Marquee Magazine » Timothy Dwenger
Grace Potter & The Nocturnals to be featured at first Mile High Music Fest
:: Grace Potter and the Nocturnals ::
:: Mile High Music Festival ::
:: July 20 :: (2:45 p.m.) ::
By Timothy Dwenger
Grace Potter and The Nocturnals are one of the hottest acts to come out of Vermont since Phish. Fronted by their striking namesake, the band has stealthily clawed their way up the rungs of the music industry with a retro sound that injects their sultry jazzy blues with just the right amount of ragged glory to appeal to a huge cross section of music fans.
Seemingly unfazed by her recent surge in popularity, the songstress took some time to speak with The Marquee on the eve of her 25th birthday. As she spoke, she set the scene of her surroundings and painted a picture of the idyllic life of a New Englander. “All I see right now is leaves. I have a panoramic view of the woods and these are not dark and creepy woods, they are very beautiful. There’s lots of sunshine and there is a little river that flows right by me here. It is a nice place to be settled, I’ll probably never leave,” Potter said.
No tag for this post. 1 commentMartin Sexton has enviable freedom in his career and his own record label
:: Martin Sexton :: :: Mile High Music Festival :: :: July 20 :: (time slot tba) ::
By Timothy Dwenger
In many ways, Martin Sexton is a new breed of soul singer. His music is an amalgam of folk, pop and gospel that blends effortlessly to create a feel-good sound that immediately transports the listener to another world. While Sexton’s introspective lyrics and intricate song structure have won him the recognition of critics and fans alike, it is his delivery that truly sets him apart from other artists. Sexton sings from his heart and bares his soul onstage. He is an inspiring performer whose energy and passion are channeled through his voice.
Sexton’s laid-back style and unrushed pace are hallmarks of his lifestyle. He and his family make their home in the quaint Massachusetts town of Northampton and spend their summers on a lake in the Adirondack Park of upstate New York. “I think the Adirondack Park is the most beautiful place on earth,” he said in a recent interview with The Marquee. “I would live up there year round if I could.”
Marquee Tags: Adirondack Park, Kitchen Table Records, Martin Sexton, SeedsNo comments
Jamie Lidell Takes The Throne As The New King Of Blue-Eyed Soul
:: Jamie Lidell ::
:: Bluebird Theatre :: June 2 ::
By Timothy Dwenger
White singers making a mark on the traditionally black world of funk, R&B and soul is not a new concept, and from Van Morrison to Tower of Power there are many that have done it well. In recent years, however, “blue-eyed soul,” as it’s called, has been a genre that has been frequently ignored or scoffed at by younger music fans because of its connections with smooth jazz and modern Motown.
However, there is a new blue-eyed soul man on the scene and he is making the youth of the world stand up and take notice. Though Jamie Lidell has been creating music for years, his personal musical odyssey had ventured far off into the electronica realm before coming full circle and landing him squarely in the center of the soul genre with his recent Warp Records release, Jim.
Marquee Tags: Jamie Lidell, Jim, Mocky, Multiply, Warp RecordsNo comments
Inaugural Mile High Festival Goes Huge
By Tim Dwenger
July 19 – 20
Dick’s Sporting Goods Park
Commerce City, CO
After a well documented run-in with the management of the Denver Zoo, promoter AEG Live was forced to find a location other than Denver’s City Park to stage its inaugural festival, which is being compared to the epic Austin City Limits Festival in Texas.
After several months of work, Chuck Morris and the rest of AEG Live settled on the outer fields of Dick’s Sporting Goods Park, the sprawling complex that is home to the Colorado Rapids MLS team. Though the 18,000 person capacity stadium will not be used, the extensive array of soccer fields that surround the stadium will host more than 50 bands on 5 stages over the course of the weekend.
