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A Week in Colorado with Strangefolk

by Josiah Babcock

I flew from my homestate of Maine out to Colorado for the week of March 20th to 28th. I had been planning on skiing in Colorado already, and was elated when I learned in mid-February that Strangefolk had conveniently scheduled five shows in Colorado that very week. Just so things will be clear below, Strangefolk is: Jon Trafton on lead guitar and vocals, Reid Genauer on rhythm guitar and vocals, Erik Glockler on bass and vocals and Luke Smith on drums. Nat Koren is the soundman, Andre Gardner the manager, and Evan is the roadie.

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March 23, 1999 - San Juan Room, Durango

On Tuesday 3/23, I traveled with my friends Gabriel (G), from Breckenridge, and Abby (A), from Vail, down to Durango from Telluride where I'd been skiing since Friday. It was a gorgeous drive through the mountains, with a quick stop for a photo-op in Stoner, Colorado (no kidding, there's really a town with that name).

We got into Durango and found the San Juan Room just as Strangefolk was finishing soundcheck. I must admit I was a bit panicked as I got out of the car and heard the band playing, as I wasn't exactly sure of the showtime- it was Tuesday and all- and thought for just one horrid moment that maybe it was a 7:00 show and I was missing it. Fear not. We went down the street to an awesome taqueria and had super fat burritos (the best I've had outside of California). We then returned to the San Juan Room and hung out on the couch and chatted until showtime. The San Juan Room is a fairly nice bar with a pretty big dancefloor, and a stage fringed in tinsel. By showtime, there were about 100 people there. The first set started off with Sometimes, and I walked out onto the dancefloor, as no one was dancing yet! By song's end there were about 5 of us dancing. A nice change from the 1700 person State Theatre show (Portland, Me 2/6/99) I had attended last! I haven't danced with arms outstretched and strutted back and forth across the floor like a chicken at a Strangefolk show since 1996!

Sinner was next. Jon was on a brand new Modulus Gemini guitar (same company that makes Erik's new bass) for the entire Colorado run. It's electric, and sounds great. Jon played slide on this tune, and sounded excellent. Reid's voice was solid, and I really enjoyed hearing this song, as it was my first time seeing it. A rollicking Blues Tune was up next, long, solid jamming and high intensity brought the dancefloor crowd to about 20. Bait, a new Erik song was next. Not bad, bouncy and fun. I think this one'll get better when the jam is explored a bit more, that'll come with familiarity.

A really nice Mama was next. I had wanted to see this tune for a while now, I can't remember the last one I saw, and the boys didn't disappoint. Reid belted out the lyrics, pleaded for a kick in the head, and the jam worked itself up nicely. Hildegard was Hildegard, solid and fun. All the Same was nice, I really like this song a lot more than I used to, now that the band is taking the jam further than they used to. This was a solid version, but didn't match the intensity I had seen in the Asylum (Portland, Me) version from December. A great long Alaska finished up the first set, and by song's end there were about 30-35 folks boogying. Set 2 started out somewhat plainly, with solid versions of New Glock II and Rachel (both good songs, but without much variance in their jams). Great Long While was raging! I had chatted with Reid earlier this night about the song's proper title (Great Long While/Songbeard- it's GLW), and boy did they deliver! Great vocals- intense jams! Valhalla was solid to follow. The highlight of the night for me was the nice surprise of Take It Easy On Me that came next. This one's been all too rare in recent setlists (but I suppose that's what makes it special). Well developed and slinky, this version was right on. Jon didn't tweak out his solo section quite as much as some versions I've heard (the long part just before the "I guess this was a song about you & me"), but that didn't detract from this version. Poland was up next, and the final jam built to its proper raging climax at the end. Jon was blistering up and down the fretboard! A groovy Bus Driver was a nice surprise- I'd usually seen this number earlier on in the set, and wasn't expecting it at all. The jams were long and funky. Like You closed. It was a solid version, but not quite so raging as the exceptional versions I had seen in October (Halloween) and December (12/7 Toast). Those were maybe the best I'd ever seen though, so it's not really a fair comparison.

The encore was a spacey short jam-> Stout-Hearted. A nice surprise, as I hadn't ever seen Stout-Hearted in the Encore slot before. It seems that the boys are giving this song a bit more oomph than they had previously - shifting it into the encore/set closer slot- rather than set opener. I like it there.

So, all in all the 1st show was very solid with a few moments of greatness. An excellent show after a 2 week break with a small lack of crowd enthusiasm for the band to feed from. I danced as hard as I could guys.

