Rage Against The Machine @ the Denver Coliseum during the Democratic National Convention

August 27, 2008

Text by Brian F. Johnson/Photos by Jeffrey V. Smith

Historic.

Epic.

Legendary.

These words do little to convey what this afternoon’s Rage Against the Machine concert at the Denver Coliseum was like. The show, an antiwar protest hosted by Tent State University, joined Rage Against the Machine, along with support acts The Flobots, The Coup and State Radio, to combine the forces of those acts with Iraq Veterans Against The War. Continue — Read more »

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Marquee Tags: Democractic National Convention, Flobots, MC5, Rage Against the Machine, State Radio, The Coup, Tom Morello, Wayne Kramer, Zach de la Rocha
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By Timothy Dwenger

Photos by Jeffrey V. Smith Wideawake Design and Publicity

e-Town at the DNC Temple Buell Theatre

Tuesday, August 26

There are few things that bring people together like music, but when you have one of the most politically partisan events possible going on and you dare combine with it a musical event of huge proportions you either get something very special or something very volatile.

When the politically and socially active e-Town radio program announced that they were going to stage a show to coincide with the Democratic National Convention here in Denver the buzz began.  When they started to announce names like Ani DiFranco, David Crosby, Graham Nash and James Taylor it picked up speed and despite the relatively hefty price tag, tickets went very quickly.  As the date approached and Rage Against the Machine guitarist Tom Morello and New Orleans soul legend Irma Thomas were announced to round out the musical portion of the line up the stage was set for a great evening of music.

e-Town, usually recorded in Boulder, moved operations down to Denver for the evening and occupied the large Temple Buell Theater.  Just blocks from the site of the DNC it was close enough for many delegates and even a couple of speakers from the event to make an appearance on the program.

The evening began with a few word from Mayor Denver, John Hickenlooper who got some laughs when he described politics as “Rock and Roll for ugly people” and then went on to share an anecdote about Kurt Vonnegut.  Apparently, when Hickenlooper was running for mayor he asked Vonnegut, one of his father’s friends, for an endorsement.  The notoriously curmudgeonly Vonnegut refused the endorsement but shortly after, Hickenlooper received a note from the author which read “I don’t do endorsements, I do hopes, and I hope that John Hickenlooper becomes the next mayor of Denver.”  As the laughter subsided Hickenlooper got a deafening ovation when he said “I hope that Barack Obama becomes the next President of the United States.”

Hickenlooper then introduced the strongly democratic crown to Nick and Helen Forester, the founders and hosts of e-Town who shepherded us through the next several hours of music and conversation.

Ani DiFranco

New Orleans Soul legend Irma Thomas led things off with a number that featured Denver’s own Henry Butler on piano.  Butler, who originally hails from New Orleans, relocated to Denver shortly after Hurricane Katrina devastated The Crescent City.  In the intervening years Butler has become part of the Front Range music community and even graced the e-Town once or twice before.  Together, the pair introduced the crowd to Thomas’s sweetly soulful voice before the e-Town house band, the e-Tones, joined the mix.  Finally, at Nick Forester’s request the band broke into “Time Is on My Side,” a song, obviously made popular by The Rolling Stones, that Thomas recorded way back in 1964.  Thomas and the band were joined by Ani DiFranco and later, for the last chorus, by David Crosby and Graham Nash on background vocals, giving the crowd a sneak peak at some of the collaborations that were to come.

Tom Morello

As Thomas and her guests embraced and left the stage with a wave that surely meant “we’ll see you later” Forester took to the mic to introduce a stranger to the folk world, at least until recently, Tom Morello, lead guitarist of Rage Against The Machine.  Morello has, for the last year or more, been touring as an acoustic protest singer under the pseudonym The Nightwatchman.  While Morello left no doubt in my mind that the time he spends playing with Rage are his bread butter he did run through a couple of decent folky tunes that showed he could hold his own on the acoustic circuit.  Two songs about cities, “Midnight In the City of Destruction” and “The Fabled City” anchored his brief set and no sooner than he had unplugged his guitar did Governor Bill Ritter take the stage to a standing ovation.

