Jason Woodside

String Cheese Incident @ 1st Bank Center, March 12

With Colorado-based jammers String Cheese Incident opting to perform infrequently since returning to action at Rothbury 2009, the few shows that the band plays each year have become highly anticipated events. SCI’s touring schedule pretty much dictates the entire year’s travel schedule for many of their fans. Earlier this month, the 2011 edition of the group’s Winter Carnival – which was held at the 1st Bank Center in Broomfield, CO – delivered the visual and musical spectacle that has come to be expected from the String Cheese Incident.

Saturday night’s performance opened up with a set from funk powerhouse Ivan Neville’s Dumpstaphunk, which set the tone for the whole evening. Both Cheese sets would have a very funky vibe tying the rest of their eclectic mess of genres together. Members of Dumpstaphunk joined Cheese on stage for a boisterous rendition of Will It Go Round in Circles. In a set of music where it may be impossible to label one particular moment as the true highlight, this musical collaboration stakes as much claim as anything.

The second set opened up with security guards trying, and failing miserably, to form an aisle out of the crowd for a “parade.” The parade seemed disjointed with about three people in costumes dancing through the crowd. The true visual spectacle of the night happened at the same time as the “parade”, as dancers were raised on platforms, the lights went crazy and confetti rained down from the ceiling. The resulting chaos was one of the more visually stunning experiences one can see in a concert, but at the same time it more or less overshadowed the music happening on stage.

READ ON for more from String Cheese Incident in Broomfield…

Jam In The Dam 2010 – Amsterdam – Day Three – March 23

Judging from the amount of empty store-bought mushroom containers on the floor over the past two nights, it is reasonable to assume that many people will be exercising the option of sleeping in late, in beds, on the final day of the festival. It is so nice to have this option, but it is a shame to waste a day in Amsterdam.

So what does one do on their last day in Amsterdam? For most of the Jam in the Dam attendees it probably includes some more coffee shop visits, some cheap food, a stroll through Dam Square or maybe a visit to one of the many cultural/artistic/historic hotspots where a tourist can be touristy. For those on a budget there are American fast food establishments on every block, but for those who want to take in Dutch culture there is always FEBO. FEBO provides customers with the fast food equivalent of watching yourself get into a car wreck with no ability to stop it. You can order a few things at the counter, but for the most part it is an entire restaurant of glorified microwave vending machines, yum.

Jam In The Dam Reviews & Photos: Pt.1, Pt.2

Thanks to Yonder Mountain, the final night of Jam in the Dam kicks off in fine fashion. Yonder picks up right where they left off with the same high-energy, raucous, style of the night before. The night mainly features Jeff Austin and Ben Kaufmann on vocals. Banjoist Dave Johnston barely sings a note but more than makes up for it all night with stellar picking. The set closer is arguably the highlight of the festival, a Piece of Mind > Ruby > Follow Me Down to the Riverside > Ruby > Piece of Mind palindrome that is literally played for the “Kinfolk” that came out from the states, mostly Colorado. The band feeds off of their energy, and these dedicated fans get down harder than anyone else gets down to anything all week long. The room might as well be empty with the exception of the true Yonder fans.

READ ON for more of Jason’s thoughts and pics from Day Three…

Jam In The Dam 2010 – Amsterdam – Day Two – March 22

Amsterdam truly is a city unlike any other, and not because you can smoke weed while reading a book outside on the street or fulfill your grossest desires with one of the fine ladies of the Red Light District. No, Amsterdam is amazing for many reasons beyond the novelties many flock here for.

While one can’t help but appreciate that the city overlooks “victimless crimes”, there is so much more this place has to offer. The canals, the architecture, the history, the art, the fry stands, the street performers, and yes the fact that you can light up a fat spliff right out in the open make this a city unlike any other.

An experience like Jam in the Dam is unique not for the music it offers, but for the entire experience. It is unique because you can sleep in, enjoy a nice coffee shop, go to the Van Gogh museum or Anne Frank house, and take in some wholly uninteresting Dutch cuisine all in a day. There is also a wide variety of International cuisine for those not interested in sausages, sauerkraut, and mashed vegetable and potato medleys.

