Fillmore Auditorium - Denver, Colo.

May 8, 2008

By Brian F. Johnson

Ten years ago, had anyone told me that I’d duck out early on a show by an original member of The Grateful Dead - especially one that just ripped through “Eyes of the World,” “The Eleven” and “The Other One” - I would have told them that they’re out of the minds.

But, that’s just what happened last night (May 8, 2008) at the Fillmore in Denver for Phil Lesh and Friends.

The moderately crowded Fillmore seemed poised and the dirty twirlers were loving it, but time and time again throughout the night it seemed that Lesh and his cohorts failed to really capitalize on the crowd’s forgiving attitude and make the show a SHOW, and not a glorified rehearsal.

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:: BoomBox :: Fox Theatre :: April 24 ::

:: Cervantes’ Masterpiece Ballroom :: April 25 ::

:: Hodi’s Half Note :: April 26 ::

By Dustin Huth

Every so often a band will come onto the scene with a new and completely original sound that somehow, at the same time, feels like it has always existed. BoomBox are just such a band, and their sound is definitely that kind of a sound: a stripped-down and elemental incarnation of psychedelic funk rock, with well-balanced and unassuming vocals that deliver abstract imagery and storylines at an unhurried pace, paying little attention to things like clocks on walls or conventional song structures.

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By Brian F. Johnson

No one ever told Peter Shapiro how to make it in the music business — that it takes years at low-paying, thankless jobs until you get the chance to do anything substantial. But, had someone told Shapiro that, he probably wouldn’t have listened anyway.

The 35-year-old industry mogul has an impressive resume, to say the least. Originally a film student at Northwestern University, Shapiro debuted his documentary on the Grateful Dead, Tie-Died, when he was only 21, at the Sundance Film Festival. He went on to purchase the famed Wetlands Preserve Night Club in New York at the age of 24. In 2000 he created, and served as executive producer and musical director of the Jammy Awards, which is now in its eighth year. This year he made his second appearance at the Sundance Film Festival as producer of his most high-profile project to date, U2-3D.

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By Brian F. Johnson

The Fox Theatre has a legendary mystique that’s made the local venue stand out during its decade-and-a-half of existence. The vast majority of that mystique is due to the number of — and magnitude of — bands that have stood on the stage.
While he vacated his position as head talent buyer at the Fox last summer to take on the role of Vice President of Live Nation’s Rocky Mountain Division, Eric Pirritt’s legacy will always be intricately interwoven with the Fox because, for five years, he was the man responsible for putting the bands on that stage.
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Highly Depressing — Citing decreasing advertising revenue, changes in the music industry and the economy, No Depression magazine, which has covered American roots music and more since 1995, announced this month that their May-June issue will be the last print copy of their magazine. The mag’s website www.nodepression.net will continue. In its time the magazine, run by a skeleton staff of three along with a team of freelancers, has featured such performers as Son Volt, Drive-By Truckers, Whiskeytown, Johnny Cash, Ralph Stanley and Elvis Costello, among many, many others.
Clear Channel settles in fire suit — Clear Channel Broadcasting has agreed to a $22 million settlement with survivors and relatives of those killed in the 2003 Rhode Island nightclub fire during a Great White show. Hundreds of victims sued after the February, 2003 fire at the West Warwick Club, which occurred when pyrotechnics used by the band ignited flammable soundproofing around the stage, killing nearly 100 people. With this most recent settlement, Clear Channel has paid more than $70 million to victims and families. Clear Channel was sued because one of its radio stations sponsored the show by running on-air advertisements.
Blogs over Myspace — A recent study by New York University’s Stern Business School showed that blog chatter, not myspace hits, helped to sell more albums. The study tracked 108 albums for four weeks before and after their release dates. The results showed that if 40 or more blog posts were made before an album’s release date, sales ended up being three to four times the average for both indie and major releases, while myspace had “a weaker correlation to sales.”
That being said, it was also reported last month that myspace, or more directly News Corp., has plans to begin distributing digital music on-line. Reports stated that music may be free, supported by advertising dollars on the site. A time frame has not been officially announced, but one source said that one of the major labels could be “two weeks” away from inking its deal.
Dead get political — Despite coming of age in the ’60s, the Grateful Dead have remained relatively apolitical throughout their career. However, last month, Dead members Bob Weir, Phil Lesh and Mickey Hart reunited for a concert to support Barack Obama. Billed as Deadheads for Obama, the show was the group’s first since 2004’s reunion tour.
Grammy Schmammy — The 2008 Grammy Awards show garnered the lowest rating in more than a decade and showed a slip of 17 percent from last year. Overall viewers are estimated at 18.2 million, down from about 20 million in 2007.

