Dear Jerry: “Celebration, Devastation, and Redemption” - Part Three - Railroad Earth - Red Rocks Amphitheatre - 18 Sep 2015

Dear Jerry:  “Celebration, Devastation, and Redemption” - Part Three

Railroad Earth

18 September 2015 - Red Rocks Amphitheatre - Morrison, CO

for The Lot Scene by Parker

So, I’ll just out with it:  I simply had to split my review of Railroad Earth’s recent Red Rocks show into two distinct parts, the show and the encore.  And, trust me, I have good reason to do so.  Additionally, I admit that I couldn’t wait to write about the unique and wonderful phenomenon that was the first encore song the band chose to play that evening.  As such, you’ll have to wait a little while for the entire review proper.  

But our story actually started way back in May at Merriweather Post Pavilion in Maryland at the “Dear Jerry” show where an overcrowded band line-up and scheduling woes caused two bands to be cut completely from the proceedings:  Greensky Bluegrass (who, as you may remember, got their own redemption in Richmond with “Black Muddy River” and at DelFest with “Eyes of the World”) and Railroad Earth.  Having heard Greensky’s triumphs we had long wondered if we’d see and hear the same from RRE at some point.  Well, any and all doubts left our minds hurriedly as the first, familiar, fantastic strains of the Dead’s “Terrapin Station” rang out over the beautiful bowl of Red Rocks.  All at once we were ecstatic and disbelieving and a bit emotional in light of the significance here.  We had heard sad and ugly things about how the band’s experience went at Merriweather and so there was always conjecture as to whether they might ever play “Terrapin” at all.  Well, on behalf of all those present that evening, I must toss a huge and hearty thank you to the band for giving us such a lovely version of this beloved song.  It sounded exquisite musically speaking, especially the minor keyed, trippy central jam.  Really outstanding.  Speaking of the band, it must be said that, looking from face to face, it was clear to see that playing this music at such a powerful venue and to such an appreciative audience was having the same healing effect on these men as I witnessed with GSBG.  What an incredible experience for band and fans alike!  By song’s end, the entire venue was singing along, caught up in the energy of this magical evening, of this redemption.  

Bravi to Railroad for sharing this momentous and intimate point in time with all of us!!  Amazing to think that Will and I had the chance to witness the entire passion play that was Dear Jerry right up to Red Rocks last week.  From celebration to devastation to redemption.  For both bands.  Full circle.  And what a ride.  In all honesty and in closing, I am merely happy and grateful that Railroad was able to access that special energy of closure just as Greensky was.  And I think that these experiences will forever leave their mark on said bands, but for good in my opinion.  Finally, thanks once more for the marvelous music, gentlemen!

Reviews for Railroad’s entire show and Billy and the Kids’ set en route!!

Yonder Mountain String Band - 21 August 2015 - Red Rocks Amphitheatre - Morrison, CO

Yonder Mountain String Band

21 August 2015 - Red Rocks Amphitheatre - Morrison, CO

for The Lot Scene by Parker

Band Members: Ben Kaufmann - bass, vocals; Dave Johnston - banjo, vocals; Adam Aijala - guitar, vocals; Allie Kral - fiddle, vocals; Jake Jolliff - mandolin, vocals

Set One:  Around You, Left Me in a Hole, Only a Northern Song > Sidewalk Stars > Only a Northern Song, I Got a Name, Another Day, Black Sheep, All Aboard > New Dusty Miller > All Aboard

Set Two:  Drawing a Melody, Criminal, The End Is Not in Sight, I'm Lost, (Hard To Be A) Saint in the City > Eat in Go Deaf > Saint in the City, Jolene, 40 Miles From Denver, Landfall, Love Before You Can’t, Insult & Elbow, Angel > Robots > Angel

