Community Calendar

LITERARY

MUSIC

SPORTS

THEATRE

7:30pm-10:00pm, 925 STRUTHERS AVENUE

Parker McCollum wants it both ways. Restless soul who can slam dunk a major venue. Texas spirit who can exist on mainstream country radio. Songwriter more...0 with a sense of turpentine and truth singing for people whose life isn’t quite the truckbed/field party revel much of country music would have you believe. Coming up in Texas, selling out Stubbs, Billy Bobs and Nutty Browns, the brash young man with a taste for Rodney Crowell, Todd Snider and James McMurtry had just enough Houston gangster rap in the water to develop a swagger that’s miles from the good ole boy patina so many of his peers embody. But don’t let that bravado fool you, his passion for songwriting runs deep. “I want to have Luke Bryan success, singing Chris Knight-caliber songs,” he declares. “To have longevity, you can’t sacrifice integrity to get on the radio. People know the difference, look at Willie, look at Strait. I knew I could do Texas and never leave, or come to Nashville and do the pop-country thing. My goal is to ride the middle.” He exhales as he says this, takes in the landscape. He’s already notched a platinum-certified #1 with the banged-up declaration of love and betrayal “Pretty Heart.” He’s gone against the grain enlisting songwriter/musician/vocalist/producer Jon Randall; he’s known for his work as part of Emmylou Harris’ Grammy-winning Nash Ramblers, producer of Dierks Bentley’s Up To The Ridge and co-writer of the 2005 CMA Song of the Year “Whiskey Lullabye” and 2018 ACM Song of the Year “The Tin Man.” “I was super burned out from co-writes,” he says of their initial meeting. “He saw it, took one look, and said, ‘Hey, let’s hang out.’ He’s not just done it all, he’s won awards for it… When the label didn’t want him to be my producer, I thought he was a perfect fit. They let us go in and cut some demos; ‘Pretty Heart’ was one of those.” I been drinking like a drunkard in these Austin neon lights Burning smokes and wondering if there’s anything I’ve done right… Gold Chain Cowboy expands on that outcast drifter ethos with a collection of songs that are riddled with fuck-ups, disappointments, lost nights, real life snarls and the hunger that drives people on. Reckless, willing to reckon with the wreckage and shattered pieces of what was, McCollum’s major label debut isn’t a dead-end road, but more a cul-de-sac that too many people go ‘round and ‘round on. “I was pretty lonely,” he offers, certifying his songs’ angst. “I was pretty young when I started selling out these places, you know? I was a rock star. But I wasn’t a rock star when I woke up, that was last night. “There was no shortage of women. There were plenty around, random girls, but people you don’t care about – and they don’t care about you. It was a lot of whiskey and smoking cigarettes to fill up the space. But I started thinking, ‘What am I gonna do when I get a little further along?’” Figure McCollum, who admits a taste for flashy things, was raised a car dealer’s son. His mother’s family – “they’re a little rougher, they come from the land” – were dealing with cattle, ranching, the rodeo world. In many ways a classic Texas upbringing, even his music obsession started with his brother giving him The Traveling Wilburys, Volume 1 for his 11th birthday. Working his Grandfather’s ranch with his older brother and a couple cousins one summer, he heard Ryan Bingham’s “Southside of Heaven” for the first time. It changed everything. “It was so simple – and stayed so simple. My sophomore and junior years, he put out two of the best records I’ve ever heard. It showed me what standards are, and that it could be done.” Still, unhindered and young – wild living ensued. But that lust for life never got in the way of him writing songs, seeking to make the music better. Around Texas, he turned into a veritable Justin Bieber scream-inducing proposition. He didn’t care. “I look back and think, ‘How did I go onstage like that?’” he marvels. “It makes me sick to think about it. I can’t believe I lived like that; but I liked all those things way too much. I didn’t want anything to step on my songwriting. It pays to be as real as it gets, so all that just goes into the bank for writing, I guess.” There’s a picture frame