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:: Phil Lesh & Friends :: Fillmore Auditorium :: Sept. 28 ::

:: Red Rocks Amphitheatre :: Sept. 29 ::

By Timothy Dwenger

The music of the Grateful Dead has transcended decades and generations to become some of the most enduring music produced by one band in the history of rock and roll. For 30 years the Grateful Dead jammed and noodled their way through their shows, inadvertently creating an entire subgenre of rock music that continues to grow and thrive 12 years after the band officially parted ways.
While it’s true that the Grateful Dead name was retired in 1995 when legendary lead guitarist and vocalist Jerry Garcia passed away, the music has lived on through the various surviving members. Bob Weir’s Ratdog is actively touring, Mickey Hart and his various projects still interpret the material (and coincidentally, Hart has two gigs this month in Colorado with his Global Drum Project: Sept. 23 at the Boulder Theater and Sept. 24 at the Oriental Theatre), and bassist Phil Lesh has done his part to keep the flame alive by enlisting various “Friends” over the past eight years to help him in his quest to reinvent the songs and the spirit of the Grateful Dead.
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By Brian F. Johnson

When Peter Fiori was just 14 years old, he borrowed money from his father to purchase a small Peavey mixing console. He didn’t know it then, but he had just made the first step in a career that now, more than 20 years later, is flourishing.

Fiori’s quest for sound ushered him through the doors of more than 100 Grateful Dead shows and eventually to Colorado, where he has played in several bands, most notably Runaway Truck Ramp, which garnered moderate success in the mid- to late-1990s. But realizing that it’s difficult, at best, for a local musician to “pay rent” by performing local gigs, Fiori continued his sound engineering and business and last year, officially incorporated Sweetwave Audio, a pro audio equipment sales and rental business, that also offers installations, event production, backline, sound reinforcement and recording.

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:: Bruce Hornsby :: Vilar Center For The Arts :: September 14 ::

:: Chautauqua Auditorium :: September 15 ::

:: Telluride Blues and Brews :: September 16 :: 

By Jonathan Keller

Bruce Hornsby is a simple man with a delicate southern drawl, but don’t let that fool you. He is also an intellectual and extremely studious musician. He is a musician’s musician and uniquely original. It would be safe to say Hornsby is an American music original because he embraces all forms of music with no prejudice, and that is what America is supposed to be all about — a melting pot of everything. Hornsby’s musical career has been and still is a melting pot of musical styles and genres. His new boxed set, Intersections 1985-2005, is a testament to that. 

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:: Rusted Root ::

:: Mishawaka Amphitheatre :: July 7 ::

:: Gothic Theatre :: July 8 ::

:: Fox Theatre :: July 18 :: 

By Monica Banks 

In the early 1990s Rusted Root exploded into the music world with a neo-hippie vibe and a blend of rock and world music that few had seen before, at least in such a mainstream realm.

Snatching up hits and critical acclaim with songs like “Send Me on My Way,” “Ecstasy” and “Rain,” the band’s second album, 1994’s When I Woke went platinum and there was barely a dormroom in America that didn’t have at least one copy of the album in its collection.

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