NYS Music 20​17

Tag: colorado

  • ARISE Has Risen

    ARISE Music Festival was held at Sunrise Ranch in Loveland, Colorado, on a jovial weekend August 4-6, surrounded by rock formations, pleasant lakes, and mysterious meadows. This land was indeed filled with love, so its name holds true to its essence. It was a glorious gathering of all walks of life – an open, family friendly, health conscious like-minded atmosphere where one can simply be whoever they please. Acceptance was a big feature of the time that was had and the energies that flooded the air proved this to be true. People united and rejoiced in ways the whole world could learn from.

    ARISEThe weekend consisted of countless extraordinary artists including performances by Atmosphere, Tipper, Lettuce, Beats Antique, Ani DiFranco, SunSquabi, Rising Appalachia, Brother Ali, Break Science, The Brothers Comatose, Desert Dwellers, and Dopapod, just to name a few. The vibe of these acts included a wide range of eclectic music including electronic, hip-hop, funk, jazz, world fusion, folk, soul, and progressive rock.

    Despite the waves of torrential downpour fluctuating all weekend, flooding and destroying the temporary homes of many, everyone at ARISE seemed to shine through the rain and it only made people dance even harder to the grooves of mother earth, especially when a calm, strong, and bright double rainbow appeared at the end of a fierce shower on the third day. This experience was an evolution of mankind, uniting positivity and kindness throughout each moment.

    Food vendors provided healthy and nutritional options for all types of eaters, as well as the festival’s own farmer’s market. As you entered from the main camping ground through giant neon totem poles, there was eye candy everywhere; each white tent displayed an extensive collection of interesting goods to be sold, not to mention countless painters, sculptors, and artists of all kinds.

    Temptations with zero expectations. Hammocks galore! There were yoga workshops and practices, domes to climb, beaded huts, teepees, and much, much more. This interactive experience gave one the liberty to wander to different areas such as the “Wisdom Village,” “Children’s Village,” and “Solutions Village”, which all co-created a friendly habitat for the weekend in its own worldly bubble. As a good-vibe-only festival, people could be found at any of the stages, including Big Sunrise Dome, StarWater, Scene Magazine, Green Tree, and main headliners at the Eagle stage.

    Sound mimicked the rhythm of body movements and the full moon and clear night on the final evening of the journey fabricated unparalleled liveliness. For anyone interested in participating in a relaxing care-free time with no service whatsoever, ARISE should be on the top of your list, where you can freely admire the sun and moon rise and set over this magical land while opening your mind to stellar soundwaves.

  • Phoenix Rises From Red Ashes at Red Rocks

    There are certain things in life that move you in the most harmonious manner, that it sends chills down your spine. Phoenix was the cause of that exact sensation on a splendid and spectacular evening at Red Rocks Amphitheatre in colorful Colorado on Wednesday, June 7. The night was simply captivating, as giant natural rock formations surround you at this outside venue. An occasion like this should definitely be on a bucket list for those of you who have not had the chance to experience such an event at this magical place.

    phoenix red rocksThe night started off with an energetic group called The Lemon Twigs, who demonstrated their capacity to jam all while rocking funky outfits and made the crowd pop with extreme intrigue and positive responses. The audience slowly filled the arena and nature’s light began to dim. As their performance came to a close, boulders as crimson as can be started to glow underneath the moonlight in the background, and Miike Snow entered the stage not too long after that. As a Swedish indie pop band, they incorporated a sense of synthpop and alternative dance flare and gave fans a sweet taste for what’s to come next.

    Everyone was fooled that night; what was once a clear starry night moments before, took a turn for what was least expected. When it rains, it pours. However, the heaviest of downpours and even slight hail that evening surely didn’t stop the crowd from going wild. The weather gods somehow knew Phoenix was about to perform and it almost seemed like the rain was a grand opening display before an incredibly riveting performance. This French ensemble conquered the stage while standing on a giant LED platform and created a tantalizing memory to store in everyone’s minds. Thomas Mars soothed the surroundings with his vocals, Christian Mazzalai rocked on guitar, Deck d’Arcy on bass and keyboards, and Laurent Brancowitz on guitar and keyboards. The group included their touring members Robin Coudert on keyboards and percussion, as well as Thomas Hedlund on drums and percussion.

    This group’s style has developed over time only to create distinct soundwaves that hit one’s pleasure centers even more. Flavors of synth pop, alternative rock, and new wave filled the atmosphere all while including the French language in some of their masterpieces. This particular show at Red Rocks was actually the last one before they released their newest album, Ti Amo, which is now available for all to listen. It holds a unique and upbeat essence that puts the move in groove. They performed a couple fresh tunes off the new album such as “J-Boy” and “Ti Amo” as well. Certain underlying musical elements are discovered in the back beats of their songs. Other oldies magically graced the air including “If I Ever Feel Better,” “Lasso,” “Girlfriend,” “Trying to be Cool,” “Fences,” “Lisztomania” and “1901.”

    At the end of the performance, Thomas Mars of Phoenix entered the Red Rocks crowd as a personal closing of the night and shared that special moment with everyone around. ‘Twas a heart-warming and sincere performance with a sprinkle of friendliness. Phoenix rose and thus vanished into the night after wooing the crowd with their delectable sound.

