Colorado Music Hall of Fame Fundraising Dinner

-

Words By Nicholas Stock (Phat Phlog Blog)

So a question popped up on Facebook from Westword Denver asking people who they thought should be inducted into The Colorado Music Hall of Fame. My answer of Vince Herman was selected, and I received two tickets to The Colorado Music Hall of Fame Inaugural Fundraiser Dinner. Not really knowing what to expect other than a free meal, Amy and I headed down to Pasta Jay's in Boulder. What we got was an incredibly pleasant experience and a free bottle of wine. Let me break it down for you.

The event itself was your typical $100 a plate schmoozer. All of the big players in music promotion, booking, and ticketing were in attendance, not to mention the local store and venue owners as well. We found a table in the back room. After grabbing a drink, the food parade began. No less than thirteen courses were served including buffalo ravioli, chicken parm, bacon-wrapped shrimp, and delicious chocolate cake to end it all. During our meal, we shared great conversation with our tablemates and enjoyed some great acoustic music from a myriad of Colorado musicians.

Danielle Ate Sandwich got the event going by playing her ukulele for the guests. The entire line up of Kenny Passarelli, John Magnie, Matt Morris, Chris Daniels, Jock Bartley, Bill Nershi, and Richie Furay was an incredibly diverse snapshot of Colorado music. The varied players spanned the entire history of music produced in and inspired by this great state. Of course, the highlight was an unannounced performance from Bill Nershi. (They may not have advertised to avert any mass infestation of wooks. Luckily, I snuck through.) He was not on the bill and given the fact that he had just played a three-night run at 1st Bank, I didn't expect him to be there. Billy and his wife Jillian sang “Colorado Bluebird Sky” which premiered during Winter Carnival. They ventured back into our room and began mulling over what to play. I nonchalantly said “Barstool” to which Billy nodded and began strumming. It was nice to see a hero of mine play such an intimate setting. We finished our cake and made our way to the exit with full bellies and happy hearts.

www.coloradomusichalloffame.org

Comments

  1. AnonymousAugust 14, 2011 at 7:53 PM

    Love it.

    ReplyDelete
  2. AnonymousAugust 14, 2011 at 8:01 PM

    Do you ever feel like Billy is looked down on by the high-browed music establishment? Is it because of SCI and the some of the crowd they attract? He is, hands down, one one of best pickers/song writers in Colorado. Some people criticize the use of a his capo, but I think that has more to do with his vulnerable vocals and less to do with his picking abilities. I think Billy deserves more credit for contributions from the establishment. The musicians know, the critics follow, and the general public is always the last to know. Pay attention to the musicians.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

André 3000 | New Blue Sun | Album Review & First Listen

-
Image
Words by J. Picard André 3000, half of the defunct hip-hop duo Outkast, makes his triumphant return to the musical foreground with his new album, New Blue Sun . Contrary to his past output, the album features André in a beautifully different context; experimental flute jazz. As a kid I saw Outkast at the Area 1 festival just north of Detroit. The event featured Moby, The Roots, Paul Oakenfold, Carl Cox and more. During that festival, Outkast stole the show with a heavy-hitting funk band to back their lyrical prowess. What was clear to me then and is clear to me now is the value that André 3000 puts on the music itself. For many who were caught off guard by the coming release of New Blue Sun , rest assured, it was always about the instrumentation. "I Swear, I Really Wanted to Make a 'Rap' Album but This is Literally the Way the Wind Blew Me This Time," is the twelve minute plus opening track on the album and sets the pace for what will follow. André's wooden flute,
Read more

Buckethead: Gimmick or Guitar God?

-
Image
Words & Photos By Nicholas Stock ( phatphlogblog.blogspot.com ) At what point does the gimmick overshadow the performance? The obvious answer is Buckethead. The man is an amazing guitarist but something is not right in this world. The idea a performer who dons a KFC chicken bucket on his head for a concert has always intrigued me, and some of his side projects such as Colonel Claypool’s Bernie Bucket of Brains have been huge successes. However his performance last weekend in Fort Collins simply left me perplexed. From his robotic dancing, to his nunchuck display, to the fact the he performed with an iPod rather than a band all added to my confusion. Going into the show I was ready to be blown away, despite rumblings of disgruntled fans from the previous night’s show at The Gothic. Buckethead had had some sound issues and some missed cues in Denver but I was still trying to be positive for the show in Fort Collins. It did go off without a hitch technically but that was the least
Read more

The Origin of MusicMarauders

-
Image
Words By J-man "What should I name this fucking thing?" I asked myself in the midst of a joint in my Upstate, NY apartment. "It's got to be something with just 'Music'in the title. Nothing more specific than that, as we'll be covering a wide variety of genres." One more drag on the joint yielded the memory of driving down Woodward Ave. in Detroit, listening to Tribe Called Quest's Midnight Marauders. "MusicMarauders! That's it... It completely encompasses what we do in the sense the we are 'maraudering' or 'pillaging' for music," I thought as I stared out of the window at about three and a half feet of fresh Upstate snow. First things first, the domain had to be registered. "Do I have ten dollars in my account?" I thought to myself from a position of just scraping by. Pulling out my shiny, rarely used debit card, I put it to the test and was able to secure MusicMarauders.com. "What's next?" I
Read more

Phish 7.16.14 (Parents Night)

-
Image
DTE Energy Music Theatre Clarkston, MI Words By J. Picard Photos By Jessica Pace & J. Picard The summer schedule was quickly filling up leaving us with just a few options to see Phish. As dates fell into place, it seemed only fitting that we would head back to my home town of Detroit, MI to enjoy Phish among friends and family. A lengthy drive through the ruins and returns of Detroit with my folks took us across the Ambassador Bridge to Canada and back before heading down to Mexican Village to meet up with some of our best friends; Matt, Teri, Andy and Zach. That night over copious amounts of queso and tortillas, we monitored the live setlist updates out of CMAC and discussed the following night's potential. The conversation of "parents night" came up and to my surprise, Tom (my father) joined the scenario. That night we rode out to the farm with Matt and Teri knowing full well the glory the following day would bring. Brilliant sunlight cast over the green gr
Read more