Ritter focused on a central issue of our times during his remarks, climate change.  He spoke of how he had been above the Arctic Circle and that he had seen first hand the changes that many have only read about or seen on screen.  He praised Nick and Helen for eTown’s environmental awareness and activism over the last 17 years and issued a call to action that earned him another rousing ovation.

It is clear that while many fans of e-Town are in it for the music they are also politically, socially and environmentally aware and that was abundantly clear on this particular evening.

Following the format of the traditional e-Town, after Bill Ritter left the stage it was time for the e-chievement award.  The honoree is always someone who “is working hard to make a positive difference in their communities and beyond.”  Forester seemed excited as he announced the award winner saying “we’ve had hundreds of nominations for this man over the years and tonight he can finally join us in person,” before calling Robert Kennedy Jr. from the wings to join him at the mic.

Kennedy, who suffers from a debilitating condition that affects his vocal chords, was at no loss for words as he spoke at length about the Riverkeepers, an organization that sues alleged polluters of the Hudson River, and The Waterkeeper Alliance, which he founded after becoming involved with The Riverkeepers and connects local waterkeeper groups.  Kennedy got a big reaction from the crowd when he name checked folk (and protest) singer Pete Seeger and spoke about his teachings before driving home is main point that “rivers are no just a conduit for waste.”  His work has supported more than 170 waterkeeper programs worldwide and it is clear that Kennedy is passionate about these programs and the good work that they do.

After Forester finally wrangled Kennedy off the stage he introduced one of the most passionate folk singers of our generation, Ani DiFranco.  DiFranco is no stranger to Colorado and has performed on the e-Town program in the past.  After commenting on how much she loved taking the stage in front of such a “seething den of Democrats” she attacked her acoustic guitar and brought its percussive side to life as she sang her commentaries on the world with lyrics like “what a waste of opposable thumbs to make machines that are disposable.”  As if the applause she received between each song wasn’t enough she nearly brought the house down when she dedicated her final tune to “all the folks who are working in Barack Obama’s camp.”

As the excitement of change and the anticipation of what was to come hung in the air, Forester again took the stage to introduce of the most passionately (and liberal) political singer songwriters of the last 40 years, David Crosby and Graham Nash.

Nash had been nice enough to take some time in the week leading up to the convention to sit down with The Marquee and discuss some of his political feelings and motivations.
“The last show I did with my band, The Hollies, was a Save the Children benefit so I’ve been at this for quite a while and I’ve always thought that dolling out my time is an interesting intellectual exercise so I boiled it down to what was important to me.  The most important thing to me is the health of our kids because while they are only about 20% of our population they are 100% of our future so I’ve always put that first,” he said.

Nash also gave some insight into the songs that he and Crosby might sing during the performance at the Buell and while his predictions turned out to be accurate the duo was given a little more time than he had initially expected and they were able to add a song or two their set.

They opened with the classic CSN&Y number “Déjà vu” as a clear nod to the times we are in and also as a bit of a marketing move since the Neil Young produced documentary of their 2006 Freedom of Speech tour hit theaters in early August.  While it is clear that they are aging and their voices aren’t everything that they once were, there were flashes of the brilliant harmonies that send chills up your spine and sent them to the top of the charts in the 60’s and 70’s.

From there the duo went into a pair of songs that Nash had mentioned in the interview.
The first, a new song Nash wrote called “In Your Name,” was a powerful anti war ballad that was very well received. “It’s a prayer and I’m talking to God asking ‘What the fuck is going on here.’  What is all this killing in your name?”  The second, “In Our Country,” is by Joel Raphael “and it’s a beautiful, beautiful song about how we have to take our country back and stop playing this silly game here,” Nash said in our conversation.  “I did it about 18 times on the Crosby Still and Nash tour and it just stuns the audience and we’ve been getting an unbelievable reaction.”

