Saturday, June 28, 2008

FREE music

Gnarls Barkley plays for free at Coors Field today, 6/28, for the SoCo Music Fest.

South Park Music Tour, with free shows, is going on in Fairplay today.

Friday, June 27, 2008

Farmers markets

All sorts of farmers markets are in full swing in Colorado. Today, there's a new addition in Broomfield with a different purpose than the rest.

The Legacy Farmers Market at Legacy High School aims to raise money for the school to support its athletics teams, rather than having players just go door to door selling pizzas or what have you to subsidize rising fuel costs for buses to get to games, etc. Organizer Paul Madigan's goal is to raise $10,000 by the end of the summer, though the goal for today is just to break even. (Madigan has kids who are either in or have graduated from the school.)

The market is starting very, very small and doesn't even really have farmers selling at the market yet. Instead, a handful of vendors like Mountain Man snacks, and two brokers are bringing produce from Colorado, Texas, Arizona and California. When asked why there aren't farmers at the farmers market, Madigan said farmers he's spoken with are already committed to doing other farmers markets in the area (Boulder has a thriving market scene). He said he hopes to gain a track record though this summer and eventually attract farmers to sell at the Legacy market. "For them to come to an unproven market wouldn't be fair," he says. "After two weeks, we'll have a proven record."

The market runs today, 6/27, from 2:30 p.m. - 6:30 p.m. at Legacy High School's west parking lot in Broomfield, 2701 W 136th Ave.

"It's a gamble, but the feedback I've gotten from people is, 'we need one (a farmers market) of our own.' A lot of people are driving to Boulder, Thornton, Westminster, Niwot. 100 percent of the proceeds are going to the shcool. Not one penny is going anywhere else but to the school," Madigan said.

The market is still a work in progress. Madigan doesn't want to charge fees to any vendors, instead charging a percentage of sales. But the percentage hasn't been determined yet. Will it work? We'll have to see.

Friday, June 20, 2008

music news

Lots of little tidbits to mention.

The Film on the Rocks series (movies @ Red Rocks) is back. On 6/20, Friday, it's Fight Club. Movie starts at 9 but get there a few hours early because Slim Cessna's Auto Club will be playing live music before it gets dark. It's $10 if you can get your ticket early at King Soopers. Otherwise $12 at the door.

So Say Hi is planning another long tour this fall, with probably a Denver date in there. Nothing official yet, so we'll have to wait and see. In the meantime, there's a couple dates with The Long Winters in California next month.

We just have to mention, if you are going to Taste of Chicago, Summerfest, Austin City Limits Festival or Bumbershoot this year, Old 97s are going to be at all of those. How exciting

The new album from Rose Hill Drive (of Boulder) is out Tuesday, 6/24, and they play free at Twist and Shout 6/25 at 6 p.m.

The Colorado Symphony has all sorts of goodies planned for the July 4 weekend. On Thursday, 7/3, they play FREE at City Park, 7 p.m. Then that Sunday, 7/6 @ 7:30 p.m., there's a "free" concert at Red Rocks (parking is $10 though, so I don't know, bring the van and stuff it with seven people?) Good deals, anyway

Do you like Counting Crows? They're looking for someone to design their summer tour poster (for free -- though the band will sign the winner's poster. Whee.) The winner's design will be sold on tour. You have to enter by July 1. More rules here

There's probably something we're forgetting, but we'll get back to you.

Thursday, June 19, 2008

Koko Taylor / Pinetop Perkins

We went to Boulder for the live taping of "Queen of the Blues" Koko Taylor's first appearance on the national radio show etown. (The show tapes about 2 hours' worth of material, then cuts it down to about 1 hour for the show you hear each week) Koko Taylor came out on stage at the Chautauqua Auditorium dancing and kept on going. She was backed by her Blues Machine, with Calvin Louden on guitar, Melvin Smith on bass, Shunsuke Kikuta on rhythm guitar, Stanley Banks on keyboards and Ricky Nelson on drums. Even her bodyguard got an introduction. After a couple of songs, she talked about growing up poor in Bartlett, Tennessee, being orphaned at age 11 with her two sisters and three brothers. All of them sang in church. Her dad wanted them to sing gospel, but she and her siblings would secretly sing blues. She later went to Chicago with her secret boyfriend ("the only one who knew he was my boyfriend was me!"). The bus driver let her on the bus even though they didn't have enough money for her to ride. They sat in the back of the bus ("I sat in the back but I got there the same time as the front!") She later married her boyfriend, who encouraged her to sing.

Also on the show, Mississippi bluesman Pinetop Perkins, just shy of 95. He came out sharply dressed in a bright red suit and matching top hat. (Not really a top hat but I'm not up on my haberdashery terms.) He played piano and sang. Willie "Big Eyes" Smith accompanied on harmonica and also sang. They tried to interview him but he mostly wanted to play. At the end he and Big Eyes and Koko Taylor and her Blues Machine all played together. Anyway, you can hear it for yourself on etown. Most likely airing in 4-6 weeks.

Sunday, June 15, 2008

Westword's recap of the music festival yesterday if you missed out.

This afternoon (6/15) on into evening, Popwreck, Hemi Cuda, The Omens and others are playing at the Larimer Lounge BBQ. Bring dad.

More Denver bands putting out new albums: Achille Lauro's CD release party is 6/27 (that's a Friday) at the Larimer Lounge

Thursday, June 12, 2008

Electric Daisy Carnival

The Electric Daisy Carnival comes to Colorado this weekend. 6 stages, music from 6 p.m. to 4 a.m. at the Arapahoe County Fairgrounds this Saturday, 6/14. Mark Farina, Colette and Kaskade plus locals like The Swayback and The Photo Atlas. Tickets are $50, but you have to buy them now. They stop selling them mid morning Saturday.



Saturday, June 07, 2008

People's Fair is going on right NOW. Downtown at Civic Center park. Lots of good free music, and great weather today. Check out Gubment Cheese at Colfax and Bannock tomorrow at noon.

Also this weekend, check out the sidewalk chalk drawings in Larimer Square

Tonight, 6/7, Ellison Park at the Meadowlark. $5
Also tonight Pseudo Dates / Vitamins / et al at the Lion's Lair. $5

Wednesday, June 04, 2008

David Sedaris is coming to the Tattered Cover in Lodo (just north of 16th and Wazee). 6/22 at noon. Tickets to see and hear him are gone (you had to buy his new book, from what I understand), but you can still get overflow tickets beginning 11 a.m. 6/22 to get books signed. Details