Fishbone in Crested Butte: Part II

Click here for Part I.

Embarrassing confession time: I got to the venue right when the doors opened at 9:00.  I walked into the stage area and it was vacant except for one guy sitting on the side.  I figured he was a big fan like myself, so I struck up a conversation.  I told him I'd first seen Fishbone in 1991, figuring he'd be pretty impressed with my lengthy history following the band.  He asked if I'd gotten good pictures of Angelo and Norwood, which I replied enthusiastically that I had.  He just laughed and said I probably didn't have any of him, then introduced himself as drummer John Steward.

Like I said.  Embarrassing.  Steward has only been with the band FOR 16 YEARS.

He let me off the hook by saying nobody ever recognized him since he was in the back behind everybody else with no lights on him.  And my collection from Frisco in 2012 didn't have him in it.  But I made a point to get him this night.

And he noticed.  He was right that it was tricky to get a clear shot of him with adequate lighting, though.

Guitarist Rocky George turned in his typical solid performance.

New keyboardist Paul Hampton, formerly of The Skeletones, spent most of the show with his dreadlocks flying around.

I'd done a five-mile hike and played tennis earlier in the day.  But I think Angelo may still have burned more calories performing.

I chatted briefly with Steward again after the show and promised I'd always remember him now.  He was very cool and gracious about the whole thing.  And I am a huge dork.

George seemed to be genuinely enjoying himself, as Jay Armant helped out on vocals.

Moore still works a crowd like a puppet master.

A smile from George.

I've seen Fishbone in college auditoriums, outdoor amphitheaters and tiny bars.  They never let the size of the venue or crowd negatively impact their performance.  Before about a hundred people at the Eldo, they still gave their all.

When the set was over, there was no encore.  Instead they announced that they'd be back in a few minutes for an entire second set.  I quickly went and stashed my cameras in my car and came back to just enjoy the music -- nearly 2 1/2 hours' worth when all was said and done.  And the whole band came out to spend some time with the audience afterwards.

A late night as usual when seeing Fishbone.  But a rewarding one, also as usual.  They never disappoint live.  Hopefully I have the energy to keep seeing them as long as they have the energy to keep touring!

Fishbone in Crested Butte: Part I

Had a unique opportunity this past Wednesday to see one of my favorite bands in one of my favorite places -- Fishbone in Crested Butte.  And I got permission to shoot the show, which made it even better.

The backstage door looked perfect for a venue like the Eldo Brewery.

How do you know a band tours a lot?  Having a suitcase on stage is a pretty good sign.

The set list looked good, but shorter than I was used to from Fishbone shows.

Dirty Walt Kibby took a moment to relax before the show.

It was pretty impressive to see the seven-piece band fit on a fairly small stage.  I guess they don't jump around as much as they did 23 years ago when I first saw them, so it's not a big deal.

Even though he doesn't fly around the stage like he used to, Angelo Moore still brings an unbridled intensity and passion to his performance.

Not a great picture, but Norwood's footwear was fantastic and I had to include a photo of one of his shoes.

As great as Norwood's sneakers may be, his bass playing is still even better.

Angelo still brought out the theremin for a few numbers, but it didn't feel like it was as much of a presence as it had been in the past.

Norwood seemed a bit subdued.

But let's be clear -- subdued doesn't mean any less sensational.  The man is a phenomenal musician.

Click here for Part II.

The Rock of Southwest Worship Team

One of the many great things about my church -- The Rock of Southwest -- is the music. Worship Pastor Danny Erbaugh and an incredibly talented group of singers and musicians really help connect people to God in worship, three times every Sunday. An equally special team leads in what we call the Acoustic Cafe.

Last night, our main worship team put on one of their semi-annual worship concerts -- an hour and a  half of singing praises to the Lord.  And I was privileged to not just be there, but to get the chance to shoot it.

Danny focuses during final rehearsal.

A guitar waits patiently on stage for the performance to start.

Danny welcomes the crowd ...

... and then gets them off their feet and singing.

Danielle raises her voice in praise.

A powerful testimony and rap.

Jeff lifts his eyes to the heavens.

Danny pours his soul into a number.

A packed house on a Friday night.

Shawn plays a mean lead guitar ...

... and sports an appropriate shaved-head-with-goatee look for a guitar player.

Danny reads from The Word of God.

Katie delivers a powerful performance of Hillsong United's Oceans.

It's easy to be dismissive of a group of volunteers and amateurs who perform just because they love music and they love God.  It's easy, but it would be wrong to do so in this case.  These folks have a gift for connecting people to God through music.  I encourage you to come by a service sometime, or take a listen to the CD they recorded at last year's concert on iTunes.  You won't be sorry, and it might even change your life.

Alpha Schoolmarm Orchestra

Friend of the program and all-around good egg Dave Flomberg was kind enough to let me come shoot his band the Alpha Schoolmarm Orchestra last night at the Mercury Cafe.  If you like ska music -- and really, if you don't you should -- check these guys out.  They're incredibly talented and about as fun as it gets.

Who says you have to wait for the headliner to start taking pictures?  Something about the guitarist for the opening reggae band mesmerized me.  Probably the combination of his blue guitar and the blue stage lights.

Who says you have to wait for the headliner to start playing to start taking pictures?  You just don't see someone in a cowboy hat tuning a cello every day.  At least, I don't.

I sadly couldn't get a shot that did my man Dave justice.  Why do you stick an instrument with a slide in the back anyway?  Someone could get hurt, especially when you've got 15 musicians crammed on a small stage.

Conductor Chad Aman also took a couple of amazing turns on the keys, but kept his baton handy.

Trumpet player Britt Alstad laying low during a number.

What's better than one trombone?  Two, of course!  And bowler hats.

Aman scans the crowd.

You can't listen to ska music and not feel happy.  Glad to see leading a ska orchestra can have the same effect.

Apparently playing cello in one does, too.

ASO did nothing to disprove my theory that every song sounds better as a ska cover, moving effortlessly from Lady Gaga to Wings to Michael Jackson to Nirvana.  Anxiously awaiting the CD release party!

Mighty Mighty Bosstones

Facebook's ad targeting is really well targeted. Like, creepily stalkerish so.  The Mighty Mighty Bosstones played a free concert at Breckenridge this past Saturday, and Facebook was showing me an ad for it probably a month ago.

Of course, I was there with camera in hand.

Only in Colorado do you have to carry your saxophone across a ski slope for a gig.

Bosstone Ben Carr still looks like he's actually enjoying himself on stage.  God bless him.

Lead singer Dicky Barrett's guttural growl hasn't diminished with age.

With the stage set up on a slope I could barely see the heads of the guys in the horn section and couldn't see drummer Joe Sirois at all.  Fortunately, trombonist Chris Rhodes visited the front of the stage on occasion.

Dicky making the universal concert sign for "I can't hear you."

My first Bosstones show?  UMASS Amherst Pond Concert, spring of 1992.  We bounced straight up and down like this then, too.

Another classic concert trope: "Now you sing!"

Guitarist Lawrence Katz makes one of his infrequent forays to the front of the stage for a solo.

So this is what it feels like to sing 10,000 feet above sea level...

Ben dismissing Dicky's assertion that the Bosstone is "the nicest man he's ever met."

A solid 90-minute set with a terrific mix of old school stuff and more recent material.  An energetic and appreciative crowd, and the 40% chance of rain in the forecast never materialized.

I also discovered that in 2013, saying that the pictures you're shooting are for "your blog" is not impressive enough to get you in front of the ropes.  Lesson learned.