Don’t despair if you can’t travel to South by Southwest next month! During the first two weeks of March you can find an exciting roots concert almost every night, right here in the shadow of Pikes Peak.

I recommend that you start the musical odyssey with a double “paper” bill TONIGHT at Stargazers Theatre featuring local favorites Edith Makes A Paperchain and the Denver-based collective Paper Bird — seven guys and gals who, like Edith, combine indie folk strings and horns to create an exciting new sound.

On Tuesday (March 2) the Texas blues brothers known as Los Lonely Boys will rock the Pikes Peak Center – opening is Americana fiddler darling Carrie Rodriguez.

Carrie’s soon to be released disc “Love and Circumstance” will include contributions from Buddy Miller, Bill Frisell and members ofCrooked Still.

The following night songwriter Sarah Siskind is set to appear at the Mountain Community Mennonite Church in Palmer Lake with hubby Travis Book of the Infamous Stringdusters, who was raised here locally.   Bill Forman of the Indy reports that the concert is a charity fundraiser complete with pie and coffee.

Vince Herman – a founder of the influential jamgrass band Leftover Salmon – brings his new project Great American Taxi to the Black Sheep on Thursday March 4.  In addition to celebrating the release of Taxi’s recording debut “Reckless Habits,” Vince & the boys are fresh off of a tour with Todd Snider that included stops in Denver, Boulder and Nashville.

On Friday March 5, you can opt to check out the Zac Brown Band – the recently-crowned “Best New Artist” from this year’s Grammys — at the World Arena, or for a less expensive evening wander over to Venue 515 in Manitou Springs for another Edith Makes A Paperchain show with rising folk star Cahalen Morrison.

KRCC is mega-stoked to welcome Colorado Springs native Laura Veirs back home to Venue 515 on March 6 in support of her new CD “July Flame.”

Laura’s performance starts on the early side, which will allow you ample time to catch North Carolina’s American Aquarium with The Ghost of Mike Clark at the Triple Nickel late night.

The fun continues the following week with Ozomatli at the Black Sheep on March 9 and two notable events on March 12 — folk singer Joe Uveges plays the All Souls Unitarian Universalist Church, while multi-instrumentalist Tony Furtado performs at a special house concert with Trina Hamlin.

You can wrap up the first half of Musical March Madness at the Black Sheep on March 14 with Stockholm Syndrome, a Widespread Panic side project featuring the talents of bassist Dave Schools, Wally Ingram and Jerry Joseph, among others.

Finally, for the northern Colorado crowd or anyone willing to drive for tunes – Cracker plays “Unplugged” at Swallow Hill Daniels Hall on February 28, Bob Weir & Phil Lesh bring Furthur to Broomfield on March 5-6, and YMSB’s Jeff Austin invites some hippie friends to join him for two shows on March 12-13 in Denver and Boulder.

Go out and see live music!  I’m back on the air this week with another edition of The Grass Roots Revival — catch it streaming live at 8:00 p.m. MST on www.krcc.org or as a webcast here within a few days after the live broadcast!

Fat (left) and Old (right)

Somebody asked me the other day if I was going to see Billy Joel and Elton John in Denver. Well, it was a bartender. And I did see her at the Elton John show when he was here last year. What can I say, curiosity got the better of me.  Anyway, I like it when bartenders recognize me and talk to me. Especially if it means I might get my beverage faster.

Steve did put that show on the calendar; in case you’re interested. I’d highly recommend against it. Wonder if that new Live Nation/Tickmaster conglomeration is selling tickets to that one at their new reduced fees? I’ll be we can find something better than two old washed up old fuckers tickling the ivories and singing those old songs at a fraction of their original voices.  Let’s see…

Not much in the way of big shows the next couple of weeks, but some pretty nice smaller ones. Hows about Guy Clark Tuesday at the L2 Arts and Clltural Center? Or maybe Justin Townes Earle at The Bluebird Friday? Next week there’s Scott H. Biram at the Black Sheep in the Springs, James McMurtry at the Fox in Boulder, or Steep Canyon Rangers and Great American Taxi at the Boulder Theater.

One more thing, anyone else notice Alejandro Escovedo was dropped from the Los Lonely Boys Show in the Springs?  After I paid full retail price for my ticket. (Of course, the Gazette still thinks he’s coming – one of many ways those boys are a little out of the loop)  Check it out, the bill is the LLB’s with Carrie Rodriguez, and Alejandro in Grand Junction, Beaver Creek, Aspen, and Boulder. By the time the Acoustic Brotherhood Tour hits the Springs they’ve dropped Alejandro. Shit.

