The Infamous Stringdusters, Greensky Bluegrass, Head for the Hills, Grant Farm, MilkDrive, Drunken Hearts, The Olora Brothers, Old Town Pickers, The Magic Beans, Hardscrabble, She Said String Band
Crazy Mountain Brewing Company
02/16/2013 07:00 PM MST
$69 Advance 2-Day Pass
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The Infamous Stringdusters
The Infamous Stringdusters are doing something right: earning critical acclaim, awards, and nominations aplenty; hosting their own successful music festival; forging their own record label, High Country Recordings; and quickly growing and enthusiastic fan base across the country. They sound like no one else, combining virtuosic chops on five traditional bluegrass instruments, with an ethos of pushing the genre forward. The Stringdusters' live show takes improvised string band music to new places, combining musicianship and songwriting with experimental performance and contagious energy flowing between the band and crowd. And with "Silver Sky", the first studio album on High Country Recordings, the band showcases their progressive nature and proficiency in the recording studio.
Greensky Bluegrass
If you're familiar with bluegrass music, then you're tuned in to some of what Greensky Bluegrass does. They're also known to throw a great party, rock n roll, and (if the critics are to be believed) they have great songs. They are unquestionably a team of friends that traverse the country making music they enjoy. What makes Greensky different than Bluegrass? Poignant rural ballads about real people? Dobro tone that Jerry (Douglas or Garcia) would love? Distortion Pedals? Grit and attitude from a whiskey soaked card game? Indeed, but that's just the tip of the iceberg.
This quintet from Michigan has been staying up late at all the coolest festivals and stopping to play your favorite clubs and theaters across America for 11 years now. Nearly 175 shows per year has prepared them for the rigorous task of continuity. Greensky Bluegrass isn't slowing down. "They're coming to your town to help you party down." Yeah. Really. Like you never thought possible.
At the start of the millenium,some of these guys met, then they met more guys. They thought Greensky was a clever name for a bluegrass band. Fast forward to 2011 when they recorded their fourth studio record, called Handguns. Among them, words like, "proud," "killer," and "damn right!" have been spoken in regards to the music of Handguns.
While they all may be accurate, we hope you'll find far more than you expected, hell - even more than we expected contained in this piece work that may well come to define one of 21st Century America's hardest working musical ensembles.
Head for the Hills
"Head for the Hills has created a sound that is all at once organic, precise, timeless, and brand-new,” as reported by the Missoula Independent. The acclaimed Colorado quartet has been receiving nation-wide recognition in response to their refreshing take on acoustic music. Described as “modern acoustic” music, H4TH produces an endearing mixture of homegrown compositions, traditional harmonies, and improvisation. In the live setting, H4TH ventures into a myriad of musical styles and sonic landscapes that appeal to a boundless array of listeners.
The past year has been a whirlwind of excitement for the group, with a “SxSW Critics Pick” selection by the Austin Statesman, a featured NPR radio appearance, & a nod for “Best Bluegrass” in Colorado for 3 consecutive years (2010-2012), via a reader’s based poll conducted by Westword Magazine (Denver’s premier lifestyle/entertainment publication). The quartet performed at a host of music festivals in 2012 including: Wakarusa Music Festival, Telluride Bluegrass Festival, SxSW and many more. The group released their first live album on May 29th 2012, entitled "Head for the Hills Live." All captured in clear high fidelity sound & culled from 5 great nights in the band’s home-state of Colorado, “Head for the Hills - Live” is just that; the band live and unadorned, performing favorite original material and select covers.
To get a sense of Head for the Hills’ snowballing momentum, look no further than the surrounding talent on their self-titled sophomore release (2010), Head for the Hills. The album garnered the group a charted position on the CMJ Top 200 national radio listings. The pickers attracted heavyweights like longtime bluegrass aficionado, Drew Emmitt (Leftover Salmon) to produce and recorded at Bill Nershi’s Sleeping Giant. Mastering wiz Gus Skinas engineered the effort, who boasts a particularly intriguing history having digitally remastered Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon; helped Sony develop the early iterations digital audio, and invented an innovative multi-tracker called Sonoma that combines the warmth of analog with the ease and efficiency of digital. In addition, Vance Powell -- who adorns his mantle with a Grammy for his work on the Raconteurs wildly successful Consolers of the Lonely album -- mixed the record. The self titled release earned the group a #29 position on Colorado Radio’s “Top 50 Albums of 2010.”
In 2007, for their debut studio effort, “Robber’s Roost,” the band joined forces with the talented producer/performer Sally Van Meter. Ms. Van Meter, among her impressive list of accomplishments, is credited for her 1994 Grammy Award Winning work on The Great Dobro Sessions. She has also produced albums for artists like Yonder Mountain String Band, Open Road Bluegrass and Allison Brown.
