I first heard Laura Goldhamer a couple of years ago, when she opened for the Books, the sound-collage band, at the Boulder Theater. She shared the headliner's endearing quirkiness, and her appeal was augmented by wonderful video animations projected on a screen behind her.
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Last week, I was just a block from the Boulder Theater when I heard Goldhamer's voice and guitar over the speakers outside the Boulder Draft House (2027 13th Street), which took over the former Redfish Brewhouse spot earlier this year. The music was enough to get me inside, where I found Goldhamer performing a solo set in the dimly lit back room, past the big, brightly lit front bar. I took a seat and ordered a 44 Pale Ale — a logical choice, since it won a silver medal at this year's Great American Beer Festival. The Colorado Brewing Company also brews up Folsom Gold (Kolsch), Alpenglow Amber, Feisty Fiddler IPA, Big Bella Brown and an oatmeal stout in the back of the building.
In fact, you could see a few huge stainless-steel tanks through the windows next to the stage where Goldhamer was playing tunes on acoustic guitar and banjo while some of those same animations were projected on a sheet behind her. After a half-dozen songs, she was joined by Dovekins, another like-minded group that she often plays with, for a few more of her tunes before Dovekins jumped into its own set of what the band calls "hipster gypsy barnstorm folk." The band has six members, including a stand-up bass player, but the stage was roomy enough for more musicians to join in — including Paper Bird's Genny Patterson, who added some lovely vocals to the first Dovekins song.
A few tunes later, Patterson was dancing in front of the stage with a dozen other folks. As the merrymaking intensified, more people joined in. I was tempted, but I didn't want to leave my beer.
The Draft House features an assortment of live music Tuesday through Saturday, including Boulder Talent Night on Tuesdays and live reggae on Wednesdays. Boulder-based jam band Ethereal Plane will play on Friday, November 6, and Grass It Up, a Colorado Springs bluegrass band, will perform on Saturday, November 7.
Club scout: Jazzmatazz Lounge, a new jazz club that sits between Limón and Parallel 17 at 1612 East 17th Avenue, will celebrate its grand opening on Saturday, November 7, with shows by the Eric Gunnison Trio at 7:30 and 9:30 p.m. The festivities will carry over to the following weekend, with R&B/acid jazz group Tazzmanian Groove performing happy-hour sets from 5 to 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday, November 13 and 14. Gunnison will return for two more sets on November 13, and Charlie Z and B-3 Three, featuring Jeff Jenkins, will do two sets on Saturday, November 14.
Guitarist Cole Rudy recently started up Jazz Expo Night at the Meadowlark (2701 Larimer Street), which will alternate every other Monday with Mike Marchant's Songwriter Workshop. On Rudy's nights, he'll show half-hour segments of jazz films interspersed with a half-hour of music performed by local jazz musicians. The next Jazz Expo Night is Monday, November 9.