  • Photo Gallery: Sunsquabi Rolls Through Boston

    Late Night Radio and Maddy O’Neal opened a long night of music at Wonder Bar in Allston, MA on Sunday, April 30 for Sunsquabi. Saxophone extraordinaire, Tommy Weeks (Sophistafunk, Funky Dawgs) came up and belted out a few rounds during Maddy O’Neal, and even impressed Sunsquabi enough that he was asked to come back up for a tasty jam with them towards the end of the night. The Squab-Train drove straight through til the wee hours of the morning, delivering that funky Colorado sound we’ve been waiting so long for.

  • March Fourth and Pimps of Joytime Booty Shake with Swagger at the Fox Theatre, February 25, 2017

    They put their socks on one at time like the rest of us, but that pretty much is where the resemblance to ordinary folks like us ends. Some have speculated that they could be aliens from another planet-perhaps set on this planet as interstellar ambassadors of a higher universal groove. They, on occasion, have referred to themselves, quite cheerfully, as freak of nature.

    The official nomenclature  for this merry band of mischief-makers is March Fourth, a band of about 20 irrepressible pied-pipers of carnival gypsy funk, that stuff themselves, along with trunks of outlandishly colorful, handmade costumes, stilts, mountainous cases of brass and percussion instruments, props, and hats into a well-worn bus with the creaky metaphysics of a vintage World War II submarine, who, then, somehow tumble, flip, shimmy and shake their way across the country determined to blast the lid off every venue they enter as if their music was the equivalent of a giant rainbow confetti cannon.

    And, appropriately during the season of Carnivale, Boulder, Colorado fans once again packed the Fox Theatre to experience their unique blend of steampunk celebration staged with the sweaty, gospel fervor of a Mardi Gras revival tent. Throughout the set, acrobats, and stilt-walkers performed a wild series of athletic backflips, jumps, and balancing feats that were as risky as they were eye-popping.

    Joining March Fourth on the winter tour, the Pimps of Joytime opened with a soulful set of R&B influenced-funk and acoustic tunes. With the booty-shaking swagger of Sly and the Family Stone, the five-piece band delivered an infectiously energetic set of tunes from their new album, Jukestone Paradise.

    So, however one may label this jubilant roadshow or its people, it was, no doubt, a remarkable experience. On second thought, perhaps they don’t put their socks on one at a time. (When they do wear them.) We, mere mortals, may never know for sure.

  • The Magic Beans Get Down in Colorado with Special Guest Thom LaFond

    Sunday night, The Barkley Ballroom in Frisco, CO was home to a reunion of two former New Yorker bandmates turned Colorado transplants. Thom LaFond, former guitarist for Albany-based and Camp Bisco alum, Dirty Paris, joined his former bassist, Chris Duffy, with Duffy’s current band The Magic Beans for an ambient take on The Magic Bean’s space funk rager “Jabu Jabu’s Belly.”

    LaFond lent his hand in setting the tone with an opening improv jam, heavy with ambient delay which built the suspense and anticipation for the first drop into the meat of the song where Casey Russell took over with a soulful organ lick to get the bodies moving. Chris Duffy held things down for the bulk of the song with his thick bass grooves while the rest of the band moved through keeping things danceable yet continuing to utilize the spacey vibe that has become more familiar to a Beans dance party as they develop as a band.

    Around the 8:20 mark, drummer Cody Wales started laying out the heavy snare hits, signaling the jam to open up, transforming into a high flying shred fest. Lafond adeptly built the speed and intensity of his lead work while Beans guitarist Scott Hachey complimented, both matching LaFond’s picking runs and building things up behind LaFond to take the final few minutes of this jam into something that had the whole room soaring before being dropped straight back into the dance party for a few more measures.

    If you haven’t had a chance to experience The Magic Beans in person, be sure to catch them on tour in April.

    magic beans thom lafondThe Magic Bean’s 5th annual music festival Beanstalk, will be held June 22nd-25th at the legendary festival venue Rancho del Rio along the Colorado River in Bond, CO. The lineup includes tons of faces familiar to the Northeast jam scene including Holly Bowling, lespecial, Corey Henry, Tom Hamilton as well as a smattering of established and up-and-coming awesome Colorado based bands. Don’t miss out on a chance to learn why Colorado is so in love with The Beans.

    You can catch LaFond’s band, Banshee Tree, at License No. 1 in Boulder, CO every Saturday night for a swing dance-dance party.

    magic beans thom lafond

  • Everyone Orchestra at Warren Station

    The eclectic Everyone Orchestra performed a three-night run in Colorado, with the first night of the small tour at Warren Station in Keystone on January 12. The intimate venue positioned at the base of the ski resort was the perfect place for the group to host their jam filled night. This show’s all star line up conducted by Matt Butler, included Shira Elias and Josh Schwartz of Turkuaz, Chuck Jones and Eli Winderman of Dopapod, Eddie Roberts of the New Mastersounds, Michael Travis of the String Cheese Incident, and Mihali Savoulidis of Twiddle.
    The enthusiastic crowd danced the night away and sang along as the super group performed many jams guided by the project’s creator, Matt Butler.  The lively night ended with a reggae tune which got the whole crowd singing “Keystone let the snow fall.” The group performed the next two nights in Denver and Fort Collins.

    Everyone Orchestra Warren Station