Encore:  Traffic Jam > Jaywalking > Traffic Jam

    The picture perfect Red Rocks night aged and matured like a robust yet mellow wine as the music continued last Friday evening.  After such superb performances by Greensky and Fruition, we were all primed and ready for two sets from Yonder Mountain String Band.  Up front I will just come out and tell you that this was the best show I have yet seen from the new “Yonder 2.0” line-up.  I don’t know whether it was Red Rocks or that they have simply hit a new drive and groove, but the end result was a wonderful show from this multi-talented band.  I was very impressed and enjoyed their portion of the night immensely.  Kicking things off with “Around You” the band made it plain they meant business on that stage.  A really great middle jam came out of this one with a decidedly lovely solo from Allie on fiddle.  They followed this with an old fan favorite:  “Left Me In A Hole” with Adam on lead vocals which sounded just like the old friend it is.  “Only A Northern Song” was next in line for us and what a version it was going into and out of “Sidewalk Stars” in the middle.  Especially with Allie and Jake playing to and off of one another in a sizzling hot duet during the long jam.  Not to mention Allie’s very own and epic solo…wow can that lady tear it up on the fiddle!!  But you don’t need me to tell you that.  What an asset she is to this group, both personality-wise, energy-wise, and musically speaking.  The other recent asset added to the group, Mr. Jake Jolliff, stepped up to the mic to give us his rendition of Jim Croce’s “I Got A Name” which we recorded on video just for you…please enjoy: 

Jake Jolliff took the mic for this rendition of Jim Croce's original. Excellent night of music from YMSB!!

Lovely singing voice, no?  And those mad, mad mandolin skills — but more on those later.  Adam stepped back up to the lead for “Another Day” which was followed by Dave singing the title track from their newest album, “Black Sheep” which ended with this crazy fast breakdown ending.  One of the best memories of the night were the twirling, spinning black sheep that our friend Ted Atwell (lighting designer/director for YMSB) pulled together for this show.  Too cool and too funny!!  Not to mention all the other incredible lighting from Ted…thanks, good sir, it was great to see you!!  It was Allie’s turn up to the mic for a favorite Del McCoury cover of mine, “All Aboard”.  Some seriously good harmonies going on here — very well done.  Del would be proud.  This went into a funky and fun and very long “New Dusty Miller” with a dark and brooding jam at the end and then right back out into the close of “All Aboard” with an explosively massive and tight ending with every member of the band featuring their various and adept skills on their chosen instruments with speed and accuracy and the trimmings of magic and then slowing down to the groovy, mellow end.  Wow.  What a first set!  I was thrilled at the prospect of what the second would bring!!

    Second set jumped off to a speedy and fast pickin’ start with Jake’s aforementioned (See? I told you we’d get to them.) amazing mando skills ripping things apart with the opening licks to “Drawing a Melody”.  Seriously, folks, how does he do it?  Simply stunning.  Next was an answer to my wish list for the night:  “Criminal”, another personal favorite of mine.  Good to get some of that good old repertoire that made all of us Yonder fans to begin with in addition to all this great new material.  It sounded excellent and I was grateful to get it to be sure.  Jake took the mic once again for the newer song “The End Is Not in Sight” which featured a really sizzling guitar solo from Adam as well as one from Dave on banjo.  These both counterpointed Jake’s wicked fast jam on mandolin to a fantastic degree.  Really like that song — hope my first won’t be my last time hearing it.  This was followed by “I’m Lost” and then the band broke out an interesting cover with some Bruce Springsteen.  “(Hard to Be a) Saint in the City” was taken directly into “Eat in Go Deaf” and right back into “Saint”.  The central jam here featured a smoking Jolliff mandolin solo which led the band back into a monster jam of their own.  Never heard Springsteen all grassed up before.  Not bad, not bad at all.  Then it was time for Allie’s signature song, Dolly Parton’s “Jolene”, one that she has been honing and perfecting for months and months.  And it sounded unbelievably soulful and heartfelt drifting out and up towards those sandstone monoliths on either side of all of us gathered there transfixed by the beauty and the power of the music before us.  Brava, Allie, brava!  Another oldie-but-a-goodie came along next in the form of “40 Miles From Denver” another favorite of mine.  This was followed by “Landfall” which featured a very nice banjo solo from Dave again.  I couldn’t help but be impressed by how much energy and joy each member of the band seemed to emit throughout this second set.  It was palpable in the tiers where we stood and danced.  Then it was time for “Love Before You Can’t” featuring Allie on fiddle and vocals.  Another great selection from their recent album.  “Insult & Elbow” followed “Love” and then the band ended their set with a whopper:  “Angel” into “Robots” and back into “Angel”.  Big energy right up until the end, that was the name of the game that night.  The band really pushed the envelope right up until the last note of the song and of the set.  This set the tone magnificently for a gargantuan encore experience.  Good thing they had one lined up, right?