As the thunderous ovation faded away Crosby’s unmistakable guitar intro to “Guinevere” crept through the vast theatre and was soon joined by some of the best harmonies of the night.  As the song drew to a close it seemed the pair were finished before Forester whispered something into Crosby’s ear and the e-Tones came out for the iconic “Teach Your Children.”  The entire audience sang almost every word and it was clear that all the performers were having the time of their lives.  Forester’s work on the Pedal Steel gave the song a country edge that really fleshed out the song.

Though the night was wearing on, past the two and half hour mark, it was time for yet another highlight and out of the wings of the stage came the shiny head of James Taylor. Taylor ran to the microphone at center stage banging his guitar on something along the way and forcing to him to have to retune when he reached the microphone.  As he pulled himself and his guitar back together Henry Butler came back out on stage and took his seat at the piano.  The first song of Taylor’s short set was the 1968 classic “Wichita Lineman.”  The song was made famous by Glen Campbell and is included on Taylor’s upcoming album of cover’s that will be released later this month.  His soulful tenor treatment suited the melancholy song perfectly and sent chills through the audience.  Taylor continued with the covers and pulled Irma Thomas, Crosby and Nash up onto the stage for a funky New Orleans flavored version of “Hound Dog” that got the audience fired up.

Following the song Forester took the microphone and spoke with Taylor for a moment thanking him for supporting e-Town over the years and reminiscing about a time when Taylor stayed with Forester and his wife Helen in Boulder.  All the while Crosby and Nash stood patiently waiting on stage to sing an old chestnut with J.T.  As soon as Taylor began plucking the strings the audience broke out in applause for “You Can Close Your Eyes.”  Though Crosby joked that he might not remember all the lyrics he and Nash did a fantastic job as the most well paid back up singers in the business hitting the harmonies perfectly and blending in very well with Taylor’s voice.

As if this wasn’t enough the entire cast of the show emerged for a show closing rendition of Woody Guthrie’s classic “This Land Is Your Land.”  The artists took turns with the verses each giving it their own twist but none quite as dramatically as Tom Morello.  Morello went on a 3 or 4 minute rant against everything from Fox News to billionaire bankers and reinstated a verse that has largely disappeared from the popular versions of the song over the years as it has been depoliticized.  The fact is that Guthrie was one of the original protest singers and this was a very appropriate place to hear the following verse:
In the shadow of the steeple I saw my people,
By the relief office I seen my people;
As they stood there hungry, I stood there asking
Is this land made for you and me?
All in all, after a magical three hours of intelligent political discourse and fantastic music it was clear that Nick and Helen Forester and their radio show made a distinct mark on a historic Democratic National Convention right here in Denver.

Robert Kennedy Jr.

Graham Nash and David Crosby

Graham Nash and David Crosby

Other shots from around the DNC

Jeff Austin of Yonder Mountain String Band at Invesco Field

Sheryl Crow at Invesco Field

Jennifer Hudson at Invesco Field

Stevie Wonder at Invesco Field

wil.i.am at Invesco Field

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Marquee Tags: , Ani DiFranco, David Crosby, Democratic National Convention, DNC, e-Town, Gov. Bill Ritter, Graham Nash, Henry Butler, James Taylor, John Hickenlooper, Neil Young, Nick and Helen Forester, Robert Kennedy Jr., Tom Morello
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By Brian F. Johnson

Photos by Lindsay McWilliams http://flickr.com/photos/thatladylindsay

b. side Lounge

Tuesday, August 5, 2008

Seriously, what do I need to do? Hit y’all in the head?

I’ve been talking about Buffalo Killers for two years now, sometimes to an annoying amount, but you’ve all failed to listen to me.

Last night, the Ohio-based trio played an absolutely blistering set at the b.side lounge. The problem is that they played that set to about 15 people.

