Font ResizeRailroad Earth loves playing Boulder, so the jamming bluegrass outfit's taking up a three-day residency at the Fox Theatre, Thursday through Saturday.
The East Coast's band going to need three days to show off all its tunes, and this could be Boulder's ultimate music jam.
Who: Railroad Earth
When: 9 p.m. Thursday through Saturday
Where: Fox Theatre. 1135 13th St., Boulder
Cost: $30
Railroad Earth's built up a huge fanbase in Colorado since 2001. The band's eclectic blend of roots, rock and jam grooves has earned the group gigs at Red Rocks, and all the major Boulder and Denver clubs.
"The last time we played the area, we performed at Red Rocks with the Allman Brothers," bandleader Todd Sheaffer said. "That was the first time we played there and it was really great! We played a lot of festivals this summer, but we always love coming back to the Colorado market!
"We're playing three nights at the Fox, because we picked select markets to play multiple shows in. We'll get a solid sound check and be able to break out a lot of material. We don't like to repeat ourselves but certain rooms draw out certain material -- we'll just make it up as we go along in Boulder."
Railroad Earth fans can look forward to a new album in 2010, and the band's also getting ready to take part in
In more band news, Railroad Earth will be losing longtime bass player Johnny Grubb in January. The Fox shows will mark the last time that the bassist will play Colorado as part of RRE.
Sheaffer's also getting ready to perform at his From Good Homes reunion. The Railroad Earth frontman used to play with the popular band, and the group's holding Dec. 18-19 reunion shows in Montclair, N.J.
"We talked about doing the reunion on several occasions," Sheaffer said. "We had a couple of rehearsals and I was amazed -- it was like riding a bike. We played well and it felt natural."
Russian Circles
On the other end of the musical spectrum, Russian Circles is playing Denver's Marquis Theater on Saturday.
The Chicago prog rock band is gaining note for its intricate, instrumental soundscapes, varied rhymes and textures.
"Our favorite bands are instrumental," guitarist Mike Sullivan said. "We started writing songs and we realized the songs were so full, that we didn't need to have a singer.
"That gives the band more freedom, because there's no verses or choruses. It gives us a lot of room to play with the rhythms, textures, transitions and segues."
Russian Circles only features three players, but this band sounds like a full, prog rock orchestra.
"The volume helps a lot," Sullivan said. "We do have lots of speakers, and we use looping to lay stuff down and build on top of.
"We keep getting better and better at what we're doing. This time, we had the time and resources to make our new album, Geneva. We've also been touring with bands like Minus the Bear and Coheed and Cambria."
Fans really need to experience Russian Circles live, so catch the group at the Marquis.
