Leelah with L@L Host that day, Malini Bartels
Not pictured: Drew Jostad|Sound Engineer

Leelah (LILA, sanskrit for “The Play of Life”) is an all original world beat spiritual rock band with Gwyn Tash, Jake Van Vonderen, Bruce Bertea, Kenny Workman and Duffy Laudick. The essence of Leelah is to invoke a spiritual connection to Divine through devotional lyrics and self inquiry. An eclectic blend of musicians and musical backgrounds create a band whose music is an artful expression of healing, growth and the mystical.

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“Elephant Revival is a soulful, seductive quiver of songwriters and multi-instrumentalists that reign from points all across America. Since Oct 06′ Daniel Rodriguez, Bonnie Paine, Dango Rose, Sage Cook and Bridget Law have herded in a greatly applauded neo-acoustic gyptic revival at festivals, theaters, clubs and house concerts from the Pacific coast to the rolling hills of New England.

The Revival plays entirely original music with a few carefully chosen traditionals and  eclectic cover tunes but their precise genre is hard to pin down. As independent film director Mikey Eberle elaborates, “When I hear Elephant Revival I am struck by my inability to define it. I am forced to confront the music as it is, connecting to it with a virgin spirit of mind. Consequently it feels like I am experiencing music and all its joys for the very first time. “Each Elephant possesses remarkable vocal abilities which are highlighted during every performance. The individual members carry a vast amount of talent and are all multi-instrumentalists. Daniel Rodriguez plays a distinctive finger-style acoustic guitar and banjo. Bridget Law is a high elevation fiddle champion who regularly teaches and plays in Scotland. Dango Rose is solid as a rock on the upright bass and adds nice texture on the mandolin. Sage Cook is a shredding instrumentalist who plays the electric banjo, electric guitar, mandolin and upright bass. Bonnie Paine’s innovative washboard and percussion style has inspired a new generation of folk-percussionists. Her playing transcends the Cajun, Bluegrass and Latin conventions usually associated with the instrument. Occasionally she will bow an eerie yet angelic line out of the musical saw. Her voice has been compared to the likes of Natalie Merchant and Grace Slick, but the calm power which fuels her voice is beyond explanation. Her vocal prowess is hauntingly beautiful.

Individually and collectively the band members have performed with some of the most prolific performers of our time including Bela Fleck, John Paul Jones, Michael Franti, Little Feat, George Clinton & Parliament Funkadelic, Yonder Mountain String Band, Leftover Salmon and Railroad Earth amongst countless other great and talented contemporaries. In 2008 Elephant Revival played a handful of great festivals including Joshua Tree Roots Festival, Yellowstone Music Festival, Yarmony Grass, Mulberry Mountan Harvest Fesival, Mackinac Island Festival, Oyster Ridge Bluegrass Festival, Sawtooth Music Festival, Desert Rocks, Nederland Music and Arts Festival, et al… In July 08′ the band released their debut album produced by long-time collaborator and friend David Tiller (ThaMuseMeant, Taarka). The album has received high praise on an international level. Its new-age sound has garnered Elephant Revival the reputation as a “Transcendental Folk” outfit.”

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Happy Holidays from Fierce Bad Rabbit
Photos courtesy of Darren Mahuron

“Fresh, energetic and intelligent, Fierce Bad Rabbit takes you on a journey so interesting that you don’t want it to ever end. From the opening notes of “Everything Is Alright”, the first track on their eponymous debut EP, through the infectious melody and lyrics of “YOU!” off of their 2012 EP, “Live and Learn,” you know you’re in for something new and captivating. Tightly woven tapestries of notes and well-crafted lyrics delivered with disciplined passion by frontman Chris Anderson, who also plays guitar and keyboards, combined with the powerful yet perfectly nuanced viola and supporting vocals of Alana Rolfe, the rock-solid rhythmic backbone of Dayton Hicks on bass and Max Barcelow on drums create a constantly changing yet consistently fulfilling musical experience for the listener.

Photos courtesy of Darren Mahuron

The vocals themselves may occasionally make you think that you could be listening to a new project from Brandon Flowers of The Killers or Brian Fallon of The Gaslight Anthem. The band clearly shares the influences of such indie favorites as Arcade Fire and The Shins, and there is a certain kinship with other leading-edge artists like The National, Iron & Wine and Band of Horses. But the music this Ft. Collins, Colorado-based quartet makes is all their own, and the more you hear it the more it comes across as a brilliant amalgamation of many musical styles and structures. Alternately joyful and somber, forceful and laid back, playful and contemplative, their songs challenge you to decide whether you should stand and listen intently or grab the person next to you and dance the night away.

Formed in 2009, the band released two solid recordings in scarcely more than a year: the self-titled debut EP and a full-length, 15-song sophomore effort, “Spools of Thread”. After making an immediate impact on the increasingly sophisticated and crowded Colorado music scene, playing to packed houses at local hot spots in Ft. Collins, Denver and elsewhere and drawing large crowds at busy festivals like the Westword Music Showcase and UMS, the band is now touring extensively, including appearances at America’s preeminent independent music gathering, South by Southwest in Austin, Texas, the storied Viper Room in Los Angeles, California, and many, many more.

Listen once and you’ll be impressed. Listen again — and see them perform live — and you will be a fan. From that point on you’ll want to see them again and again, and you’ll join the growing ranks of people eager to see what happens next for this talented group called Fierce Bad Rabbit.”

