WestFest features mixture of cowboy jams, honky-tonk

Gazette, The (Colorado Springs), Jun 30, 2002 by Bill Reed

Downtown Colorado Springs is a strange setting for WestFest, with the Wells Fargo bank building looming above tepees and mountain men. But it somehow works.

And so did the music Saturday, with a day of wild musical juxtapositions leading up to headliner John Hiatt. Here's a review, in order, of the acts:

Michael Martin Murphey

The WestFest founder played the perfect host, starting the day with a rollicking cowboy jam and an easy smile. Murphey has left behind the adult contemporary sound that made him famous in the 1970s (you remember "Wildfire") and now plays honest-to-goodness cowboy classics.

Aaron Angello

His blues-tinged rock isn't what you imagine at WestFest and lyrics like "working really hard for that next hit of crack" made cowboys cock their heads to the side, but Angello has a good voice and his upbeat rockers played well.

Red Steagall

A Red Steagall show links stories and songs into a narrative of the American West.

The music isn't bad either, with charming four-part harmony and straight-ahead cowboy melodies. Now if we could just get him to stop playing truncated versions of his hits.

Riders in the Sky

I'm gonna have to tell you the truth: Riders in the Sky is a band of four goofballs. With their loud costumes and constant string of jokes - Enron to Eminem is fair game - it's easy to overlook what great musicians these guys are. Their silky-smooth take on Western music and Branson-esque stage show may not be everyone's cup of tea, but they pull it off with panache.

Eddie Three Eagles

Eddie Three Eagles - with dancing and drumming help from his four sons - was enchanting, swirling together brilliant colors and a voice like a canyon wind.

Tony Furtado and American Gypsy

Furtado brought along his jam-band ferocity and took a bite out of WestFest. The amazing musicians of American Gypsy blend rock, bluegrass, jazz and blues into a delicious Americana concoction.

Hot Club of Cowtown

If the world were a just place, Hot Club of Cowtown would be a superstar band. Their rootsy music sounds like bluegrass and gypsy jazz at the same time.

Pinmonkey

Looking for the next big thing in country? Pinmonkey might be it. The band has a country-rock style with a dash of roots appeal. Country radio stations - and the fans at WestFest - are digging their new single "Barbed Wire and Roses."

Darryl Worley

Worley offered the only by-the-numbers Top 40 country set of the day. Whiny steel guitar. A rock 'n' roll rhythm section. A predictable mix of honky-tonk tunes and lovesick ballads.

His honky-tonk tunes (such as "Sideways") are a lot of fun, while his ballads ("I Miss My Friend") move at a slow burn.

John Hiatt

It's no secret John Hiatt is one of the finest songwriters of the past quarter-century. He proved Saturday night he's also a fine performer - and he only needed an acoustic guitar, amplified foot taps, and his voice to do it.

From the classic hits ("Have a Little Faith In Me") to dirty blues ("Lincoln Town") to studies of the human condition ("Your Dad Did"), Hiatt's power lies in his ability to see the quiet truths and then refuse to blink.