Sunday night marks the arrival of the 52nd Annual Grammy Awards

"Johnny Cash Grammy Award"

ceremony, an often pretentious and self-congratulatory spectacle during which the Recording Academy perennially hands out honors to the most flamboyant, good-looking, and/or best-selling musical insiders.  Many are successful because they are “marketable” and not because of songwriting talent or instrumental ability; nowhere is this more evident than in the so-called “Country Music” categories.  The formulaic songs of commercial country sensations like Taylor Swift, Keith Urban and Carrie Underwood bear little resemblance to the body of work produced by traditional country pioneers including Hank Williams, Johnny Cash, June Carter Cash, Bill Monroe, Lester Flatt and Earl Scruggs.

One of the oft-overlooked gems of the Grammys, however, is the category for “Best Country Instrumental Performance.”  Since the pop country superstars seldom go to the trouble of producing instrumental music, they are mostly ineligible for consideration, leaving the door open for emerging artists who build on traditional foundations — The Greencards, Sarah Jarosz and Alison Brown.  Although you aren’t likely to hear much about roots music during the tomorrow’s network television broadcast of the ceremony, here are my analyses and predictions for Best Country Instrumental Performance and three of the categories now grouped together under the “American Roots” heading.

Best Americana Album

My Prediction: Bob Dylan – Together Through Life

My Selection: Wilco – Wilco (the album)

For the first time in its history, the Academy will present an award for “Best Americana Album” of the year.  My guess is that the Academy will reward one of its old guard – Bob Dylan, Lucinda Williams, Willie Nelson & Asleep at the Wheel, or Levon Helm (known for his ground-breaking work with The Band).  These are all celebrated artists who have rightfully received critical acclaim for their accomplishments.  Wilco is an interesting foil in this category, having previously earned a 2004 Grammy for “Best Alternative Album” for “A Ghost is Born.”  Although I also truly enjoyed Levon Helm’s “Electric Dirt,” the follow up to the 2007 Grammy-winning Best Traditional Folk Album “Dirt Farmer,” I hope the Academy gives the nod to Wilco for keeping Americana exciting and fresh.

Best Bluegrass Album

My Prediction: Steve Martin – The Crow

My Selection: Rhonda Vincent – Destination: Life

Three of this year’s Bluegrass nominees already own phonograph statues.  Jim Lauderdale has earned Best Bluegrass Album awards for his collaboration with Ralph Stanley in 2002 and for 2007’s “The Bluegrass Diaries.”  Outstanding guitarist Bryan Sutton took home two awards for his work with Ricky Skaggs & Kentucky Thunder and then one for Best Country Instrumental in 2006.  I believe that sheer star power probably gives comedian Steve Martin an edge in this category – Martin picked up two Grammys for Best Comedy Recording in the 1970s and was also honored for his contribution to the Best Country Instrumental winner in 2001, an all-star Earl Scruggs recording of “Foggy Mountain Breakdown.”  However, I’d reward one of the two nominees who don’t have a Grammy, either cowboy poet Michael Martin Murphey or multi-instrumentalist Rhonda Vincent.  Rhonda gets my vote because I don’t want to jinx Michael’s Martin Murphey’s chance of winning Best Traditional Folk Album next year for the new release “Lone Cowboy — Live & Solo” that was produced here in Colorado Springs by the Western Jubilee Recording Company.

Best Contemporary Folk Album

My Prediction: Elvis Costello — Secret Profane & Sugarcane

My Selection: Neko Case – Middle Cyclone

There are mostly familiar faces in the Best Contemporary Folk Album category.  Shawn Colvin received the award in 1990 for “Steady On” and later earned Record of the Year honors for “Sunny Came Home” in 1997.  However, her latest live solo recording offers up little new material (a notable exception is a Talking Heads cover) — the album more or less recreates a previously released 1988 performance twenty years later.  Steve Earle beat out the competition twice in the past decade in 2004 (“The Revolution Starts Now”) and 2007 (“Washington Square Serenade”), although in my opinion his collection of Townes Van Zandt covers does not rank among his best material.  Although Tracy Chapman has four Grammys (including three during her debut in 1988), she has not won an award since a 1996 Grammy for Best Rock Song.  Surprisingly, Elvis Costello has only one Grammy award on his resume, for a pop vocal collaboration with Burt Bacharach in 1998.  If I was King the award would go to the incorrigible trailblazing indie newcomer Neko Case for shaking things up — “Middle Cyclone” is an innovative, inspired and literate modern take on folk music.