Head for the Hills have performed, shared programming, & crossed festival paths with such notables as: David Grisman, Sam Bush, The Flaming Lips, My Morning Jacket, Ween, Bruce Hornsby, Emmylou Harris, Dr. Dog, Little Feat, Nickel Creek, The Avett Brothers, Yonder Mountain String Band, Tim O’Brien, Peter Rowan, Punch Brothers, Doc Watson, Railroad Earth & many more. The quartet has performed at many premier festivals, events, & radio programs including: Wakarusa Music Festival, Telluride Bluegrass Festival, NPR-Ideastream, High Sierra Music Festival, eTown, DelFest, Northwest String Summit, Mulberry Mountain Harvest Festival, and many more.
With direction from a plethora of talented company and an ever-evolving approach to progressive acoustic music, there is no telling what the future holds for the Colorado quartet.
Grant Farm
GRANT FARM is a refreshing harvest of a band from the fertile Front Range of Colorado. This much-anticipated four-piece represents the fruition of the efforts of National Flatpicking Champion Tyler Grant, one of the hottest and best-known guitar players on the scene today. Tyler was a member of The Drew Emmitt Band and The Emmitt-Nershi Band from 2005 until 2010 when he went on his own to pursue his calling as a bandleader. In Grant Farm he is partnered with dynamic drummer Chris Misner, also of the Drew Emmitt Band and Bill Nershi’s Blue Planet. The quartet is completed by funky phenom Adrian “Ace” Engfer on bass and the prodigious Sean Foley on keyboards. Grant Farm has established a movement based on their connection to roots music of all kinds, devotion to their fans and family, and their brilliant performances of Rocky Mountain Rock and Roll.
Grant Farm is a band on a mission. Tyler, Chris, Ace and Sean are experienced players of renown in their own right, but as a unit they form a greater whole, and are working hard to grow into the best band that they can be. Members of Grant Farm have been featured on stage with the likes of Leftover Salmon, The String Cheese Incident, Yonder Mountain String Band, The Infamous Stringdusters, The Motet, Head For The Hills, Sam Bush, Jerry Douglas, Tim O’Brien, Dumpstaphunk, Tony Rice, Larry Keel, Keller Williams, Jon Oates, Gillian Welch and David Rawlings, Disco Biscuits, Abigail Washburn and Peter Rowan.
The seeds of Grant Farm were planted in 2009 by Tyler Grant and Andy Thorn. Tyler was fresh off the boat from Nashville, TN and Andy from Chapel Hill, NC. The duo found themselves in Boulder, CO as members of The Emmitt-Nershi Band, and were eager to showcase some of their original music. The Grant/Thorn duo quickly grew into a bluegrass/new acoustic quartet and were well-received by the hungry Colorado music fans. When Tyler gave his notice to ENB at the end of 2010 he was driven to make a bigger statement with his music so he dusted off his Telecaster, started a conversation with the experienced and equally driven Misner, plugged in, turned up, and watched the sprouts of the Grant Farm concept grow.
With the help of Thorn and stellar bassist Keith Moseley of The String Cheese Incident, the electric Grant Farm started rehearsing in early 2011. Their concerts in Denver, Boulder and the mountains beyond caused a ripple in the local music scene that led to some fine festival plays the following Summer, including Yarmonygrass, Four Corners Folk Festival, Fort Collins Bark n’ Bluegrass, Riverfront, and Harvestival. With a country-disco (Cris-Co), roots-rock, booty-shakin’ jam-tastic concept fully formed, Ace and Sean were brought on board to bring the band into 2012, road-ready and fully capable of annihilating crowds across the country. An eponymous debut CD will be released on Grant Central Records in January 2012; a Winter harvest of fine original music planted and nurtured by the industrious Grant Farm.
MilkDrive
Members of South Austin Jug Band's NEW BAND: MilkDrive. MilkDrive, the Austin alt-folk-progressive acoustic string band, actually got its start in the northern climes of Idaho, where principal songwriter-multi-instrumentalist Noah Jeffries grew up playing bluegrass and gospel in his family's family band and started writing amazing tunes at age 14. The first band he put together, 36 String Swing, toured the state as Jeffries studied jazz performance at Boise State University.
Jeffries moved to Austin and moved in with fiddling champion-mandolin player Dennis Ludiker, a member of South Austin Jug Band that Jeffries had met long ago when both were competing in the National Old-time Fiddle Contest in Weiser, Idaho, as kids — as well as the young Brian Beken, who would also ultimately join the band.
Jeffries began recording his own tunes under the name The Noah Jeffries Project and then with Ludiker, the duo trading duties on guitar, mandolin, fiddle and bass on an underground demo called "BoLth on the Rampage." Soon after, Beken, fiddler for South Austin Jug Band and The Gougers and a multi-instrumentalist himself, joined the band so it could perform live.
With the addition of Matt Mefford on bass, the band was complete and became MilkDrive. It released its debut CD in June 2009, MILKDRIVE LIVE '09, with arrangements described as "impeccable" and picking so fast it's "unbelievable."
Ludiker won the 2009 RockyGrass Mandolin Contest and holds fiddling championship titles from the 2009 and 2008 Texas State-Fiddlers Frolics, 2002 Walnut Valley Music Festival and 2001 Washington State Open. Beken was 2004 Texas Flatpick Guitar Champion. Jeffries won a Lionel Hampton International Jazz Festival Jazz Guitar Competition.