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Folks Festival is the Alternative To Big Fests
By Tim Dwenger
August 15 -17
Planet Bluegrass Ranch, Lyons, CO
Set in the beautiful town of Lyons, Colo., this festival is the perfect compliment to a summer afternoon. Along the St. Vrain River, Planet Bluegrass Ranch is an oasis nestled among the majestic red rock formations that dominate the Lyons landscape. The Festival, now in its 19th year, brings together some of the most recognized names in the folk world with some bright new up-and-comers.
Marquee Tags: Amos Lee, Folks Festival, Greg Brown, Jakob Dylan, KT Tunstall, Lyons Colo., Missy Higgins, Patty Griffin, Planet Bluegrass, Rocky Mountain Folks Festival, The Waifs, Tim O'Brien, Todd SniderNo comments
Cloud Cult goes beyond Rhetoric and makes green a way of life
:: Cloud Cult :: Larimer Lounge :: May 17 and 18 ::
By Timothy Dwenger
Of all the hot topics in today’s society, it’s our country’s concern about the environment that has steadily been gaining momentum over the last decade. Politicians and scientists are of course involved, but musicians seem to have a unique ability to reach out to the masses. In April, hundreds of thousands of music fans turned out to hear nearly 50 bands that were featured at the Green Apple Festival that was held in eight cities around the country. The performances were free and the intent was to celebrate Earth Day in landmark parks with art, music and educational programs.
While each of the bands who played the Green Apple festivals volunteered their time, and the events were very successful, this is only the tip of the iceberg. Events like this raise awareness of the global environmental problems we are facing but they do very little to actually act on the problems. While both aspects are critically important, it is people like Craig Minowa and his band, Cloud Cult, that are taking things to the next level and beyond.
Marquee Tags: Cloud Cult, Craig Minowa, Earthology, environmentalism, Green Apple FestivalNo comments
Bootsy Collins presents a Tribute to James Brown on latest tour
:: Bootsy Collins :: Tribute to the Godfather of Soul :: Ogden Theater :: May 25 ::
NOTE: THIS SHOW HAS BEEN POSTPONED - No future show info is available as of yet
By Timothy Dwenger
Bootzilla to some, Casper the Funky Ghost to others, funk bassist Bootsy Collins is known for outrageous outfits, psychedelic, booty shaking jams, and an outrageous sense of humor. What many don’t know is that Bootsy Collins is a critical link between the soul and R&B of the ’60s and the wild funk music that came to be so closely associated with the ’70s.
Collins’ foray into the unpredictable world of funk started when he was about 15 years old, living in his native Cincinnati, Ohio. Collins and his brother Catfish had founded a band they called The Pacesetters and with their furious energy and youthful exuberance the band had gotten noticed by producers such as Charles Spurling and Henry Glover, who began to book the band for recording sessions with some of the biggest stars of the day. “We became the session band at King Records because we were the new, exciting, electric, and energetic, rhythm section that had this rhythm going on that nobody could touch,” said Collins in a recent interview with The Marquee from his home in Cincinnati.
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Daniel Johnston’s raw genius continues to garner support and attention
:: Daniel Johnston :: Ogden Theatre :: April 5 ::
By Timothy Dwenger
Daniel Johnston is a 47-year-old man who seems trapped in the mind of a boy. His simple, painfully direct songs are refreshing in the way that they cut through the self examination and other filters of maturity and nakedly reveal the most intimate thoughts and feelings. He is a remarkable example of a man who has, in many ways, capitalized on his limitations to further his chosen art form. Of all the things to be admired about this man, the first and foremost is that he has never been afraid of showing his art to the world.
