By Mark Steele

One of Colorado's best musicians is Bruce Hayes. And he's played all over the country. But for some reason, a lot of folks still have not heard him and his band The Ragged Mountain Ramblers. So here's a little info.

On stage Hayes' presence is electrifying. He taps his feet on an amplified board, slaps accents on his guitar and cheeks, wails on the harmonica and sings with authority. His fingers dance around the strings with incredible fluidity, creating rich harmonic textures and rapid-fire riffs.

Hayes grew up back east but has settled in Crested Butte. He's jammed on stage with Joe Cocker, Arlo Guthrie, New Riders and opened shows for Dave Mathews, David Bromberg, Jorma Kaukonen, Merle Sanders, Subdudes, and David Lindley. Hayes produced and performed on an album called "Lunch" which features Colorado's finest musicians including Tony Furtado, members of Leftover Salmon, String Cheese Incident, Acoustic Junction, and Skin. And he is featured instrumentally on the Cheese' first album.

Hayes has been called the Jimi Hendrix of the mandolin and is often compared to Leo Kottke and Michael Hedges for his unbelievable ability to create massive sounds on his own. But his band creates even more of a powerhouse. Jeff Reynolds is the quintessential upright bassist, who unobtrusively but undeniably tosses out chunks to get even the most dance challenged butt to move in time to the music. Les Choy plays killer lead rhythms on guitar and some banjo. 

The songs he writes and performs at shows lean towards neoflamenco, and he often accompanies Hayes and Reynolds with latin percussion. When he breaks out his amplified kalimba, you get a worldbeat Radio-Free-Uganda jazzy type of sound. Together they sing three part harmonies. The music is fresh and original but steeped in tradition, borrowing from blues, bluegrass, world beat, rock and jazz. Drummer/percussionist Michael Travis of the String Cheese Incident appears on all of the live cuts on "Lunch."