I moved to Colorado in 2010 to pursue my Masters degree in education. I chose CU because it had a strong program for my discipline, but I’d be lying if I said the town of Boulder, itself, held no sway in my decision. Having wandered in a proverbial desert of live music for five years, I was a deeply dehydrated Deadhead who needed an oasis to slake my thirst. Occasionally, a noteworthy band played at The Santa Fe Brewing Company or an hour south at one of Albuquerque’s few ramshackle venues, but these were rare occasions.

After the ambitious idea of working with a new promoter and having a three day outdoor run at Denver’s Sculpture Park, then Ruby Hill Park did not work out, because of permit issues for the new venues, the Disco Biscuits settled for a tried and true venue, the Ogden Theater, with their usual promoter who moved shows around to accommodate the laborious situation. Colorado is like a second home to these city boys from Philadelphia, so when they come to town, it is a weekend full of friends, parties, dancing, and prodigious music.

Fruition and Grant Farm shared the stage September 25^th at the Bluebird Theater in Denver to release their 4-song joint EP titled Meeting On The Mountain. The combination of Fruition’s bluegrass-Americana and Grant Farm’s country twang made for a great show with lots of friends, high-fives, and dancing.  Denver was Fruition’s second stop in an 8-show tour showcasing the new album.

Mainly known for his work in Bright Eyes, guitarist and vocalist Conor Oberst is in the midst of a coast-to-coast tour showcasing his new solo album, Upside Down Mountain. Recently, Oberst played a nearly sold-out show at The Boulder Theater in Boulder, Colorado.

Only a year into her teens, and boasting a wide smile at every concert, Jaden Carlson seems to be doing what she loves, and it shows in her playing. There’s no comparison to the crashed and burnt refugees of the entertainment industry; no label issued stranglehold on her creativity and self-motivated drive. She writes her own songs and lyrics and even finds time to do her homework between band practice.

After a long wait amidst the cancelled shows last summer and the departure of original bass player David “Murph” Murphy, STS9 came back to Red Rocks Amphitheater with retribution. For our patience and gratitude throughout the year, the band rewarded us with 7 hours, and 58 tracks of the most diverse music a fan could ask for. STS9 played 3 sets each night with a short set from the Lazy Americanz (presented by The J.U.S.T.I.C.E. League) as they performed their legendary “in the round” set.

From their debut performances at the Village Gate, a historic jazz club located on the west side of Lower Manhattan, to their high-profile collaborations with an eclectic variety of musicians, avant-jazz funk trio Medeski, Martin & Wood have developed a signature style that has continued to push the boundaries of American jazz for the last 23 years.

Since Chicago-based bluegrass band Cornmeal formed in 2000, they have seen over 13 members in just four short album releases. Cornmeal is without a doubt a band of transition and change, holding on to a high level of skill and stage presence. Four-piece Cornmeal played at The Fox Theater in Boulder, CO on Thursday, August 21st. Although seemingly different members each show, Cornmeal has been playing hard-hitting jam-filled bluegrass for over a decade.

This all started with Lizzy Grant—back before Lana del Rey’s somehow-transcendent Born to Die managed to convince the vogue among us that trailer park chic was most certainly in, there was this beautiful young girl singing tortured-soul musings out of a doublewide, claiming that hell and salvation could all be found just cruising down Main Street in any blue collar town—simple as that.

The Royal Potato Family label is releasing Marco Benevento’s fifth studio album Swift on September 16, 2014.  Pianist Marco Benevento arrived in Denver as a trio -- with drummer and bassist – for two nights concert in Denver.  Opening with “Risd” from Benevento’s Between The Needles & Nightfall record was a catchy, upbeat song and you quickly get a feel for what Marco can concoct on a piano.   With a steady drum/bass beat in the backg