The Avett Brothers Bring All The Feels to Three Nights at Red Rocks

August 2, 2016

There was just too much good music to be found in Denver last weekend, and the icing on the cake just happened to be The Avett Brothers returning to Red Rocks for their third consecutive year of three nights in Morrison. Since their founding in 2001, The Avett Brothers have slowly built a diehard fanbase across the US, perfecting the art of folk blended rock-n-roll that eloquently captures the base truths of life, love, loss and dreams. As if their loyal fanbase needed more reason to flock to these shows, the 3-day stint featured an array of incredible artists set to warm up the crowd. This year, the support acts were as diverse as could be: world-folk-rock Nahko and Medicine for the People opened Thursday’s show, the burgeoning guitar legend Gary Clark Jr. played Friday, and J Mascis, the solo project of Dinosaur (Jr.) frontman closed the weekend on Saturday.

We attended Friday night’s performance and were overjoyed when Gary Clark Jr. quietly entered the stage with his four piece band and hit us with the powerful chords of “Bright Lights.” The Austin native mixes blues roots with contemporary soul and has been respectfully compared to Jimi Hendrix and Stevie Ray Vaughan - we certainly don’t disagree. This performance highlighted his incredible gift to produce raw guitar solos. When paired with his unmistakable voice, any set with him is worth seeing, but the majesty of Red Rocks only added to the effect on Friday. Performing tracks from his 2012 freshman release Blak and Blu, along with 2015’s release The Story of Sonny Boy Slim, fans were treated to favorites like “BYOB,” “Our Love”, “Shake”, and the rock-n-roll closer “Numb”, chalked full of smashing guitar solos and roaring vocals.

One of the most unique aspects of the The Avett Brothers performances at Red Rocks is they play a different set each night. With over a decade of material they have plenty to pick from, allowing fans a deep look into their discography alongside the hits throughout 80+ songs over the course of three days. Opening Friday’s 28-song setlist was the song “Down With the Shine”, and fans roared with delight and sang along as the sounds of banjo plucking filled the air. Little children adorned with glowsticks and kid-sized band tees played throughout the venue while their parents sang along to “Murder in the City”, “Shame”, and the title track of the group’s release from earlier this year, True Sadness. The album was released in June and produced by Rick Ruben (legendary producer and co-founder of Columbia Records.) True to the group’s autobiographical lyrics, this album brings new life to personal experiences and tales of heartbreak through their signature-style poetic lyrics. The band's most current lineup consists of brothers Scott Avett and Seth Avett playing the banjo and guitar, Bob Crawford on stand-up bass, Joe Kwon on cello, Tania Elizabeth on violin, Paul Defiglia on keyboard/organ and Mike Marsh on drums.

The group's passion for this specific venue resonated from the stage over the course of the evening, with both Scott and Seth stopping to chat with the crowd, make jokes, and admire the breathtaking views. Halfway through the performance, the band welcomed father Jim Avett to the stage to join in on “Standing in The Need of Prayer”, “Take My Hand Precious Lord”, and “Peace in the Valley”, a wonderful tribute to the family aspect of the group. The show ended with the high energy song “Slight Figure of Speech”, followed by a 2-song encore of “The Race is On”, and “The Perfect Space” from 2009’s highly acclaimed album I and Love and You. The Avetts excel at making you feel all the feels back-to-back-to-back. A show full of love, joy, loss, and everything in between, their music certainly highlights the life experience in a raw, vulnerable, genuine fashion; it’s no surprise their fans are dedicated. With another successful year on the books, we eagerly await next summer’s weekend with the Avett's atop the red peaks of Morrison.

- photo credit and words by Andrew Rios and Maddie Casey

Click here for more photos from The Avett Brothers at Red Rocks.

Music | Show Preview: Gramatik returns to Red Rocks on Friday

June 15, 2016

This Friday, June 17th Gramatik makes his return to Red Rocks looking for redemption. Last year’s show, now fondly referred to as "Blizzmatik", had to be cut short due to safety reasons because of unrelenting snow and freezing rain. It’s no secret that Colorado is anxiously awaiting the moment to “Hit That Jive”…but we hope to do so with better weather this time around.

last year's Gramatik show at Red Rocks, now referred to by fans as "Blizzmatik". (photo credit: NO COAST) — last year's Gramatik show at Red Rocks, now referred to by fans as "Blizzmatik". *(photo credit: NO COAST)*

Time and time again, when searching for good tunes to play on Pandora or Spotify, Gramatik radio seems to be the "go-to" option. The complex sound of Slovenian music producer Denis Jašarević contains aspects of jazz, hip-hop, R&B and has even been described as "electro-funk". He has captured our attention over the years with his songs “Just Jammin”, “Hit That Jive”, “So Much For Love” and “Obviously” featuring Cherub and Exmag. His theory of a fee free music model has also attributed to his success, voicing his opinion publicly saying that he believes it is "morally right for music to be primarily free” .

