Notice:  The Roger McGuinn concerts have been postponed until November 9th and 10.  Learn more....

• Saturday, June 7, 2008 Chuck Pyle
• Sep 12, 730p, Don Conoscenti & Kort McCumber
• Nov 1, 730p, The Folkaltones & Jubilant Bridge
• Sunday and Monday, November 9th and 10th, 2008, Roger McGuinn

www.chuckpyle.com

Singer/songwriter and “Zen Cowboy”

Admired as a sly humorist and an innovative guitarist, Chuck Pyle has performed for the Colorado Legislature, on Austin City Limits, and at Bill Gates' home. He's had his songs recorded by John Denver, Chris LeDoux, the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band & Jerry Jeff Walker. He sees what's best about America, writing songs about love lost & love found, forgetful cowboys, heroic highway patrolmen, and brain stems gone "critical".

When reviewers first gave him the "Zen Cowboy" moniker, he decided to, as he says, "Always ride the horse in the direction it's going," and took the nickname to heart, shaving his head and blending his upbeat perspective with old-fashioned horse sense. He mixes infectiously hummable melodies with straight-from-the-saddle poetry, quoting bumper stickers, proverbs, world leaders and old cowboys. 

Chuck Pyle came from Iowa in 1965 when, "Boulder was mostly gravel streets", and resides on the front range of Colorado. He does 100 dates a year all across the country, playing festivals and theaters, coffeehouses and house concerts. We’re proud he’s made Acoustic Alley one of his stops this year.

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Once a die-hard rocker, Don Conoscenti (www.donconoscenti.com) is one of the most respected musicians and critically acclaimed songwriters in acoustic music. His live performances are a soulful fusion of styles blended from his experience playing rock, jazz, blues, folk, funk and country. But his primary love is the landscape of story telling and songwriting. His "one man band" sound is driven by an unusual rhythmic sense and a finger style approach to guitar arrangement which is set apart by the use of partial and multiple capos. The performances are never canned. There are no set lists. Expect to go on an improvisational musical journey of unexpected segues, humorous reflections, stories and songs. Songs about lovers, outcasts, healing, loss, mystery, spirit, murder and redemption.
Conoscenti commands an array of instruments: acoustic and electric 6 & 12 string guitar, steel guitar, bass, keyboard, drums, percussion, flute, recorder, mandolin, banjo and didgeridoo. Through his expert picking style and wildly imaginative uses of capos and open-tuning, Conoscenti gets sounds from his guitar that you just have to experience to believe.

Kort McCumber (www.kortmccumber.com) seamlessly blends folk, bluegrass, roots rock and Americana to create music to move you and make you move. When joined by his band, McCumberland Gap, it's a full-on "Original Americana Hootenanny"!

Kort is, in fact, a songwriter, a singer, a guitar player, a classically-trained pianist & cellist, a harmonica player, mandolin, banjo & bouzouki player, and, best of all, all-around good guy from Jacksonville, Florida. At the heart of it all is the music-- the noticeable strain of one genre and the hidden thread of another; a richly woven tapestry of folk, country, bluegrass, singer-songwriter, rock, roll and reverent. New songs with a hint of old that belies his years. And that's just what comes through on the records.

Live, it all takes on a more vigorous verve. "You never know where the next great memory is gonna come from," he often says, "And that's what makes it so easy to get up for each and every show." Kort currently resides in Boulder, Colorado, and his energy and enthusiasm never wane. With five CD's completed and more on the way, his library speaks for itself. Good songs well rendered. That's what you're in store for. And that's what you'll get. Good songs from a good guy who seems to just keep getting better.

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The Folkaltones (www.folkaltones.com)--long time “Mother Folker” and nationally renowned singer/songwriter Carla Sciaky with Miriam Rosenblum and Hal Aqua, made its debut in early 2006. They deliver their own spin on everything from Irish ballads to Beatles and traditional fiddle tunes to contemporary songwriter material, with a generous dose of fun, complete with alluring textures and harmonies, and imbued with their adoration for every single tune that they have befriended.

Carla, Miriam and Hal pull from their eclectic musical backgrounds, including folk, classical, bands from the 60s and 70s, Jewish and mid-eastern, Renaissance, and Celtic, always striving to stay faithful to their sources and still allow for personal style. All three live in Denver, raising their respective families and juggling careers and the music habit. Some surprise guests may appear at any time. 

A dulcimer wizard and a pure-voiced poet are the heart and soul of Jubilant Bridge (www.jubilantbridge.com), a harmony-driven acoustic duo with a sparkling sound that is fresh and innovative. Intricate arrangements, harmonies “so tight, they pulse” (Mary Cliff—WETA-FM), and a sense of fun are the hallmarks of every Jubilant Bridge performance, a surprising range of critically-acclaimed originals, contemporary songs, and instrumentals. 

Although they come from a rich aural tradition, they surprise audiences with counter melodies, changing time signatures, and well-chosen dissonance. The instruments go beyond simple accompaniment; the arrangements and the songs themselves are meshed. They use the vocabulary, but step outside of the conventions, of folk, rock, and pop---not simply stitching together genres, but folding the seams under. 

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Note:  those on our email list will be given a reminder and first choice to buy tickets a week ahead of public sale.  If you would like to receive a reminder on the sale date, please join our email list.

Opening Act:  Jaime Michaels

www.rogermcguinn.com

Legendary creative genius behind The Byrds and much more

Jim McGuinn, later known as Roger, was already a veteran of the New York and Los Angeles music scene when he co-founded the group that would become the Byrds with Gene Clark and David Crosby in 1964. Prior to forming the Byrds, toured and performed folk music with the Limeliters, Chad Mitchell Trio and Bobby Darin as a guitarist and banjo player.

McGuinn, a Chicago native, studied at the Old Town School of Folk Music and was active on Chicago's folk scene, where he was strongly influenced as a teenager by Bob Gibson. Within a few weeks of finishing high school, McGuinn was working with the Limeliters in California, and he played guitar and banjo on their album "Tonight: In Person." McGuinn is also on the Chad Mitchell Trio's album "Mighty Day on Campus",1961. 

His experiments in merging folk and rock didn't please the folk purist, so he moved to Los Angeles to work at the Troubadour. It was after an opening set for Hoyt Axton that Gene Clark approached Roger with appreciation for his new musical blend. They started writing songs together in the folk den of the Troubadour. It wasn't long before David Crosby joined them and added his unique concepts of harmony to the duo, thereby completing the underpinnings for one of the most influential bands of the '60s. Mandolin player Chris Hillman was asked to join the group and learn to play the bass guitar. During a Thanksgiving dinner the band settled on the name "Byrds," and success was just around the corner. Columbia Records signed the Byrds in January 1965 and they recorded their first number one hit, "Mr. Tambourine Man."

Roger McGuinn disbanded the Byrds in 1973 to pursue his dream of a solo career. Come join us and experience a piece of history in Denver’s premier listening room.

Tickets for these two historic shows are only $40 in advance/$45 day of show and are available by phone only at 720-870-0397. They’re likely to sell out, so call early!

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