hanging a little to the side Some drugs on the counter in the kitchen by the wine And I’m shaking like winter, but I just can’t eat Four studios. Thirty musicians. Countless songs. Lots of ruminating. “I finally had my first big record deal, and the country closed down. I had to think about how did I want this record to go, trying to figure out who I am and where I am again. Just as I thought I’d done it, I had another chance to think about it.” From the George Strait pluck of “Never Loved You At All” to the plaintive lonesome “Dallas,” the surging dumped by phone “Why Indiana” to the guitars forward tumbling pledge of always “Wait Outside,” McCollum changes gaits and gears through working class heartbreak and country. Gold Chain Cowboy offers a different take on being a good ole boy: dignity instead of pain, aching instead of numb. It hurts a lot more than you know It hurts a lot more than I show… “Slow, sad country country love songs,” says McCollum, defining his sweet spot, “…about things going terribly wrong. “I’m a hopeless romantic. Take all those heartbreak moments, they come from real places. Not always mine, but I’ve witnessed every one. Boil’em down, put’em in a song. That’s my deal.” Straddling Texas and Nashville, not only has McCollum written on his own – the staggering Green Day-evoking “Rest of My Life” – he’s shared songwriting credits with Randall, Wade Bowen, Randy Rogers, Randy Montana, Rhett Atkins, Miranda Lambert and Songwriters Hall of Famer Tony Lane. Scraping the truth from sun-baked bones isn’t for the faint of heart, so McCollum proceeded with caution. “With ‘Heart Like Mine,’ I’d had that first verse for four years. I’d been saving it, because I always knew it was special. I’d almost pulled it out a couple times in co-writes that weren’t working. But I knew not to. “When I sat down with Tony, I knew he was the one. I told him those lines, and he went, ‘That’s fucking bad ass.’ We finished it in an hour… It was unbelievable. He had that line, ‘I’m good at getting lost, but I’m bad at getting found…’ He so got it.” It’s easier to miss ya than it is to let you down I knew from the start, I was from the wrong side of town You told me I was different, we were two of a kind Cause you got the only heart like mine… Fluid, Gold Chain Cowboy moves effortlessly from the .38 Special surge and gaited drums of “Falling Apart” to the Tim McGraw-esque questioning on the gleaming “To Be Loved By You” into the loping steel guitar-soaked tavern country lament “Drinkin’” or the old school stroll “Heart Like Mine.” For the rush of energy, the raw voice, room left between the parts to let the loss and yearning permeate the tracks, Randall created a soundscape that echoes with the emotions most people would rather not look at. “If you can make people feel sorry for you in the songs, or not sorry but feel that pain, it’s gold,” he confesses. “Sometimes it’s not me, but I know where it comes from, and I mean it. I mean it a lot.” For McCollum, who cites “old school McGraw, Kenny Chesney, Gary Allen” as artists who own an emotional vista and a place on country radio, this project moves him closer to his larger dreams. “I love songs too much, though I don’t think you can love songs too much. Just you have to really make all of this about the songs. Everything is a melody or a hook to me, and then it’s how do you finish what there is in a way you can be proud of? “George Strait was ‘the Man’ in my house, the artist of my childhood. No higher, no better! His voice, the way he understands and sings a song. He isn’t a writer, but ‘Baby’s Gotten Good At Good-Bye’? ‘Amarillo by Morning’ was the first song I remember turning up in my Grandpa’s truck. When music does that to you, you’re gonna hold songs in pretty high regard. “When I’m writing, I tell people, ‘Put your map away… Put your handbook down. Close your eyes. Tell me what do you see?’ That’s where the best songs come from, the ones that are pure and inspired. I’ve lived every one of these songs… on every album… so I can’t lose ‘that guy.’ If I never did anything else, I’d have plenty to write about – and I don’t think that’s gonna happen. Hell, maybe I’m right, maybe I’m wrong Finding out why shouldn’t take this long Easier said than done I guess I’m a little bit harder to love than the rest