Gramatik's musical inception has ties to Denver-based online music company and website called BeatPort from way back in 2008. His first album Street Bangers Volume 1 shocked the artist by receiving much more attention through the site than he was anticipating, and only a year later, he teamed up with Colorado’s own Derek Vincent Smith and signed to his label, Pretty Lights Music. Following that success of that venture, Jašarević went on to create his own record label called Lowtemp.

Gramatik just recently released his new album, Epigram, and has scheduled a massive world tour in support. While doing a little research we discovered something interesting on his homepage: it turns out you can create your very own paradoxical work of art through a feature on the site! The app will transform each letter of your epigram into its own symbol that shares live to the site, which you can then download along with the new album.

This Friday will be Gramatik’s sixth performance at the beautiful Red Rocks Ampitheatre. This year’s lineup includes Hippie Sabotage, ProbCause, Geek x Vrv, and Sweater Beats. We are especially excited to check out brotherly duo Hippie Sabotage; their remix of Tove Lo’s hit song “Habits (Stay High)” has received over 420 million views on YouTube! Talk about a viral video.

Make sure to follow our Instagram page for live updates and stay tuned for a full review of our experience including photos from the show by our photographer Andrew Rios.

Music | Funk on The Rocks 2016 feat. CHROMEO, Jamie XX, Four Tet, and WhatSoNot | June 2, 2016

June 9, 2016

Chromeo during Funk On The Rocks (photo credit: Andrew Rios/Ultra5280) — Chromeo during Funk On The Rocks *(photo credit: Andrew Rios/Ultra5280)*

Canadian electro-funk duo Chromeo made a stop in Colorado last Thursday for their third installment of “Funk on the Rocks”. This year they had Jamie XX co-headlining the show along with What So Not and Four Tet. The evening kicked off with What So Not, an electronic musical production lead by DJ and producer Chris Emerson. His set had more of an exciting, hard hitting dubstep feel that injected a healthy dose of hype to what was to come for the rest of the evening. What So Not made waves in 2014 when he teamed up with RL Grimes to put together a song called “Tell Me”, and when he performed it live at Red Rocks it definitely brought out the crowds energy.

Kieran Hebden, an english electronic musician better known by the stage name Four Tet, played more of a mellow set, keeping a soft abstract beat that let everyone relax and enjoy time with friends before the two headliners. Jamie XX opened his appearance at Red Rocks with a bang! During the chorus of one of his more more popular songs “Loud Places”, his giant disco ball was hit with lights illuminating the whole stage with him as a mysterious silhouette. Well done Jamie!

When Chromeo took the stage, they were accompanied by heavy guitar riffs from lead vocalist and Dave “Dave 1” Macklovitch. Heavy white beams of light shone upon his chrome guitar reflecting the light back into the venue as he dove into the first song of their set. Patrick “P-Thugg” Gemayel held down the keyboards, synthesizer and talk box which he used on a few occasions to hype up the crowd. These two performers met in Montreal at the age of 15, and 10 years later they’re still touring extensively while making new music. The two jokingly consider themselves the only successful Arab/Jewish partnership since the dawn of human culture.They ran through all their hit songs with overwhelming crowd participation and it was clear to see why these guys carry such a following. We loved our evening at “Funk on The Rocks”, and are keeping fingers crossed we’ll be able to get funky next year.

-Andrew

Music | The 1975 Brought Out "All The Feels" at Red Rocks On Monday. | May 2, 2016

May 4, 2016

Matthew Healy of The 1975 (Photo Credit: Robert Castro)

It was a chilly night at Red Rocks this past Monday, but that didn’t keep English rockers The 1975 from turning up the heat. Hot off the release of their sophomore album, I Like It When You Sleep, for You Are So Beautiful Yet So Unaware of It, the group’s already massive fanbase has continued to expand, leading to a decently packed show at Colorado’s premiere music venue. Led by dreamy frontman Matthew Healy, the band played a melodic, and sexually charged two hour set. Prancing across the stage with his curly locks out of control, Healy managed to capture the audience with sincere odes to the venue and a humbleness not often seen in today's performers. Often referencing the sheer size of the historic venue, Healy emphasized what an honor it was to play there in quick moments between fan favorites including "Girls", "The Fame", "A Change of Heart”. The groups stage design was highlighted by the weather on Monday, with eerie fog adding dimension to the lights. At one point in the show, Healy instructed the audience to put their phones away and “...enjoy the next five minutes” featuring a rather impressive version of "Me". The band never let up, ending with a rather strong encore featuring thier most popular numbers including "Chocolate", "The Sound", and my personal favorite, “Sex”