    From a triple bill we got a double encore?  You better believe it, my friends!  Greensky Bluegrass all came out on stage to join Yonder for a stellar encore offering.  This encore would encompass YMSB’s “Traffic Jam” then would go into GSBG’s “Jaywalking” and then back into “Traffic Jam”.  Oh yes, it happened and it was incredible.  Here is the first part of “Traffic Jam” for you so you can get the idea for yourself in the comfort of your own home: 

Greensky Bluegrass joined Yonder Mountain on stage for a monster encore at Red Rocks on August 21st of 2015. Here they are jamming out to Yonder's "Traffic Jam" although the entire encore contained GSBG's "Jaywalking" as well. Please enjoy!!

They were certainly the biggest versions of these two songs I had ever heard.  A very robust and riveting and big sound was emanating from the stage weaving the works of two amazing string bands together seamlessly and sounding terrific in the process.  What a way to end a night of music such as this!  Incredible.  Stupendous.  Magnificent.  None of these words come close enough to how incredible Yonder and Greensky and Fruition were.  Let us all hope for this same line-up at Red Rocks sometime in the future.  It is a formula that works, believe it!  A big thanks to all the bands for the exquisite time!!  Already looking forward to my next Red Rocks show as a direct result of this one.  Certainly one of the hallmarks of a marvelous show.

YMSB & GSBG

Greensky Bluegrass - 21 August 2015 - Red Rocks Amphitheatre - Morrison, CO

Greensky Bluegrass

21 August 2015 - Red Rocks Amphitheatre - Morrison, CO

for The Lot Scene by Parker

Band Members:  Anders Beck - dobro, Michael Bont - banjo, Dave Bruzza - guitar, Mike Devol - upright bass, Paul Hoffman - mandolin

Setlist:  Breadbox, Worried About the Weather, Forget Everything, Kerosene, The Four, Burn Them, Windshield, Reverend, Broke Mountain Breakdown > Wings for Wheels, Leap Year

    Not to be outdone by Fruition directly before them, Greensky Bluegrass came out swinging and bringing their own heat to Red Rocks that night.  Having had the advantage of playing here before, the band took no time settling into a comfortable groove on that stage, starting their set off with the colossal crowd pleaser “Breadbox” and beginning the face-melting process with ease and acumen.  The middle jam was lengthy and extremely tight, fantastic all around, each member featuring then fading back in a phenomenal musical choreography.  Mike Bont had a particularly fine solo in during the jam, showing off those banjo chops for all of us.  It was clear early on this was going to be a mighty show.  Dave Bruzza was up to the mic for the next selection, “Worried About the Weather”, which was followed by “Forget Everything”, both of which sounded album perfect.  The boys were really on fire so far that evening.  Both Paul and Dave were in great voice and it showed as they shared the lead all set long.  Then it was time for some quick pickin’ with a little “Kerosene” especially given the ridiculously intense and stupendous breakdown in the middle.  Complete.  Face.  Melter.  They were really, really, really bringing it to Red Rocks, believe-you-me!  Needed a breather after that one.  Whew!  Paul was next up to the mic for a selection from their most recent album (If Sorrows Swim) - “The Four” which we were lucky enough to record for you.  Please enjoy: 

Greensky Bluegrass joined Fruition and YMSB for a powerhouse evening of music at Red Rocks in Colorado. Here's a little of how it went. Please enjoy!!

