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Festival features ‘berry’ local music lineup

Heidi RiceSpecial to the Post IndependentGlenwood Springs, CO Colorado
Contributed photoThe Rock Dogs - Dale Loper, Dan Brennan-Combs and Tom Mercer - have been playing rock 'n' roll in the valley for more than 10 years. They will be on the Main Stage at Strawberry Days from 2:30-4 p.m. Sunday.
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In keeping with the theme of 114th anniversary of the Strawberry Days Festival, the musical entertainment features a majority of bands from up and down the valley.”We really wanted to focus on local bands this year because of the theme, ‘There’s No Place Like Home,'” said Angie Anderson, vice president of operations and communications for the Glenwood Springs Chamber Resort Association.A committee headed by Lorie Beattie Courier, event planner in charge of Strawberry Days entertainment for the Chamber, chose the bands.”There are so many incredible local bands,” Courier said. “It was very difficult to choose, and I was overwhelmed. So I put together a committee.”The committee listened to more than 25 CDs different bands set in, as well as favorites brought in.”One of the things that was so amazing was the difference in style and genres,” Courier said. “We wanted to honor as many of them as we could. I wish we could’ve put more in there.”

A Vision Quest: Friday afternoon will start off with A Vision Quest. These teenagers from Glenwood Springs play jazz, funk and hip-hop. The seven-member band consists of Harris Jackson on guitar and vocals, Joshua Darling on keyboards, David Ackerman on alto saxophone and flute, Sam “Wonderbread” Robison on bass, Paul Struempler on soprano saxophone, John Carter Colia on drums, and Bobby Petts and tenor saxophone.Ashley Red: Headlining Friday evening will be Ashley Red, a group that has spent the past seven years performing in top clubs Los Angeles, Las Vegas and Florida. The group has opened for acts including Bon Jovi, Matchbox Twenty, Velvet Revolver, Edwin McCain and Billy Squier.

Slightly White: This band from Aspen comprises Miles Phillips on bass and vocals, Obadiah Jones on guitar and vocals and Cooper Means on percussion. All three were born and raised in the Roaring Fork Valley. They started the band in 2003 while attending Aspen Community School. They have since opened for such musical legends as Joe Cocker, Little Feat, the Dave Mason Band, Mini Kiss, Led Zeppelin, Hells Belles and many more. The group has taken first place five times in the local Battle of the Bands competition. Their repertoire, which they perform in a variety of venues throughout the valley, includes classic rock songs from artists such as the Beatles, Pink Floyd, Jimi Hendrix, U2 and Led Zeppelin, along with original songs.Steve Skinner: The afternoon will continue with Steve Skinner, Louis Girardot, Corey Spagnolo and Frank Martin – a coming-together of local band leaders with a dash of California studio musician thrown in for flavor. The repertoire is based largely on the original “resort rock” of frontman Skinner, along with original contributions from Girardot and Martin.Fifty50: Beth Getzen was at Rivers Restaurant in Glenwood Springs nine years ago when she overheard two guys talking about forming a band.She didn’t know the men, but that didn’t stop her from chatting them up.”I want to be part of that. I sing a little bit,” she told them.And so the Strays formed in April 2002. The band consisted of Getzen, Dave Stoltzfus and Justin Gerrish, but would eventually include others who would join and leave.Getzen and Stoltzfus married in 2007, right after the band played its first Strawberry Days festival. Last year, the six-member band changed it’s name to Fifty50, but the music hasn’t changed. The group will perform an eclectic style that runs the gamut from 1970s hits to Led Zeppelin and ZZ Top.The band includes Getzen-Stoltzfus on lead vocals, Stoltzfus on lead vocals and acoustic guitar, Brian Brown on bass, drummer Jerry Larsen, Mike King on keyboards and Brandon Jackson on lead guitar and vocals.The Missing Link Band: This Glenwood Springs band formed in 2004 and includes bassist Paul Barker, guitarist Erik “Gunner” MacPherson, drummer Nick Kuhlmann and Holly Guerin on lead vocals. The music features songs from The Beatles, the Doobie Brothers, Willie Nelson, the B-52’s and more.”We play all types of genres for people from 8 to 88.” Kuhlmann said. ” It’s a wide variety of music, from rock and roll to country to rhythm and blues.”Sina & The Big Bang: Saturday ends with this headliner band from Las Vegas, featuring lead vocalist Sina, along with drummer J.D. Degelia and Mick Shaffer on keyboards. The groups covers everything from classic rock, to dance favorites and top-40 hits.



Sunday features purely local music, with a lineup that includes Mixed Emotions, Jeff Van Devender, All the Pretty Horses, the Rock Dogs and Texas Flood.Mixed Emotions is a group of six local singers who play selections from the American songbook.New Castle resident Jeff Van Devender makes his Strawberry Days debut with his piano compositions and arrangements.All the Pretty Horses is a popular Roaring Fork Valley band with an eclectic, country-rock style. The band features Olivia Pevec on vocals, lead guitarist Mateo Sandate, drummer Aaron Taylor, Frank Martin on mandolin and Ashton Taufer on bass.The Rock Dogs, who have been playing in the valley for more than 10 years, include Dale Loper on guitar and vocals, drummer Dan Brennan-Combs and Tom Mercer on bass and vocals. The music ranges from alternative to classic rock and originals.Texas Flood, a tribute band to Stevie Ray Vaughan’s blues style, wraps up the evening. The band features guitarist Gerry Goodman, John Brown on bass and Darin Elwell on drums.For more information and details about the musical lineup and events at Strawberry Days, visit http://www.strawberrydaysfestival.com.


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