Find FBR at www.facebook.com/fiercebadrabbitmusic  or www.reverbnation.com/fiercebadrabbit

Photos courtesy of Darren Mahuron

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Gil Gonzalez and Lisa Wimberger give us Lil Sum’n Sum’n, a duet born out of the collective projects of Kan’nal and Lunar Fire. It is an improvisational psy-trance experience featuring a world beat made up of middle eastern, afro-Cuban, African, and American influences. Haung drums, tablas, doumbeks, dounouns, congas, shakers, udus, drones, ballaphones, and tap dancing drive rhythms that range from primal dance to meditational journeying.

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Chimney Choir at KRFC. From left - Carl Sorensen, David Rynhart, Kris Drickey & Kevin Larkin

“Since forming in December of 2010, Chimney Choir has released two EPs and embarked on four tours in the US. Although steeped in American and World folk music, the trio is not afraid to experiment – embracing psychedelic synths, performance art, and found percussion (including a Samsonite suitcase, ladder, and a typewriter). Chimney Choir is a true collaboration – members change instruments, blend their voices in harmony, and share lead vocal and songwriting. The critically acclaimed (feather) EP was recorded in an architectural antique warehouse, which gives a hint at the unique character of their sound. Their second EP, (turtle), was released only 3 months later. The new live album, (ladder), was recorded in front of an audience in an old pipe organ chapel and will be released on February 25. The band will be touring throughout the States and Europe in the coming months.”

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(From left) Tony Furtado , Luke Price (violin,guitar & vocals), Keith Brush (bass) & Russ Kleiner (drums, vocals) at KRFC after the radio show.

“If you’ve followed Tony Furtado’s prolific music career at all you won’t be surprised to know that his 15th album, Golden, is loaded with several impressive firsts. For the first time, he has self-produced and penned every track. It is also the first time his own artwork- a sculpture of a two-headed rabbit- has been featured on the cover. However, on what is arguably his most engaging, masterful recording to date, one first marks this album more than any other. After 20 years of recording, touring basically living on the road, it is the first time Furtado has ever recorded an album in the town that he calls home.

Recorded, mixed and co-produced by friend and engineer Rob Stroup at 8-Ball Studio in Portland, OR, Golden, is the product of Furtado surrounded by the comforts of home, weaving his way through the diverse cultural fabric of a city rich with music, art and talent. In classic Furtado fashion, he explores the hills and valleys of familiar and new musical territory ranging from Americana, Celtic and folk to indie rock and pop. And while his award-winning playing and unforgettable leads are present throughout, it is his vocal presence, diverse arrangements and songwriting that take center stage on Golden.”

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“Combining a compelling mix of music, theater, fashion and modeling into her repertoire, Cassie Taylor is an ambassador of blending the arts.  Cassie is the daughter of renowned bluesman Otis Taylor and toured in his band for seven years as bassist and backup vocalist.  She takes her passion for the blues seriously by serving on the board of directors of The Blues Foundation.  Staking a claim as a musician in her own right, her songwriting is a new kind of blues which explores the trials and tribulations of a twenty-something woman.  Using pop vocals and deeply-rooted blues bass lines, Cassie is leading the new generation of blues artists. “

Joining Cassie in the studio on percussion is Josh Moore.  Guitarist Eric Wiggs could mot make it in to the studio for the radio show but gave a stellar performance with Cassie & Josh later that evening at their Avos show.

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“Turn 4‘s exciting Country sound will rattle your teeth and shake some fillings loose on one song and then touch your deepest regions on the next. Humor and sincerity ooze out of these songs like so much mud, blood and beer after a good barfight.”  – Jason D. Rogers / KRFC

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Kailin Yong’s Peace Project Trio

You may recognize Kailin Yong from his years performing with The Boulder Acoustic Society. A few years ago he started  a group called the Kailin Yong Peace Project which typically consist of anywhere between 5-12 musicians but also features some of the performers with him as a trio or quartet. They have been putting on Peace Concerts all along the front range. 

“When most performers attempt to integrate a plethora of styles into their sound, they often get in over their head, but Kailin, who came to America by way of Austria and his native Singapore, has the artistic talent and musical breadth to not merely suggest ideas of worldliness, but to actually cull the voices of other nations from his strings. This performance will be the Peace Project Trio with Kailin performing violin and vocals, James Hoskins on cello and vocals, Brett Bowen on middle eastern percussion. Kailin’s much acclaimed Peace Project was formed to promote peace, friendship and cross-cultural understanding through music. The trio will perform Kailin’s original music based on his exploration of diverse cultures. This musicial event is guarenteed to be exceptional.”
– Clark Roberts

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Nate Barnes, Daniel Sproul, Jacob Sproul & Jimmy Stofer

“Boulder-based rock and roll band Rose Hill Drive has returned to debut the addition of new member bass player Jimmy Stofer and an entire album’s worth of brand-new material. In 2003, guitarist Daniel Sproul, his vocalist brother Jacob and childhood friend drummer Nate Barnes began practicing in the basement of the house on Rose Hill Drive in Boulder, Colorado that the Sproul brothers grew up in. Since then, they’ve released two full-length albums, 2006′s self-titled debut and 2008′s “Moon Is The New Earth,” several EPs, and developed a worldwide fan base. In 2009, the trio went on hiatus. In the ensuing months, Jacob switched from bass to guitar, bassist Stofer came on board, and the newly formed quartet began writing new material, which eventually became the band’s third studio album, 2011′s “Americana.” Stofer was previously a member of such local favorites as Hello Kavita and Dualistics. Rose Hill Drive’s raw, emotive rock has earned the group high praises from both critics and fellow musicians alike.

Nate Barnes, Daniel Sproul, Jacob Sproul and Jimmy Stofer

The band toured with Stone Temple Pilots this summer and has opened for Wilco, The Black Crowes, Queens Of The Stone Age, VanHalen, Aerosmith, and The Who, among others.

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