However, the best bet is that Elvis Costello will take the category with “Secret, Profane and Sugarcane,” both because of his lack of prior significant recognition and the involvement of golden touch producer T Bone Burnett, the soundtrack architect for “O Brother Where Art Thou” and the forthcoming Jeff Bridges movie “Crazy Heart.”

Best Country Instrumental Performance

My Prediction: The Greencards, “The Crystal Merchant,” Fascination

My Selection: The Greencards, “The Crystal Merchant,” Fascination

And finally, even though the Academy could only come up with four nominees for Best Country Instrumental, they are great songs.  Young bluegrass darling Sarah Jarosz garners her first nomination for the quirky “Mansinneedof” from her debut Sugar Hill release “Song Up In Her Head,” and banjoist Alison Brown is back again after winning this category in 2000 for her duet with maestro Bela Fleck.  But my money is on The Greencards –Australian, English and Nashville influences combine to produce some of the most exciting bluegrass/Americana music available today.  Their Sugar Hill release “Fascination” was #2 on the Grass Roots Revival charts in 2009.  Although The Greencards’ “Mucky the Duck” from “Viridian” was nominated but failed to win the Best Country Instrumental last year, I am hoping the second time is the charm.  And mark your calendar now – The Greencards will be headlining MeadowGrass in Black Forest this coming Memorial Day weekend – details to follow very soon.

Musicfest left the building a week ago, but a few Texas bands are hanging around the old front range before heading back to warmer climes.  Reckless Kelly (below) has shows in Ft Collins (Aggie Theater) and Denver (Grizzly Rose) this week.  Those Braun boys are great live and highly recommended.   The always-entertaining Cross Canadian Ragweed and the Randy Rogers Band will share the bill at Cowboys (Springs) and Grizzly Rose.  He didn’t play Musicfest, but Pat Green is playing Grizzly Rose this week as well.  And last, and maybe least, Leann Rimes plays Arnold Hall at the Air Force Academy Friday night.  Though not totally on board with this one, the wife is – so we will be in attendance.  I learned from her web-site that Leann’s battling psoriasis.  I promise to make it my mission to personally check Ms. Rimes for any signs of that dread disease.  Because that’s the way I roll.

The guy on the left-not playing Cowboys.

That’s it for the Texans until February when Steve Earle, Hayes Carll, James McMurtry (left), and Guy Clark come a callin’.  Other late January highlights include Split Lip Rayfield at the Black Sheep in the Springs, Jay Farrar and Ben Gibbard at the Boulder Theater, and AA Bondy at the Hi Dive in Denver.  And be forewarned – the Van Zant playing “World Famous” Cowboys in the Springs on January 30th is the Lynyrd Skynyrd variety and not the Townes variety (which is spelled Van Zandt).  Now you know.

In Twenty09 “Americana” became an official genre, garnering recognition by the Grammy awards.  Woot! (Whatever that means)   In fact, according to USA Today, Twenty09 will be remembered forever as the year  “Grammys (Put) Americana on the Map”.  Awesome.  Guess that means it’s time for RockyMountainHighway.com to recognize this fancy new “Americana” genre with our first annual  top ten Americana cd’s of the year list.  Unlike other year-end lists, our list contains 100% Americana goodness, no filler or obscurity for obscurity’s sake:

1 Avett Brothers “I and Love and You”

2 Justin Townes Earle “Midnight at the Movies”

3Todd Snider “The Excitement Plan”

4 Wilco “Wilco (the Album)”

5 Buddy and Julie Miller “Written in Chalk”

6 Charlie Robison “Beautiful Day”

7 Neko Case “Middle Cyclone”

8 Belleville Outfit “Time to Stand”

9 Slaid Cleaves “Everything You Love Will be Taken Away”

10 Richmond Fontaine “We Used to Think the Freeway Sounded Like a River”

Here are some other ‘09 releases worthy of mention that either don’t belong in the Americana category, or are just short of “top ten” material: Corb Lund “Losin’ Lately Gambler” Leonard Cohen “Live in London” Decemberists “Hazards of Love” Norah Jones “The Fall” Vienna Teng “Inland Territory” Black Joe Lewis and the Honeybears “Tell ‘Em What Your Name Is” Gurf Morlix “Last Exit to Happyland” James Hand “Shadow on the Ground” Ryan Bingham “Roadhouse Sun” Rhett Miller “Rhett Miller”.

