Set in the picturesque town of Nederland, CO, NedFest 2015 featured local and national bluegrass, folk, and rock bands.  Sixteen bands took the stage over the three sunny days.  Musical highlights included a mixture of both national and local acts.  March Fourth!, Chris Robinson Brotherhood, and Cracker closed up sets Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights respectively.  Local Nederland favorites Gipsy Moon and the Caribou Mountain Collective graced the stage along with Colorado bands Gasoline Lollipops, Hard Working Americans and Vince Herman and Friends.  The colorful, small town charm and dramatic vistas made for a weekend full of wonder.  Local families, tourists, musicians, and vendors came together to dance, play, make music and art.

With the beautiful Barker Meadow Reservoir and lush, green mountains surrounding the town, Nederland is an ideal setting for a music festival.  Although the town is just 17 miles from Boulder, Colorado, Nederland is a unique place with a rural, eclectic vibe.  Many Denverites pass through on their way to the Indian Peaks Wilderness, but those who stop are in for a treat.  The authentic, friendly community and quirky town history are more than worth the time.  Box car cafes, a hand-crafted Carousel of Happiness, and a "frozen dead guy" are just a few of the attractions.  It was a pleasure to be a part of the local scene for the (almost) annual, 17th Nederland Music and Arts Festival.

Lefthand Brewery, Boulder Beer, and Very Nice Brewing Company provided festival goers with refreshing brews.  The Redstone Meadery and the What We Love winery provided some lip smacking drinks of the fruity variety.  Artisans of all varieties sold their wares.  There was much to do for the smaller of us as well (the kids and kids at heart).  Children and adults alike could hula hoop, paint, or see saw with a buddy.

Friday night featured performances by Gipsy Moon and March Fourth!, with a "tweener act" by Intuit.  According to their website, "Gipsy Moon is a five-piece group of wandering artists on an endless journey toward good times and raw expression." The classification "Gipsygrass" seems to capture the essence of the band: eclectic, earthy, and folksy.  Check out their "Gondola Sessions" online for a taste.  March Fourth Marching Band, now known as March Fourth! is an exuberant collective of 20 artists originally from Portland, Oregon. A commanding presence, they graced the stage with costumes, acrobats, and good old foot stomping street beats.

After a night of camping, Funky Tonk Heroes started out the afternoon on Saturday with "funky country dance music." A grassy, soulful set by Acoustic Anonymous was followed by Colorado alt-country band Gasoline Lollipops. At 5:30, Hard Working Americans rocked the crowd with wailing guitar solos, soulful keys and vocals, and an overall larger than life presence.  Once Chris Robinson Brotherhood took the stage, the festival was packed and the crowd was having a good time.  A tight, energy packed funky-blues set got the crowd dancing and twirling.  Light up hula-hoops and jellyfish added to atmosphere.  As they played, a full moon rose from behind the mountains that formed a backdrop to the venue.

Sunday had a smaller, more intimate feel.  After the Colorado Music Societies Young Pickers, local heroes Caribou Mountain Collective and Vince Herman and Friends graced the stage.  Caribou Mountain Collective captured the small town mountain feel with their instrumental, bluegrass quartet.  Vince Herman took the stage (with Friends) at 4:00, and expressed pride for the legacy of NedFest and the music scene in Nederland.  “It’s great to be making music with my kids,” he exclaimed in a metaphorical instead of literal sense. The set included appropriately enough, "Get No Better", and a cover of Bang a Gong by T-Rex. Cracker joined the crowd at 6:00, playing old favorites as well as newer songs. Clouds began to build in dramatic fashion, along with a few mountain sprinkles.  As the sun set, a humble rainbow began to form across the reservoir - a thank you to the town of Nederland for hosting such a spectacular festival.  Forming an arc in the sky, the rainbow was a gateway for festival goers lining up for the drive back to civilization through Boulder canyon.  See you next year Nederland!

Check out more photos from the show.

