This week marks the return of New Jersey’s Americana supergroup Railroad Earth to the Front Range and across the Rockies for a slew of five total Colorado shows that kick off Wednesday evening. The band that is mere months from celebrating its 25th anniversary is no stranger to Colorado, and the Front Range fans have been with them through ups, downs, and one beautiful and bittersweet journey. While originally hailing from the east, the members of Railroad Earth have become staples in the Colorado music scene over the past two and a half decades and have cemented themselves as legendary leaders of the Americana and bluegrass genres, locally and beyond. This week, the band will not only make their quasi-annual return to the relatively newer Washington’s in Fort Collins but will make their long-awaited return to iconic venues the Boulder (Thursday) and Ogden (Saturday) Theaters.
In the past several years, Railroad Earth’s lineup has undergone some changes with the passing of the late Andy Goessling, a multi-instrumentalist whose sagely spirit had graced the Boulder and Ogden stages countless times during his career with the band. This week, those stages will embrace band newcomers Mike Robinson, Dave Speranza and Matt Slocum alongside founding members Tim Carbone, Todd Sheaffer, Carey Harmon and John Skehan for the first time since 2018 and 2019, respectively. Railroad Earth’s fiddle player Tim Carbone has fond memories of these nostalgic venues, like on one particular New Year’s Eve when Vince Herman of Leftover Salmon tossed herbal cigarettes from the Ogden balcony into the crowd while dressed as Baby New Year.
Carbone recalled how Railroad Earth’s first tour “centered around the Front Range and Telluride, and we’ve been going ever since,” which, fortunately for longtime fans, has been a dependable two to three times a year. The Front Range is hugely familiar to Carbone, who makes time for independent coffee shops, used bookstores, and visits to Twist & Shout in between hangouts with local friends and peers. He’s produced nearly 20 records in Colorado over the years, even intermittently renting a garage-turned-studio from one “lovely couple” who were coincidentally also fans of the band. 25 years later, and Colorado “totally feels like a second home,” a feeling that is undeniably mutual for the ever-popular fiddler-extraordinaire.
While that second-home emotion is likely seconded by the band’s founding members, one of the newer additions to Railroad Earth calls the Front Range his hometown. Multi-instrumentalist Mike Robinson grew up going to RockyGrass with his father, Phil, who taught him the fiddle and guitar at age six, and was his connection to “almost every one of my musical influences.” Having moved to New York City at 18 to study jazz guitar, Robinson found a “bunch of work in bluegrass and country bands around town.” In 2017, Robinson was watching Railroad Earth at New York’s Capitol Theater after having opened for them with the Jeff Austin Band and remembers thinking, “I’d love to play in a band like that.” In December of that year, friend and musical peer Jacob Jolliff called him with an opportunity to audition to play with Railroad Earth, and “here we are almost 7 years later.”
“It’s been incredible getting to play with Railroad Earth,” Robinson said. “It’s also an honor to get to play in the venues I grew up seeing my heroes play in.” He also credits Colorado for having “some of the best music fans in the world.” While watching Robinson’s insanely concentrated yet free-flowing skills on the guitar, pedal steel guitar and/or banjo is tremendous in and of itself, what’s even better is watching his local fan club watching him. That’s Robinson’s “big family,” who can be seen cheering him on at any local show, usually with his father front and center, standing proudly, often a tear in his eye.
Railroad Earth’s founding members are grateful for and speak glowingly of their newest enlistees — Robinson, funk-force keyboardist Slocum and deep ‘n’ dirty bassist Speranza. After the tragic loss of Goessling, it took them “a while to circle out of that, to find a way out of that forest,” said Carbone. “Once we did, it took a while to develop the newer sound.” Today’s sound is a “bit more muscular,” having transitioned from an “electrified string band” to a rock band. Of the journey, Carbone reflected that it has been “great, bittersweet,” and he appreciates the “growth and progression” the band has experienced.
Now that this seven-piece group has gotten used to playing together, fans may be able to expect some new music on the horizon. Carbone reports they’ve got a plethora of new material, and are set to hit the recording studio as soon as possible, driving that glorious train straight towards their 25th anniversary.
Get tickets to Railroad Earth at Washington’s in Fort Collins on Wednesday, February 19 here.
Get tickets to Railroad Earth at the Boulder Theater on Thursday, February 20 here.
Get tickets to Railroad Earth at the Ogden Theatre on Saturday, February 22 here.