Awards are a great measure of technical prowess, but they reveal nothing about the musical soul so palpable in MilkDrive's music, the quartet's sound a textural, multi-layer mix of rhythms, tempos, flavors, downbeats, improvisation — and the confidence each possesses that comes from experience with an instrument (or instruments).
Fingers flying at breathtaking speed, original tunes that feel familiar at first but go beyond extraordinary, heart and brains behind dynamic performances: It's an uncompromising musical journey the members of MilkDrive are on.
Drunken Hearts
Forged high in the Rocky Mountains & spawned on the banks of the Colorado River - you'll find trouble bottling The Hearts' alt-country- jamgrass sound.
The Olora Brothers
The Olora Bros. are a Colorado based acoustic band comprised of Andrew Portwood (Frogs Gone Fishin'), Sean Healey, and Jake Wolf (Shakedown Street). The band features veterans of the Colorado music scene. This project is the embodiment of dedication to soulful music, and the concept that creative and positive energy, mutual respect and trust amongst good friends can yield the most beautiful and inspiring music on Earth. Still in its infancy, the collective belief is that if we do this right, our audiences will leave with hope, significantly happier than they were when they came. Jump on board with The Olora Bros. and let us remind you why you love music.
Old Town Pickers
Bluegrass, newgrass, slam, smokin', or jamgrass; call it what you will. Ask any member of the Steamboat Springs, Colorado based string band, Old Town Pickers, and they'll tell you "We're just having fun and playing fast." Comprising four members, including Jay Roemer on guitar, Eric Baker on mandolin, Von Wilson on banjo, and Denton Turner on bass, all hailing from different states, the Pickers play that quintessential style that can easily be labeled "Rocky Mountain String Music."
Just as the personnel that make up the band come from various places and backgrounds, so does the inspiration for the music. Genres that are easily identifiable while giving these boys a listen are Delta blues, Appalachian roots, Texas country, jam, and, of course, good old traditional bluegrass. With stand-out originals — which can be sad, humorous, and often both — along with playful covers of songs spanning decades and genres, an Old Town Pickers show is exactly how they would describe it. "Fun!"
The Magic Beans
Since the creation of the band just two years ago, The Magic Beans have established themselves as one of the most prominent and original acts in the perpetually flooded Colorado music scene and beyond. The group had made a name for themselves with a deep cannon of original songs, virtuosic playing, and fusing genres while connecting with their fan base in a way that is not typical with other band
s. Drawing from a wide range of influences, The Beans style can be described as natural and all encompassing, encapsulating the diverse interests of each musician in the band and today’s music lovers into one package. The Magic Beans are well known for going between folk, funk, rock and electronica in a single composition, original setlists each night, and with the added element of improvisation, there is always something special that can happen at every show. The group uses no pre-recorded tracks or samples in favor of a more traditional approach to music; original songwriting, diverse instrumentation, and continually pushing the musical envelope are what set the Magic Beans apart.
Seamlessly combining acoustic roots music and traditional instruments with modern technology and electric dance music, the Magic Beans are unique as their place of origin, the Colorado Rockies.
Hardscrabble
Hardscrabble has made a name for themselves in the Eagle Valley with their unique blend of traditional bluegrass and colorful renditions of crowd favorites. They deliver a lively show aimed at audiences of all ages and musical backgrounds.
We’ve been influenced by music from a variety of different genres, and that’s evident in our repertoire. We try to have fun up there and keep the audience engaged. You’ll hear us play traditional bluegrass anthems by Jimmy Martin, Bill Monroe and Flatt & Scruggs, mixed with ‘newgrass’ favorites by The Steeldrivers, Hot Rize, Tony Rice, John Hartford and even Steve Earl and Marshall Tucker.
Formed in 2008, this five-piece group consists of Jena Skinner on lead vocals and harmonica; Robbie Brown on lead guitar and vocals, Eric Lovgren on banjo and vocals, Scott Loss on bass, fiddle and vocals, Steve DeGroat on mandolin and vocals. Hardscrabble has a rich and lively sound showcasing every instrument and the rafter-shaking voice of singer Jena Skinner.
She Said String Band
The bass player is from the worst part of Flint, Michigan that you could ever imagine. She can bump it and thump it right down to her camouflage pantyhose. Her name is Ink, we call her Mink for short.
And on the guitar (we think her trainer is around and she's had her medications) is Pitbull. Our Pitbull has more tatoos and chains than any one chick can handle in one chick band. Bigfoot don't get close!
You're gonna think the dance floor is made of syrup. Because that mandolin thing will nail your feet to the floor and then she will sign her autograph with nail pullers right after the show. That's Sugarcube.
And on the banjo, she looks more like Lady Gaga than Benny Galloway. She puts the gumdrop in gumdrop, ladies and gentlemen, Thumbdrop.
Venue Information
Crazy Mountain Brewing Company
439 Edwards Access Road
Edwards, CO 81632
http://crazymountainbrewery.com/