Reviews
Never have I felt more back at home in the cow town, country music-listening, tobacco-chewing, horse-riding, bar-fighting town I grew up in than at the Sturgill Simpson concert at the Ogden Theater in Denver last Friday night. It causes me to wonder: why have country music and psychedelic drug use not met before the visionary Strugill Simpson?
Bell’s Brewery in Kalamazoo, MI received a heavy dusting of bluegrass last Saturday, November 7 courtesy The Infamous Stringdusters of Nashville, TN.
I first saw Jorma play an acoustic solo show in 1980 at the Palace Theatre in Albany, New York. I remember shooting a bunch of photos of him playing that night, and I tried to find my film negatives before seeing him Friday night at Terrapin Crossroads in San Rafael, California. I wasn’t able to find my old pics, but I’m glad I couldn’t. Because to really experience the wonder that is Jorma (instant recognition from just his first name speaks to his sing
Few acts have served as large of a spectrum of music as New Riders of the Purple Sage. These psychedelic country-rock titans have been performing for nearly forty-five years with original members David Nelson (guitar, vocals) and Buddy Cage (pedal steel guitar) keeping the flame burning strong. The group began in 1970 when Jerry Garcia was transitioning the Grateful Dead into country and folk territory. Like most instruments he put his mind to, he took to the pedal steel guitar miraculously quick.
I had no idea what to expect with John Mayer on lead taking on the biggest shoes to fill in music -- but I made it to Dead & Company’s first show and entered Albany’s Times Union Center with an open mind.
The nostalgia that takes hold when an artist like Gregg Allman rolls into town is unavoidable, and really, why would you want to avoid it at all? Coyotus Maximus brought along his newest band for two sold-out shows at the Boulder Theater last week, mixing up old songs with new tricks. Having a lifetime’s worth of material to choose from, Gregg and company spread open the songbook and presented a different set of retrospective hits each night.
On Wednesday, October 7, Oyster Bay, NY based four-piece progressive jam band TAUK brought their unique blend of funky instrumental grooves to Grand Rapids, MI.
The Stache, located inside the front room of The Intersection in the heart of downtown, is an incredibly intimate venue for such an explosive band.
Two regional bands, Pleasant Drive out of Kalamazoo, MI and recent Grand Rapids transplant Desmond Jones kicked the evening off, each drawing a growing fanbase to the venue for a full house Wednesday evening.
When it comes to a modern approach to funk-laden soul music, some groups are able to exponentially build energy groove after groove.
In the case of one particular super-group whose roster plays like a who’s who of world class talent, The Nth Power is more than a moniker.
