As we end the chapter on the past decade and prepare ourselves for what the roaring 20’s have in store for a new generation of hippie-flappers, it is time to look back on the year that was. What better way to do so, than with the first Fish Picks of the final year of a decade that was jam-packed with fantastic music? And there is no more fitting way to celebrate the end of a year than with your friends, which is why we are starting this year’s series with my personal favorite sit-ins from 2019.
#10: The Funk Sessions – “Mr. Clean > Povo” featuring Domnic Lalli (2019-04-23 @ Cervantes’ Other Side, Denver, CO)
Our first pick comes from a new series of shows that brought a whole new world of funk to The Other Side, as Live For Live Music came together with the venue to deliver a monthly series of shows that brought together various big hitters from the world of jam music to collaborate on their favorite funk tunes, delivering a truly one-of-a-kind experience on a monthly basis. For the April session, members of Lettuce came together with members of The Motet to deliver a session that featured not only some funk classics, but also a few tunes from jazz trumpet pioneer, Freddie Hubbard. For this, the band invited up half of electronic duo Big Gigantic and former Motet bandmate, Domnic Lalli, to lend his saxophone skills and to add an extra horn to the layered attack of the jazz classics. The result is an almost half hour of uber tight playing that pays proper tribute to the originals with just a hint of local flavor, creating a show unique to the already expansive Denver live music experience.
Listen to The Funk Sessions – “Mr. Clean > Povo” featuring Domnic Lalli below or check out the full show here.
#9: Jazz Is Phish – “46 Days” featuring Eric Luba (2019-04-05 @ The Fox Theatre, Boulder, CO)
Next up, we take a ride up route 36W to Boulder, where we go from funky jazz to more straight up jazz, as Phish tribute Jazz Is Phish brought their revolving cast of players to pay a more refined tribute to everyone’s favorite jamband.
Initially, fans were excited when hearing that viral sensation Domi Degalle would be joining the band to dazzle fans with her talents; however, due to a last-minute medical situation, the French keys player would not be able to attend. Luckily, Emancipator Ensemble keyboardist Asher Fulero stepped up and was able to deliver a fitting performance that fulfilled the band’s need for a technically affluent keys player. Another treat however was the sit-in from Analog Son keyboardist and local favorite, Eric Luba, who brought his own blend of jazz-funk to Phish’s high-octane rocker “46 Days”. From his intro riffs to the nuanced chord framing and high-level communication throughout, which helped guide the tune into a pocket that blended the lines between jazz, funk, and rock, Eric’s addition to the tune was easily one of the highlights of an already great show.
Listen to Jazz Is Phish – “46 Days” featuring Eric Luba below or check out the full show here.
#8: Phour Point O – “Suzy Greenberg” featuring Brothers Of Brass (2019-03-21 @ Cervantes Masterpiece Ballroom, Denver, CO)
If you’ve ever walked out of a Phish show at Dick’s or a baseball game downtown, there is pretty much a 100% chance you’ve enjoyed the panhandling tones of local horn troupe, Brothers Of Brass. The group has made a name for themselves by performing anywhere that’ll have them (police willing). So when Phish tribute Phour Point O invited the band to open for them at their first time headlining Cervantes’ Masterpiece Ballroom, I was excited at the prospect of not just a sit-in, but the potential of a “Suzy Greenberg” sit-in. Phish phans familiar with the more popular renditions of the song may cite the 2009 Indio, CA performance during their Halloween encore as one of the definitive versions, specifically because of the additions of the horns during the chorus. Sure enough, the band obliged and delivered a stand-out performance of the song, complete with horns. It’s incredible how essentially four notes can add so much to an already well known and highly revered song, but after you’ve heard Suzy with the horns, you’ll never be able to hear it without your brain super-imposing the conciliatory notes.
Listen to Phour Point O – “Suzy Greenberg” featuring Brothers Of Brass below or check out the full show here.
