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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,

Buckethead: Gimmick or Guitar God?

- July 27, 2011

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

The John Fogerty Incident 7.14.23

- July 18, 2023

Red Rocks Park & Amphitheatre Morrison, CO Words by J. Picard Photos by Nancy Isaac Photography "Early in the evening, just about supper time," over at Red Rocks, sound check started to unwind. I walked along the main road through the sprawling complex from the lower north lot to the trading post where I would meet MusicMarauders photographer, Nancy Isaac, for my media pass. It's been decades since Creedence Clearwater Revival frontman and guitarist owned the rights to his music. After fifty years, all of that changed. Around 5:30 PM I scurried past the lower entrances to the fable venue where I could hear The String Cheese Incident and John Fogerty running through classic Creedence material and Fogerty sounded incredible! Leading up to the show, I resisted listening to any recent Fogerty as I wanted to go into the experience without expectation. On too many occasions I've wandered into a show to hear one of my favorites from the past, only to be disappointed by y