Joe Nichols played an absolutely stellar show with a packed house at The Grizzly Rose on June 2, 2023. The weekly band, Woodland Park, made for an epic opening to the show. Please enjoy some pitchasssss from the night!

Joe Nichols

Joe Nichols has been a mainstay of country music for two decades, bridging the gap between the genre’s old-school roots & contemporary era. He’s a 21st century traditionalist. An artist who’s both timely and timeless, racking up a half-dozen Number 1 singles & 10 Top 10 hits. From his first radio smash, 2002’s “The Impossible,” to 2021’s Home Run,” Nichols has proudly done things his own way. He blurs the boundaries between country music’s past and present.

For Nichols — an Arkansas native who grew up listening to icons like George Strait, Merle Haggard, George Jones, and Buck Owens — keeping things country has been a lifelong mission. He made his major-label debut with 2002’s Man With A Memory, a platinum-selling album rooted in southern storytelling and honky-tonk hooks. He then continued blending the worlds of neo-traditionalist country and modern twang with follow-up records like Real Things, Crickets, and It Never Gets Old.

Between duetting with Dolly Parton on “If I Were a Carpenter,” serving as Garth Brooks’ hand-picked opening act, and numerous other career milestones, Nichols also kept things lighthearted, showcasing his easy-going humor with “Tequila Makes Her Clothes Fall Off” and a slow, shuffling cover of Six Mix-a-Lot’s “Baby Got Back.” At the core of his sound, though, remained a serious commitment to a bigger goal: making genuine country music that nodded to his influences while still breaking new ground.

pulled from his website & edited for purposes of this post

Woodland Park

Woodland Park started in May of 2019 by founding members Paul Kakac & Joe Turba. Joe ended up retiring which resulted in adding Michael Elick as their main lead vocalist in May of 2022. Additional members include Chris Demott on bass, Drew Cullis on drums & Angela Hawkins on vocals from time to time. This group has awesome original music, 12 songs which are played locally on the Grizzly Rose’s DJ playlist. Paul Kakac has been writing & recording original music since the early 90’s and has a rock/blues background. This background influences his writing style that comes out in their music. They are a country/rock/blues group with a huge emphasis on improv and unpredictability during their live shows. Their latest single’s released “Whiskey and the Pain”, “I Remember When” and “This Circle” reveal a more red dirt, intimate & outlaw country undertones.

pulled from their website & edited for purposes of this post