
The Tedeschi Trucks Band with Los Lobos and the Gabe Dixon
Trio were impressive at Red Rocks on July 29...
Posted originally
August 2, 2022,
and last updated August 8, 2022 by
Chuck Miller
I
don't know how Susan Tedeschi does it. That woman can play
guitar and especially sing! I can't imagine how she has a
voice or any energy left after the performance I saw at Red
Rocks Amphitheatre in Morrison, Colorado, on July 29. On that
thankfully cool Friday night, I witnessed the three bands
play the first of two weekend shows at the spectacular
Morrison, CO, venue. It was the best show I've seen so far
this summer.
Tedeschi
Trucks Band keyboard player Gabe Dixon's band was first up, starting their half hour set right at 6:45 PM.
Dixon's voice brought to mind Billy Joel and Jackson Browne
for me. His original songs were were very good, too. He also covered
Bob Dylan's "Tangled Up In Blue," which got a great reaction
from the sold out, surprisingly young (but with plenty of
baby boomer aged folks like me) in attendance.
The sold out venue was mostly filled by the time Los Angeles
troubadours
Los Lobos stepped on stage. They played for almost
exactly one hour starting at 7:30 PM. I've seen Los Lobos
many times, and at each performance they've gotten the audience up,
dancing, and involved. Their eclectic LA-infused folk,
Mexicali, nostalgic rock and roll repertoire is infectious.
Their offerings included "Evangeline," "Will the Wolf Survive," "Not
Fade Away" and a cover of the Grateful Dead's "Bertha" to
close the joyous set. I think I've heard them play "Bertha"
at almost every show I've seen. Someone once told me that lead
singer/guitarist David Hidalgo loved Jerry Garcia and by
playing that song, honors him. Whatever the reason, the last two songs really
got the enthusiastic music lovers in good spirits for the
rest of the night.
The twelve piece Tedeschi Trucks Band
filtered on stage at 9:04 PM. They were amazingly casual in
picking up their instruments and starting to play right away.
The first song was "Hear My Dear" from the new album I
Am The Moon: I. Crescent, and that got the night started
right.
A few songs in, Susan Tedeschi and Gabe Dixon
traded off vocals on "I Am The Moon, " which was simply beautiful. Derek
played a gorgeous guitar solo. "Circles 'Round The Sun"
followed.
Tedeschi and the singers left the stage as
Trucks began playing the highlight of the night, "Pasaquan."
Though I had never heard it played live, I was aware of this
new instrumental, which is also featured on
I
Am The Moon: I. Crescent. The song has the same
spirit as some of the best Allman Brothers Band
instrumentals, like "Mountain Jam" or "Les Brers in A
Minor." It gave every musician on stage a chance to show
their chops. I was transported back to some of the best
Grateful Dead jams I'd heard live as the sound evolved.
Sounding both off the cuff and polished at the same time,
this number quickly captured my ear.
Cesar Rosas and David Hidalgo from Los Lobos
came out and embellished War's "The World Is A Ghetto," and
the Charles Segar penned blues standard, "Key To the
Highway." It was great to see the rock powerhouses unite for
some inspired jamming.
After this, Tedeschi launched into "Part Of
Me" and dedicated her own composition "Just Won't Burn" to
her daughter. She sang her heart out on both. At this point
in the show, I wondered if she was going to be able to sing
the next night. But, she wasn't done.
Three more cover songs, "Outside Woman
Blues," "I Walk On Guilded Splinters," and another
blistering Tedeschi vocal on "I Pity the Fool" followed. Her
powerful and controlled vocal delivery was urgent and clear.
The nearly two-and-a-half hour long set ended
around 11:20 with the fan favorite "Bound For Glory." On a
night sprinkled with plenty of cover songs, the band encored
with their rendition of The Coaster's "Let's Go Get Stoned,"
which had the fans up and singing along. It was a
wonderfully joyous and moving night of great music.
I brought a camera and took some photos.
However, I did not record the show. But, thanks to friend
and fellow taper Richard Skaggs efforts his excellent
recordings are linked below. To see more of my photos of the
bands, I have also included those links.

