The Ghost of R.L. Burnside Inspired Snake Drive

Karl Christian Krumpholz

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Jesse Frazier: “Earlier in the year, Brian and I were in the van on our way to the Englewood Tavern. Dark clouds were filling the sky, and you could smell the incoming storm in the air. As we approached South Broadway, a loud crack of thunder ripped through the neighborhood. We were surprised by how close the lightning must have hit. We were still shaking when we pulled up and walked into the tavern. As we sat down at the bar, R.L. Burnside’s “Wish I Was in Heaven Sitting Down” was playing.

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Karl Christian Krumpholz

“Now, Brian and I are veterans of many different Denver bands and had recently been talking about starting a new project together. Maybe the beers we were drinking helped as we started talking and wondering if all this was a coincidence. Was the ghost of R.L. reaching out to us through the bar speakers, sending us a sign and tuning our guitars like the Devil at the crossroads? I don’t know, but we both thought it was bad juju to ignore. We soon started Snake Drive in an attempt to harness this blues power — to get people to stand up and shake their asses.”

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Karl Christian Krumpholz

Snake Drive will record a live album during Englewood Tavern’s second-anniversary party on Friday, August 30.

Editor's Note: The Denver Bootleg is a series chronicling the history of local music venues by longtime Denver cartoonist Karl Christian Krumpholz. Visit Krumpholz's website to see more of his work.