This was followed by “Burn Them” and “Windshield” both also featuring Mr. Hoffman on vocals and both of which sounded truly exquisite in the darkening night under the clear Colorado skies above.  There are just those times when Paul’s crooning is apropos of everything for the situation you find yourself in, say, at Red Rocks.  “Reverend” led to a sizzling, blistering, roiling “Broke Mountain Breakdown” which even contained a little Rod Stewart tease (“Da Ya Think I'm Sexy?”).  Yeah, the boys were really, truly, indubitably bringing it that night.  They slammed this directly into the mellower “Wings for Wheels” with Bruzza stepping back up to the mic for the lead.  The Greensky fellas chose “Leap Year” for their closing number.  This contained a slow and spacey jam at the end which slowly built energy and tempo throwing out “I Feel Like Bustin’ Loose” teases and funky grooves until finally erupting forth into a frenetic finale that left everyone screaming their throats hoarse in gratitude and ecstasy.  What an awe-inspiring show!  Putting the badass jam in the jammwich of music we were all consuming that night.  Damn, was that good music!  And there was still another band left…Yonder Mountain String Band!!  What luck!!!  What a night!!!

Fruition - 21 August 2015 - Red Rocks Amphitheatre - Morrison, CO

Fruition

21 August 2015 - Red Rocks Amphitheatre - Morrison, CO

for The Lot Scene by Parker

Band Members:  Jay Cobb Anderson - vocals, lead guitar, harmonica; Kellen Asebroek - vocals, rhythm guitar, piano; Mimi Naja - vocals, mandolin, electric guitar, acoustic guitar; Jeff Leonard - bass; Tyler Thompson - drums, banjo

Setlist:  Meet Me on the Mountain, The Wanter, Labor of Love, Wastin’ Away > Blue Light, Never Again, Get In, Mountain Annie, I Don't Mind, The Meaning

    Red Rocks.  A triple bill.  And Fruition to lead the whole affair?  You bet your boots, my friends.  And what an opener for an evening filled with amazing music!  Of course, I must admit my bias before I begin as I simply love this Oregonian band.  I’ve had the privilege of seeing them may times now and grow to love them all the more each new time I do.  Arriving just in time for the first note, we walked into the moving and magnificent one-of-a-kind venue that is Red Rocks just as Fruition began singing “Meet Me on the Mountain”, that harmonious and lovely selection from the EP they did with Grant Farm last year.  A perfect way to begin our delightful evening of music down in that magical bowl between Creation and Ship Rocks.  They followed with “The Wanter” and then “Labor of Love”, one of my personal favorites from this band.  For anyone familiar with them, it should come as no surprise how well Mimi and Kellen and Jay’s voices all shone out from that hallowed stage.  In short, they all sounded just stellar for their first Red Rocks performance — which came as no surprise.  They then slowed things down a bit with Mimi up to the mic for “Wastin’ Away” which was a clear crowd favorite and which sounded hauntingly gorgeous as it reverberated all around us off those famous rocks.  Brava!!  They took “Wastin’” directly into the unmistakable groove of “Blue Light” from their album Just One of Them Nights.  And then it was time to speed things back up and for Jay to take the lead for another of my favorites, “Never Again”, this version being fully imbued with all the positive energy and ecstatically happy attitude that Red Rocks itself provides for the musicians who play there.  In a (couple of) word(s):  terrifically explosive.  Then we got a very lovely treat in the form of one Bridget Law of Elephant Revival who joined in on fiddle for “Get In” — but why take my paltry word for it when you can see for yourself? 

Bridget Law of Elephant Revival joined Fruition for their first time on the Red Rocks stage on August 21st, 2015. A lovely collaboration from some very lovely people. Enjoy!!