Now, there ain’t a band out there that hasn’t had a Tuesday night like that. It’s a suck-ass, practical reality of a band on the road, but if you’d all start listening to me a bit more, the bands that deserve a good crowd on any given night wouldn’t have to deal with this shit. Continue — Read more »

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Marquee Tags: Buffalo Killers, Let It Ride, The Black Crowes
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:: 3OH!3 ::

:: Fox Theatre ::

:: August 23 (sold out) and 24 ::

By Tiffany Childs

“You’s a punk-ass bitch, if you don’t know about Boulda.”
That, right there, could almost be the end, as well as the beginning of this story. It’s a line from 3OH!3’s break-out song “Holler ‘Til You Pass Out” — a song that catapulted them to YouTube fame with more than a quarter-million views of their crunk, gangsta and simultaneously hilarious video.
But now, the SOBO (South Boulder, to those in the know) duo could add that “You’s a punk-ass bitch if you don’t know about 3OH!3,” and they’d be right.
The nerd-hop duo of Sean Foreman and Nathaniel Motte are making the Boulder area code famous worldwide, blazing on the scene with the same fury and irreverent charm that made the world take notice of the Beastie Boys in the 1980s. And while hundreds of acts similar (in terms of white boy hip-hop) have come and gone, 3OH!3 has something that so very many of them drastically lacked — talent, as well as absolutely infectious, undeniable energy. Continue — Read more »

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Marquee Tags: 3OH!3, Benny Blanco, Boulder, Matt Squire, Nathanial Motte, Photo Finish Records, Sean Foreman
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:: Yonder Mountain String Band :: with Keller Williams ::

:: Red Rocks Amphitheatre :: August 2 ::

By Timothy Dwenger

Ten years ago, Yonder Mountain String Band was just another little bluegrass band from the hills of Boulder, Colorado. They played open mic nights, friends’ living rooms and, of course, the ultimate right of passage, opening slots at The Fox. While they have been growing steadily, in the last few years the band’s popularity has exploded well beyond the confines of the jam band community, and that doesn’t come without its hardships.

Today they stand poised at the brink of one of the most important shows of their career: their second headlining gig at Red Rocks. As Jeff Austin said in a recent interview with The Marquee from his home outside Nederland, “Last year was pretty surreal. It was an intense experience, but it was over before I knew it. The fact that it did sell-out was pretty cool but, not being the glass-half-full guy I used to be, it made me go, ‘Oh shit, does this mean we have to come and sell it out every time or it’s going to feel weird?’

“There were certain parties that were wanting us to do two Red Rocks gigs this year and we told them, ‘You’re out of your mind! We appreciate your faith in us, and that’s great, but the reality of the situation is that we can’t get ahead of ourselves. Let’s see what we can do this year.’ I mean, we’re not Widespread Panic selling the place out in four hours,” he said. Continue — Read more »

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Marquee Tags: Jeff Austin, Keller Williams, Yonder Mountain String Band
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:: Mike Gordon ::
 :: Fox Theatre :: August 28 ::
 :: Mishawaka Amphitheatre :: August 30 ::

By Timothy Dwenger

Known as Cactus to some, and Gordo to others, Mike Gordon made a name for himself as one-quarter of Vermont’s Phinest, Phish.

Today, however, with Phish four years behind him, Gordon seems to have his plate full as ever. “There are so many musical possibilities in my life right now that it is out of control,” the bassist said in a recent interview with The Marquee from his wife’s law office in Burlington. He’s got a new band, a new record, tons of new songs, several jam sessions he participates in regularly and, of course, there are all those rumors about his old band getting back together.