Playful yet angsty, soulful but light; the dual essence of California’s golden coast filled an almost sold out Bluebird Theater Monday night.  If you’ve ever been to the beaches of Los Angeles at night, you know the warm, hazy magic that happens once the sun sets.  The vibe is free, open - but underneath the surface people can be just as broken as they are elsewhere.  Best Coast’s singer/songwriter and guitarist Bethany Cosentino captures this truth in an alluring, feminine way.  Old school surfer beats from the 1960s and catchy, poppy tunes are interspersed with more gut wrenching and soulful melodies.

It’s been five years since Bethany Cosentino and guitarist Bobb Brunois took the Bluebird Theater stage.  I happened to attend their show in 2010 with a small-ish crowd of Denverites.  Clearly, their following is growing.  With a new album this year, and an established record label they are certainly gaining momentum.

Opening with tunes like Heaven Sent and The Only Place, the band started out on a lighter note.  Whether or not you agree with the lyrics about California “why would you live anywhere else?”, you can’t deny the crowd was having a good time.  The title song on their new album, California Nights, was certainly the crowd favorite with strung out guitar riffs and an airy ballad (check it out here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7U5LWokfRHY).

Later in the set, Costentino belted out songs like Our Deal, which explores bad relationships with lyrics like “that’s not my deal, that’s your deal” and “you take all my money, you take all my weed.” I have a feeling more than a few of the crowd members could relate, although a shortage of weed isn’t exactly a common problem these days in Colorado.  In fact, the biggest crowd reaction was to Cosentino’s comment about the state’s affinity for the herbal vice.

The band closed with Sleep Won’t Ever Come, Jealousy, and When Will I Change.  After leaving the stage, they came back to play one of their more poppy songs, Boyfriend.  Acknowledging the song’s popularity, Cosentino teased “i’ll give you five bucks if you know the name of this song.” Overall, it was fun night to dance and play on East Colfax.

If you are interested in hearing more about Best Coast, Bethany Cosentino, and her songwriting inspirations, check out Colorado Public Radio’s interview here: https://www.cpr.org/openair/story/best-coast-insomnia-california-nights-and-being-misunderstood-grandma.

I had the privilege of sitting down with Erika, Rachel and Chloe Tietjen from the T Sisters (tsisters.com)  for a short interview before their set at the Cervantes Masterpiece Ballroom in Denver, CO.  The “sassy sister folk” these ladies produce (with upright bassist Steve Height and mandolinist/guitar player Andrew Allen Fahlander) is crisp, and I can see why they are gaining momentum in the bluegrass scene.  Insightful yet playful songwriting is realized by a full sound complete with harmonies that only sisters can accomplish.   We talked about songwriting inspirations, family, as well as how they cope with living, working, and performing in such close quarters.  I also developed a theory that musical compatibility and breakfast preferences are inextricably linked...

GW: Tonight you all are going to be playing back to back with the Shook Twins, a Portland band comprised of identical twin sisters.  One thing I am excited about is this theme of sisterhood.  Could you all talk a little bit about how you went from being just sisters to actually performing in your own band?

TS: When we were little, we wrote plays at our grandparents’ house and we started to perform very casually, in a silly manner. We spent a lot of summers doing musical theater as kids.  Near the end of college, we decided to do an open mic, and that was our first time performing original music together.  We got a good response and we kind of casually, organically started to follow that path.  

GW:  You all decided to make music full time in 2014.  Since then, you have produced a well received album, Kindred Lines, as well as an EP called Ready for Love.  How did you all make the leap from part time to full time musicians?

TS: Well we planned a lot in advance to take time off from our day jobs, and eventually told our bosses we were going to take a year off.  Well, that was two years ago and no one’s going back! So we have been full time for about two years.

GW: What a dream! How are you liking being on the road?

TS: It’s pretty cool.  Its been a pretty wild lifestyle; a lot of ups and downs but we feel pretty grateful we get to do this and see all these places.