As amateur blog makers who don’t do puff piece reviews, we’re unfortunately forced to purchase the cd’s we listen to.  Damn the luck.  (However, free CD’s are gladly accepted and there’s a good chance they’ll make next year’s list.  The free ones.)  In Twenty09 there were a few I wish I hadn’t blown the 15 bucks on.  Here are the Most Disappointing Americana cd’s of the year:

Monsters of Folk “Monsters of Folk” any of these monsters could have done better on their own , well  Jim James could anyway.

Elvis Costello “Secret Profane and Sugarcane” T-Bone Burnett produces a CD even more boring than Raising Sand, who woulda thought?

Jack Ingram “Big Dreams and High Hopes” Of opening a theater in Branson?

Steve Earle “Townes” Adds nothing to the legacy of Townes.

Bruce Springsteen “Working on a Dream” Three words “Outlaw Fucking Pete”

The 2010 Musicfest at Steamboat is from January 4-11. We love everything about Musicfest except freezing our asses off on the slopes and trying to hear the music over the noise of the giant party going on in the big tent every night.  Everyone should go to Musicfest once; we’ve been.  That said, here are my tips to enjoy the Musicfest experience: 1) If at all possible, stay out of the big tent, it’s loud, crowded, and half the folks in there aren’t even facing the stage, instead… 2) Frequent the smaller venues, Bear River in particular hosts some intimate sit-down shows with great artists.  May be crowded, may not-be prepared to get there early. 3) Check out the bands in the Steamboat Grand Ballroom, but get there before the tent show lets out unless you want to stand in the cold and wait for someone to leave so they’ll let you in.  4)  Stay at the Steamboat Grand, that’s where most of the artists stay.  Nothing like riding the elevator or eating breakfast with Ray Wylie Hubbard or one of the Braun Brothers.  5) If you don’t already have tickets, get on the waiting list now  6) Dress warm, pace yourself,  and starting resting up today.   

A great thing about Musicfest time is what we’ll dub “Musicfest fallout”.  We’ll have the opportunity to see many of the Musicfest artists all over the front range without that ass-whip of a drive to Steamboat.  Of course, the drunk frat-boys probably won’t be there either, we’ll have to suffer through.  Todd Snider (left) plays the Boulder Theater January 8 and the Bluebird Theater January 9; Band of Heathens play Black Sheep January 3 and the Bluebird January 7; Robert Earl Keen plays Black Sheep January 6 and Grizzly Rose January 8; Jason Boland and the Stragglers hit the Bluebird January 10; Jason Eady has three shows-12th at Toad Tavern, 13th at Oskar Blues, and 14th Sunshine Studios (a new venue in the Springs); Jonathan Tyler and the Northern Lights play Black Sheep January 15, and Reckless Kelly plays Grizzly Rose January 20.  I plan on hitting all those Springs shows and having my own little faux-fest - why doncha join me?  Check out the calendar for details.  See a full list of Musicfest artists below. 

Robert Earl Keen, Jr. •  Randy Rogers Band •  Band of Heathens •  Reckless Kelly • Charlie Robison •  Kevin Welch •  Cross Canadian Ragweed •  Lee Ann Womack •  Jamie Wilson • Todd Snider •  Jason Eady and The Wayward Apostles •  Billy Joe Shaver •  Matt Skinner •  Jack Ingram • Dean Dillon •  Bonnie Bishop •  Chris Knight •  Micky and The Motorcars •  Walt Wilkins • Midnight River Choir •  Jonathan Tyler and The Northern Lights
 Kevin Fowler •  Modern Day Drifters •  Hayes Carll •  Ben Smith  Jason Boland and The Stragglers •  Josh Abbott •  Cory Morrow •  Ray Wylie Hubbard •  The Trishas • Wade Bowen •  The Doug Moreland Show •  Stoney LaRue •  Tina Wilkins •  Roger Creager • Lucas Hubbard •  Sean McConnell •  Johnny and The Footlights

Things always slow down around Thanksgiving.  The shows dry up as the musicians head home to spend the holidays with their loved ones. That’s just a guess; makes sense, right?  So, whoever’s playing around here the next couple of weeks is either 1) a front range native 2) an orphan, or 3) so alienated from their family that they’d rather be anywhere than home for the holidays.