Currently, Gordon is attempting to focus on the upcoming tour he has scheduled with his new band and he seems to be very excited about it. “The band was very carefully picked after much deliberation and jamming,” Gordon said. The line-up that he finally settled on consists of Max Creek guitarist and long-time collaborator Scott Murawski, fellow Vermonters Tom Cleary on keys and Craig Myers on percussion, and Todd Isler on drums.
Continue — Read more »

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Marquee Tags: Max Creek, Mike Gordon, Phish, The Green Sparrow
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:: Marquee Magazine presents ::

:: Buffalo Killers ::

:: w/ The Dumm Friend’s League ::

:: b. side lounge :: August 5 ::

By Brian F. Johnson

It was the picture of the gold-top Les Paul bass that first made me take notice of the Buffalo Killers. I figured that anyone who wielded such a fire-breathing monster — especially a towering, ominous looking freak — was worth a listen. It was the opening notes of the song “San Martine Des Morelle” off the band’s self-titled 2006 release that let me know I was on to something.

Now, two years later with a brand new release, Let It Ride, under their belt and the kind of growth and maturity that comes from lessons learned during a slew of gigs opening for The Black Crowes, Ohio’s Buffalo Killers have emerged as one of today’s most crucial and skilled power trios — greasier than a Pep Boys parking lot and hotter than a HEMI.
Continue — Read more »

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Marquee Tags: Black Crowes, Black Keys, Buffalo Killers, Dan Auerbach, Let It Ride, Thee Shams
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:: Melissa Etheridge :: Fillmore Auditorium ::

:: August 26 ::

By LJ Hammer

“My top career highlight? Oh, I’ve had a lot. Oh, man. That’s tough.”
Speaking with The Marquee from a tour stop in Charlotte, N. C., Melissa Etheridge took a long pause. She could have been thinking of being signed out of a club by Island Records giant Chris Blackwell (U2, Bob Marley, Steve Winwood, Jethro Tull). It might have been the first Grammy nomination for 1988’s “Bring Me Some Water.” It could have been winning a Grammy for 1992’s “Ain’t It Heavy” or the one for 1994’s mega-selling “Come to My Window.” It could have been stealing the show (along with Red Hot Chili Peppers) in front of a quarter of a million people at Woodstock ’94. It might have been making the cover of Rolling Stone.

But, true to form, her answers lay somewhere in between those milestones. “It’s a tie” she said, in a recent interview with The Marquee, “between singing with Bruce Springsteen (in 1995 for MTV’s ‘Unplugged’) and winning an Oscar (for the song ‘I Need to Wake Up,’ featured in Al Gore’s An Inconvenient Truth).” Continue — Read more »

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Marquee Tags: Al Gore, Barack Obama, Democratic National Convention, KBCO, Melissa Etheridge, Studio C
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:: Super 400 :: Realm of Music Festival ::
 :: August 8 ::

By Cornelia Kane

Super 400 could be a couple of things, depending on who you ask. It could be an extremely valuable vintage Gibson jazz guitar, circa 1934. Or it could be the hardest rocking trio to come out of upstate New York in a long, long time. As you might have already guessed, the focus of this article will be (mainly) on the latter.

The band formed in 1996, in Troy, New York, when long-time friends Kenny Hohman (guitar and vocals) and Joe Daley (drums) played a local musicians’ showcase in front of bassist Lori Friday. The three instantly clicked and in 1998 they were signed to Island Records and released their self-titled debut. But things weren’t all they were cracked up to be. In late 1998, due to shakeups at the label, Super 400 were released from their contract and ever since have been doing it on their own, releasing two studio albums, including their most recent, 2007’s rock and roll-fueled fire starter, 3 And The Beast, and one live album on their own imprint, Electric Mombie. Continue — Read more »

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Marquee Tags: 3 and the Beast, Lori Friday, Realm of Music Festival, Super 400
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:: Steve Kimock :: NedFest ::
 :: August 22nd :: w/ Praang ::
 :: August 23 :: with Melvin Seals & JGB ::