MUSIC

feat. Matt Flinner, Ross Martin, and Eric Thorin

8:00pm-10:00pm, Ute Theater, 132 E 4th St Rifle,CO 81650

Tony Furtado, renowned slide-guitarist, award-winning banjo player, and singer/songwriter, returns to his old stomping grounds of Colorado, this time more...0 performing as the Tony Furtado Acoustic Band. The band features all three members of the Matt Flinner Trio, an experimental bluegrass trio, featuring Matt Flinner on mandolin, Ross Martin on guitar and Eric Thorin on bass. The Acoustic Band is a reunion of sorts. Furtado and Flinner joined together in Sugarbeat, a groundbreaking acoustic Bluegrass/pop band in the 1990s, and have been playing together since they were teenagers. Martin and Thorin reunite with Furtado after being in the Tony Furtado Band 20 years ago when they all called the front range home. Tony offers, “So as you can see, it's a real special thing that I get to have these guys in my band for this tour!”

MUSIC

Mesa County Partners

7:00pm-10:00pm, 925 STRUTHERS AVENUE

Everclear put a firm stamp on modern rock in the 1990s, when they dominated alternative radio with their infectious mix of angsty grunge riffs and more...0 bright pop hooks. While the musical landscape has drastically changed since then, the band has continued to embrace their hard-rock roots well into the 21st century. Everclear's story starts with Los Angeles-born frontman Art Alexakis. After a difficult childhood in Southern California, he moved to San Francisco, where his career in music started to take shape. There, he formed a few country-punk bands — including The Easy Hoes and Colorfinger — and founded his own Shindig Records in the late ‘80s. But it was his eventual move to Portland, Oregon, that sealed his rock-star fate. After placing an ad in a local Portland paper, Alexakis met bassist Craig Montoya and drummer Scott Cuthbert, and Everclear was officially established in 1992 when the trio began performing at local gigs. The next year, they recorded their debut EP, Nervous & Weird. It was then expanded and turned into their first full-length, World of Noise, released on indie label Tim/Kerr. With an album to their name, the group hit the road, performing in cities around the U.S. as they sought a major-label deal. In 1994, they signed to Capitol Records, all while going through a slight lineup shift with Cuthbert being replaced by new drummer Greg Eklund. Their second album and first for Capitol, Sparkle and Fade, appeared in 1995 and caught on quickly with catchy singles like "Santa Monica." That momentum continued to grow with their next release, 1997's So Much for the Afterglow, which went double platinum thanks to modern-rock hits "Everything to Everyone," "Father of Mine," and "I Will Buy You a New Life." Everclear rolled into 2000 with just as much ambition, releasing Songs from an American Movie, Vol. 1: Learning How to Smile and its second volume, Good Time for a Bad Attitude. But by the band's 10th anniversary in 2004, Alexakis remained the only founding member, so he invited three new musicians into the lineup. The next decade saw the band back on indie labels, releasing a few more albums of original material, while hitting up popular festivals like the Vans Warped Tour and the now-annual Summerland Tour — founded by Alexakis in 2012 — featuring Everclear alongside other ‘90s rock vets.

GENERAL

9:00am-4:00pm, 550 Jurassic Ct. Fruita, CO 81521

Join us for a fun day to celebrate Dinosaurs! This beloved yearly event is finally back in person, and we are as excited as ever to share all things more...0 Dinosaur! Booths from fellow non-profits around the valley excite and educate with activities like a dig pit, face painting, fossil prep, drawings and so much more!

SPORTS

STATION EVENT

6:30pm-9:00pm, 925 STRUTHERS AVENUE

Gates at 5:45 PM Tickets: $20 GA Lawn/$35 GA + Seat/$45 Reserved The Grand Junction Rockestra is a one of a kind music experience that showcases the more...0 top rock music of the past and present in order to support the next generation of musicians. Grand Junction Rockestra is a rock band with symphony backing, a sonic and visual live show extravaganza featuring exceptional local singers and musicians. It is the only Rockestra in the country, a true point of pride for our community and an important contributor to the vibrancy of our local culture. Thank you to The Shafer Team at Coldwell Banker Distinctive Properties for this tremendous opportunity along with our generous season sponsors: Warehouse 25sixtyfive, Hart Music, Budweiser, Impact Promotions, Sodexo, Paul Roach and Humphrey RV. This show is a fundraiser for CMUs Music Scholarship program.

FILM

An Indie Outdoor Film Screening Series!

7:00pm-9:00pm, GJ Shift Space (702 Main St, Grand Junction, CO 81501)

From June 11th to August 6th, 2022, join us outdoors every Saturday at 7pm in the GJ Shift space (702 Main Street) to experience a diverse program of more...0 classic, independent, international, and local films. We hope this film series is eye-opening, thought-provoking, and also just a fun thing to do with you & your friends on a Saturday night. Remember to bring a chair! Presented by Junktown Cinema Club, a new film & media organization in the Grand Valley.

