Many moons ago I made myself a promise to travel the United States to take in a concert in all fifty states. Of course, Alaska and Hawaii may be a little tough, but I figure the other 48 should be doable. Now that I have officially retired, I plan to attain my goal. That all started a couple of weeks ago when I jetted to Denver, Colorado to take in a couple of shows on consecutive nights.
Headlining the two nights was one of my favorite bands, Texas Hippie Coalition. They put on an arousing 420 performance at Greeley’s Moxi Theater on April 20. As usual, the five-piece band gave the audience exactly what they wanted, a fun-packed evening of true, in-your-face, red dirt rock.
Front man, Big Dad Ritch, is always a showman and this night was no different. The musicians behind him have all changed since back in the day, but I feel as though they are stronger than they have ever been. Cord ‘Getcha’ Pool and Nevada Romo are incredible on the six strings while Rado Romo (bass) and Joey Mandigo (drums) are a powerful rhythm duo! Together, the five are as talented a band on the scene today and they deserve to be bigger than they are.
I’ve been a diehard fan for years, so much so that the bands theme of “Faith, Family, Freedom” is part of the only tattoo I have at the present time. There is another in the works, but it to, is family oriented.
THC marked the release of their latest album ‘The Name Lives On’ the following evening at the Wild Goose Saloon by doing a Q&A session. It was a first for me to see a band do this and I have to say it was an amazing experience. Fans got to get intimate with the band and got the opportunity to discuss the making of what I think, is their best album yet.
‘The Name Lives On’ is an absolute masterpiece from start to finish. If you haven’t had a chance to hear it, do yourself a favor and do so. If you live near me, I have two CD’s that I’ll gladly let you listen too. But be warned, you’ll need your credit card because you will want to order one of your own.
While THC was my main draw to the Rockies, one of the opening acts was a big reason I invested in the trip. XFACTOR1 is a Columbus, Ohio band that I have been friends with for a long time. They were on a two-week stint with the Coalition after not touring for several years.
XF1, like Texas Hippie Coalition, have gone through many changes over the years. The current collection has grown stronger each time that they hit the stage together.
Ricky ‘Q-Ball’ Wolf continues to front the band and is as strong as the band’s hay-days when they were a three-time Rock on the Range performers. Back then the band hustled their way to afford to be on the road. Today, the group have matured and did the road right, staying in hotels in three rooms as opposed to piling into one. Those days were fun, but there comes a time that you must work smarter and not harder.
From a musical aspect, the boys were on top of their game. Joseph ‘Joe Bobb’ Roberts is and has been one of the most solid bassists that I have heard. And his back-up vocals are on point. Ryan ‘Mick’ McRobie and Shawn ‘Tex’ Secen are outstanding guitarists and backup vocalist while Eric ‘EZ’ Zehender crushes it on the drums.
It was great watching XFACTOR1 playing in front of people who had never heard of them before. But then to see those folks become fans by the end of the set, was truly inspiring.
I would certainly be remised if I didn’t mention the fact that it was also fun watching David ‘Silent Dave’ Morris do his thing in Colorado. The man is passionate about music and fills many shoes such as the band’s driver, photographer, and stage manager.
My venture out west also gave me the chance to witness performances from two bands that I have never seen before. GRAVEL and Heartsick Herione both took to the stage on 420 in Greeley while the first band stayed on the road with THC and XF1.
GRAVEL was a throw back band that delivered a solid rock-n-roll show reminiscent of bands like 38 Special and Molly Hatchet. Troy Kammerdiener mans the front vocals as well as the rhythm guitar with Joseph Vallejos tackling the lead guitar role (masterfully if I do say so). Cory Kyles (bass) and Phillippe Franco (drums) collaborated to be driving rhythm force. Kyles stepped down at the end of the run to focus on other musical endeavors including but not exclusively to drive and attending to merchandise for THC.
Heartsick Heroine is a four-piece female fronted band out of Denver. They were the perfect opener for the show at the Moxi, delivering a strong performance that set up the rest of the night. Featuring the founding duo of Hannah (vocalist) and Allen Maddox (guitar), HH proved themselves worthy of the slot.
Hannah has a powerful voice that was not only capable of belting out a true rock sound but also delivering a scream that is second to none. Allen was great on the guitar while John DiGeronimo (drums) and Chris Vega (bass) were a solid rhythm tandem.
To say that my adventure in Colorado was a success would be an understatement. Not only was I able to check off another state from my list I was able to take a moment to take in the beauty that is Colorado and the Rockies. I can’t wait until my next trip to whatever destination I choose. Ain’t retirement grand!
Until next time, this is Big L saying ‘keep those horns up and rock on!! \m/ \m/
