Ruth Marie Community Center
We had our first performance since 3/31 last weekend in Del Norte, a fundraiser for their local community center, The Ruth Marie. This is our third show in the San Luis Valley, and second one in Del Norte, and folks in this beautiful area of Colorado really know how to have a good time. Thanks to everyone that came out to support their local community center, and for singing and dancing along with Doctor Robert.
Here’s a recording of Ob La Di Ob La Da from the evening, with an incredible “Ob La Train” forming during the second verse:
And this jam at to finish “Come Together” was a little dark and adventurous:
Thanks again for all of our fans in the San Luis Valley, we’ll see you again at San Luis Valley Brewing Company in Alamosa on Saturday, May 26th starting at 9:00.
Central Colorado Magazine
Doctor Robert is featured in the May edition of Central Colorado Magazine. A special THANK YOU to Elliot Jackson and Mike Rosso for including us, we’re very excited for the opportunity. Check out the link online at http://cozine.com/2012-may/meet-doctor-robert/.
We’re getting geared up for a busy summer, starting with a private party in Del Norte this Saturday, May 12th. Check out our schedule at http://www.myspace.com/doctorrobertbeatles/shows to see if we’re in your area, and as always we appreciate anyone spreading the word to family and friends.
Elk Avenue Photo Shoot
A special THANK YOU goes out to Xavier Fane (http://www.xavierfane.com/) for taking some amazing photos of Doctor Robert a few weeks back. We all met on Elk Avenue in downtown Crested Butte on a beautiful spring afternoon, the only idea we had was the “Abbey Road” crossing. Some great ideas came out of the photo shoot, and the lighting was perfect for what we did. Here’s some of the good shots that came out of it. (Don’t forget to check out the “Shows” page to see an updated performance schedule):
Fort Collins and Longmont
We finished our winter/spring shows as far from home as we’ve traveled so far. Avogadro’s Number in Fort Collins was a great time, we even had a few great friends help with our setlist which added a new twist. What a cool room to play in, looks like we’ll be back there on Sunday, August 19th to play the outdoor stage. Looking forward to getting back to Fort Collins, what a cool town. The following night we made our way to Longmont to play Oskar Blues. Another really fun night with great sound. Hoping to get back to Longmont, or even Lyons, to play Oskar Blues again. Thanks to everyone that came out and checked out Doctor Robert, it wouldn’t be nearly as fun without the overwhelming support we get with each performance. We’re off until mid-May, but keep checking our “shows” page for updated gigs.
Here’s some audio from Oskar Blues 3/30/12:
Paperback Writer (with rare extended jam)
With a Little Help From My Friends
Thanks again for all the support, we’ll see you at the next one. Have a great April!
Ben, Karen, Casey, Kevin
Spring Break Apres Ski
The Doctor played three ski resort apres ski shows last weekend, giving us a glimpse of the coming summer outdoor gigs. Thanks to everyone that came out for the music in Crested Butte, Snowmass Village, and Aspen Highlands. 3/15 at Butte 66 in Crested Butte brought out locals and visitors alike, and we really enjoyed playing our last hometown show until July 4th. 3/16 at Snowmass Village was great. We love playing new venues and this was the perfect day to be next to the ski slopes. On 3/17 we returned to Aspen Highlands for our third show at Highlands Pizza Company. Last year we had two snowy days, but the third time brought the Irish charm on St. Patty’s Day and we had a beautiful sunny afternoon.
Our next shows are 3/29 at Avogadro’s Number in Fort Collins and 3/30 at Oskar Blues in Longmont. If you’re in the front range, or know friends and family in the area, help us spread the word.
Here’s a few videos from 3/16 and 3/17.
Getting Better
I Feel Fine
Day Tripper
Revolution
Please Please Me
Alamosa and Montrose
Another great weekend for The Doctor in the mountains of Colorado. Friday we drove through some snow to play in Alamosa at San Luis Brewing Company. This weekend was their 6th anniversary party and it was packed before we even started. We were happy to see so many people out to see Beatles music. Thanks to everyone who helped spread the word about this show. There were several folks from our show at Wildwood a few weeks back that came out and brought friends and family. Here’s a few audio clips from Friday in Alamosa:
1. Paperback Writer (3/2/12) This one is really fun to play, with fuzz bass and all.
2. Revolution (3/2/12) Our first live “Revolution.” We were pretty happy with the result as we’ve only practiced it a handful of times.
3. Come Together (3/2/12) This was our first set closer. People really LOVE this song.
4. Strawberry Fields Forever –> Hey Bulldog (3/2/12) Two classic psychedelic Beatles songs with the Strawberry Jam.
5. Rain (3/2/12) A rare Doctor Robert live performance. More fuzz bass!
6. Helter Skelter Jam (3/2/12) Our jamband ending of “Helter Skelter.”
7. Eleanor Rigby (3/2/12) Ben has been working on the strings section of this classic Revolver song for a few weeks. We decided to practice after the encore at SLV Brewing Company. This is a clip of the second verse plus chorus.
Saturday night we played our first Montrose show at RnR Sportsbar downtown. This was another fun show, with another great turnout of true Beatles fanatics. There are many levels of Beatles fans, and even the most “academic” fans have been appreciating our tribute to the greatest band ever. Here’s a video of “Baby You’re a Rich Man” in the second set. The crowd noise is a little loud, but the solo/jam section got people’s attention:
Here’s a video of “Hey Bulldog” from the Yellow Submarine album:
Thanks again to everyone for coming out to see Doctor Robert this last weekend. Our next gigs are three spring break apres ski gigs in a row. 3/15 at Butte 66 at Crested Butte Mountain Resort, 3/16 at Sneaky’s Tavern at Snowmass Village base area, and 3/17 we return to Highlands Pizza Company at the Aspen Highlands base area. All shows should start by 3:00 and are free.