Tedeschi Trucks Band ~ 2022-07-29 Red Rocks Amphitheatre,
Morrison, CO
Tedeschi
Trucks Band - 2022-07-29
Los Lobos ~ 2022-07-29 Red Rocks Amphitheatre, Morrison, CO
Los
Lobos - 2022-07-29
Gabe
Dixon Trio - 2022-07-29
Links to the official band web sites
and the venue are below.
Tedeschi
Trucks Band
Los Lobos
Gabe Dixon
Red Rocks
Amphitheatre

Reckless Kelly and Carin Mari put on a superb show at
Stargazers Theatre in Colorado Springs on April 24...
Posted originally
April 25, 2022,
and last updated April 25, 2022 by
Chuck Miller
Buena
Vista, Colorado-based singer, songwriter Carin Mari opened for Reckless
Kelly on Sunday, April 24, at Stargazers Theatre. She started
playing at 8 PM.
Mari was very, very good -- superb in fact. Her effortless
guitar playing and strong voice displayed her awe-inspiring command
of the
songs, the stage, and the adoring concert goers from the first
song until the end of her 45-minute long set. Mari is busy
with her
solo career and is also the lead acoustic and electric
guitar player for Michael Martin Murphey & the Rio Grande
Band.
She even played Murphey's biggest radio hit "Wildfire" by
request from the venue owners John and Cindy Hooton.
The approximately 350 fans in attendance rained
enthusiastic applause on her at the end of every song. She
was truly impressive, entertaining the audience with tales
from her life while finger picking her acoustic guitar
between songs.
At a little after 9 PM the five-piece Americana and
alt-country rockers Reckless Kelly walked on stage. Brothers Willy and Cody Braun, along with Jay Nazz, Joe
Miller, and Ryan Engleman played one long set that never
flagged. The highlight for me was the mid-set "Wicked
Twisted Road" from their eponymous fourth album.
I had heard some of their songs but had never seen them
perform live. It turns out they are an awesome live band. I'm a
big fan now. They had endless energy and kept the audience dancing all night long with
their great playing and well-crafted songs.

This was my first time back to the venue since COVID hit, and
I have to say it was one of the strongest nights of
live music I've ever seen at Stargazer's Theatre. The music,
sound, and crowd were that good. The venue's updated PA system and lights
are quite impressive and greatly added to my enjoyment of this
night of music.
Since it was a last minute decision to go to the show, I
didn't bring my recording equipment. Next time either act is in
town, I'll make sure to ask them if I can make a recording. I
did bring my camera and took some photos, which can be
accessed by following the links below.
Reckless
Kelly - 2022-04-24
Carin
Mari - 2022-04-24
To learn more about these amazing performers and the venue
please follow these links:
The official web site
for Reckless Kelly
Carin Mari's official
web site
Stargazers Theatre
and Event Center web site

Poudre Valley Playboys from Fort Collins, CO played an
excellent show at Pikes Peak Brewing on March 26...
Posted originally
March 27, 2022,
and last updated March 28, 2022 by
Chuck Miller
The
self described hillbilly-surf band Poudre Valley
Playboys played three high energy sets Saturday at Pikes
Peak Brewing Lager House in the COATI complex on Tejon Street in
Colorado Springs.
Starting at 7 PM they engaged the enthusiastic audience from
the start of the first set until they stopped playing after
10 PM. They performed cover versions of songs by Johnny Cash,
The Ventures and many others along with several originals in that lively
rockabilly style. The songs were short and sweet
like "El Cumbanchero" and kept the fans on the dance
floor moving.

Guitarist and singer Josh Long along with upright bassist Mark Verschoor were very
energetic and
entertaining to watch.
Most of the songs were instrumental, but Long has a nice
voice and sang lead on the songs that had lyrics. They both
have an open, friendly and inviting presence on and off the
stage. They mingled with the audience, chatting with the
people in the bar between sets and after they finished
playing for the night. I'm sure they gained some new
southern Colorado fans Saturday night.
I'm a new fan and am already looking forward to seeing them
perform again soon.
For more information about this dynamic duo visit Long's official
band web site:
Poudre Valley Playboys.