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March 24, 1999 - Fly Me To The Moon saloon, Telluride

After a late night drive back up to Telluride from Durango, A, G and I, crashed out and got some Z's. I had flown into Telluride the previous Friday, so Wednesday's show would almost be a sort of "hometown" show if you will. I had met a bunch of kind locals and spread the good word about our boys from back East. I was psyched!

Wednesday came, and after a lazy morning and a few Red Tail Ales and Sammy Smith Oatmeal Stouts in the Mountainside Inn's scenic outdoor hot tub, A, G and I changed up & headed over to the Moon (as the locals call Fly me to the Moon). Am I with it, or what?

I went in early to say hi to the boys and set up my tapedeck and was lucky enough to catch a bit of soundcheck again. They did a sweet 7-10 minute jam and worked on a cool cover I won't mention in case they ever do it. They also worked on their new songs- Invisible and Knee Bend Boogie. I had never heard either of these, so they were a treat. Knee Bend is a bouncy little number- aptly named.

The Moon is a narrow basement bar with a springy (actual springs under the floor, just a little give in the floor with a big crowd) wooden dancefloor. I ate dinner @ Baked in Telluride (pizza & beer) with some of the crew, and bailed out to get back to my deck.

The band returned to the moon after dinner, and Nat, Jon, Erik, Evan, G & A all played the racecar videogame that should be endorsed by Strangefolk they've put so much money into those machines and given them so much press (see SF's tour photos from the Midwest on SF's website).

First set was solid. Mud Spring Draw was a nice way to start off. What Say You (another new number, I'm loving this one) was next, followed by a good Lines & Circles with Reid singing "You can sail across the ocean, sail across the sea" lyrics. My first "in concert" Invisible was interesting, although not easy to follow- lots of tempo changes etc... I think I'll like it better as I get more familiar with it, ala Walnut. Then came Westerly- decent, but the boys were having trouble hearing each other in the somewhat soupy onstage mix, so the harmonies weren't all there. Pawn was really fun, with a sweet funky jam. Reid's been using the wah-wah pedal a bunch lately, I really dig it. It adds a lot to the general grooviness of the Strangefolk sound. Roads had a nice eerie jam, and a hot Furnace brought the set to a close.

Then came set two. This set has a lot of sentimental value to me for reasons I cannot disclose. Let's just say it included many of my favorite songs. The boys ripped into the set with a hot Let it Rain. This may be my favorite SF cover tune- what energy! A solid Fishin' was next. Faces followed. I love this song, Reid's voice, and THE JAM! It had been a long time since I'd heard Reid sing about wool sweaters and a guitar in the night, so I was psyched for the Country Tune that followed Faces. Erik gave us a nice Neighbor next with funky grooves and a very long vocal jam. ...As may not vary much, but it really sounds like good ol' Strangefolk to me, so that was fun. Walnut was hot with a fiery jam from Jon. Paperback Book was a nice late set surprise.

The set closing Reuben's> Sanford & Son> Reuben's was a real treat. I don't know when the last Sanford & Son I saw was, but I think it was 12/27/97 @ the Somerville. I really dig that jam! And Reid sang a neat bunch of lyrics about centuries and such.

The Encore was a spacey short little jam> Strange Ranger. I think the boys had really given most of their energy in the set, so the SR was merely decent.

All in all a solid show, great setlists, decent playing.

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March 25, 1999 - Josha's, Breckenridge

G, A & I got up and checked out of the Mountaindside Inn and CRAMMED ourselves into G's car (along with skis, 2 snowboards, 3 bags and all my taping gear IN the car, squeak!)for the drive from Telluride to Breckenridge, about 5-6 hours. We dropped A off in Vail and Gabriel (G) and I drove the rest of the way to Breck. We lounged a bit in G's apt. (he's living in Breck right now) & I dropped him off @ work & returned to G's place. I lounged around some more, spun a few tapes and moseyed over to Josha's around 6:30.

The boys were soundchecking and Evan, Nat & Andre were hanging around. I chatted with Evan and Andre about the previous night's escapades & set up my deck. There were a few more tapers this night, around 6 or so. Josha's was a medium sized bar (maybe 300 capacity) with a 2 step down sunken dancefloor that'll hold about 40 in front of the stage. Sound was fairly good, although I'd heard people complain about poor sound in Josha's before.