Salida, Del Norte, Crested Butte
What a great weekend for the Doctor. Three gigs in a row with three very different, but great energy.
Thanks to Ron at Hippie Radio Saida for throwing a great anniversary party and inviting us to play at Tenderfoot Tavern. This was the rowdy gig of the weekend, with plenty of people enjoying the music and the bar. We were only hired to play until 11:30, but went until 1:00 after the bar owners helped the cause.
Wildwood Sounds in Del Norte was our Saturday night gig. Who would have thought this would turn out to be one of our best gigs to date. A very small community that loves good music, and every one in the audience know The Beatles. As much as we appreciate the nights were everyone is dancing, there is something unique about a small, intimate setting with people listening to every note being played. When we booked the gig, Steve only asked that we play a minimum of two 45-minute sets. We have a hard time keeping it that limited, so we played three 75 minutes sets instead. We gave everyone a chance to leave with two setbreaks, but very few left until we were done at 11:30. Thanks to everyone who came out and enjoyed the show, we’re excited to come back, possibly in September.
Butte 66 was our Sunday gig at Crested Butte Mountain Resort for apres ski. We arrived to a packed house full of holiday weekend skiers. This was our first gig with the ski area, and it’s hard to imagine it being much better. This was a special show since it was all ages, and several kids were enjoying the music along with their parents and grandparents. These are the performances that make us realize how timeless The Beatles music is. Three generations dancing and singing along to familiar songs, some even in their ski boots. A special appearance by original keyboardist Amanda Cooke for “Lady Madonna,” “Baby You’re a Rich Man,” and “Good Day Sunshine” made for another great treat.
We have lots of new videos up from Saturday night in Del Norte on our video page. Video quality isn’t the greatest but the audio and energy are great. Thanks again to anyone who came out to visit The Doctor this weekend, and spread the word and bring lots of friends next time we’re in your neighborhood. Next gigs are 3/2 at San Luis Valley Brewing Company in Alamosa and 3/3 at RnR Sportsbar in Montrose.
Gunnison and Lake City
Thanks to everyone that came out to see us this weekend! We’re all very overwhelmed by how many people enjoy our shows. You can say it’s a “win-win” situation, because we love playing Beatles music.
We saw a lot of our regular crew in Gunnison at Tomichi Tavern, as well as new faces. The new owner, Patrick, is hoping to get more music through there, so that’s good news for bands hoping to play live in Gunnison.
Lake City is up there with the funnest crowds we’ve played for. From the beginning until the end, about 65 songs, folks were singing and dancing like few other places we’ve seen. We look forward to our next trip to The Depot Saloon.
We have some clips on our video page from Saturday night in Lake City. Thanks again to everyone that enjoys Doctor Robert.
Weekend Gigs
What a great weekend for The Doctor. Our first trip to Colorado Springs to play The Ritz Grill was as fun as we could have hoped, and we got to see a lot of good friends enjoying the music. Nancy’s surprise party at Rueben’s was a blast too. She had no idea there would be a full house with friends and family, and Doctor Robert ready to play “Birthday
as soon as she walked in. Truly a treat to play for some of our best local fans.
Thanks everyone for coming out this weekend. We’re off until 2/10 at The Tomichi Tavern in Gunnison and 2/11 in Lake City for the Balloon Fest and Beach Party.
Here’s a few live takes from 1/29/12 at Rueben’s. Please forgive the crowd noise, it’s hard to stop folks from enjoying themselves:
Baby You’re a Rich Man (with ”Blue Sky” teases)
Love Me Do turns 50
“LOVE ME DO” (Paul McCartney – John Lennon)
The recording of “Love Me Do” truns 50 years old in 2012. We’ll be performing at The Ritz in Downtown Colorado Springs this Saturday, January 28th to celebrate 50 years of this classic Beatles hit. Music starts at 9:30, prizes for best early and best psychelelic Beatles outfits.
Here’s some history of “Love Me Do”
There have been a great deal of songs recorded by the Beatles that can be viewed as “hits” or “classics”, but only a handful that can truly be viewed as “legendary.” “Love Me Do” surely falls into this category. This was the first song professionally recorded and released under the “Beatles” name, which excludes any “Tony Sheridan and the Beat Brothers” recordings. It was also the first Lennon/McCartney song (or as indicated on the label, McCartney/Lennon) ever to be published and released. And it was the first song released (in Britain) with the complete Beatles line-up as we’ve come to know and love: Lennon, McCartney, Harrison and Starr.
There are varied opinions about the song, even by the composers, but the one thing that is beyond debate is the vibrancy and originality of the track. Upon first hearing the song on the radio in the United States in May 1964, being that we were already acquainted with the Beatles’ unique sound, we just viewed this as another great new contribution from the band. It was quite another picture in the UK. This was the first song heard of this new band by British radio listeners as a whole. Imagine what your impression would have been if this was the first song you ever heard by the Beatles. It might have been the same impression that Lennon’s Aunt Mimi had when she first heard a demonstration disc of the song. She told John, “If you think you’re going to make a fortune with that, you’ve got another thing coming!”
Nonetheless, the identifiable Beatle harmonies and simple-but-catchy lyrics make “Love Me Do” an irresistible favorite for lovers of oldies music. Hardly anyone at any age can keep themselves from singing along. And that is something that any aspiring songwriter only dreams to be able to create.
