Photo essay: Bearfoot, Spring Creek @ Cervantes’ Other Side

[photopress:bear.JPG,full,pp_image] Solas may be a democracy, but there are no slack elements in the Irish-American band’s stunning performances. Photos by Brian Carney. Sometimes a music reviewer aims to critique a band — to compare live output to studio output; to talk of concert aesthetics; to tell a reader whether a familiar act has truly “got it” live or is simply reproducing the recordings, or is ragged and overinflated by publicists and studio pyrotechnicians. Sometimes it’s silly to pretend to be a critic, and you simply [...]

Hot Rize performed as one dozens of folk, bluegrass, roots and Americana-oriented performers at the 37th annual Rockygrass Festival in Lyons last Friday-Sunday. Photos by Brian Carney. There’s nothing quite like pulling up to the Planet Bluegrass Ranch in Lyons on a hot July day, making your way onto the grounds and stepping into the St. Vrain River for cooling wade while excellent musicians deliver the goods on the stage, filling the air with a brilliant musicianship, classic and new songs alike.