Floodwood & Gipsy Moon 1.14.14

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Hodi’s Half Note
Fort Collins, Colorado

Words, Photos & Video By Nicholas Stock
Audio by Rob O’Brien

I have personally been harassing Floodwood’s management for the better part of the last two years to get them to come out to Colorado. Given Al’s predilection for skiing it’s kind of a no brainer. Ever since first seeing them at Summer Camp I have been smitten with their sound. Floodwood’s brand of punchy acoustic music anchored by two members of jam powerhouse moe. is the perfect fit for any music fan. So finally it was announced that Floodwood would be embarking on their inaugural tour of Colorful Colorado. Their schedule included a short run into the mountains before two nights with Assembly Of Dust in Denver. Their first stop was a Tuesday night in Fort Collins. The evening began with local acoustic favorites, Gipsy Moon from Nederland.

Gipsy Moon is an utterly fun experience. Their music imparts an impression of a romanticized nomadic existence framed by the kind of strings that you would hear around a roaring campfire. Silas Herman son of famed bandleader Vince Herman takes the silent lead. He is quiet on stage but he simply shreds on the mandolin. Live painter turned live musician, Mackenzie Page, is another focal point from this young but impressive group. Their set lasted about an hour before they disappeared into the darkness behind the stage.



Al came out and gave us all a warm welcome before informing us that this was in fact Floodwood’s first time performing in the state. They opened with a tight but twangy original “In The Gravel Yard.”

Floodwood Live at Hodi's Half Note on January 14, 2014.



Set One: In The Gravel Yard, Revolving Door, You And Me, Spoon Kicks, I Know You Rider, Mother, Long Way To Virginia, Caught, Blue Eyed Son, Waiting In Vain, North Country Winds, 315, Nine Pound Hammer, Spend Some Time, Somewhere In Kansas, Chillicothe Clouds, Holy Sacred, Stomp It, Roll On, Waiting For The Punchline

Encore: Old Banjo, Cumberland Blues

Given the fact that it was a Tuesday and turnout was decent but only approaching half capacity, Floodwood opted to play one long set of music. This included several tracks off their new album including “North Country Winds” and a sublimely rowdy “Stomp It.”

“Every time I come to Colorado I can’t help but wonder why the fuck I don’t live here.” – Al
However, the big news of the night was the release of their new live album This Is Live, which was available for purchase for the first time. Traditional bluegrass renditions of “Long Way To Virginia” and Merle Travis’s “9lb Hammer” took on a fresh feel while maintaining their nostalgic roots. We were treated to Al’s tribute to his autistic child “Blue Eyed Son,” which has become a regular on moe. set lists as of late. Covers like Bob Marley’s “Waiting In Vain” and The Grateful Dead’s “I Know You Rider” were sprinkled in throughout the set for good measure. Nick Piccininni absolutely tore up his original instrumental “Chillicothe Clouds” which was a tune he wrote about his first experience at Summer Camp Music Festival.

“Pretty good for a Tuesday Night, pretty good for any night really.” – Nick

The audience was definitely comprised of a lot of moe. fans that spent time yelling out silliness like, ‘Play Rebubula.’ Overall, the crowd was pretty attentive and definitely appreciated of the music. They closed with an amazing acoustic version of “Waiting For The Punchline.”

Floodwood returned for a two-song encore. First up was the bouncy “Old Banjo” followed by a bluegrass interpretation of the Grateful Dead’s “Cumberland Blues.” According to the setlist the last song was an audible. This was a top-notch night of music from two of my new favorite bands. Gipsy Moon is definitely worth catching live whenever possible. Floodwood is an acoustic barnstormer that can’t help but impress music fans across this great country. I for one am thrilled that they finally made it out to Colorado. Let’s hope it’s the beginning of a new tradition for Floodwood.

Nichols' Photo Gallery

www.gipsymoon.net

www.floodwoodmusic.com

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