Cape Breton rocker, triple bill & old time hockey
by Chris Aaland
I’m not a huge movie buff, but due to the never-ending rotation of football, basketball, hockey and baseball games I subject my family to, I hand over the remote control each year on Oscar Night. This year, I was musically moved. John Legend & Common’s performance of “Glory” was an epic one and I’m glad I witnessed it. It convinced me that as a musical curmudgeon stuck in my rut, I’ve eschewed a lot of good music through the years for the simple reason that it was “pop music” … the musical equivalent to the Happy Meal.
Alan Doyle, best known as lead singer for Newfoundland’s beloved Great Big Sea, brings his “So Let’s Go” Tour to the Community Concert Hall at 7 p.m. tonight (Thurs., Feb. 26). A modern day renaissance man, Doyle is also an actor, producer and best-selling author (Where I Belong). From their beginnings more than 20 years ago through their contemporary work today, Great Big Sea bridged the gap between Cape Breton-style Celtic, Canadian folk and rock & roll.
 Fort Lewis College faces off at home this weekend in what will hopefully be a much less bloody battle against University of Colorado - Colorado Springs. Games take place at 7:45 p.m. Friday and 12:45 p.m. Saturday at Chapman Hill. |
The Ben Rice Band comes to Crash Music at the historic Aztec Theatre at 7:30 p.m. Saturday. An established virtuosic guitarist with a soulful voice, Rice’s inventive twists on blues are creating quite a buzz.
A big three-band bash takes place at the Balcony Backstage at 8 p.m. Saturday. The Crags are the headliners, hosting a party to celebrate the release of their second album, “Long Shadow Day.” Also on the bill are the newly-reformed Farmington Hill and the Moetones, all the way from Montezuma County. The new lineup of Farmington Hill includes old standbys Bubba Iudice (vocals, guitar), Erik Nordstrom (lead guitar) and Kelly Rogers (lap steel, etc.), plus newbies Mary Hess (bass) and Logan Miller (drums).
O’ come all ye drinkers: two new beers hit the taps at BREW Pub & Kitchen this week. For the hop lover, there’s Samuel, a heavily-hopped American Pale Ale with glorious floral notes and a big hop pop. And for those who prefer a session beer (lower ABV, but still packed with flavor), the new girl in town is named Paige. She is a rich, American Blonde Ale with hoppy undertones.
Steamworks will hold a Firkin’ Friday at Purgy’s at Durango Mountain Resort at 3 p.m. Friday. After you finish your runs through this wonderful new powder, start Framboozin with a twist on the traditional Belgian Framboise-style ale. “A traditional Framboise is a spontaneously fermented raspberry Lambic ale specific to the region near Brussels,” said brewmaster Ken Martin. “Our rendition can’t be quite like that because the authentic version involves open air, wild fermentation. They say to drink a Lambic style beer is to take a trip back through time.” Instead of brewing a Lambic, Framboozin uses Backside Stout as the base, refermented and naturally carbonated (or conditioned) in its cask with raspberries. The yeast transforms the sugar into alcohol within the cask and the carbonation results from the trapped carbon dioxide occurring as a byproduct. The esteemed Spencer Roper promises “a balance of rich chocolate and fruit, cut with tartness. Think chocolate raspberry truffles.”
It’s Hockey Night in Durango! The FLC club team hosts UC-Colorado Springs at 7:45 p.m. Friday and 12:45 p.m. Saturday at the Chapman Hill rink. They’re trying to sell out Friday night’s fiesta, and costing you just a sawbuck, it’s the best entertainment around.
Also of note: Kirk James brings solo blues to 6512 Restaurant & Lounge at 6 p.m. tonight; and the Black Velvet duo plays the Derailed Pour House at 8 p.m. Friday and the Diamond Belle Saloon at 5:30 p.m. Saturday.
In honor of the John Legend & Common performance and Black History Month, this week’s Top Shelf list recalls seven of my favorite political recordings from African-American artists:
1. Billie Holiday, “Strange Fruit,” 1939. This should be required listening for every human on the planet. If we truly heard the words, we’d start treating each other better.
2. Ray Charles, “The Genius Hits the Road,” 1960. Simply an album of covers that lend a sense of place … tunes ranging from “Moonlight in Vermont” to “Blue Hawaii.” His timeless take on “Georgia on My Mind” led to the Georgia General Assembly adopting it as the official state song in 1979.
3. Otis Redding, “Otis Blue/Otis Redding Sings Soul,” 1966. With its mixture of classic soul covers and spirited originals, this was Otis’ finest hour. It ranged from slow soul to supercharged, horn-driven Chitlin’ Circuit barnburners. The original number that appeared as the second song on the record, “Respect,” was a plea from a desperate man to the woman he longs for. A few years later, Aretha Franklin added the R-E-S-P-E-C-T chorus and it became a signature song for both the Civil Rights movement and Women’s Liberation.
4. Marvin Gaye, “What’s Going On,” 1971. Rolling Stone magazine ranked it No. 6 in its 500 Greatest Albums of All Time list it published back in 2003, and it holds true to this day. Cuts like “What’s Going On,” “Mercy Mercy Me (The Ecology)” and “Inner City Blues (Make Me Wanna Holler)” are sadly just as relevant today as they were 44 years ago.
5. Public Enemy, “It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back,” 1988. I’m not a big fan of rap music … my leanings have always been more toward rock, folk and country. But when I first heard Anthrax and Public Enemy collaborate on “Bring the Noise,” my blood boiled in the best possible way. Suddenly, rap wasn’t just catchy rhymes and cute little samples. It was serious protest music.
6. Otis Taylor, “When Negroes Walked the Earth,” 1997. The Boulder bluesman doesn’t sing happy songs … they’re simply not in his DNA. Music critic Kenneth Bays praised the album for its references to “violence, death and the paradoxes of African-American history.”
7. Dirty Dozen Brass Band, “What’s Going On,” 2006. In the wake of Katrina, the Dirty Dozen boys unleashed an urgent response to the lack of federal and state response to the hurricane. While many of the cuts are straight-up second line instrumental takes on Gaye’s originals, others feature vocal support from the likes of Bettye LaVette, G Love and Guru. Chuck D’s rap on the title track alone makes this essential listening.
Here is a fruit for the crows to pluck? Email me at chrisa@gobrainstorm.net.