The Blog

Drizzle and rain couldn’t dampen spirits this morning at the Kid’s Cure 5k to benefit Brent’s Place. We were thrilled to be asked to play this event, and happy to be part of the community. Never mind the predawn wake-up call, Wash Park was a great location for an outdoor venue, and with Ethan and Justin of euphoricsoundbyte we made the most of this opportunity. Can’t wait to come back for another dose next summer!

Set 1
The Valley
Feelin’ Alright
Come Together
Baby Hold On
Left Work Early
Barton Hollow
Patriot
Awakening
Hunger Strike
Hey Jane
Can’t You See
Black Water

Set 2
I Know You Rider
Sweet Inspiration
Boogie On Reggae Woman
Cripple Creek
Why You Been Gone So Long
Sample in a Jar
Hallelujah
Drift Away
Purple Rain
Loving Cup

New stats recorded at last week’s event for DaVita in downtown Denver:
– First time playing a corporate festival with two blocks cordoned off in front of the Civic Center in downtown Denver.
– First time cranking the new JBL speakers, especially the new bass cabinet. On the streets of Denver, with storied buildings to contain the sound, we were thumping!
– First time Johnny’s truck battery died during the load-in, while parked on the curb at 14th & Arapahoe.
– First time relying on a Denver city cop to help jump start the battery.
– Maybe the coldest outdoor temps we’ve played in to date (dropped into the 30s by the end of the night) and there was residual snow from the previous day’s snowstorm. But hot food and cold drinks and smiling people passing by kept our bodies warm and spirits high.

Set 1
The Valley
Cripple Creek
Hey Jane
Baby Hold On
Waste
Come Together
Can’t You See
Women & Wine
Whiskey Wind & Wheat
I Know You Rider

Set 2
Hallelujah
Barton Hollow
You Ain’t Going Nowhere
Black Water
Patriot
Loving Cup
I Can’t Stay Here
Awakening
Sweet Inspiration
Boogie on Reggae Woman
Hunger Strike

Set 3
Mountainside
Best I Can
Bouncin’ –> Shoes in the Road
Sample in a Jar
Why You Been Gone So Long
Drift Away
Wagon Wheel
Call Me Al
Feelin’ Alright
Soulshine

About 11:00 Saturday night the band was loading gear out of the Merc when Geoff said, “That was a fun day.” Have to agree with you buddy!

WinterFest was bound to be fun – but playing outdoors in December in Denver had us worried about seeing our breath when we sang. Mother Nature had another idea and the balmy 70-degree temps encouraged loads of neighborhood folks to come check out the festival on Old South Pearl. Santa, who made multiple appearances at the festival, was probably wishing he’d brought his shorts and Hawaiian shirt!

We want to thank Marilyn and the folks at HobNob Events for inviting us, and a special shout to Allen at Space Recording for making things so easy.

Wrapping up after WinterFest, we hustled up to Jamestown for one of our favorite mountain venues at the Jamestown Merc. This little room doesn’t feel like a place for a rock-n-roll concert, but it transforms perfectly and the room has a unique energy all its own. As a band we joke about the copious amounts of gear ZM possesses and at the Merc we pack it all into a smaller space than seems possible. This picture doesn’t even capture the two light rigs floating above the main speakers, or the floor monitors wrapping the stage:

It was another stellar night. Joe and the rest of the Merc staff fed us and kept our thirsts quenched. People from all walks of life came together to celebrate the basic human function of being joyful together. What a party! Our buddy Joe came up to record the house. Our main man Ethan was at the sound board making the band sound great. And hey, all you Party Bus people get a shout from the manager at the Merc, who complimented us at the end of the night saying we always bring out people who have super positive energy and who are also respectful and polite. Yeah!

Top moment of the day for me came at the Merc. Early in the set after playing a couple of covers, we had a crew of people out of their chairs shaking some booty. Next on the set list was Hey Jane, which has the potential to slow things down. Momentary question mark within the band, then Kyle made the split-second decision to go for it. And damn if it didn’t pull more people off their seats and push the energy up to the next level. Props to our bud BJ Callahan for creating that gem of a song.

So Geoff you’re right. That was a fun, fun day. Two great shows, lots of new and returning faces, and a whole lot of music. Let’s do that again, soon!

Set Lists:

How to have an epic evening.
1. Book a show at a venue that has the friendliest, chillest people. In the mountains is preferred.
2. See if they’ve got amazing home-grown cooking on the menu for the night you’ve booked.
3. Jambalaya works great for this purpose.
4. Get another great band to join you for the night. Be friends with them, and not just on Facebook.
5. Make sure someone in the crowd has a birthday. Or just got engaged. Or both.
6. Make sure the space for the musicians is tight, for example (purely hypothetical) it’s a space that should barely fit four, but then you try to fit seven. Then try to squeeze in the other band on top of that.
7. Bring your best and brightest sound man. He’s gonna be working hard at the board.
8. Bring lights.
9. Find a talented show opener solo act.
10. If possible, do all of this on the night of a spring thunder snow storm.

Nothing but epic last night in Jamestown. If you’re in need of a little ‘epic’ in your life, come out to the next Zen Mustache show. Seems ‘epic’ follows us wherever we go… Gotta love that.

Set list from Jamestown Merc 4-14-12

Up On Cripple Creek ^
Baby Hold On ^
I Know You Rider
The Valley
Sweet Inspiration
Come Together
Whiskey, Wind and Wheat
Black Water
Can’t You See
Boogie On Reggae Woman
You Ain’t Going Nowhere
Shoes in the Road
Loving Cup
Feelin’ Alright ^
Call Me Al ^
Wagon Wheel ^
Snoop Dogg Medley ^

^ Packed liked sardines onto an tiny stage, rocked these tunes with our pals from Chain Station