While many artists will take three or four years to put out ten or twelve songs that are “polished enough to release,” Johnston is famous for getting his music out to the public as quick as possible, in any way possible. His first album, Songs of Pain, released in 1981, contained 20 songs recorded in his garage on an old boom box and then dubbed onto cassette. Johnston took the dubbed cassettes around to radio stations, newspapers and music clubs, saying, “I’m Daniel Johnston, here’s a tape of mine for you to listen to.” Continue — Read more »
Marquee Tags: Beck, Daniel Johnston, Flaming Lips, Kurt Cobain, MTV, Songs of Pain, The Cutting Edge, The Devil and Daniel Johnston, The Late Great Daniel Johnston, Tom Waits1 comment
Pela reunites with estranged founder Christopher Herb after six years
:: Pela :: Hi-Dive :: March 10 ::
By Timothy Dwenger
Though their first full length album was released only 10 months ago, the Brooklyn, New York-based band Pela has a history that goes back to the early ’90s when lead vocalist and guitarist Billy McCarthy met Christopher Herb. Herb, who has spent his life playing music and working with the disabled, has the unique distinction of being both the man who brought the band together and the newest member of this post-punk quintet.
“Billy and I have been best friends for half our lives,” said vocalist Herb in a recent interview with The Marquee as he sat smoking a cigarette in front of his computer in his Lower East Side apartment. “We traveled around the world together playing music in countless bands up until 2002, when I left to go to Australia for five years.”
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These United States to employ local bands each night as they tour country
:: These United States :: Hi-Dive :: March 29 ::
By Timothy Dwenger
“These United States” are three words that are full of pomp and circumstance. Three words that, linked together, conjure up feelings of patriotism and visions of red, white and blue no matter what your political leaning may be. Soon, these three words will also conjure up feelings of longing and of passion, not for a particular cause or candidate but for an unmistakable and unique brand of music; the music of D.C.-based band, These United States.
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Keller Williams deploys WMDs to help on his first non-solo tour
:: Keller Williams :: Fillmore Auditorium :: February 2 ::
By Timothy Dwenger
For more than 15 years the “One-Man Jamband” known as Keller Williams has been touring the country amazing fans with his intoxicating brand of improvisational rock music.
Though a one-man band, Williams’ stage frequently contains everything from a bass guitar on a stand to a bongo drum or two, several guitars and a piano. Proficient on all these instruments and more, Williams has developed a unique style of performing where he layers and loops these instruments live onstage using a pedal that can record any sound that is played and play it back in a loop allowing him to add other sounds and riffs to it, creating the sonic illusion of a full band. At any given time during a performance there could be as many as 10 or 12 different sounds emanating from the P.A., all perfectly synced and creating a richly textured soundscape for Williams to sing over.
Marquee Tags: Bill Nershi, Gib Droll, Jeff Sipe, Keith Moseley, Keller Williams, String Cheese Incident, WMDs
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Mars Volta encounters demons and spirits during recording of Bedlam in Goliath
:: The Mars Volta :: Fox Theatre :: January 27 ::
By Timothy Dwenger
As with so many records, there is a story behind The Mars Volta’s new album The Bedlam in Goliath, which will hit shelves at the end of the month. However, this one is not one of rock and roll excess, a broken heart, or a journey of self discovery. It is a story that some may disregard completely, while to others it is the foundation of deep seated beliefs centuries in the making. Either way, it is the stuff legends are made of and it is unraveling right before our eyes.
Omar Rodríguez-López, the musical mastermind and producer behind The Mars Volta, and vocalist/lyricist Cedric Bixler-Zavala spent many evenings on the band’s tour bus while on the road with the Red Hot Chili Peppers in the fall of 2006 deeply engrossed in their new favorite pastime. “After a show, most of the college crowds that are at a Chili Peppers show want to know, ‘Where’s Flea? Can I meet Flea? Can you give me a pass so I can hang out with Flea?’” said Bixler-Zavala in a recent interview with The Marquee as he recovered from foot surgery and rehearsed for the band’s New Year’s costume ball. “We didn’t really want to deal with those kinds of people and we just kind of retreated to the bus where the new drug of choice was playing this antique game that Omar had bought for me.” The Soothsayer, as the game was known, was a talking board in the style of a modern Ouija board, sold by Parker Brothers.
Marquee Tags: Mars Volta
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