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Mishawaka
For many, Friday the 13th is a day to stay indoors and avoid contact with ladders and cats shrouded in black fur. For the people of Fort Collins and the Front Range it was a day of celebration that marked the return of live music to the much-loved Mishawaka. The High Park Fire shut down this landmark for a month while fans waited with baited breath to see if she would survive the flames. The outpouring of support and positive thoughts was simply stunning. My heart literally ached as I was constantly checking for updates. There was a lot of misinformation floating around, but the true story was that it was a multi-departmental effort between the U.S. Forest Service, and firefighters from around the country that literally battled the blaze back and “Saved The Mish.” Stay tuned for a video from MusicMarauders detailing the story in full.
Taking the shuttle up gave fans their first glimpse of the devastation of the fire. Literally entire mountainsides were stripped bare of trees and left with a black streak. More than one foundation where a house had been could be seen on the drive up 14. It was a humbling, mind-numbing journey up the Poudre. We arrived early as many patrons did, eager to support Mishawaka and grab a bite to eat before Keller Williams took the stage. Keller went above and beyond by offering up downloads from the show for $10 with all of the money going to support victims of the many fires in Colorado. You can purchase the download and pitch in at LiveDownloads.
Dani and Roger also took the time to announce the Grateful Fund, which will benefit local firefighters for whom they will be collecting money for all summer long. The obvious coming together of the community was palpable all evening long.
Playing just about ever Summer Camp, there is no artist other than perhaps moe. and Upmhrey’s that embody the festival more than Mr. Williams. Keller took the stage a little after 8 PM and opened with his rendition of “Rockumal” into “Fire On The Mountain.”
SET I: Rockumal> Fire On The Mountain> Great Balls of Fire> Winds of Fire> Fire And Rain> Fire, Freeker By The Speaker, Wicked, Love Handles, Back On The Bus, One Hit Wonder, Song Number 2, Positive, Bumper Sticker, More Than A Little
SET II: Mental> Brunette> lnstra, Sam Hall> Bounty Hunter, Tubeless, Party In The Poudre, You Are What You Eat, Plus, Juggler, Eyes Of The World, Best Feeling
ENCORE: Celebrate Your Youth
He played a number of fire-themed tunes including “Great Balls of Fire” and Jimi Hendrix’s “Fire” before telling the crowd, “That’s all the fire songs I know.” He welcomed the gathering to the show with an extended “Freeker By The Speaker” that seemed to stretch on and on. Keller sounded good, this guy is always fun and he continues to play straight from the heart. His ‘flow of consciousness’ style is something that can really only be accomplished by a one-man band. He surprised the audience with his acoustic version of Cage The Elephant’s “Ain’t No Rest For The Wicked.” I love how plugged into popular culture Keller is sometimes, seeing him perform “Price Tag” with The McCourys is an example of this. It’s a funny experience to see K-dub’s spin on these types of tracks, which is usually much better than the original. The rest of set saw some more classics including “Love Handles” and a set-closing “More Than A Little” that featured Keller doing the Carlton onstage. It was great start to the night and we still had a set to go. Amy and I found ourselves over-tipping the staff and just generally having a great night in the Poudre.
He opened up the second set with a “Mental” into “Brunette” into “Instra” before a ripping take on Johnny Cash’s “Sam Hall.” He quickly segued into a stellar “Bounty Hunter.” This song contained a “Midnight Rider” tease, which was nice. “Bounty Hunter” just doesn’t get played enough live so it was satisfying to see it at Mishawaka. The second set in general seemed more jam-oriented with some extended flourishes on the guitar by the man himself. The crowd was locked in and just really seemed happy to be back at this very special place. I was grinning throughout the night taking time to look at the stage and the scorched hill across the street. It stood as a reminder of how close we all came to loosing this amazing locale, which has stood for the better part of a century. Keller broke out a very appropriate “Eyes of The World,” because for a few short weeks the Mishawaka was just that. The world was watching to make sure that this place survived. When you think about how many memories have been fostered there, how many weddings have been celebrated, how many musical masterpieces have been created it’s no wonder that people poured out their hearts and positive vibes for The Mishawaka in their time of true danger. He closed the set with a solid “Best Feeling” and encored the show with “Celebrate Your Youth.”
And now that The Mish is safe and sound it’s time for us to come together and help all those affected. Grab the show download linked above and stay tuned to the Mishawaka Facebook page for details on how to contribute to the Grateful Fund.