• Jam In The Dam – Night One: Review and Photos

Day two provides festival attendees with a nice chance to check out the city, or recover from the first night in a cheap Amsterdam hotel room. For American visitors arriving only a few days before, jetlag is in full effect and many use the free time to sleep it off. For those more inclined to sleep on the plane on the way home, Amsterdam is waiting for round two.

READ ON for more on Jam In The Dam Day Two…

Jam In The Dam 2010 – Amsterdam – Day One – March 21

There really is nothing quite like a destination music festival. Why stay in a tent when you can stay in a hotel room? Why be a gross, dirty hippie when you can shower daily? Why stay in a hot field when you can explore a resort or world-class city during the day? Whether you are on a cruise ship, a tropical island, or in one of Europe’s most amazing cities, one thing is certain; events such as these sit in a class of their own. A true fan of live music and traveling owes it to themselves to try and attend a destination music festival at some point in their life.

Events like this one are truly unique for so many ways, but what immediately stands out is the size. There are few opportunities to see bands with such sizable fan bases in such intimate settings for three nights in a row. It is made all the better by the fact that you are raging with the same people for the entire duration. You meet some people on the first night, and by the end you are saying goodbye to dozens of new friends and future tour buddies. There is no experience like a destination music festival, and no live music event quite like Jam in the Dam. Where else can a wookie make a steamroller out of his cardboard poster tube, and walk back and forth from stage to stage begging the bands to smoke it, and in some cases jumping on the stage to instruct?

The festival hit the ground running with an improv-heavy set from Umphrey’s McGee. Umphrey’s is the only band that really brought a significantly sized group of their fan base overseas, so it made sense to have them get things going. Their set was highlighted by a Ringo > White Man’s Moccasins > Ringo Segment that really allowed bassist Ryan Stasik to shine as he took the lead with some incredibly technical slapping. As the crowd filled into the Melkweg and the night got into full swing, the band finished things off with a perfectly placed and executed 40’s theme. The stage was set for a great evening, and the energy continued through Les Claypool’s set right up until he left the stage for a 20+ minute bathroom break drum-solo.

READ ON for more of Jason’s Jam In The Dam review and photos…

Living in Denver or Boulder provides one with a constant stream of live music options. People trade off most of those shows, however, when living in the Rockies. When shows do come through the area, travel is usually required.

Seeing the String Cheese Incident’s Kyle Hollingsworth in a tiny, intimate venue was easily worth the travel time and surpassed the expectations of almost everyone in attendance. Touring in support of his new album, Then There’s Now, The Kyle Hollingsworth Band came to Three20South in Breckenridge on their way back home to Boulder for an incredible evening of jazzy/funky, fusion.

The evening opened up with Ft. Collins’ Euforquestra. The reggae/funk jamband seemed to hold the interest of some of those in attendance although the music leaned towards the generic side, and at times grew quite stale. The set closed off with the title track of their new album, Soup, a nonsensical song used as a jam vehicle. The problem is that this doesn’t really work out too well when your jams all pretty much sound the same and the musical chops are average at best. While the music was fun and quirky at times, it was more or less relieving when the set was finished.

The headliner, on the other hand, was simply superb. With a top-notch band featuring Dave Watts (drums) and Garret Sayers (Bass) of The Motet, Kyle Hollingsworth was set to throw down an eclectic mix of covers, originals and Cheese songs for the near-capacity crowd. The show opened with an instrumental version of The Beatles’ Taxman. The up-tempo and extremely funky rendition of this timeless song set the tone for the night and the energy level was maintained the entire time. The highlight of the set came with Galactic sandwiching Zuco 103’s Peregrino. The 30-minute jam went all over the place musically and featured sit-ins from several members of Euforquestra before closing out the set.

READ ON for more of Jason’s thoughts & photos on the Kyle Band…