1st set was solid. Lost My Way was an interesting start. Poland was a nice early set surprise, then came an excellent Dance. I really dig this tune early on in the show, it gets the mood into the groove nicely. Speculator was a good song, although the harmonies definitely missed, then Knee Bend Boogie. I'm starting to really get into these new tunes. Woke Up kicked ass and was unexpected, great funk to start it off. Sad was really nice, and Otis closed the set.

Set 2 was the best set yet (of the 3 Colorado shows thus far)! A nearly perfect Cabin John kicked it into wonderfully melodic high gear. Reid's voice was exceptional, especially on the "the rhythm of her cool northern voice, drew me in and I didn't have a choice..." section. Woohoo! I was definitely drawn in... All the Same ROCKED! I'm loving the extra time and intensity they've been giving the jam these days, this version was much more of a group effort, less Jon soloing alone (not that that's a bad thing in any way!), and the energy really built and built and built and finally crested back into the chorus. Smokin'! So far Gone with Church was a sweet choice for 3rd song! Luke and Jon screwed around a bit (possibly initiated by a minor mistake) towards the end of SFG. Sweet Libation was decent. Valhalla was clean. Chasing Away had a sweet jam, the boys definitely enjoying themselves. Sidestep Blue did its usual job of segueing into the show's end. Fishin->Hamp's Hump (my 1st live, they had soundchecked it earlier in the day)->Fishin was fun. An excellent jam (very reminiscent of the "Requiem" pre-Alaska jam from 2-6-99 State theatre, although slightly faster and without Reid's gorgeous lyrics) included a distinct Slipknot! (Dead) quote from Jon and slid into the closer, Alaska. Very nice.

A jovial Casey Jones for the encore, and 3 down, 2 to go. Gabriel & I packed up and headed back to his very close pad (maybe a mile form Josha's) to make one last tape and crash.

Set 2 was definitely the best set so far. Listening to the tapes, it seems that the vocal mix is a bit high occasionally, causing a teency weency bit of distortion, but the levels are all good, so I'm kinda confused. Perhaps it was in the mix. Still sounds great, fear not fans.

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March 26, 1999 - Aggie Theatre, Fort Collins

Gabriel and I got up Friday morning and he was nice enough to drive me down to Denver to pick up my rental car for the last 2 shows.

We stopped by Red Rocks for a quick gander on the way down. I've been lucky enough to get to see The Allman Brothers ('91) and Phish ('95) at this phenomenal (I'd say the best I've ever seen/will see) outdoor venue. I'd even pay good money to see Englebert Humperdinck if he was playing Red Rocks. If you've never been to Red Rocks (or even if you have), and you're ever in Denver in the summer- see who's playing Red Rocks, and if you can stand them at all, GO! You'll thank yourself.

I got into Fort Collins around 6, stopped by the package store and purchased a 6'er of Winter Warlock Stout, which has a special sentimental value to me, as I'm an oatmeal stout freak AND just happen to be a Winter Warlock myself, I can make it snow at my leisure etc.

I cruised on over to the Aggie and headed in. The Aggie is a smallish, narrow, long theatre (maybe 500ish capacity) that reminded me of a scaled down Globe theatre (Norwalk, Ct). It had no seats or fancy gilded artwork, more of a club look, with airbrushed scary artwork on the walls. Spooky! (Not really that spooky, don't be afraid).

I had a casual dinner with Evan, Jim, Paul & Reid at an Asian restaurant. It was a mellow meal, conversation centered around seeing the Dead. Reid said he had no idea I was such a big fan of the Dead & that he didn't mind SF/GD comparisons (I explained that SF was doing an excellent job for me of filling the void Jerry had left). He also mentioned that the 6/95 Albany shows were his last as well (as I'm sure they were for many Northeast deadheads).

I headed back to the venue & staked out my spot on the drink rail. It was about 7 people back from the stage, elevated 3 feet, with perfect eye-level sight lines and the full mix from the overhead speakers. Ideal! Schleigho (from Mass.) opened. They were phenomenal musicians, incredibly tight and very complex. So complex in fact, that I had trouble getting into it this night, but really grooved on them the following night in Denver. Jon loved their music and watched most of their set each night. Strangefolk decided to play 1 long set. Rachel got everyone dancing right from the start. A very nice Samuel Aging (Echo) followed. What an excellent tune! It had a sort of salsa start to it. Like You was a surprise 3rd song (usu. in the second set closer slot)- although it was played like it was the 3rd song of the show- tight, but not explosive, the final jam ended just as it was picking up steam. I suppose that's how it should be played in that slot. Sometimes was solid. Strange Ranger was really a very nice version. A sweet, thumpy Who Are You came next, only the 2nd time I'd seen this tune (this past Eden was the other). Heartblood followed, I'm still waiting for this one to reach its full potential. It's almost there.

