across a spectrum of sounds, and I enjoyed every minute of the adventure. That being said, when I tried to define my favorite albums, I found myself in a difficult position. How does someone rank Jason Isbell in association to Grimes? How does Chris Stapleton’s obliteration of the pop country… Read more →
Nikki Lane. Bluebird Theater. 12.06.15 My wife and I got married on a cold December night in Denver, Colorado. We went down to the courthouse, said our vows, and then found our way to the Grizzly Rose to meet some friends. A young country artist named Miranda Lambert performed that night. The honky-tonk off I-25 was pretty packed, but nowhere… Read more →
Jason Isbell. Ryman Residency. October 2015 You made some new friends after the show But you’ll forget their names In 24 frames We were halfway through the first Jason Isbell performance of the weekend when his latest single found its way into the setlist. The song (which uses frames per second as a metaphor for how fast life can change)… Read more →
Drive-By Truckers. Alabama Shakes. Red Rocks. 08.16.15 Let’s start this out with some statistics. Drive-By Truckers have been a band for 19 years. Patterson Hood turned 50 last year and Mike Cooley has 13 months until he hits that milestone. Before last night, they had performed at Red Rocks 0 times. (edit – DBT actually opened for The Black Crowes… Read more →