Sweet and engaging and with the perfect guest to have join them at Red Rocks.  “Mountain Annie” — just the name of the song and its unique sound and extremely catchy nature conjures up visions of Fruition for me.  One of theirs that I feel is so pleasantly synonymous with the band itself.  And, boy, was I sure glad they ended up including it in their set for us!  It sounded just exquisite, each vocal spot on, each harmony in tune, and the energy itself.  Powerful.  Another guest, though, you say?  Really?  OK, how about Anders Beck from Greensky Bluegrass?  Would that make you happy?  It sure made all of us in the audience very happy as he took the stage with his electric slide to join in on the rock’n’roll “I Don’t Mind” led by Mimi on the mic.  Gritty and intense this was a fun ride for all.  Their final selection for the evening featured Kellen on the lead vocals for “The Meaning” which was a slower, more soulful piece that brought their show to a gentle, impactful close.  Not bad whatsoever (read:  freakin’ unreal and crazy good) for their first time at Red Rocks!  I would very much love to see them headlining there one day very soon, and believe that they could, no worries.  A truly incredible job, guys, thank you so much for such a fantastic show.  And, the crazy thing is, Fruition was just getting things going for the night!  Greeksky and Yonder were both yet to come!  So, stay tuned for more from this wonderful evening of music!!

Anders Beck joins Fruition

Syrup - 08 August 2015 - Farmfest - Medina, OH

Syrup

08 August 2015 - Farmfest -  Medina, OH

for The Lot Scene by Parker

Set One:  Mountain Girls, Roll Away > Indecision, Mr. Charlie, Idaho, Loner, Bertha > Franklin’s Tower > Bertha, Goodhearted Woman > Wall Inside, I Know You Rider                          

Set Two:  Big River, Dead Rabbits > Earth Cookies, White Freight > Royals, Jack-A-Roe, Down Under, Seen A Face

Encore:  Foggy Mountain

    So we at The Lot Scene were lucky enough to score an invite to the small, semi-private Farmfest this year, situated on a quaint and quirky, gorgeous little farm in the vicinity of Medina, Ohio.  The grounds were all done up with tents and tables and chairs as people of all ages moved to-and-fro enjoying the fine summer evening.  The sun was setting slowly and colorfully in the west as the second music act of the fest wrapped their set.  This meant it was time to hear a little Syrup, Hinckley, Ohio’s own sticky sweet jamgrass ambassadors.  For those who don’t know, Syrup are:  Damion Dolney (mando/vocals), Kevin Hines (bass/vocals), Jared Magyar (lead guitar), Dave Nicholson (banjo/vocals), and Jon Toohey (guitar/vocals).  This was my first time hearing Syrup play, although I’d been aware of them for quite some time as I met and befriended Damion last year at Strings and Sol.  Just from chatting with Mr. Dolney prior to the show I was excited at the prospect of what he’d shared of the setlist.  Suffice it to say, there was a great deal of good music on the way.  We helped the band set up and get their space ready — it’s always nice to get to play roadie now and again.  And, after everyone had a fresh beer and was in place, both band and audience alike, it was time for some sweet, sticky tunes care of the band known as Syrup.