After shooting Bob Weir with Chris Robinson and Jackie Greene at Summer Camp, I was incredibly excited to see them at my summer home, Mishawaka. For those that don’t know, The Mishawaka is a gem in the Poudre Canyon which holds just around 800 people. It’s like a rustic log cabin of a stage set on a flowing river. It is a picturesque bucket of love. Amy and I took the early bus up and there was already a nice sized crowd getting set for this acoustic blowout. The three troubadours took the stage with a beautiful “Bertha.”
SET I: Bertha, Friend of the Devil, Oh Boy!, Deep River Blues, I Don’t Live In A Dream*, Tell Me Mama Tell Me Right*, Sunday Sound**, Appaloosa**, Blackbird***, Jack Straw***, I Am A Pilgrim, Tennessee Jed
SET II: Goin’ To Acapulco, Big Boss Man, Nobody’s Fault But Mine, Poor Elijah, Dear Prudence, China Cat Sunflower> I Know You Rider
ENCORE: Uncle John’s Band
*Jackie Greene Solo
**Chris Robinson Solo
***Bob Weir Solo
This show had a laid back vibe and a relaxed delivery that demonstrated Bobby’s softer side. If Further is a high octane burn through all things Grateful Dead, then this project is the dancing bear in the rocking chair. After a quick three-song slash that included the classic “Friend of the Devil” the band broke up for each member to take a turn solo. Jackie Greene was up first with a pair of originals starting with his take on modern realism “I Don’t Live In A Dream” and his star-crossed love song “Tell Me Mama Tell Me Right.” Jackie is an amazing protégée of Dead music, but it’s awesome to see him singing in his own voice.
Chris Robinson was next to the stage with a pair of self-penned tunes. “Sunday Sound” and “Appaloosa” which both felt appropriate for a Sunday in the mountains. Finally it was Bobby’s turn and his two unaccompanied songs were a distinct highlight from the entire show. Starting with a beautiful rendition of The Beatles “Blackbird” I absolutely got chills from this performance. He opted for an amazing “Jack Straw,” a song the may have lent itself to the dynamic between the three, but Bobby simply nailed it for the crowd at Mishawaka. They closed out the first set with a stellar “Tennessee Jed,” which really got the crowd pumped for the remainder of the show.
The second set began with a cover of Dylan’s “Goin’ To Acapulco.” They have such a great body of acoustic work to pull from so it was nice to see a Dylan tune in the mix. “Big Boss Man” was a powerful version and really showed how amazing these three musicians really are together. I have to say seeing Bobby with both Jackie Greene and Chris Robinson in such a small venue I was almost star struck, which is a rare occurrence for me. “Nobody’s Fault” a traditional gospel tune made famous by Led Zeppelin was another great choice from the band. This was a broken down version that was fun to hear. They ripped up a solid “Poor Elijah” before going into yet another Beatles’ cover with “Dear Prudence.” At this point I was blown away, but they closed out their second set with a quality “China Cat” “Rider.” They encored with another Dead deep cut with “Uncle John’s Band.” The entire show was everything you could want from this lineup. Wonderful Dead tunes mixed with some rare covers made my second night with Weir Robinson Greene amazing. This night at The Mish was enough to fill anyone’s hear with goodness.
Note: The Mishawaka is currently in danger from the High Point Fire. Please send your positive thoughts in their direction. You can also contact the Red Cross to volunteer or to send donations.
Video Links
I took on a full day of music last Sunday with Leftover Salmon’s Aquatic Hitchhiker Release in Denver and trip back to Mishawaka for The Wood Brothers supported by Paper Bird. This year Leftover Salmon is making their triumphant return to Summer Camp and last year’s fest was my first time enjoying the music of The Wood Brothers. Here is my write up of my experience.
Leftover Salmon on Santa Fe
Over five months in the making, Leftover Salmon threw a massive party in the streets of Denver in honor of the release of Aquatic Hitchhiker. Their first album in eight years is certainly reason to celebrate, and 9,000 or so of their closest friends made the trip down to the 700 block of South Santa Fe to do just that. The setup can only be described excellent. Taking up the entire road with a beer garden and food vendors set up in an adjacent parking lot. I got in early and headed to the photo pit. They opened with a truly appropriate “Ants In My Pants.” Here is the setlist.