GW:  I have a sister, and we certainly annoy each other from time to time.  What’s it like being in such close quarters?

TS: Well we never fight, obviously [laughs]! Sarcasm there… we fight every day...but just to release some pressure.  We were able to get through our problems I think because we don’t let anything fester and we put everything out in the open.  If someone’s feeling a certain way, then we will all probably know about it.  We spend a lot of time together.  We live together in Oakland, so we also run a household together.  Trash, recycling, walking the dog…Recycling is the biggest problem.  Sometimes each of us doesn’t do the best job on our chores, depending on who isn’t in town.  We just had a house meeting to encourage everyone to do a better job with chores [laughs]...

GW:  It's always good to be on the same page! Chores might seem trivial, but they can certainly add up.  You all explore some of these issues through songs about kinship and family ties. I’d like to ask you about the song Molasses.  It’s one of the deeper tracks on your album Kindred Lines, and it delves into how struggles can have a ripple effect on such a cohesive family.  Can you talk about your inspiration for this song?

Chloe: I wrote that song, and it came about in a difficult family time.  It was inspired by that overwhelming feeling of wanting to distance myself and protect myself, but not really being able to do that when it’s people who are so close.  It’s about that inextricable link with family.  When they are having a hard time, it’s easy to feel like you are experiencing their struggles first hand.  We experience that with each other all the time with different moods and all.  It’s hard to separate when it’s family because it infuses your own experience.   

GW: I think a lot of people can relate to that, how your family is a system and so one person going through something can influence how others feel.  

Chloe: Yeah, we have such a close family. And people definitely seem to relate to that sentiment.  

GW: It’s really cool to see musicians who can take an emotion like that and be able to turn it into something other people can experience.  Could you talk a little about how that process was for you all? The process of taking something in your life and turning it into your art?

TS: It’s sort of unavoidable to a certain extent because we take a lot from our own lives, but it’s also art.  It’s not necessarily autobiographical, although often times, that’s where the inspiration comes from. Sometimes though, people interpret things musically, and they think, “oh gosh! you guys really need to meet some nicer guys!” but that's not really the point of the music.  The point is to find this personal expression, that may or may not be influenced by your personal experiences and create these emotions that a lot of people can relate to.  Like if you write a song that not a lot of people can relate to, then that’s probably not a very good song.  It’s not going to be a hit.  

GW: Yeah, because it’s about the listeners too.  

TS: Right.  It’s about how they take it and relate it to themselves.  That’s big.  

GW: Wow, this has been so great.  I feel like I need to ask you all a non-serious question.  What is your favorite breakfast food?

TS: Bacon.  Bacon and eggs with cheese, maybe a little toast…

GW: So you all like the exact same thing?

Rachel: Well it’s just such a good way to start the day, you know? I mean that was the last meal I had.  Bacon, eggs, a lot of mushrooms and kale, some bread, cheese and butter.  I’m getting hungry but it lasted me a really long time...How we like our eggs, maybe there is some distinction there…

GW: How do you guys like your eggs?

Rachel: Soft scramble...

Erica: Over easy...

Chloe: Poached...

GW: You guys are sooo different.

TS: [Laughter]  We cook a lot together too and we share a lot of our food so our food tastes are definitely very similar.

GW: Well you all have the same genes I guess, the same parents.  Maybe that’s what makes you all work so well together: same overall tastes but slight variations in style…? Well, it really has been a pleasure speaking with you all! Thank you!

TS: Thank you!

“Peace, Love, and Transcendental Folk” is what comes to mind as Dango Rose from Elephant Revival explains his band’s earthy roots and spiritual aspirations.  In light of the recent tragedy in their home state of Colorado, we talk about how music is just a small part of efforts to dissolve the fear and hate that sometimes fuel those who choose violence.  Local Colorado fans are excited to come together for the band’s two homecoming shows this weekend.  Just returning home from a leg of their nationwide tour, we reflect on relationships, community, and new horizons for a band approaching a decade of making music together.