During Heartblood I went back to check on my deck. Andre stopped by the board and spelled Nat for a bit. I brought Nat up to my spot on the drink Rail (best sound in the house). It must have been funny for the boys to see their soundman groovin' up front!

New Glock 2 was New Glock 2. This tune needs some sort of jam or something to make one version different from the next. I don't dislike it, it simply has no variation to speak of.

The meaty part of the show, and the peak section of the evening for me started with Westerly. They really hit the harmonies & raged as they should. A VERY VERY groovy jam based on a melodic bass line form Erik led into a stunning Reuben's with Come on Out and "Done me wrong" lyrics from Reid. They really nailed it! The following Hildegard was even exciting. Come On Down started a bit roughly (Jon confessed after the show that he couldn't quite remember it, but finished strongly yet delicately. Maybe my favorite version of Stout-Hearted closed the set. Again Reid's voice was angelic, and he did a nice job of funkifying the tune with his wah-wah pedal.

A gorgeous So Well by itself (the 1st in a long time that I'd seen w/o any other songs/lyrics wedged in) was the perfect choice for the Encore. I spoke with Erik and Jon after the show. Erik had absolutely raged all night, and I told him so. He was surprised and said he though he was awful. Apparently the on-stage mix was muddy, and the boys couldn't hear each other or themselves very well at all. I said that that was really too bad, because the sound in the audience was excellent and despite their on-stage sound troubles, they had really played extremely well at times. Jon echoed Erik's sentiments. Both said tomorrow would be better.

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March 27, 1999 - Bluebird Theatre, Denver

I got to the Bluebird with its neon blue flashing marquis and "Strangefolk" in big black letters (see SF's website photos form tour). Ahhhh... the last night of the run. I had been looking forward to this show since the Colorado dates were confirmed. Spring skiing in Colorado by day- Strangefolk by night, with this being Strangefolk's 1st show ever in Denver, and my 50th Strangefolk show! Buckle up!

I saw Evan and Lissa inside. Lissa was cutting out "springs" from white cardboard to hang behind the stage for a backdrop. They looked excellent against the black curtain, nice work.

I set up my tapedeck and listened to soundcheck. I took a few photos and checked out the brand new (arrived that evening) Juicy Fruit SF T-shirts. Sweet! I bought the 1st one as a memento. I told the band that if they closed the 1st set with Juicy fruit, shirt sales during the break would soar. No such luck, Juicy Fruit was not to make an on stage appearance that night. Oh well. La la la.

I saw Jon back at the board. He asked Nat if he could listen to the tape of the night before @ the Aggie (if you will remember, I had chatted with Jon post show and he had said that he didn't think they had sounded too good, as the on-stage mix was so soupy). Nat pulled out the Aggie DAT and Jon put on the headphones. He smiled and agreed with me, they had sounded good the night before! Too bad the band couldn't hear it like we could! I decided to stand on the drink rail again, instead of my usual up-Jon's-nose rail spot. Perfect sightlines, and the full mix from the speaker stacks once again. In venues of this size (the Bluebird is another small theatre, more ornate than the Aggie with gilded leaf etc.. about 7-800 capacity with a small balcony and tiers on the floor) this is my new preferred spot. Ahhhhh.

Schleigho opened up again. I got much more into this night's set, as it was more melodic and jazzy and that suits me better. I'm so melodic and jazzy.

Strangefolk's 1st set was HOT! This show would turn out to be the best start to finish effort of the week.

Otis swung into things nicely, me oh, my oh. Sinner was even better than in Durango, Jon was sweet on the slide, and I love those lyrics! Lines & Circles! Did they really rage it that hard? Jon was really on. Reid started up Swing Low mid song, and the others joined in, actually playing Swing Low, not just singing it to the Lines melody (as they sometimes do). They raged back into Lines and brought it to a fiery close. Phew! See To - I really like this tune, Jon was sweet. It sounded like someone was a bit out of tune @ the start, but they fixed it up right directly. The ending jam of See To was gentle and delicate- beautiful guitar work eased the song to a close. Cabin John (I really hope both of these tunes are on the new album) was very pretty. Reid's voice was heavenly again. He was really on vocally from the Breckenridge show on- the prettiest instrument in the band. Pawn was fun as always.