RADIO ROOM

Radio Room Concerts

7:00pm-9:30pm, 1310 Ute Avenue Grand Junction, CO 81501

KAFM welcomes Dawn & Hawkes back to the Radio Room on Sunday June 12th at 7pm. Miranda Dawn and Chris Hawkes first met when he crossed an more...0 Austin barroom floor and asked her to dance. The first time they sang together they found a sound Texas Monthly calls “undeniably intimate". Their initial duo effort, Golden Heart, climbed to No. 25 in Billboard’s Folk chart and landed at No. 2 in iTunes singer-songwriter albums and kicked off a whirlwind of cross-country touring and co-writing. Dawn and Hawkes recorded their second album, Yours and Mine, in between tour dates with influential artists Alison Krauss & Dan Tyminski, Patty Griffin, Old 97s, Robert Earl Keen and showcasing at festivals like Austin City Limits, Folk Alliance, AmericanaFest, South By Southwest and TEDx on tours in the US and abroad in Denmark, Germany and Australia. Join us in The Radio Room for Dawn & Hawkes the Radio Room on Sunday June 12th at 7pm. Tickets $20 dollars - $25 at the door.

DANCE

MUSIC

8:00pm-10:00pm, 925 STRUTHERS AVENUE

Gates at 7 PM Tickets: $52 GA Lawn/$72 Reserved/$92 Reserved +fees Known to the world as "That Lil' Ol' Band from Texas," ZZ Top more...0 were had a thoroughly unique career. They started as a trio putting their own spin on blues & boogie rock, and became arena rock stars in the 1970s. In the 1980s, they cannily reinvented themselves, hot-wiring their sound with sequencers and synthesizers and becoming unlikely MTV heroes with a series of clever videos that turned bearded frontmen Billy Gibbons (guitar) and Dusty Hill (bass) into an eccentric visual signature. This gambit made them one of the only groups of their era to not only survive in the new arena of pop, but to become more popular than ever, gaining a new audience without sacrificing the old one. At their core, ZZ Top's songs never changed that much, taking standard blues figures, filtering them through Gibbons' precisely raunchy guitar, marrying them to the simple but funky groove of Hill and drummer Frank Beard, and adding lyrics steeped in surreal wit as they dealt with sex, booze, the blues, and the glorious idiosyncrasies of life in Texas. Their stardom faded a bit in the mid-'90s as their albums stopped topping the charts, but they remained a popular live act that could reliably fill large venues and give fans a great show more than 50 years after the act debuted. 1973's Tres Hombres was their first major success and the point where their trademark sound found itself, 1983's Eliminator introduced the streamlined, new wave-influenced approach that brought them their greatest success, and 2012's La Futura, the final studio album from the original trio, was a return to form that delivered Lone Star guitar raunch with flashes of electronic sheen.

MUSIC

SPIRITUAL

7:30pm-10:00pm, Posting public events

Doors Open: 6:30 PM Ticket Prices: $35, $45, $55, $75 +fees VIP Tickets: $225, $175 It's appropriate that Boz Scaggs' new album is Out of the more...0 Blues, since the blues is what first sparked his five-decade musical career. "Music has been a constant companion and I'm feeling more free with it than ever," Scaggs comments. "I feel like I've found my voice through all these years, and I've gotten closer to where I want to be with my approach." VIP1 – Front Row Package $225 Package includes: One front row ticket, Collectible tour lithograph autographed by Boz Scaggs (limited print), Specially designed Boz Scaggs embroidered hat, Boz Scaggs canvas tote bag, Exclusive Boz Scaggs VIP merchandise item, Commemorative tour laminate, and Commemorative ticket. VIP2 – Tour Package $175 Package includes: One premium reserved ticket located in rows 2-12, Collectible tour lithograph autographed by Boz Scaggs (limited print), Specially designed Boz Scaggs embroidered hat, Boz Scaggs canvas tote bag, Exclusive Boz Scaggs VIP merchandise item, Commemorative tour laminate, and Commemorative ticket.

RADIO ROOM

The Summer Shakespeare Series

6:00pm-9:00pm, The Radio Room 1310 Ute Avenue Grand Junction, CO 81501

The Shakespeare Summer Series by The Geek Parties is back! Come enjoy a night of comedy Theatre in The Radio Room at KAFM Tickets more...0 $20.00 Doors open at 6pm Show starts at 6:30pm