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The Music of 2011: Day 4

lucianvenutian
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Flickr - Creative Commons

Coming home for two bright lights with ties to our own backyard- Driftwood Fire and Chuck Pyle.

Driftwood Fireis a self-described, "organically creative female duo whose vivid songwriting and prodigious playing skills display uncommon artistry," and I could not agree more! In the four years that multi-instrumentalist Charlotte Formichella and singer-guitarist Lynn Scharf, have been together, they have achieved performance on an impressive array of stages; including National Women’s Music Festival, the Rocky Mountain Folks Fest, Falcon Ridge Emerging Artists showcase, and Far-West Folk Alliance. They just released their debut album, How to Untangle A Heartache, this year. We listen to a lot of music here. A LOT of music, and when I first heard Driftwood Fire’s work it stopped me in my tracks. It is a very painterly album with a rich palette of textures which swirls around to take the listener on an enchanting journey. In their bio, Sharf wrote that their goal was, “for people who come to our shows or listen to our album to leave a little lighter.”I guess you’d better tether me…

Driftwood Fire at Avogadro's Number in Ft. Collins
http://youtu.be/7G5htf_2clA

Where does one begin when discussing Colorado musical legendChuck Pyle?  Some may know him through his songs recorded by John Denver ("High Wide and Handsome"), Suzi Bogguss ("The Other Side of the Hill"), Jerry Jeff Walker ("Jaded Lover"), and others. The real treat is to hear Chuck play and sing his own creations. His latest work, The Spaces In Between, is pure Chuck Pyle - from the dreamy and romantic "Dream Song", to the thoughtful "Beckoning Sky", or "The Yellowstone". Not to be left out, there's the fun and witty "Picking Out My Outfit", as well as "Surfin’",  and finallyto the grand anthem of the west, "Wide Open". Chuck’s guitar work is legendary, too, with his ‘free the thumb and fire the band’ fingerstyle playing.

Chuck Pyle singing "Colorado"
http://youtu.be/-GaMBE7XEEo

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