GW: Elephant Revival is known for fostering positive community and greater social consciousness.  Your roots are also here in Colorado.  There has been a lot of violence in the news, the most recent being the shooting in Colorado Springs on November 27th.  A lot of people are asking “why us?” and “how can we fix this?” You all have been back for a couple of weeks since your last tour. Do you have any answers?

DR: Thank you for asking the question.  It's heart breaking what just happened in Colorado Springs.  We've been recognizing these patterns for a long time.  It leads me to questions about the stigma of mental illness and gun control.  For me it also comes back to the media playing on people's fears.  Those fears then become stronger than one's own conscience, and ability to see different perspectives.  I think that the root of it goes back to a Gandhi quote: "The enemy is fear.  We think it’s hate, but it is fear." Fear oppresses people.  So when you encounter someone who has different beliefs and who might be preaching things that make you sick, there still has to be some level of understanding.  It’s extremely challenging, yet we must somehow have compassion because these people are suffering whether or not they know it.  The answer is love, and believing in the inherent goodness of people.  It's about starting with yourself and the people in your community and realizing that the extremes exist within us all.  Everyone experiences negative emotions. For some people who have experienced extreme hardship, it can feel like there is no hope for a brighter future.  Sometimes that feeling of no hope can appear to be very solid.  One day, some zealot extremist comes along with a doctrine to believe in, and this brings value and direction to a man who has lost his way.  Unfortunately, this false doctrine preaches violence at the expense others who don’t believe or pray the same way. Then, the switch just shuts off, the lights go out, and somebody does something horrible.  We are seeing it more and more – and not just in Colorado.

GW: Is it the music that helps us dissolves fear and come together or something else? What can we do as a community to heal and prevent this from happening in the future?

DR: Elephant Revival had a friend Theresa who passed away in January this year.  She was our elder and our guide.  What she intentionally taught us was gratitude: that simple idea of waking up every morning and being grateful.  She also taught us about the light.  When people are suffering, just take a moment, calm down and then imagine them in a flash of brilliant light.  Feel that intention in your heart and see them in that light. Then let it go.  It’s about supporting each other in creating the best possible life for ourselves and those around us through different forms of art.  We are all warriors of the light. I don't know all the answers, but I do know that we are all human and we need to be able to communicate.

GW: A quote that really stuck out for me is the one on your website: “where words fail... music speaks.” A lot of people can connect through that common experience.  You absorb yourself into the music so you can just enjoy and be present with others.

DR: Yeah.  We have been coming together a long time under that guise.  It's like that whole jam band thing.  We fit into that jam band world, not necessarily because we jam out our songs but because we believe in that ideal of where the music takes you.  And we are all together in the same space.  We all love the Grateful Dead for that.  They are a huge influence in my life.  It’s important not to approach fear and anger with the same energy that created it.  You need to dissolve it, and you can do that with light, love, compassion, and gratitude.  And hopefully the music helps.

GW: Speaking of music, you all have the Winter Ball coming up at the Ogden in Denver this weekend.  I hear we are in for a treat.  Can you talk a little about what you have in store for your much anticipated homecoming show?

DR: The most exciting thing we are planning is to be able to introduce some new music to our local fans and to the community. Bonnie is going to be debuting on the cello, so we are excited about adding some new textures and expanding our horizons a little bit.  As for decorations, we are going to make it feel like a winter ball.  We will also have aerialists performing each night and both nights are going to be unique sets of music.  We are happy to have our openers as well.  Pert’ Near Sandstone has that rolicky old time Appalachian sound and Joe Pug is a great songwriter.  We are excited to be playing in Colorado and doing our homecoming shows.

GW: A lot of fans are excited to hear your new sound.  How would you say it’s changing with these new songs?

