Stangebyrds Opened June 22 at Rock & Rails

Last Thursday night at Rock & Rails Concert, the crowd was entertained during the opening by the gifted and talented pair known as the Strangebyrds. At 5 p.m. they started their set with a song titled "Angeline's" from their CD "Highway Islands."

The Strangebyrds, Cari Minor and Ray Smith, have been together for several years, both personally and professionally. Their harmonies and guitar playing were appreciated by the audience. Their music is primarily original compositions. Besides the guitar, Cari also plays the harmonica which adds to the great sound of their music.

Their self-titled release was chosen as a top ten local release in 2011 by Marquee Magazine (Boulder/Denver). Their newest release Migration (May 2013) earned 4 out of 5 stars from Marquee Magazine and an Honorable Mention at the 2013 Telluride Bluegrass Festival Troubadour Contest.

They refer to their style as "Blue Collar Folk,'' and it's a fitting description for the Strangenebyrds. Following the concert, Cari posted on their Facebook page, "Thank you to the folks who joined us last night in Whistle Stop Park in Niwot, CO. Rock & Rails is always a blast and even the weather cooperated. I got to rock my yellow & kelly green cowgirl boots gifted to me by Dan Fogelberg's first wife Maggie."

Next up on June 30, the opener for Rock & Rails will feature the amazing Taylor Shae at 5 p.m. You can see a preview of Taylor on Facebook with her music video "Storymaker." She said she had a lot of fun making the video in the mountains of Colorado, as well as looking through some fun #throwbacks of herself performing when she was younger, going all the way back to preschool. The song Storymaker is a lot about her own personal journey. Can't wait to enjoy her performance. See you there.