This has been an amazing few months of music for me, but once again, I cannot avoid writing about how music has literally spread its wings to reach out as far as possible with different mixtures of sounds and influences to combine into a genreless gumbo. Elephant Revival’s Facebook pages states, “Where words fail…music speaks,” and as a writer, I could not agree more. I often ask my muse, where do I get the words to describe some of the music that I have been seeing lately? Needless to say, it is difficult.

Last weekend Elephant Revival returned home for a sold-out two night run at the Boulder Theater in Boulder, Colorado. The set of shows was called “Birds of a Feather Autumnal Ball”. The band Horse Feathers from Portland, Oregon kicked things off on Friday and opened for Elephant Revival.

I am not very religious, but I do consider myself very spiritual, and if I were to attend a church, it would be something that included the music of these guys. I do not mean to sound overly dramatic, but I was nearly moved to tears several times by the power that I felt coming from this stage. There were four men, two Malian (Muslim) and two Israeli (Jewish), and the music that they make together is as piano player and singer Idan Raichel calls religious on certain songs especially. It was one of my favorite musical experiences that I have ever had.

They say time heals all wounds.  I believe that music also plays an important role in the process.

Umphrey’s McGee is simply on fire right now. This is a band that is on point every single show and will always bring the best rock show in town. I was able to catch the first show of their tour leading up to the 2,000 show, at the Canopy Club in Urbana, Illinios  November 5^th.

After all of the madness and Halloween tricks and treats that happened less than a week ago, not many people were ready for another costumed dance party. But, for those who were into the mid-week fun, there was a special treat waiting. At the 1st Bank Center in Broomfield, CO, there was a creature filled carnival which featured many talented electronic acts to ignite a fire in one’s soul.

Don’t call it a comeback, they’ve been here for years. Those are the words of rapper/actor, LL Cool J. So what on earth does that have to do with a band from Colorado, that is so unique that they've created their own genre of music they call Rock Nouveau. Who is Meniskus? And what is Rock Nouveau?  Where are they now and where have they been? These are just some of the questions that I will try to unearth about the enigmatic band who as of late have been back on the touring trail once again.

The environment; the space you are in externally and between your ears can make music magical. It can also make music sad, stressful, angry and every other emotion you can conjure up. But that is what always brings me back to the feeling of magic. It’s like a smell. There are certain smells that take you places. A faint perfume as you walk down a busy street can transport you back to summer camp and a first love.

Widespread Panic’s nearly thirty-year-old traveling carnival of crunched-out jam rock is a spectacle that’s anchored by a faithful following that grows with each seasonal tour. Crafted in the shrieking southern-rock of the Allman Brothers Band and the improvisational mastery of the Grateful Dead, Panic resides among the upper echelon of jam bands, and they’re built to last.

I had a plan of action – a solution to obviate an habitual problem. It was a good solution, too. At least I thought it was. In the end, it turned out to be myopic and futile.