The Dandy Warhols :: Gothic Theatre :: December 9

Lovely Outcasts, the Dandy Warhols take control with their Odditorium

By Emily H. Lanigan

If you weren’t That Kid, you at least knew That Kid.

In 1995, That Kid had on a worn out polo shirt, a moth-eaten cardigan, Vans boat shoes, huge sunglasses and was never without a backpack. That Kid was smart at school, but it only really showed in art class. He was obsessed with Andy Warhol’s Factory and he read magazines that nobody ever heard of.

Best of all, That Kid was tapped into the indie scene from San Diego to Berlin and knew all the best bands. That Kid adored The Dandy Warhols. Continue — Read more »

311 :: Fox Theatre :: December 11 ::

311 releases don’t tread on me, dodges storms and gets comfy after 15 years

By Timothy Dwenger

For more than 15 years the band 311 has been at the forefront of the genre melding craze that has swept through the music industry.

While the band was in the midst of three consecutive sold-out shows at The Fillmore in San Francisco, The Marquee caught up with singer Nick Hexum.

311 was born out of two groups of friends who went to high school in Omaha. “Three of us went to one school and two went to another. Me, Tim (Mahoney – guitar) and Chad (Sexton – drums) were buds, and then we met P-nut (bass) and S.A. (Martinez – vocals) later on,” said Hexum.

After playing in various combinations, in bands such as Unity and Fish Hippos, 311 became official when they played their first gig under the moniker in 1990. Though Martinez wouldn’t become a full-time band member until 1992, he sat in often in the early days. “What was really good about developing in Omaha is that the people of the city were really open-minded about our crazy and unique blend of music. Putting rap with reggae with rock really wasn’t done at the time,” Hexum said. Continue — Read more »

:: Fox Theatre :: December 8

:: Bluebird Theater :: December 9

:: Black Sheep :: December 10

Rasputina: Historically influenced and constantly costumed cello rockers

By Cornelia Kane

What does the name of a lecherous 18th-century Siberian mystic who was said to have controlled Russia’s tsar with his dark powers have to do with a three-piece rock group that dresses in period clothing and rocks out with cellos? Quite a bit, if that band is Rasputina.

“I took the name Rasputin because of all the crazy things people associate with it, and then added an ‘a’ to feminize it, which made it even more disturbing,” front-woman Melora Creager told The Marquee in a recent interview. The name began as the title of a song, but developed into the band name at the suggestion of original member Julia Kent.

Rasputina has gone through several line-up changes over the years since its inception in 1991, with Creager always remaining the core member. She has been playing the cello since the age of nine, but wrote her first song, a taste of what was to come later, called “The Ballad of Lizzie Borden,” when she was just six.

Continue — Read more »

Centro-Matic :: supporting Drive-By Truckers :: Fox Theatre :: December 29, 30 and 31

Centro-matic’s Will Johnson juggles multiple projects and loves it all

By Tim Dwenger

“If we found the time,” sings Will Johnson on the opening line of Centro-Matic’s most recent release, the Flashes and Cables EP. His tenor voice is as recognizable as the passion that seeps through his lyrics. He may not have a highly trained or technically beautiful voice, but in the tradition of singers like Bruce Springsteen, Tom Waits and Bob Dylan, he sings from a place deep inside his soul in a style that can’t be taught. 

Time is something Johnson has found little of recently and he generously shared some of it with The Marquee while in Dallas on a short run of shows in a high-profile solo opening slot for My Morning Jacket. With only three shows remaining on his run with “The Jackets,” Johnson is coming up on some well deserved time off. “It has been about four months straight on the road, with one band or another,” he said. “I got back from Europe at about 1 a.m. yesterday morning after doing about a month of shows over there with South San Gabriel [Johnson’s other band]. It is a matter of which mask to put on each night.” Continue — Read more »

Head for the Hills :: Table Mountain Inn :: December 29

Fort Collins born bluegrassers Head for the Hills, branch out across Front Range

By Kathy Foster-Patton

It’s not often that a band that hasn’t even made a CD fills up venues like the Mishawaka Amphitheatre, or shares the stage with such luminaries of bluegrass as Pete Wernick and David Grisman. But the college boys from Head For The Hills have the recipe that pulls in the crowds. By spicing up some bluegrass standards, which they mix in with their own homebrew, some hip-hop influence and sometimes even a clarinet, the band takes a different approach to the jamgrass scene.