I had wanted to see Woman Child more than any other song this night, and had almost asked Reid to play it for me as he wrote the setlist before the show, but had decided against doing so. Nonetheless, and I suppose the way my week had been going so perfectly that it shouldn't have surprised me, Reid did Woman Child next. It had clearly been a while since they did this tune. It was a bit rusty, with Reid changing the lyrics a bit ("Your clothes are all there but it you that seems to've gone") but it was excellent nonetheless. A kickin' Walnut finished the set with a bang. When the band came back out for set 2, Reid explained to the crowd that the Bluebird had formerly been a porn theatre and asked us to "try to embrace that vibe."

"Think porno, think porno" was Jon's advice for the crowd. He then explained that the slinky (and very long) Who I Am that followed their comments and opened the set was "as close as we'll all get to that" (referring to porn music). It was an excellent inspired version at that. Sweet Libation was a good cleansing follow up. I'd assume this too would have a good shot at the next album. Another rollicking What Say You was an excellent set up for the meat of the show, and what was perhaps the most raging single number from any of the 5 shows, So Far Gone. WooHoo! So Far Gone made the jump to light speed with no problems from the Falcon. Jon zipped his slide up and down the fretboard with intensifying momentum. The middle jam was slow, groovy and spacey. Jon was sampling little riffs and looping them, ending up with about 6-8 overlays, very trippy! Reid sang some Far From Yourself lyrics (a song that hasn't made an appearance in years), and repeated the "Done me wrong" chorus from the previous night's Reuben's. They wound back up to a scorching, screeching, "so-good-that-Nat-came-up-front-from the-board-to-see-Jon-kicking-some-serious-ass" finale. Epic! I Tell Myself was perfect next. An excellent call for breath-catching. Very pretty. Mud Spring Draw slowly sped the pace back up and eased us toward the oncoming Neighbor.

Just before they kicked off Neighbor, Jon pointed out the "JT" on the arch above the stage, "I just wanted to call your attention to the JT on the whatever that thing is over the stage. It's not every night you get to play with your initials on the whatever that thing is. Just to add a little mystery to the evening." Too funny.

Neighbor was fun. The jams were hot. The vocal jam was the best part, spacey, extended longer than normal and more intense than usual. I highly recommend your substance of choice, a pair of headphones and this vocal jam. Roads was a smoky little number. Poland brought the show to an uplifting close. Erik dedicated a fun Viva Las Vegas encore "to all the Elvis fans." What fun! After the show, I made the rounds and said goodbye to the boys with a small nugget of sadness in my tummy. Every now and then you just get it right. For me, 65 degree sunshiny skiing in Colorado and Strangefolk in small theatres and bars with good friends is about as close to perfection as I'd ever hope to get. Thank you to everyone who made it work so well. A week in wonderland was over.

So, I hope these reviews didn't short out your keyboards with drool. It was truly a week to remember. I hope reading all of this has been at least entertaining if not enlightening.

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March 23, 1999 - San Juan Room, Durango, CO
Set I: Sometimes Sinner Blues Tune Bait Mama Hildegard All the Same Alaska	Set II: New Glock II Rachel Great Long While Valhalla Take It Easy On Me Poland Bus Driver Like You E: Jam > Stout-Hearted
March 24, 1999 - Fly Me To The Moon Saloon, Telluride, CO
Set I: Mud Spring Draw What Say You Lines & Circles Invisible Westerly Pawn Roads Furnace	Set II: Let It Rain Fishin' Faces Country Tune Neighbor ...As Walnut Paperback Book Reuben's > Sanford & Son > Reuben's Place E: Stranger
March 25, 1999 - Joshua's, Breckenridge, CO
Set I: Lost My Way Poland Dance Speculator Knee Bend Boogie Woke Up Sad Otis	Set II: Cabin John So Far Gone (with Salt Creek) Sweet Libation Valhalla Chasing Away Sidestep Blue Fishin > Hamp's Hump > Fishin' Jam > Alaska E: Casey Jones
March 26, 1999 - Aggie Theater, Fort Collins, CO
Set I: Rachel Samuel Aging (Echo) Like You Sometimes Strange Ranger Who Are You Blues Tune Heartblood New Glock II Westerly Jam > Reuben's Place (with Walk on Out) Hildegard Come On Down Stout-Hearted E: So Well
March 27, 1999 - Bluebird Theatre, Denver, CO
Set I: Otis Sinner Lines & Circles (with Swing Low) See To Cabin John Pawn Woman Child Walnut	Set II: Who I am Sweet Libation When Say You So Far Gone I Tell Myself Mud Spring Draw Neighbor Roads Poland E: Viva Las Vegas