Ragwater in Concert! Get out your dancing shoes, children, and get ready for the premier, kick-ass rock band in Southwest Colorado!
Pagosa’s very own ‘Ragwater’ takes the stage at the free concert in Town Park this Friday, June 17. The trouble starts at 5:30 and winds down around 8:30 (depending on encores). This show is part of the Town of Pagosa Springs’ ‘Comfest’ Concert Series. Food trucks will be on site with beer and wine sales benefiting local non-profits.
Kicking off the show is the Psych-Rock-Hedelic-Power trio, ‘DREEM Machine’ starring the musical powder-keg, Robin Davis with his lovely wife Jimi Giles Davis on her upright-and-super-tight bass and their rock steady drummer, Mr. Matt Cottle.
Now, down to business. Ragwater’s first album, simply titled Ragwater, is a collection of 10 amazing original tunes with not a lizard in the bunch. Recorded at Scooters Place in Durango, CO, each song takes the listener on a phantasmagorical sojourn to enchanted New Worlds of the mind. The album was masterfully recorded, engineered and mixed by the legendary Scott Smith. The first time I listened to this CD I thought I died and went to hard-rock heaven! (Why not pick one up at the show?)
The band is hard at work on their second album and they have given us a sample for your listening pleasure. Enjoy:
Meet the band. Chris Haas: lead vocals; Chris Rapp: lead guitars, keys, vocals; Glenn Goss: guitars, mandolin, vocals; Rick Riojas: bass, vocals; and Jason Dockter on drums. These talented guys have been jamming with one another in different configurations for years. At one point Haas and Rapp were playing in the bands ‘Dixie Wrecked’ and then ‘Ebeneezer and the Hookers’; Goss, Riojas and Dockter were playing with ‘The Faculty X’. It’s as if the crews of Black Beard and Capt. Kidd joined forces to wreak havoc on the the open seas. And onstage, they actually come across as swashbuckling pirates! Their stage is their ship embarking on a musical adventure, brawling and plundering all the way.
And now there’s a new mate on board! Meet the fabulous Ms. D! Dione Petterson-Webb has a voice on her that adds a sultry addition to the crew. After hearing her with the boys at Motel SOCO a few weeks ago I can’t imagine the band without her. She sings like a siren sweetly beckoning sailors to crash their frigates on the jagged rocks. “She’s one of the crew,” said Haas. “She gives us 100% effort and comes to rehearsals totally prepared.” And wait until you hear her…
That show at the Motel SOCO put me in a weird trance – almost as if I was tripping back in ’69. The dance area turned into a frenzied mosh pit full of escaped lunatics from some hard-rock insane asylum. And up on stage a magical scenario unfolded while the hypnotic music played on and on. The ringleader was a wild-eyed, kinetic blur running about the deck. It was Chris Haas, my friend turned frolicking madman. I barely recognized him. The whole thing was a raucous dream – and I wanted to never wake up! The interplay between band members was almost supernatural. It was as if they were all about to take wing like warlocks and witch on Walpurgisnacht. The dynamics, the brilliant leads, the mysterious lyrics, the growling voices, all unabashed and unapologetic. And when Chris finished his full tilt set he was ready for a tightly fitted straitjacket.
You don’t listen to Ragwater; you experience them!
It’s a funny thing how young kids enjoy the antics of Ragwater. They’re not afraid; they’re fascinated and amazed. In essence, we adults turn into kids listening and experiencing such a terrific band.
Come out and enjoy the fun this coming Friday. I know I’ll be there.
DC has been a frustrated musician for over fifty years, and now has decided to become a frustrated writer. Learn more at DCDuncan.com. He’ll keep you posted.