The band members recently took time out from songwriting, performing and studying for finals to speak with The Marquee about their music and where school ranks in the mix of things.  Continue — Read more »

:: Jeff Austin and Friends :: Cervante’s Masterpiece Ballroom :: December 2

:: Aggie Theatre :: December 3

:: Fox Theatre :: December 4

:: Yonder Mountain String Band :: December 30 and 31 :: Fillmore Auditorium ::

Austin looks to take on nashville in 2OO6 while keeping yonder a priority

 By Bruce Lish

“It’s pretty amazing. There’s really no other way you can put it. Big Head Todd had the room for three years running, I think. It was theirs as long as they wanted … fuck man, to have the home town faithful….” Putting it mildly, mandolin player/vocalist Jeff Austin of Yonder Mountain String Band was quite pleased to be hosting this coming New Year’s Eve at Denver’s Fillmore Auditorium, for the second year running. And with a line-up for Dec. 30 which includes the Neville Brothers, and for the 31st that features “Panama Red” Peter Rowan and former Leftover Salmon heroes Vince Herman and Drew Emmitt in a mini-reunion/collaboration, along with local favorites Uncle Earl — plus special guest fiddler extraordinaire, ‘Yonder Family’ member Darol Anger — Austin has a whole lot to be excited about. Continue — Read more »

 Hells Belles :: Cervante’s Masterpece Ballroom :: December 27 ::

AC/DC Tribute Hells Belles grows into one of the Front Range’s favorite acts

By Brandon Daviet

For rock musicians and fans alike, there is no practice more holy than paying proper homage to one’s favorite band. For many people the songs of the past serve as a sort of audio photograph, invoking memories of good times past or a loved one lost, and for most folks dusting off a classic album or attending a concert is tribute enough.

For others, like the girls in the all-female AC/DC tribute band Hells Belles, faithfully recreating the music of their idols is not only the ultimate tribute but also a demanding job. Hells Belles bassist Mandy Reed, who plays the part of AC/DC’s Cliff Williams, took a few minutes to talk to The Marquee about life in a tribute band. Continue — Read more »

Moonshine Still :: Cervante’s Masterpiece Ballroom :: Dec.30 and 31

Moonshine still hits cervante’s for New Years shows with Shanti Groove

By Matt Marty

With 10 years under their belt, Moonshine Still is almost elderly in the jam scene and their latest album, [R]evolution, is being hailed as their greatest leap in maturity yet.

Founded in 1996 by bass player Ray Petren and lead singer/guitar player Scott Baston, Moonshine Still toured throughout the southeast and became a must-see live act in their early days.

Completing the lineup are drummer/vocalist Will Robinson, percussionist Bill Jarrett, guitarist David Shore, and keyboardist Trippe Wright. 

The Georgia natives were able to get their name out through extensive touring and playing the festival circuit. The High Sierra Music Festival and Mid Atlantic Music Festival have been high-profile stops for the band and opportunities that they have not taken lightly. “The festival scene has allowed us to be seen by so many people that would have never heard of us before, we have been able to gain fans through people just walking by and hearing our set, and that is something that can only happen by playing festivals,” said Ray Petren in a recent interview with The Marquee. Continue — Read more »

 Mark Vann Foundation Benefit :: Boulder Theater :: Dec. 16

Let’s Pick!: Mark Vann Foundation hosts annual benefit at Boulder Theater

By Vince Herman

from Leftover Salmon

& Great American Taxi

Boy Howdy folks!

Through concerts, individual donations and merchandise sales, the Mark Vann Foundation — formed after the untimely passing of Leftover Salmon banjo extraordinaire Mark Vann — has been able to lend assistance to the Music Maker Relief Foundation, Conscious Alliance and the Tipitina’s Foundation. These organizations help needy musicians throughout the South and especially those affected by Hurricane Katrina.