SET I: Ants In My Pants, Gold Hill Line, Zombie Jamboree, Stop All Your Worrying, That Was Your Mother, Doin’ My Time, Gone For Long, Aquatic Hitchhiker, Liza, Gulf of Mexico, Kentucky Skies, This Is The Time, Up On The Hill Where They Do The Boogie
SET II: On The Other Side, Keep Driving, 420 Polka, Light Behind The Rain, Down In The Hollow, Sing Up To The Moon, Bayou Town, Breakin’ Thru, See The Mornin’ Sun, Walking Shoes, Get Me Outta This City, Pasta On The Mountain, Here Comes The Night, Euphoria
ENCORE: I Don’t Know You, River’s Rising
Thanks to Corey at Kind Recordings for posting the recording on Archive, you can listen to it HERE.
The show began with some seriously classic Salmon including “Gold Hill Line” and “Zombie Jamboree.” Through the course of the show they managed to break out the majority of the track list from Aquatic Hitchhiker. I would go so far as to say it was the perfect balance between old and new. They finally got into the tracks from the new album with “Stop All Your Worrying,” and let me tell you the fresh Salmon tastes delicious. They dedicated “That Was Your Mother,” to all the moms in the audience given the fact that it was Mother’s Day.
“I sure do love bluegrass…. Play some of that spacegrass.” – Vince Herman
The next stretch was all new tunes showcasing how hard they worked on the new CD and how far they’ve come in a short 22 years. They closed the first set with a pair of classics including “This Is The Time,” which felt like a true assertion and “Up On the Hill Where They Do The Boogie.” I can’t think of any other band right now that would put on a show like this for their fans free of charge. Phish is not bringing all their followers to Burlington for a show like this. Leftover Salmon absolutely busted their ass to make this happen. They did not do this not to sell albums, which were being sold at the discounted rate of ten bucks. They did it because they are truly happy with where they are right now and they wanted to give back to their base. Leftover Salmon has experienced so much over the past two decades and many other bands in the same position would have fallen by the wayside. However they persevere because of a promise to Mark Vann and also because they truly love performing live. Unfortunately I had to hit the road back to Mishawaka after the first set. However given their presentation during set one I look forward to a new era of Salmon. It is officially Leftover 2.0. It is obvious they are back in a big way and with this amazing performance on Santa Fe, they proved that now is the time.
The Wood Brothers with Paper Bird
The Wood Brother with Paper Bird at Mishawaka
After the nonstop roller coaster of a weekend, a nice quiet evening at the Mish to close out their opening weekend was just what the doctor ordered. I raced back up from Leftover Salmon in Denver and got there in time to catch Paper Bird. Made up of Sarah Anderson, sisters Guinevere Patterson, and Esme Patterson, with Caleb Summeril, Paul DeHaven, Macon Terry, and Mark Anderson. The three ladies front the band and have a playful banter they toss around between songs. Their acoustic style was both relaxed and delightful. Drifting into elements of indie and bluegrass Paper Bird was a truly unique experience. They played a nice set of music and were a good fit as a Front Range opener for The Wood Brothers.
During setbreak I got a chance to grab some food off the new menu. I have to say that this is just one more of the improvements I’ve seen at Mishawaka over the last two years. The cooking was excellent with some higher-level fare as well as some affordable choices.
The Wood Brothers are quickly becoming a favorite of mine to see live. Their down to earth style is so approachable and intriguing, it’s hard not to be quickly enamored with this group. Combining the talents of brothers Chris and Oliver Wood, at times it feels like you are sitting on the front porch of the Wood home listening to two siblings play for their friends and family.
SET I: Stealin’, When I Was Young, Lovin’ Arms, Mary Anna, Where My Baby Might Be, Stumbled In, Postcards From Hell, Spirit, Shoofly Pie, Angel Band, Liza Jane, Midnight Rider, Chocolate On My Tongue, Luckiest Man, Honey Jar, Glad,
ENCORE: Atlas
The almost two hour set was a great demonstration of what The Wood Brothers are capable of. Their take on Americana and acoustic instrumentation gives me faith in the quality of new music. Highlights from their show included an awesome “Postcards From Hell” and a tight “Luckiest Man.” Chris Wood known for his intrepid jazz licks in Medeski Martin & Wood is transformed into a folk luminary. Oliver is a fine picker with a twang in his voice that lends a certain authenticity to their sound. After seeing their performance at Summer Camp last year I knew I would be happy to make it up the canyon for this show. The concert ended before 9:30 PM, which is usually the case for Sunday shows at Mishawaka.
Video Links