    They chose “Deep Elem Blues” for their soundcheck song (what a treat!), thereby setting the tone for the remainder of their show:  fast pickin’, jamming, some excellent original material, and a whole lotta Dead.  Like I said, a great deal of good music was on the way.  Now it was time to commence things in earnest, opening their show with “Mountain Girls”, some fast pickin’ right at the very beginning.  The perfect foundation from which to spring some original works on us, the first being “Roll Away” with Jon killing on lead vocals and the first time in the night I got to witness Jared’s wicked tight skills on lead guitar.  Damn, can that man move around those six strings!  “Indecision” followed “Roll Away”, however, I there was no indecision in my mind about this song — I really dug it.  It had a mellow groove, a hot jam in the middle, and some excellent interplay between the strings, especially between Dave and Jared.  They were to “duet” like that several times throughout the night, a sound that now stands out as one of the definitive ones of Syrup.  Dave was just so adept at working with Jared and vice versa — it made for a great sound.  Then it was time for Dave to hit the mic for the lead on our first official Dead of the night, “Mr. Charlie”.  And a mighty fine cover it was, too.  Rock solid.  Which was followed by another solid cover, this time, Yonder Mountain String Band.  Yup, Yonder.  A little “Idaho”, too, no less.  And the Syrup boys nailed it.  With Jared in there shredding his fretboard to bits, how couldn’t they?  Chilling things down a bit, Damion took to the mic to croon out the mellow “Loner” which ended up being a hit with the younger crowd present.  Go figure.  (If not familiar with the ekoostik hookah song, go Google the lyrics.)  The fast-paced breakdown at the end of this one featured some excellent mandolin work from Damion not to mention once more Jared, the guitar beast, slaying his lines with precision.  Bouncing back to Dead, we got a very fine “Bertha > Franklin’s Tower > Bertha” combo from the boys.  Always nice to hear a couple of old friends, no?  Good harmonies in “Franklin’s”, too.  A really tight set so far.  Back to some grass, Dave took the vocals for “Goodhearted Woman” after our dance with the Dead.  Another superb addition to the mix.  Especially with Kevin laying some supremely fatty bass down, the clacking of his strings on the fretboard providing the perfect amount of percussion and drive for the song, even busting out a sweet solo in the process.  Another sound I now associate with Syrup.  They took this directly into “Wall Inside” which was followed by another installment of the Grateful Dead.  Closing out their first set with “I Know You Rider” the band took it as an opportunity to showcase their multiple skills and talents on their chosen instruments, solos abounding from guitar, banjo, and mando alike, Damion’s being particularly lovely.  Excellent first set!  I was really looking forward to my second helping of Syrup that evening.

    After a healthy dose of professional fireworks displays it was second set time.  Pretty cool stuff.  And how about a nice, fat “Big River” to get things going?  Lots of straight pickin’ and solid string band music, Jared’s acumen popping out in note after note.  Perfect opener.  The slower, more dirge-like opening “Dead Rabbits” came moving in afterwards developing its pace up into the actual song, a song I rather liked from Syrup.  So far, I was really digging their original material.  They went directly into the instrumental “Earth Cookies” next, featuring Damion on melody, things at a nice medium pace for some good, old-fashioned string work.  Another one I really enjoyed.  Especially the driving, lengthy, tasty jam at the end.  “Earth Cookies” with Syrup…sounds pretty good.  And it did!!  And was!!  Then we got a nice surprise as Kevin took lead vocals on “White Freight”, backing himself with more of that fantastic “slap-clack” bass from earlier.  Damion took this opportunity to bust out an expert solo.  No big deal.  They went straight from this into the cover “Royals” followed by Dave jumping back up to the mic to give us an excellent “Jack-A-Roe” not to mention some excellent banjo licks in the process.  Not ones to disappoint, the Syrup boys even gave us a Men At Work cover in the form of “Down Under”.  What a version!  Really enjoyed their take on an old favorite of mine.  And then it was Jon up to simply spank the lead on The Beatles’ “Seen A Face”.  Another great cover with some well-blended harmonies.  And a great way to end the second set on a high, high note!  But they took it even higher with one last encore tune for us:  “Foggy Mountain”.   A hard drivin’, fast pickin’ number, it was a mighty fine capstone of an even finer evening of music, all care of Syrup.  As a bonfire raged in the background bathing the area in jumping orange light, the last notes rang out to a very happy crowd, smiles on each face displaying their true feelings about what they just saw and heard.  And, how could you blame them?  It was a truly good show, start to finish.  I look very much forward to my next encounter with the boys from Hinckley.  If you’re ever in the Cleveland/Akron area of Ohio, be sure to keep your eyes and ears open for your first taste of Syrup.  Trust me, you’ll be glad you did.