DR: I would say it's just evolving.  We are refining a little bit.  We have always been really focused on the songwriting in the band, and at this point we are really giving each individual song the treatment that it calls for in a new way.  Whereas before it used to sound like we were all playing at once, now there's more holding back and allowing something else to state a different theme in the music.  I think it's just a maturation process, and just having songs written for other instruments and voices as well.  When you add cello, musical saw, and pedal steel to the mix of instruments in the forefront of the sound, it's really cool.  I'm excited to share that.

GW: We are really excited to hear it too.  Can you talk a little about how this musical evolution took place?

DR: A lot of that comes from the five of us coming together and playing music for the sake of music.  It’s really amazing how it's translated to the community.  That's the most special part about it, and that's really what the Winter Ball is about.  It's about celebrating our community.  The more we tour and do this, the more we meet these amazing people on the road.  And now we realize we are just a part of it.

GW: That's certainly something that I picked out from your lyrics.  The lyrics of “Sing to the Mountains,” has the phrase "everything is you." I think that really resonates.  Elephant Revival is unique in that the sound really does seem like it comes from the ground up.  Could you talk a little bit about that philosophy and how it has influenced you over time as a band?

DR: I feel like our roots are humble in the sense that they really came from around the campfire, from a place that we all enjoyed spending time together.  That song really reminds us of the summer of 2005 when we all really started coming together more and more.  Those lyrics remind me of the campfire, the crickets, the spring creek, and even the snakes.  All of that was in Tahlequah, Oklahoma which is the capital of the Cherokee nation.  It is also where all of the southeast tribes were relocated in the 1830s by Andrew Jackson.  A lot of our roots are there.  It's where Bonnie's family is from and it's where we spent a lot of time in our formative years.

GW: Wow, that sounds like such a special place.  Do you ever go back to Tahlequah as a band?

DR: Yeah, we still make a point of returning when we can.  We will be there for New Year's actually, several miles east in Fayetteville, Arkansas.  We are excited to go back to the Ozarks for our New Year's run.  We will be playing New Year’s Eve at George's Majestic Lounge.

GW: George’s Majestic Lounge. Wow, that sounds like a cool place.

DR: Yeah, I’m really excited for our shows this month.  We just reached our nine year anniversary this fall. The longer we do this the more grateful we are to have the opportunity to come together.  And the only reason that it really happens is that we are a part of this community of people doing what they can to better themselves, their relationships and the earth.  I'm speaking in clichés but really the beautiful thing that I find when I go to an Elephant Revival show is that the people I meet are trying to make a difference in the world for positive change.  To me that's very inspiring.

GW: I can’t imagine a better place to be! Thanks so much for speaking with us.

Was it the reunion of brimming fans? Or was it the band’s majestic sound? Regardless, Elephant Revival’s two homecoming shows at the Ogden this past weekend produced nothing short of sweeping communal joy.  Sights, sounds, and vibes provided respite from wintry woes all too common this time of year.  The Elephant Revival community had a lot to celebrate: a host of new music, a well received national tour, and the announcement of a first time gig headlining Red Rocks this spring.  Band members Bonnie Paine, Charlie Rose, Dango Rose, Bridget Law, and Daniel Rodriguez rejoiced with a two night Winter Ball complete with glitter, ball gowns, and aerial acrobats.

Elephant Revival has been around for over 9 years now, but only recently have they begun the transition from opener to main act.  This weekend’s stretch of homecoming shows marks a big step for the band.  Not only were they able to fill two evenings with unique sets of music at one of the biggest venues in Colorado, they consistently packed the Ogden with a slew of eager fans.  Concert goers traveled from remote corners of the region to get a dose of auditory medicine.  Band member Dango Rose said he was excited to introduce “new textures” and “expanded musical horizons” to local fans and the community.  (To see the rest of my interview with Dango, click here). With a dearth of new songs and the addition of new instruments like cello and pedal steel, the band accomplished just that.

