Eagles tribute band The Long Run takes the Rock & Rails stage July 27

Nearly everyone can sing along with an Eagles song, and that makes The Long Run, an Eagles Tribute Band, a great choice to entertain the Rock & Rails crowd on July 27.

The six-member band is a summer festival favorite, playing up and down the Front Range. Founded in 2009, they've also played larger venues including Red Rocks Amphitheatre and The Paramount Theatre.

The band has plenty of talent. Band founder, drummer and vocalist Mark Trippensee has played with national acts including REO Speedwagon, 38 Special and Winger. The Niwot High grad is well-known to long-time Niwot residents, and performed at Rock & Rails with his other band, Last Men On Earth, just two weeks ago.

Guitarist and vocalist Steve Thomas lives in Colorado but is a Nashville veteran writer and recording artist and has been the lead vocalist for Firefall, which had hits including "Just Remember I Love You" and "Cinderella."

Bassist Rick Pappano has opened for Orleans and Loretta Lynn. Other band members have played in national tours around the country.

Of course, this won't be the first Rock & Rails appearance by the band. In fact, the Niwot show is standard on their schedule. In a previous interview, Trippensee told the Courier that it's something they always look forward to. One of the things that stands out to him is that a train can roll by anytime the band is playing. While he knows he can't time the train's passing as he'd like, Trippensee jokes that he's hopeful some year it will happen at some moment when the band is playing "Desperado."

The opener for this week's show is Strangebyrds, self-proclaimed as a "blue collar folk-americana band." Working together since 2001, the duo of Cari Minor and Ray Smith have strong bluegrass talents. They've been recognized in songwriting competitions at both the Rocky Mountain Folks Festival and Telluride Bluegrass Festival. The duo regularly plays at locations throughout Boulder County.