The Mark Vann Foundation has helped preserve hundreds of hours of musical history through the Steam Powered Preservation Society, and has helped disabled kids gain independence through The Beginning Steps Foundation in San Francisco. The Mark Vann Foundation has also been encouraging kids to develop careers in the arts through the Van Go Mobile Arts Center in Lawrence, Kansas. This innovative, community-funded program helps kids get commissions for artwork placed in the community, from murals to benches. Kids at the workshop work on making a difference in their community and getting paid for it. Mark would have been particularly happy to encourage kids to make that leap of faith and pursue a career in the arts, having made that leap himself. Continue — Read more »

It’s always odd to write a column that recaps a year when that year has yet to end, but this issue is our last one of 2005 and so we must, despite what the calendar says at the time of this writing.

Once again, The Marquee has assembled a list of industry insiders to pick their Shows of the Year for this annual end-of-the-year feature.

The rules are the same as in years past. The show had to have taken place during 2005 (or on the 2004-2005 New Year) and it is required that the show be one which occurred on the Front Range — no votes for Bonnaroo, Vegoose or anything out of our territory allowed.

This year is one of the most diverse listings we’ve seen and it’s no wonder. We are blessed with one of the best music scenes around. According to our counts from our calendar section, there were over 10,000 musical performances between Colorado Springs and Fort Collins this year. That’s an average of almost 30 shows a day! Where else does that happen? I bet even New York City would be impressed by those numbers.

More than just the numbers, the diversity is the truly amazing aspect. From small barrooms and coffee shops to our illustrious Red Rocks Amphitheatre, musicians ranging from solo artists to huge ensembles can be found every night.

Here’s what we and some of our friends thought were the highlights of 2005:

  Continue — Read more »

Wilco’s Kicking Television – Live in Chicago superb, despite being as fulfilling as internet porn

Wilco

Kicking Television – Live in Chicago

Nonesuch Records

4 out of 5

It took a while for one of the world’s best live bands to release a live CD, but with the mid-November release of Wilco’s Kicking Television – Live in Chicago, the wait is finally over — and it was certainly worth it.

Kicking Television was recorded in Wilco’s home town of Chicago at the Vic Theatre. The two disc set captures perfectly the aura of live Wilco — its melancholy ballads and raucous rock.

2005 has been a very good year for Wilco.

Their 2004 album A ghost is born earned the band two Grammy Awards. Two of their earlier albums, 2002’s Yankee Hotel Foxtrot and 1996’s Being There, as well as the DVD I Am Trying to Break Your Heart, have been certified gold. And it seems as if people finally ‘get’ them. The international press has heralded Wilco as “the world’s most exciting live rock band” that is “capable of almost anything.”

  Continue — Read more »

December 1

• 1983: Neil Young is sued by Geffen Records for producing albums that are “not commercial”

• 1982: Michael Jackson releases Thriller

December 2

• 1970: Jay-Z is born Shawn Corey Carter

December 3

• 1979: Eleven Who fans are trampled to death rushing to gain admittance for general seating at Cincinnati’s Riverfront Coliseum

• 1948: Ozzy Osbourne is born John Michael Osbourne

December 4

• 1993: Frank Zappa dies of pancreatic cancer

December 6

• 1988: Roy Orbison dies of a heart attack

• 1969: Infamous stabbing by the Hell’s Angels at Altamont occurs during Rolling Stones show

• 1956: Randy Rhodes is born

December 7

• 1949: Tom Waits in born

• 1942: Singer/songwriter Harry Chapin is born

December 8

• 1980: John Lennon is assassinated in front of his NYC apartment building

• 1947: Gregg Allman is born

• 1943: Jim Morrison is born

December 10

• 1967: Otis Redding dies in a plane crash

December 11

• 1957: Jerry Lee Lewis secretly weds his third wife, third cousin Myra Gale Brown

December 12

• 1943: Dickey Betts of The Allman Brothers Band is born

• 1915: Frank Sinatra is born Continue — Read more »