The band played an impressive set Friday night, showcasing their incredibly diverse talents.  Some tunes were more bluegrass (Piper’s Sun, Rogue River), some more folksy/earthy (The Garden), and some sounded like they came from a middle eastern gypsy outfit (Stolen, Forgiveness).   Bonnie’s sister, Annie, joined the band for Jet Lag Blues, adding some funky bass to the mix.  Instrumental songs like Raker were impressive, and Bonnie Paine debuted the cello for the beautiful Hello.  The synthy, driving beats and trippy solos in Sea Monster were highlights as well.  The band ended the evening with a beautiful a cappella tribute (High Flying) to an uncle who recently passed away, followed by the upbeat crowd favorite, Grace of a Woman.

Saturday night had more “real” vibe, as the band played a healthy mixture of new songs as well as older, fan favorites.  The anthem Sing to the Mountain brought some exuberant howls from the crowd.  Other older favorites like Ring Around the Moon and Single Beds are Made were sure to please.  The instrumental Pasture was lush and driven, whereas Tamlin was faster and more bluegrassy.  A number of songs were played for the first time in front of a live audience, a few showcasing Bonnie on the cello.  Endearingly, Bonnie stumbled over the cello melody for the debut of the song Furthest Shore. The crowd cheered her on affectionately as a family would, eager to hear more.  Elephant Revival also brought out a couple of fun covers.  Truth (Handsome Boy Modeling School) was soulful as usual, and the cover of Jefferson Airplane’s White Rabbit displayed the stunning range of Bonnie Paine’s vocals.  It was a treat for fans to hear a sampling of both new and old songs from the band’s discography nearly a decade in the making.

Elephant Revival has been adjusting to a change in membership for the past year or so.  Beloved founding band member, Sage Cook, left the band in January to dig deeper roots, starting an art and music inspired farming community in the great plains (check out wedreamdawn.com).  His replacement, Charlie Rose (no relation to Dango), had some big shoes to fill.  It’s been almost a year since Charlie’s first performance with the band.  Although Charlie had some learning to do, the band members didn’t see themselves as merely adjusting to a new member.  They saw themselves as evolving and maturing.  The evolution was apparent this weekend.  Charlie’s original hesitation with the band has transformed into a newfound confidence on stage.  His pedal steel, guitar, and banjo solos made their mark, especially with songs like Rakers and Sea Monster.

Similar to the philosophy of the ARISE Music Festival, the Winter Ball showcased other forms of art as well.  Aerialists from FractalTribe (Jill and MaQi) complimented more equivocal songs, stretching, spinning, and sometimes tumbling above the audience in dramatic fashion.  Although it wasn’t planned, puffs of glitter shimmering in the stage lights added to the surreal quality of the performance.  Resident concert painter Scramble Campbell also attended both nights, capturing the magic on canvas.

It truly is an inspiration to see a band like Elephant Revival continue to gain momentum.  I suspect that their graciousness, collaboration, and positive energy has something to do with it.  I had the privilege of spending some time with the band Saturday night, and I was happy to find them as normal humans, humble and open.  Even though they are on the road increasingly these days, I can see they still play a big part in the community.  It was a very heartfelt evening for the band as they were able to celebrate new musical horizons with fans in their home state.

Setlist for Friday 12/4/15

Will Carry On

Home

Rakers

Stolen

Forgiveness

Jet Lag Blues  

Piper's Sun  

Hey Alright

Sea Monster

Season Song

Hello  

When I Fall

Ancient Sea

Currach

Peace Tonite

Drop

The Garden

Rogue River

Encore:

High Flying / A Capella

Echoes Rose

Grace of a Woman

--

Setlist for Saturday 12/5/15

Remembering a Beginning

Birds and Stars

Tamlin

Truth

Spinning

Don’t Know Nothin’

The Pasture

Raindrops

On and On

Sweet Dreams

Sing to the Mountain

Ring Around the Moon

Furthest Shore Flight Patterns

Point of You

Lost Creek

Petals

I’m Askin

White Rabbit

Encore:

Burn Bright

What is Time

Single Beds