Saturday, November 14, 2009

Compilation CD

Wednesday, October 15, 2008
Cyndi McCoy
Sky-Hi News

A new compilation of original music by Grand County artists is creating a buzz.
Titled "This Side of Berthoud," the collection is being put together by Teresa "Tree" Hill and Slopeside Productions in association with other independent producers. It features some of the latest work of more than 18 local musicians and bands.

Volume 1 will be available to the public starting this Sunday at a release event and party, with additional volumes to follow.

The purpose of the project is to expose Grand County music to a wider audience, said Hill, who has recorded and produced bands, including her own music, for five years. She realized that her "passion is to give songwriters the ability to record their music, and share their talents with audiences outside their own" and her company Sacred Herb co-produced four of the tracks on the first album (Mickey Sandora of band 3rd Time Lucky has been helping produce some of the work).

And that's just the tip of the iceberg. Profits generated from CD sales will not only benefit the musicians (many who perform free shows throughout the area year-round), but will also form the foundation of the Grand County Recording Fund.

The fund will be used to subsidize recording cost for any musician living in Grand County. Availability starts a year from the release date and is on a first-come, first-served basis.

"The facilitation and encouragement of producing and recording artists living in this area," Hill said, "will enable a larger listening audience and will highlight the Fraser Valley area as a destination to enjoy music."

Volume 1 artists include Ali Grayson, One Time, Stereomaid and Mary Hemme — each who submitted one original song and retain the rights. A year after the album's release, Hill will calculate royalties to be split evenly among the artists (minus the cost of the CD and retailer commission) and at that point the artists can donate to the fund.

It includes One Time's "Long Shot" hit (featuring the late, great "Craigy T" Thompson ..s and Cecil "Peanut" Daniels MIDI horn), "Hello" from Stereomaid's anxiously awaited album, Grayson's joyous and reflective "Just a Glimpse," Hunker Down's perfected "Winter Waltz," and a pleasant surprise with nitty gritty "Travelin' Man" by Hemme and her son Boy Elroy.

"I'm really psyched at the way it turned out," said guitarist Matt Brown of Hunker Down.

"It's really cool to have a nice representation of what's going on in the valley (musically)," added Greg Travis, Hunker Down washboard player.

Stereomaid singer and songwriter Eric "Oly" Olson said he's very happy to be a part of it.

"The whole idea is a good one. It is cool that Tree took the time and initiative to make it happen and put it all together (kudos to her) and all the hard work I'm sure it took," he said. "We have a lot of talented musicians here in Grand County and it's great that someone took an interest and the time to let it be known."

Future artists to be featured in the series include the Sofa Kings, the Andy Irvine Blues Collective, Franklin Brown, Gaia Blue, Royall, Hendrix, Osborne and Key; Yaniv Salzberg, The Hot Jalopys, The Neighborhood Heroes, Simon Nicol, Claddagh, Jed Henry, 3rd Time Lucky, Adam Lynam, Moby, and Lynnea Godfriaux and Brad Pregeant. "As the seeds of this project grow, so does all of our music," Hill said. "We help each other grow, which is the nature of this community already."

The music of participating artists will be widely distributed and CDs will be available at retail stores this fall. CDs will be discounted from $15 to $10 for the release party and albums may also be purchased from the musicians featured on the album, who will have their copies by December.

The party features live music (by Hunker Down, Jake Royall, the Sofa Kings, Henry, Stony Credenza, Lynam, MC3D, the Empty Suits, and Salzberg), guest speakers, buffet and drink specials, and mail-in ballot information in support of the Rock the Vote campaign.

Sunday, November 8, 2009

This Side of Berthoud

by: Cyndi McCoy
This side of Berthoud (Pass) is rocking these days.

It was rocking before, but I’m talking about the 20 different Grand County musical ensembles that appear on Volume One of the “This Side of Berthoud” CD, and the many more (CDs and musicians) to look forward to thanks to the new project.

Hostess Tree Hill and Mackinaw’s threw a mighty fine shindig at the release party and it was good to see so many community members showing their support. Artists from the area interested in submitting an original song for future volumes are encouraged to contact Hill through www.myspace.com/sacredherb.

Best line of the night had to be from Andy Straus of Hunker Down, who termed a new genre of music for one of their songs: “Y’alternative.” Very catchy.

Andy, Greggy, Matty, Yaniv, Mickey, Willy, Oly, Tom, Jake, Gary, Kay and Andy, Ali, Robbie, Jed (and those I’ve failed to mention) — you rock. Thank you. CDs are $15, available at Singin’ Dog, Rise & Shine Cafe, and at 7 Sisters. Musicians should have them available.

The festive atmosphere and creative camaraderie was symbolic of what All Access is about. I’m pleased to say the Sky-Hi Daily News’ arts and entertainment section (and the daily) celebrates its one-year anniversary this week. For All Access, it has been an exciting 52 issues.

The Tragic Ghost of Grand County


by: Teresa Hill
October 21, 2009
Travelers passing through Fraser, Colorado recently noticed a new coat of paint being plied to the Crooked Creek Saloon. Their honks and waves were politely returned by several local musicians, brushes in hand, hired by the new owners of the historic edifice, Toni and Scott Hallgren.

The curiosity of these passersby would have deepened further if they knew that beneath the decades of cracking paint lie the distant embers of a fire, the howls of the Great Blizzard of 1909, and a real ghost story of Grand County.

In the 1900s, the town of Fraser was “complete with a single dusty street, community saloon, gaunt clapboard general store, sheriff, grizzled characters in sweaty Stetsons and a cluster of unpainted board shacks which, in the winter, must surely let the howling blizzard in” wrote Russell Baker of the New York Times in 1955.

As both an oasis to pioneers seeking fortune in the lumber-milling boom and a railroad stop for homesteaders settling the Wild West, Fraser quickly became a destination for weary travelers. One of the most famous and most beautiful denizens of those years was known simply as Rosie. Her stunning portrait as a reclining lady in red still hangs above the entrance to Crooked Creek for all to admire.

After losing her parents in the flu epidemic of 1898, Rosie turned to practicing the world's oldest profession. It wasn’t long before the illustrious madam opened her own saloon and dance hall and found a steady flow of customers among the railroad workers and loggers.
Calamity struck, however, during the Great Blizzard of 1909. Trapped inside her saloon by the mounting drifts, Rosie and several stranded customers and employees inadvertently caught the building on fire while stoking the wood burning stove in an attempt to stave off the merciless cold. In the chaos and confusion of that horrific night, the tavern burned entirely to the ground. To this day, the exact identities of those who perished with Rosie are still clouded in mystery. According to local legend, some of the victims never left.

A quarter of a century later, the Crooked Creek Saloon was rebuilt on the very site of Rosie's former brothel. From the opening of the new saloon's doors, patrons and staff have claimed to see ghostly apparitions, particularly when the wind blows and the temperature drops. Most of the spectral sightings have occurred near the stove in the back dining room, where the fatal blaze started.

On one of these cold nights, Toni Hallgren remembers a family taking portraits near the stove in the back room. Breathless, the mother showed Toni the picture of her daughter next to an eerie phantom ablaze in yellow and orange light. “Oh, that’s just Rosie,” she told the family. “She must like you!”

Keeping in time to its century-old reputation as the heartbeat of Fraser, patrons of the Creek are once again returning for good times with friends, comforting food, and live entertainment.
On Halloween Night, there will be live music by the reggae band Toad King from 10 p.m. to 2 a.m. This celebration is free for those ages 21 and over. Don’t be too surprised in you catch a glimpse of Rosie while you’re there.