Chain Station :: Featured Artist, February 2017
Americana roots meet high energy new-grass
By Eric Frank
Thursday, February 2, 2017
COjam has is pleased to present Chain Station as our Featured Artist for February, 2017. A committed string band whose focus is on true-blue mountain music, Chain Station is made up of Alex Thoele (guitar), James Weatherly (banjo), Jarett Mason (mandolin) and Jon Pickett (bass).
These four guys fervently induce the boogie, coaxing audiences from their seats and out onto the dance floor with ease. At the heart of their compositions, however, is a tasteful and poignant construction of life that softly screams at the listener. Raw emotion is evident in the melodies that overlie thoughtful chord progressions, spewing an unmistakable sorrow with a jovial twist. That may sound like a contradiction, but the contrasts from high to low, from gleeful to woeful are apparent not only from one song to the next, but often within a single arrangement.
In short, Chain Station are masters of emotion while simultaneously aware of one's need to dance. It's truly a remarkable marriage.
Their latest release, 2016's Where I Want To Be is the perfect transcript of that marriage, beautifully blending craftsmanship with danceability. A song like "Poor Man's Fight" showcases the band's emotive storytelling ability while "Where I Want To Be" is pure bluegrass boogie. Meanwhile, a tune like "No Contest" puts on display the band's uncanny ability to tell a tale sans vocals, the four stringed instruments arranged to perfection.
The band has been keeping busy of late and show no signs of slowing down any time soon. Throughout the month of February, they can be seen at Denver's Country Beer Fest on Feb. 11th, at Oskar Blues in Lyons, CO the following night, at The Whiskey in Fort Collins on Feb. 17th and at Denver's hottest little bar and grill, the Appaloosa Grill on Feb. 22. The following months show no sign of deceleration either. Check out Chain Station's full tour schedule below.
Tune in here at cojam.net and on COjam's Facebook page for all the latest on Chain Station.
CHAIN STATION ON TOUR
SATURDAY, FEB. 11: Mile High Beer Fest at EXDO Event Center -Denver, CO
SUNDAY, FEB. 12: Oskar Blues Grill & Brew - Lyons, CO
FRIDAY, FEB. 17: The Whiskey - Fort Collins, CO
WEDNESDAY, FEB. 22: Appaloosa Grill - Denver, CO
FRIDAY, MAR. 10: Steve's Guitars - Carbondale, CO
SATURDAY, MAR. 11: Vail Brewing Company - Avon, CO
FRIDAY, MAR. 17: The Rock Inn - Estes Park, CO
WEDNESDAY, MAR. 22: Appaloosa Grill - Denver, CO
FRIDAY, MAR. 24: Oskar Blues - Lyons, CO
WEDNESDAY, MAR. 29: Hodi's Half Note - Pickin' On Petty - Fort Collins, CO
THURSDAY, MAR. 30: Cervantes Other Side - Pickin' On Petty - Denver, CO