Or from Canada, like Corb Lund. Canadians have a similar holiday, but it’s called Thanksgiving (Canada) and it’s celebrated in October.  So Corb’s already stuffed himself with Turkey (Canada) and Pumpkin Pie (Canada), and is making his way south of the 49th paralell and will arrive on the front range just in time to entertain us Americans during Thanksgiving week.  Corb plays  the Swing Station in LaPort on the 22nd, Benders in Denver the 24th, and Oskar Blues in Lyons the 25th.  Corb is a friend of the folks at Crystola Roadhouse (call 719-687-7879), so you might catch him there on an off night.  Corb’s new CD, “Losin’ Lately Gambler”, is a fine piece of work.

Other interesting stuff in the next coupla weeks: Railroad Earth plays 3(!) shows at the Fox Theater, Emmylou and Buddy play the Macky in Boulder,  Willis Alan Ramsey plays Swallow Hill, Ray LaMontagne plays Denver, and Stoney LaRue and Otis Taylor each have Denver shows.  For details on all these shows check out the Front Range Music Calendar.

Oh, and in case you don’t recognize the name “The Swell Season“, that’s the duo of Glen Hansard of the Frames and Martina Irglova.  They were in that “Once” movie, and play the Ogden on November 29. Not so slow, after all.

Time to vote! No, I’m not talking about Doug Bruce’s latest hare-brained attempt to keep our city in the economic dark ages. You have the opportunity on November 12 to vote with your hard-earned entertainment dollars to support Friends House Concerts in Colorado Springs.  On that evening Eliza Gilkyson will be in town for a show with Nina Gerber at 7:00 pm.  “Friends” may be the only house concert series currently booking shows in Colorado (correct me if I’m wrong).  The Lucketts (who have put on the series for a number of years) took a hiatis a few months back.  Thank god they didn’t go the way of other Springs music venues-they actually came back!

The top 10 cool things about a Friends House Concert

1 starts and ends early (great for those nights when you have two dates) 2 the shows are byob so you save money on beer 3 every seat is almost too close to the artist 4 parking-free 5 obnoxious drunks allowed but discouraged 6 every show’s a meet-and-greet 7 autographed CD’s available for the low price of $15 8 Doug Bruce won’t be there 9 cover charge paid in advance so no need for pre-show trip to ATM 10 no Tickmaster fees.  All proceeds go directly to the artist – checks for $25 made payable to Eliza Gilkyson will get you in, for details go to www.house-concerts.org.  Eliza also plays Sunset Event Center in Ft. Collins on the 13th, Swallow Hill in Denver on the 14th, Crested Butte Arts Center on the 15th, Paradise Theater in Paonia the 17th, and Leon Memorial Hall in Alamosa on the 18th.

Check out the calendar for early November dates by David Allan Coe, Micky and the Motorcars, Roger Clyne and the Peacemakers, Chuck Prophet, and the Black Crowes.  Then things slow down for the holidays.  Don’t forget to wax those skis!

The burnt-out hippie demographic of the Front Range should enjoy the second half of October. Not only is the never-ending-(Christmas) tour making a stop in Denver, but the very night before Roger Freakin’ Daltry stops in at the Paramount, and the night before that Loggins and Messina play Pikes Peak Center. Dude!

The post-summer-pre-holiday concert season is actually shaping up quite nicely. Works Progress Administration is an amalgam of Nickel Creek, Toad the Wet Sprocket, and other folk-pop artists; kind of a Monsters of Folk with more street cred. They play Wildflower and Soiled Dove this month. “Chamber folk” artiste Vienna Teng plays four front range shows from October 21 through the the 24th; try to catch her on the 23rd at the Boulder Theater where she opens for local heroes the Subdudes. Rounding out the month (Oct 30 and 31) are a couple of Halloween shows in the Springs with performances by the fake Cars and the fake Boss at Triple Nickel and Jack Quinn’s.
Oh, and anyone who would name an album “Fucking Smilers” can’t be all bad, Aimee Mann plays Boulder Theater October 14 – hush hush keep it down now, voices carry.