Root Beer Richie | Big Dopes | Same Dude at Lulu's Downtown on March 21st, 2025!
All Ages, Standing Room Only
Doors 7:30pm
Show 8:00pm
Swamp boys gonna do swamp things—even when you take ‘em to a city one thousand miles from home and a mile in the sky. So it goes with Rootbeer Richie and the Reveille, the most soulful rhythm & blue rockers west of the Mississippi. How far west of the Mississippi? As far as you can go without hitting the Rocky Mountains. Denver, Colorado, to be exact. If that seems like a funny birthplace for an eight-piece swamp-pop band soaked to the bone with bayou spirit, well, it’s not.
“I’ve always written songs in my head as rhythm & blues and soul music,” says frontman Rootbeer Richie, a Louisiana native and seasoned veteran of garage and rock & roll bands across the country. “With the Reveille, I’m finally letting those songs come out in their natural form.”
And what a fine natural form that is—especially when brought to life by some of the hardest hitters in Denver’s diamond-in-the-rough rock & roll scene. The Reveille is a who’s who of Mile-High all-stars, each adding their own flavor to Rootbeer’s long, tall drink of soul-infused pop. Together, the Reveille brings decades of experience across bands and genres to the band’s signature sound, inspired but never derived from legends like Ray Charles, Lee Dorsey, Fats Domino, and Sam Cooke.
It all adds up to something irresistibly individual, just like the city it was brewed in. “I’ve played in so many different music scenes, but I’ve never been a part of one of that felt like Denver,” says Rootbeer. “Everyone lifts each other up, and the level of love and support can’t be beat.”
The same could be said for The Reveille’s live shows, which have quickly gained a reputation as some of the most raucous and soul-shaking occasions in Denver. “The point of the music is to help you feel whatever it is you need to feel,” says Rootbeer. Those who’ve been converted, though, know he’s being modest. After just one spiritual awakening at a Reveille live show, it’s damn near impossible to feel anything other than the unbridled joy of being alive.
"Big Dopes’ music video for “Moon Car” is a quirky, offbeat gem that integrates their fun and familiar aesthetic with playful, Wes Anderson-style visuals ... The video’s whimsical charm complements the song’s rays of indie pop joy, making it a standout release from one of Denver’s most consistently exciting bands. Big Dopes keeps things entertaining and imaginative, showcasing why they remain a key figure in the local music community." James Lane, 303 MAGAZINE
"Big Dopes is one of the best Denver bands not enough people know about yet. Its new LP Destination Wedding picks up where its outstanding 2019 album Crimes Against Gratitude left off with affecting lyrics and exquisitely crafted melodies. Fans of C86 era pop, Magnetic Fields and Carissa’s Wierd will likely appreciate the band’s attention to sonic detail and knack for a poetic and thoughtful turn of phrase." - Tom Murphy, QUEEN CITY SOUNDS AND ART
“Uniquely beautiful… a group of guys wearing ties, vests, and sometimes turtlenecks have delivered a shot of happiness straight to my gut. I’m not talking about that fake filtered happiness we often chase. No, I’m talking about the happiness that comes from taking it one day at a time and appreciating the small things. Which is just the feeling I get when listening to Big Dopes. … Crimes Against Gratitude is in the running for my top 5 albums of the year. It came out of nowhere for me, but hit at the right time and in the right way.” Robert Mayper, TASTE MUSIC
Same Dude is a psychedelic indie band from Colorado Springs Colorado. Their unique take on psych consisted of dreamy jazz chords to the desert western twang of a drugged out Neil Young. Song writers Evan Courtland and Justin Moore have been playing together since they met in 2016. The band fully formed in 2019 and they have been leaving audiences in a trance since 2021. self titled album out now!