Daniel Donato & Kitchen Dwellers Honor The Highwaymen At Denver's Cervantes' [Photos/Video]

Daniel Donato’s Cosmic Country and Kitchen Dwellers joined together for a collaborative, cross-genre run through Denver over the weekend. The three-night, two-venue affair started at Cervantes’ Masterpiece Ballroom on Thursday and Friday before moving to the Mission Ballroom for a sold-out show on Saturday. At Friday’s midway point, Daniel Donato and Kitchen Dwellers teamed up for a joint tribute to Waylon Jennings and country supergroup The Highwaymen.

The collaborations started on Thursday when Dwellers joined Donato and company for an encore rendition of Jerry Reed classic “East Bound and Down”, KD originals “Cabin Pressure” and “Drop Tine”, and Led Zeppelin shriek-along “Immigrant Song”. That spirit of cooperation continued into Friday’s show when Donato once again closed the show with a Dwellers-assisted encore.

First, the Cosmic Country bandleader split lead vocals on Waylon’s “Are You Sure Hank Done it This Way” with Dwellers banjo plucker Torrin Daniels. Jennings’ reflection on the stagnant state of country music rang just as true nearly 50 years later in the hands of modern-day genre-blender Donato and fellow stylistic chameleons and “galaxy grass” practitioners Kitchen Dwellers. After playing a couple Dwellers tracks on Thursday, the expanded ensemble mixed it up with a ride through the Cosmic Country’s “Sunshine in the Rain (Strange Presence)”.

Finally, to finish the Cervantes’ portion of the weekend, Daniel Donato and Kitchen Dwellers gave a nod to the most famous country supergroup in history, The Highwaymen, with a take on their signature tune, “Highwayman”. With a stable of talented singers including Cosmic Country’s Will “Mustang” McGee and Dwellers’ Joe Funk along with Donato and Daniels, the expanded roster was able to dutifully emulate the country supergroup comprised of Jennings, Johnny Cash, Willie Nelson, and Kris Kristofferson. Just like The Highwaymen, Daniel Donato’s Cosmic Kitchen Dwellers showcased the best of an all-star group of artists who have carved out a place as some of the best of their niche genres, whether that be outlaw, cosmic country, or galaxy grass.

Watch Daniel Donato’s Cosmic Country and Kitchen Dwellers team up for a collaborative tribute to country greats on Friday at Cervantes’ and check out a gallery of images by Brad Niederman.

Up next for Kitchen Dwellers is a trip to the Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame & Museum in Owensboro, KY for a weekend-long celebration of Jerry Garcia (11/23) while Donato and company will head south of the border for The String Cheese Incident‘s Mexico Incident in Puerto Morelos, Mexico (12/7–12/11). Visit Kitchen Dwellers‘ and Daniel Donato’s websites for tickets.

Daniel Donato’s Cosmic Country, Kitchen Dwellers — “Are You Sure Hank Done It This Way” (Waylon Jennings) > “Sunshine In The Rain (Strange Presence)”, “Highwayman” (The Highwaymen) — 11/15/24

[Video: Steam Powered Aerodyne]

Setlist: Daniel Donato’s Cosmic Country | Cervantes’ Masterpiece Ballroom | Denver, CO | 11/15/24

Set: Rose in a Garden, Cosmic Country Gardens, Good Old American Guest > Translation > Sittin’ On Top of the World (Walter Vinson, Lonnie Chatmon) > The Gold Rush, See Through > Forgotten Days > Valhalla, Sugar Shack, Boogie Man > Chore
Encore: Are You Sure Hank Done it This Way (Waylon Jennings) [1] > Sunshine in the Rain (Strange Presence) [1], Highwayman (The Highwaymen) [1]

[1] w/ Kitchen Dwellers