#7: The Sweet Lillies – “I’ll Rise” featuring Vince Herman (2019-06-08 @ Main Street, Central City, CO)
After making the trek up to Boulder, let’s go back down south to mining-town-turned-gambling-town Central City, hosting their second annual Central City Jazz Festival. While not quite a jazz group, The Sweet Lillies were invited to perform their blend of nugrass to a packed Central City Main Street. In addition to their stellar acoustic guitarist, Dustin Rohleder, the band invited up Leftover Salmon guitarist, Vince Herman, for the second-half of their set. This all coalesced in their set-closing tribute to Maya Angelou with their interpretation of one of her most famous poems, “I’ll Rise”. The tune featured dual guitar licks from Rohleder and Herman, intermingled with swirling fiddle leads courtesy of Becca Bisque. While “I’ll Rise” is definitely the highlight, the whole show is worth checking out, especially for the Vince Herman sit-in, including their take on The String Cheese Incident’s “Sirens”, as well as their cover of Montell Jordan’s “This Is How We Do It”, which features Vince playing around with the main-riff to the delight of all.
Listen to The Sweet Lillies – “I’ll Rise” featuring Vince Herman below or check out the full show here.
#6: Chompers – “Dirty Laundry” featuring Patrick Harvey (2019-10-19 @ Cervantes Masterpiece Ballroom, Denver, CO)
When you hear the name Chompers, some of you might immediately think of people who can’t seem to stay quiet at a concert, and you wouldn’t be wrong. However, the name has also been appropriated by a local Denver jamtronica outfit and has slowly begun re-shaping how I think of the term. Sure, it still sparks images of yacked-out talkers; however it now also makes me think of one of the most shredding versions of Don Henley‘s 80s rock classic, “Dirty Laundry”, which featured Cycles‘ Patrick Harvey putting on an absolute clinic on trading guitar licks to propel a tune to the stratosphere. Even when you think its coming to an end, the band hits with another ~4 minutes of fierce playing between Patrick and Chompers‘ guitarist, Dennis Veazey, that results in one of the most satisfying jams of the evening.
Listen to Chompers – “Dirty Laundry” featuring Patrick Harvey below or check out the full show here.
#5: Part & Parcel – “Look At Miss Ohio” featuring Tenth Mountain Division, Julie Gussaroff, Becca Bisque, Jack Cloonan, Cody Russel, Sasha Brown, Brandon Jay (2019-11-08 @ Cervantes’ Other Side, Denver, CO)
The fourth annual Corduroy Classic, hosted by Part & Parcel, helped raise money for the charity RIP Medical Debt, a company that helps eliminate medical debt. This year’s event was able to eliminate over $250,000 in medical debt, which is incredibly significant and shocking since we all did it by enjoying some of the best local musicians Denver has to offer! For the event, Part & Parcel performed a set of originals and then a set of covers that featured a band comprised of a revolving cast of local musicians. One that hit me particularly, was when the band invited up all the members of nugrass rockers Tenth Mountain Division, Becca Bisque and Julie Gussaroff of The Sweet Lillies, Jack Cloonan of the Jack Cloonan Band, Cody Russell of The Drunken Hearts, Sasha Brown of Sister Sparrow, and lastly, Brandon Jay, formerly of Part & Parcel. Needless to say, their take on Gillian Welch‘s “Look At Miss Ohio” was a touching rendition that not only nailed the main composition, but provided a wide range of instruments to exchange solos and deliver a jam that was as emotive as the poignant lyrics about doing right.
Listen to Part & Parcel – “Look At Miss Ohio” featuring Tenth Mountain Division, Julie Gussaroff, Becca Bisque, Jack Cloonan, Cody Russel, Sasha Brown, Brandon Jay below or check out the full show here.
#4: moe. – “In Memory Of Elizabeth Reed” featuring Mike Gordon (2019-06-01 @ Red Rocks Amphitheater, Morrison, CO)
Things were looking bleak for moe. in 2017 after a throat cancer diagnosis forced the band to cancel their Red Rocks performance and the rest of their touring for the remainder of the year. The band made their triumphant return in 2018 and has since been back on the road, doing what they do best. So when moe. performed at Red Rocks in 2019, it was not lost on fans how significant it was to see the band still doing what they love. While the show was full of steadfast playing, one of the biggest highlights was not only the almost 20-minute jam to end the first set, but the fact that the band had opener and Phish bassist Mike Gordon sit-in for the entirety of it. Mike’s signature bass style worked in a beautiful unison with moe. bassist, Rob Derhak, and provided fans with a solid segment of dialed-in jamming on the Allman Brothers classic. Throughout the jam, the band moved with a fierce determination, shifting from segment to segment with focus and a seemingly effortless ease. The result is not only one of my favorite sit-ins of the year, but also one of the most compelling jams by far.
