Post Brewers Rendezvous: THE BROKEN SPOKE

July 8, 2011

This Saturday marks the 15th Annual Colorado Brewers Rendezvous in Salida’s Riverside Park, a.k.a. directly across the street from The Vic. So once you’ve has your fill of the 55 Colorado Brewers on site, stumble across the street to The Vic for indie country band, The Broken Spoke, and a tap rife with Colorado brews! FREE SHOW!! Starts @ 5 pm!

I find that The Broken Spoke provide a very nice example of twang done well. Even their nostalgic album title harkens back to a distinctly Western view of thinking; paired with slide guitars and steel drum beats it finds a comfortable home among predecessors ranging from Johnny Cash to The Avett Brothers. This is fitting — the Colorado-based band seem to have taken stock of their high-altitude surroundings and decided that this indeed remains the frontier.

Furthermore, leader singer Thomas Skora belts out his lyrics with such passion that the raging, cracking quality of his voice does nothing but add to the overall effect of the music’s spirit. Some songs are stronger than others — this is a band that’s certainly still coming into their own, and a few of the tracks sound a bit amateurish. However, the stronger tracks showcase some serious promise. The album’s opener, “Vamps in the Valley” showcases Skora’s killer vocals along with layers of banjo and harmonica.

This is a band to watch, to be certain.

 ~ Lauren Sloss

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