Marshall Fire Benefit Concert a fundraiser for
those affected by the wildfires premiered on February 28...
Posted originally
March 1, 2022,
and last updated March 1, 2022 by
Chuck Miller
The
pre-recorded musical celebration Marshall Fire Benefit
Concert started streaming right at 7 PM on Monday, February
28. The ticket price was $10 to view the star-studded couch
concert via veeps.com.
The 2 hour, 25-minute long virtual jam-fest was a fundraiser for Boulder
County Wildfire Fund to help ravaged survivors of the Marshall Fires.
The most devastating fire event in Colorado history started on
December 30, 2021, and burned more than 6,000 acres and
nearly 1,000 homes in Boulder County, Colorado, in 48 hours.
There is at least one confirmed death and one person still
missing from the unprecedented catastrophe.
Nick Forster, host of Boulder's
nationally syndicated radio show eTown, was the master of
ceremonies. He introduced the artists and provided
information during the fundraiser. He reported that more
than $500,000 was raised and over 6,000 tickets were sold
before the event started. The show was produced by
legendary Denver concert promoter
Chuck Morris & AEG Presents.
The broadcast started with a montage of facts and images
detailing the aftermath of the horrific wildfires. So many
houses, trees, and vehicles burned down to hollowed out
shells. Fittingly, Denver-based jazz, funk, and
soul-influenced band
The Motet was the first to play. As with most of the
acts, the band played in a studio environment with no
audience. The sound and video for all the performances was
top notch. Amos Lee, Lake Street Dive, Ben Rector, Sara Jarosz, Lyle Lovett, Sam Bush, Michael Franti, and Gregory
Alan Isokov where the first group of artists to perform. I
thought the performances were much more engaging than I see
at typical concert events. It felt like I was in the room
with them, and since the music was performed live without
overdubs, the songs were fresh and more organic than the
studio versions heard on the radio.
Later, there were more engaging performances by The California Honeydrops;
Trey Anastasio, who played two Phish songs "Sample In A Jar"
and "Ghost;" Nathaniel Rateliff; Kitchen Dwellers; Wynona
Judd & Cactus Moser; Dave Matthews; Todd Park Mohr from
Big Head Todd & the Monsters; Ryan Tedder from OneRepublic,
a band formed in Colorado Springs; and the popular Colorado
sextet The
String Cheese Incident, who also played two songs film in
front of a live audience.
Dispersed between musical acts, Forster, Colorado Governor Jared
Polis, U.S. Congressman Joe Neguse, former Denver Governor
and now-U.S. Senator John Hickenlooper, and Morris all spoke
about the devastation and the efforts to raise money to help
the people affected by it. Hickenlooper said that music is
healing, but music can't heal it all, so the people who lost
so much need our help.
The last group of performers included Old Crow Medicine Show, who
performed John Denver's Colorado anthem "Rocky Mountain
High;" Yonder Mountain String Band; Steve Miller; Vinyl
Kings; and Mihali from the band Twiddle. Denver favorites The Lumineers
closed the triumphant night right around 9:25 PM.
I thoroughly enjoyed the whole thing. It was exhilarating to
see so many performers donate their time to help raise money
for this worthwhile cause. The music was awesome,
and the music did indeed add to a sense of healing and
community. At almost two and one half hours long, there
were no dips in energy the whole time, and I saw quite a few
performers I hadn't seen before. I hope they release some of
the music as a paid download so I can hear it again.
Though the webcast is over, you can still donate to the
cause here:
The Boulder County Wildfire Fund. The site has an
abundance of
good information, and your donation is tax deductible. Please
donate if you can. The goal is to raise one million dollars.
As of this writing, they are over halfway there.

It's a brand new year and the start of my tenth year
producing this
live music recording & guitar info blog...
Posted originally
January 13, 2022,
and last updated January 15, 2022 by
Chuck Miller
2022
is not off to a great start with one of the first music
festivals of the year, Playing In the Sand
headlined by Dead & Company, being cancelled abruptly.
Reports are that as some people were on planes, flying to the venue in
Cancun, Mexico, the concert organizers cancelled the event.
Singer and guitarist John Mayer tested positive and couldn't
participate, and drummer Bill Kreutzmann backed out over his
own health concerns. That's very disappointing for the band
and fans. Hopefully the event will be rescheduled.
I've been slowly getting better at playing the guitar
since the pandemic started.
I feel like I'm getting back to the
playing level I was at in my teens and 20's. I'm also
learning more about music theory than I did when I was
younger, though I have to admit I still like working on
guitars and the associated gear more than I enjoy playing.
I'm still buying inexpensive guitars and fixing them up,
but I'm getting much more selective about what I buy. Until
recently, I considered it a learning experience to repair
and re-sell them. This year, I'm hoping to start making some
money for my efforts.
One recent acquisition I'm quite pleased with is a
beautiful Shoreline Gold, 2007 Vintage Modified Fender Squire Thinline
electric guitar. It's very close to being my dream guitar. I've always been drawn to hollow and semi-hollow
electric guitars like this one. It has plenty of upgrades too,
including aftermarket Hoagland pickups, genuine Fender tuners, Guyer compensated brass barrel saddles, and full size CTS
pots. The stock white pick guard was replaced with a black
one, which I think makes it look sharp. It sounds and plays great, too.
I'm going to make an effort to see and record some Red Rocks
concerts this summer. Music is always such a pleasure, but
the venue is equally important to the experience. I didn't
see any shows there last year because of COVID19 concerns.
This year I want to experience concerts again in that other
worldly setting in Morrison, CO.
Lulu's Downstairs in Manitou Springs is becoming my
favorite local venue. It's only about 15 minutes away. The
sound and stage are good,
and I can make excellent recordings
in there. I'd like to see and record more shows at Lulu's in
2022.
So, stay tuned for more reviews and live recordings from me this
year. I'm optimistic and hoping we get a handle on the
coronavirus and society gets closer to the old normal. I
don't think it'll take much to make 2022 better than 2021.

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