Down in Colorado

Down in Colorado is a one-man, musical, beat-style biography, accompanied by light comedy and guitar playing. It has some interesting stories, and there is an appealing oddness to the mixture that sits somewhere between Bob Dylan and Weird Al.

Told through original stories melded with songs such as "I Wanna Be a Junkie," Gabriel Bird takes us on a story through struggles with drink, drugs, and debauchery.

The problem is that the stories are not terribly well linked. Individual moments are interesting enough, but the piece does not quite build a strong through-line between them, so the biography feels more like a collection of episodes than a coherent journey.

However, there is something distinctive in the voice and format, and the combination of storytelling, guitar and slightly offbeat comedy gives it character of its own in the small intimate setting Zoo Playground. But the material needs to connect more convincingly. At present it is an interesting collection of stories that never quite becomes the full show it could be.