Listen to moe. – “In Memory Of Elizabeth Reed” featuring Mike Gordon below or check out the full show here.
#3: Cycles – “Martyr” featuring Michael Wood (2019-10-19 @ Cervantes Masterpiece Ballroom, Denver, CO)
Similar to the previous sit-in, sometimes the presence of a particular musician just hits you right in the feels. In 2019, no moment hit me harder than recently departed Cycles drummer, songwriter, and founding member, Michael Wood, sitting-in with Cycles band mates for a touching rendition of his song he’d written for the band, “Martyr”. It cannot be understated how important Michael’s songwriting and overall presence has been for the band, and as I put in my original review of the show, I think it’s telling that in a room completely packed to the brim with some of the front-range’s premier jamband players, Michael Wood was the only artist the band asked to sit-in for their headlining show at Cervantes Masterpiece Ballroom to celebrate their Game Show. While not gone and certainly never forgotten, Michael’s presence will always be missed. Needless to say, this will go down as one of the most significant versions of this tune in Cycles history and a welcome sight for any hardcore Cycles fan. Definitely don’t sleep on the follow-up tune either, which features Wood on vocals and piano, performing the self-reflective “Everything Must Go”.
Listen to Cycles – “Martyr” featuring Michael Wood below or check out the full show here.
#2: Magic Beans – “Here On Out” featuring Nate Werth and Dave Dernovsek (2019-06-29 @ Beanstalk Music & Mountains Festival at Rancho Del Rio, Bond, CO)
Anything the Magic Beans does ends up a party. But what is even more like a party, is the actual party they throw down every summer at Rancho Del Rio for their annual music festival, Beanstalk. The result is a conglomerate of the best local acts the front-range has to offer, co-habitating with some of the top touring jambands on the national scene. It has forged relationships between bands and fans that are stronger than most because of the bond everyone feels when attending the music festival. One such bond exists between the Beans and longtime Beanstalk vets, Yak Attack, which led to a collaboration on the Beans’ party anthem with the Beans inviting up Yak Attack keys aficionado, Dave Dernovsek, to lend a hand on the faux ivories. The band also invited up newly minted Beanstalk performer, Nate Werth of Snarky Puppy, and Ghost-Note fame to hold down the percussive attack with fellow Magic Beaners Cody Whales and Will Trask. The result is a bountiful improv segment that moves at a break neck pace with a cornucopia of sonic textures and layers that, much like the last sit-in on our list, isn’t just significant for the impressive musicianship but also delivers one of the best jams of the year.
Listen to Magic Beans – “Here On Out” featuring Nate Werth and Dave Dernovsek below or check out the full show here.
#1: Yak Attack – “Swing Thiwi” featuring Nate Werth, Sylvester Onyejiaka, Jonathan Mones, Adam Deitch and Will Trask (2019-06-29 @ Beanstalk Music & Mountains Festival at Rancho Del Rio, Bond, CO)
At #1 we have Yak Attack performing the final set of this year’s Beanstalk Music and Mountains Festival. This was the band’s second year in a row closing out the beloved festival, and just like last year, the final set turned into a family affair. Really, I could have picked several different sit-ins from this set and they would all deserve to be at the number one spot. From Scott Hachey‘s sit-in during “Oobdisk”, Casey Russell’s sit-in on “Heart That Sound”, or even Chris Duffy and Will Trask sitting-in on “Kinetic Dub Station” (this may have been the closest second for me) – there were several sit-in highlights to this particular set. However, this version of “Swing Thiwi” featured former Yak Attack drummer Nick Werth‘s brother, Nate Werth (of Snarky Puppy / Ghost-Note), making it truly a family affair. It also featured the Ghost-Note horn section, courtesy of Sylvester Onyejiaka & Jonathan Mones, as well as possibly the strongest percussive duo at the festival that weekend with Analog Son‘s Will Trask and Lettuce‘s Adam Deitch holding down the rhythm section alongside the brothers Werth. The result is a party at its apex, espousing egoless playing with unwavering drums and passionate horns all to celebrate our final moments in the beautiful valley for everyone’s favorite time of year. The happiness is palpable and bleeds through the recording. If you’ve never been to a Beanstalk before, this will make you wish you had.
Listen to Yak Attack – “Swing Thiwi” featuring Nate Werth, Sylvester Onyejiaka, Jonathan Mones, Adam Deitch and Will Trask below or check out the full show here.
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