With the sold out Avalon adorned in festive Chinese New Year decorations, fans of this trio out of Boulder laughed off the 7p start time and were treated to two sets, three encores, and almost two and a half hours of music. Now touring behind their sixth CD Riviera, these guys have been playing together since high school and it sounds like it: tight, economical, and every note has room to breathe. Front man Todd Park Mohr's voice has a range similar to John Hiatt and BHT possesses the same kind of maturity in both musicianship and songwriting that Hiatt is known for. On guitar, Mohr can burn. I've never heard the Avalon louder than the ovation following Circle . Serious bonus points for covering Zep's Tangerine and John Lee Hooker's Boom Boom too.       - Eric Holland