On July 18 and 19, 2003, the lower downtown area of Denver became home to a terrific gathering of musical acts: The AT&T LoDo Music Festival. For two afternoons and nights, the streets were filled with fans, food, and - of course - a multitude of sounds. The bands ranged from local acts looking for their break to bigger names in tour, and, as always, some blasts from the past.

A tremendous thanks to the organizers for allowing Matt Moore and myself to attend the event at their expense. In the sections below, you'll find some of our thoughts on the various acts we caught.

Day 1

Liz Clark, a local musician, started her set right on time, even though the crowd was sparse - but she played as if there were hundreds present, jumping into songs with a crack rhythm section and solid lead guitar work from her band. Her music, a relative of the Jewel-school of the singer-songwriter genre, had much more attitude, kick, and musical interest, ensuring that even the small gathering of onlookers was well-entertained. It wasn't long before her own terrific tunes like "Love & War" and "Something I Can Do Without" lured more and more people to the stage. The stand-out of the set though was a beautifully raucous cover of "Paint It Black."

Liz might be local for now, but if she keeps putting on shows like that then fame shouldn't be far behind. I hope to have a review of her CD "Love & War" available on Blogcritics in the very near future.

United Dope Front came out with their own blend of funk and jazz generated by bass, keys, brass, and strings. While their sound was definitely interesting, we found it a bit too intense for the continuous deluge of decibels they produced; rather than continually surging from one theme to the next, a musical breakdown would be a welcome treat, allowing each player a chance to shine. As it was, unfortunately, the sax was drowned out in the mix and songs seemed to be indeterminably entwined - but perhaps that appeals to a segment of the listening population, just not this one. Oh, and this is just a personal nitpick, but bands should be there to entertain, not politicize.

Moving on to a funky, jazzy band that gets it right all the time...

Medeski, Martin, & Wood - a long-time favorite - took the stage in the evening. Andy has been a long-time fan of the band and the way they use a standup bass, keys, and drums to take jazz to new levels. Given the way that they improvise and expand upon the thematic elements of each song, we'd be hardpressed to provide a reliable setlist. Well, that and the fact that we were just as caught up as the rest of the crowd as MM&W disassembled songs into near-punk chaos before collapsing back into a tight, melodic groove. Whereas Matt would be more of a fan if they would incorporate vocals into their compositions, Andy thinks the music stands well on its own. And, of course, he's right.