Chris Stapleton. Fillmore Auditorium. 05.06.16 [I am on the road this week and didn’t have a lot of time, so I had to steal some of the language in this write-up from the one I did a few months ago in Chico.] Splurging on Pappy Van Winkle before a show isn’t commonplace, but if one is so inclined to fork… Read more →
Lucinda Williams. Bluebird Theater. 04.12.16 Seeing Lucinda Williams’ name lit up on the marquee at the Bluebird Theater was something special, but being in such close proximity to the living legend while she performed one of my all-time favorite songs was something else altogether. Quoted as saying she’d rather “play a few nights at the Fillmore than play one night… Read more →
2015 was an interesting year in music. I spent time with many releases, across a spectrum of sounds, and I enjoyed every minute of the adventure. That being said, when I tried to define my favorite albums, I found myself in a difficult position. How does someone rank Jason Isbell in association to Grimes? How does Chris Stapleton’s obliteration of the pop country… Read more →
Nikki Lane. Bluebird Theater. 12.06.15 My wife and I got married on a cold December night in Denver, Colorado. We went down to the courthouse, said our vows, and then found our way to the Grizzly Rose to meet some friends. A young country artist named Miranda Lambert performed that night. The honky-tonk off I-25 was pretty packed, but nowhere… Read more →
Sturgill Simpson. Ogden Theatre. 11.05.15 As the old-timey sounds of The Osborne Brothers’ “Listening to the Rain” bled into the glammy jam of T. Rex’s “The Motivator”, the man who has been called the Savior of Country Music didn’t have much to say about anything at all. It had only been twenty-four hours since Chris Stapleton embarrassed the status quo… Read more →
Jason Isbell. Ryman Residency. October 2015 You made some new friends after the show But you’ll forget their names In 24 frames We were halfway through the first Jason Isbell performance of the weekend when his latest single found its way into the setlist. The song (which uses frames per second as a metaphor for how fast life can change)… Read more →
Drive-By Truckers. Alabama Shakes. Red Rocks. 08.16.15 Let’s start this out with some statistics. Drive-By Truckers have been a band for 19 years. Patterson Hood turned 50 last year and Mike Cooley has 13 months until he hits that milestone. Before last night, they had performed at Red Rocks 0 times. (edit – DBT actually opened for The Black Crowes… Read more →
As I’ve said before, this blog no longer focuses on album reviews or news or anything of that sort. The sole purpose of ILSUDH2 is to share my ‘live’ music experiences. I do my best to recap the shows I go to, but I just don’t have the time or energy to do much else these days. That being said,… Read more →
2014 was a very good year in music. I wouldn’t say it was great, but it was very good. There were only a few perfect albums, but there were countless attempts that came close to hitting the mark. It was the year of introspection. It was the year of the singer-songwriter. It was the year of stories (as is evident from my… Read more →
Keeping a band together for two decades is no small achievement, but continuing to support a band through that kind of run isn’t easy either. How many bands can you say you’ve loved through your 20’s and 30’s…and even into your 50’s and 60’s? And I’m not talking about that one CD you played in your first car, or that song… Read more →
Lion’s Lair is just another dive bar in a parade of dive bars that trudge up and down East Colfax Avenue. Positioned a little too far from the Fillmore and Ogden Theater, and not far enough east to benefit from the Bluebird crowd, the unremarkable stain on a street of stains is truly a locals only haunt. It’s the type of place… Read more →
