Denver, “A Breeding Ground of Good Music”
DENVER – On May 29th at Cervantes Other Side in Denver, four bands delivered an outstanding night of music as Denver bands We’s Us and Ignatius Reilly provided strong opening sets for Eric McFadden and headliner, Jerry Joseph and The Jackmormons.
Cervantes Other Side is quickly becoming a favorite venue in Denver, for both fans and musicians alike. Located in the heart of Denver’s 5 Points Neighborhood, The Other Side hosts an impressive collection of musical acts. It’s also versatile enough with an outside patio stage offering optional dual venue tickets to both The Other Side and the larger Cervantes Masterpiece Ballroom, just next door. On just about any night of the week you can find some interesting music lineups playing at either side of the venue.
A heavy hitting set by Eric McFadden out of San Francisco followed the two opening sets. Eric McFadden is one of the most unique guitar players you will see perform. He never fails to impress as his dramatic songwriting and pure rock presence on stage brings an energy you don’t often see with other guitar players. Eric plays with an impressive and diverse list of musicians and his resume also includes the band Stockholm Syndrome with Jerry Joseph. His line up for this particular night included a surprise guest appearance by Eddie Roberts of the New Mastersounds.
Eric McFadden is certainly no stranger to the Denver music scene and has long had a strong fan and friend base here in 
Colorado. Eric had nothing but good things to say about the local scene. “I’ve been playing Cervantes for quite a few years now. I particularly like the way things are looking and feeling there these days. The Denver music scene seems to really be thriving now. I love coming out there because I have so many friends there, musicians and otherwise”.
McFadden also mentioned some exciting upcoming shows and projects he’s working on. “I’m still working with Norwood Fisher and Thomas Pridgen on the T.E.N project, and I’ll also be playing guitar with Anders Osborne for some dates this summer and fall”. Eric will also be returning to the Steel Bridge Songfest in Sturgeon Bay, WI in June, as well as making an appearance at High Sierra Music Festival in July. He hinted at a possible new project that could be in the works. “ Oteil Burbridge, Bernie Worrell And I are threatening to start a new project.” Be sure to follow Eric on Facebook, and check him out when he comes through your town.
The headliner for Friday Night’s show was Jerry Joseph & the Jackmormons out of Portland, OR, who are celebrating their 20th anniversary this year. This is a band that anyone who loves rock music truly should go see. There is no one quite like Jerry Joseph and his dedicated fan base will tell you that Jerry always leaves it all out on the stage. Although his beautifully raw lyrics, stunning guitar playing and intense stage presence is a show in itself, he is also backed by a crew of extremely talented musicians including Jeff Crosby (Guitar and Vocals), Steven Drizos (Drums and Vocals) and Steve James Wright (bass and vocals). The band closed out this show with another typically strong performance.
Ignatius Reilly is quickly becoming a Denver favorite with their infectious southern tinged sound. With a wide collection of influences from Widespread Panic, Drivin’ N Cryin’, Bob Dylan and Van Morrison just to name a few, Ignatius Reilly brings a solid collection of original songs as well as some unique cover choices. The band just released their first full length album “Tearing The Skies Apart” produced by another Denver music scene veteran, Chad “Chadzilla” Johnson of Polytoxic and many other local projects. Ignatius Reilly is Brock Elam (Guitar & Vocals), Eric Bullock (Guitar & Vocals), Jeff “Birddog” Lane (Drums), Ethan Ice ( Keyboards & Vocal) and Mason Watkins (Bass).
A few days after the show, I sat down with Brock Elam and Jeff “Birddog” Lane of Ignatius Reilly to talk about the show, their recent album release and their thoughts on the current music scene in Denver. Their impression of the Denver music scene is quite compelling and really solidifies what the music fans and musicians alike already feel is happening in this wonderful city, a growing and thriving music scene that will be looked back upon as an epic time to be in Denver. Venues like Cervantes Other Side and Cervantes Masterpiece Ballroom, The Park House, The Bluebird Theater, just to name a few, all proudly support local music.
TTL: It was quite a show Friday night, from start to finish. Have you guys have opened up for Jerry Joseph before?
Brock: “Yes. Jerry has always been gracious, letting us open for him several times. He’s a huge influence on a lot of us and Eric McFadden is a phenomenal guitar player who inspires us.”
TTL: It seems like there is a common thread with the musicians in Denver, both local and touring acts who are visiting. They all tend to join each other on stage, collaborate with each other, and help each other out. Do you think there is something special about the music scene in Denver in particular?
Jeff Lane: “Denver is a breeding ground of good music. In 80-100 years, people will be making documentaries of the current music scene. It’s a big melting pot of people. A lot of people move here with the specific desire to play music. The music is the connection”.
TTL: There are so many great musicians in Denver. Do you think it is oversaturated? Does it create competition?
Jeff Lane: “There’s an oversaturation of good players in Denver, guys like Tori Pater, The Congress, Dyrty Byrds, Fox Street; but that pushes standard of musicianship to a higher level. This is why the scene is so good. We’re all friends and we all support each other”.
Brock Elam: “If you want to progress as a musician, come to Denver”.
TTL: Let’s talk about the new album.
Jeff Lane: “We decided to do a full length album to follow up our 4 song LP, “Seersucker Vest”. We all brought songs and ideas to the table and just molded it into an album. The album is all original material except for “Affection”, which is a Little Steven song.”
Be sure to check out Ignatius Reilly on the road throughout Colorado and the West this summer and keep an eye on the concert calendar at Cervantes and other local venues for more amazing lineups of music. For booking inquiries for Ignatius Reilly, please contact Rocky Mountain Artists.
Article and photos by: Traci Lynn Markle
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