By Ryan Lappi

If there is an art and discipline to maneuvering through the shifting climates and sonic landscapes of the world of musical improvisation, then Steve Kimock has undoubtedly taken on the dual roles of Zen Master and Secretary of the Psychedelic State. Not only has he mastered the art of shaping chaos within the context of on-the-fly musical composition, but he has also turned context itself on its head, adding a sublime and kaleidoscopic presence to any band that will have him.
In the last year alone, he has embarked on musical forays that have included such improvisational greats as Bob Weir, Mickey Hart, Mike Gordon, Bill Kreutzmann, Warren Haynes, Derek Trucks, Stephen Perkins, John Molo, and the Everyone Orchestra (just to name a few).

When he appears at NedFest this year he will continue the journey by playing with two more bands – Praang (featuring Jamie Janover and the String Cheese Incident’s Michael Travis and Jason Hann) and Melvin Seals & JBG. Continue — Read more »

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Marquee Tags: Jamie Janover, Jason Hann, JGB, Mark Karen, Melvin Seals, Michael Travis, Nedfest, Praang, Steve Kimock, String Cheese Incident
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By Brian F. Johnson

As the producer of Denver’s top-rated morning radio talk show, 103.5 The Fox’s “Lewis and Floorwax,” Kathy Lee is the glue that holds the team together.

The Korean-born Lee, who moved to Colorado when she was only two, plays the role of the informer when the boys are on the air — the one who is quick to grab a fact, or direct the off-the-cuff hosts into the topic du jour. But the other part of that role is being, almost daily, the butt of the joke, discussing embarrassing moments of her personal life simply because it makes good radio.

Even though her audience can only hear her, it’s obvious that the majority of her time on the air is spent with a smile, enjoying the hell out of taking “water cooler conversations” and broadcasting them throughout Denver and the Front Range. Continue — Read more »

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Marquee Tags: 103.5 The Fox, Kathy Lee, Lewis and Floorwax
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Burns burning up the charts — Colorado local (by way of Suffolk, England) Jessie Burns, the fiddle player for the celtic band Gaelic Storm, has had her “dream come true.” Gaelic Storm’s new album, What’s the Rumpus, debuted at number one on the Billboard World Music Charts, knocking Peter Gabriel off the top. The album also hit number 165 of the top 200 albums in all genres. Burns formerly played with the Wayfarers and, more recently, collaborated with Gregory Alan Isakov in his band, The Freight and recorded on his album That Sea, The Gambler.

Spring Creek Signs — Colorado pickers Spring Creek Bluegrass, who late last month opened the RockyGrass Festival, have signed a deal with Rebel Records. The award winning quartet are set to enter the studio in late fall with an expected release in spring of 2009.

Swallow Hill goes for the Guinness — Swallow Hill, The Denver Film Society and the City and County of Denver are taking a shot at Guinness Book of World Records fame. On Monday, August 18, before the Film on the Rocks screening of Zoolander, those groups will help to host the world’s largest guitar lesson. The lesson is billed for people of all levels, from those who have never picked up a guitar before to those considered virtuosos. To register, visit swallowhillmusic.org.

Adler’s Appetite nets an arrest — Former Guns N’ Roses drummer Steven Adler was arrested in Hollywood last month for alleged drug possession. According to police, Adler was picked up at 4 a.m. after officers were called about a man who was creating a disturbance. He was jailed and held on $45,000 bail. Adler was an original member of G N’ R but was fired from the band in 1990 due to “excessive drug use.” Since then, he has toured on and off with his band Adler’s Appetite, which mostly covers Guns N’ Roses.

CSN team with Rubin - Crosby, Stills and Nash are getting set for their first album since 1994 and the trio have chosen Rick Rubin to produce. In recent years Rubin has produced Johnny Cash’s American V: A Hundred Highways, and Neil Diamond’s 12 Songs, in addition to churning out dozens of albums with younger artists. Graham Nash told Billboard that the album will be a set of covers, “songs that we wish we’d written.”

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