The 1975 breaking hearts and shedding tears (Photo Credit: Robert Castro)

The gentleman of The 1975 seemed to revel in the moment all night long. Their energy and sheer excitement translated to the fans, and left the crowd screaming non-stop as if they were witnessing a modern day version of The Beatles (a rather bold statement). It's apparent that we are witnessing only the beginning from this band, as it’s only been a mere three years since the group first played Denver at The Marquis Theatre and they’re now headlining one of the most iconic music venues in the world. This group certainly has the right recipe for success: mixing a retro sound like 80's counterparts such as INXS with the signature soundtrack style of John Hughes films (Sixteen Candles, Pretty in Pink). Based on path the band is currently trotting down, it’s only a matter of time before the they take the next step from amphitheaters to arena venues, where even more fans can reminisce about making mixtapes to our teenage crushes and scream along to their heart-broken, teenage angst-filled lyrics when we are sad.

Photos and Words: Robert Castro

Matt "Dreamy" Healy (Photo Credit: Robert Castro)

Music | Twenty One Pilots soar in debut Red Rocks show | September 27, 2015

October 2, 2015

While Twenty One Pilots might not be a household name quite yet, I don't think it'll take much longer. This past Sunday, hundreds of loyal members of the “Skeleton Clique” gathered along the stairs of Red Rocks Amphitheater as early as 2am on Sunday night, forming the longest entry lines the venue has seen all season long. Some waited over 14 hours just to get up close and personal with Tyler Joseph and Josh Dun – two men who have changed the face of music as we know it in 2015.

Watching Twenty One Pilots' growth has been an exponential thing. I first discovered the band at the Bluebird Theatre two years ago: leaving their hearts onstage before a sold-out crowd of die-hard fans, and using a bigger light show than the room could physically handle. The show was unlike anything I’d seen before, you could feel this unique energy present. There was something to be said about this dynamic duo who could make a crowd explode using only a piano and a drum kit. Another thing to quickly catch my attention was the fans. They were serious about their obsession with the group - something I hadn't seen since my own teenage years - but their passion was justified: this intimate performance was one of the most high octane shows I'd ever seen, and offered something hard to find in music right now: honesty.

It's now two years later, and the only thing that’s changed is the amount of people coming to the shows. The band has grown from playing 600 capacity venues to 10,000 seat amphitheaters in less than 24 months, a feat only somewhat similarly matched by Imagine Dragons (who went from opening for AWOLNATION at Summit Music Hall [1,000 people] to selling out the Pepsi Center [18,000 people] in just 2 years time). The diehard fans who peaked my interest in this band have only grown in numbers, with nearly every kid in attendance wearing the bands name proudly on their chest. Dozens of attendees had even donned a variety of costumes matching those worn by the band members on stage, a majority choosing to wear red beanies and black makeup all over their necks and hands, embodying “Blurryface” - the namesake character of the bands most recent release.

Blurryface is the name that lead singer Tyler Joseph has assigned to the personal insecurities he chooses to outwardly acknowledge and battle through the record. The album is written with brutal honesty and lyrical brilliance, narrating the inner-personal struggle of discovering who you are, and which demons you choose to let define you in a world where nothing is simple, and everything is public. The catchy rhythms and upbeat melodies of each song sound misleading when compared to their deep and often dark lyrics, but this only adds dimension to the music; making it feel like each song is wearing a mask - just as Joseph himself is both literally and metaphorically.

The beauty of it all is that although Joseph has acknowledged that many of these worries stem from performing his music, you can watch his fears melt away during the group’s live shows. Dynamic lighting partnered with heart-pounding bass, backflips off pianos, and a variety of masks on both Joseph and Dun, the groups live show draws you into the world of Twenty One Pilots, only offering relief when Joseph chooses to put his costumes to rest and finally become "himself" amongst his loyal clique. “Did we do okay for you?” Tyler asked the crowd nervously from the stage towards the end of their set. “Josh and I…we didn’t think we could pull this off. We didn’t think we could do a show like this, at a venue like this. But you all came, which we didn’t think would happen either. We just want to make sure you’re having fun."

With Joseph climbing the rocks as much as he was legally allowed, fans singing along to every word, and not one person standing still during their set-closing performance of “Trees,” it was made clear that this little duo from Columbus, OH gave the audience all they had, and all they could have asked for. Joseph and Dun proved on Sunday that the title of "best live band of our generation” is theirs to keep, and there’s no stopping them - be it insecurities, or Red Rocks.

- Maddie Casey