Powabunga Set to Return To Vail December 9-12

Music lovers rejoice, what can be better than some of the best dance music artist filled with the majestic magic of Vail, Colorado?

Powabunga returns to Ford Park in Vail, Colorado on December 9 to 12 for four epic days and nights of live music and mountain activities. Powabunga is excited to announce the final 2021 lineup, which includes Rüfüs Du Sol, Elderbrook, Bob Moses, Chanel Tres, Vintage Culture, LP Giobbi, Taches, Channel Tres, N2N, Julia Sandstrom, Gavlak, Chris Cauldron, Golden, Housewife, Max Baum, and Haasy. Powabunga specializes in recruiting the finest dance music from some of the best names around the world from indie dance, funk house, electronic and beyond.

“We’re taking this year to a new level. Our goal for Powabunga is to marry music and the mountains in a way that creates a much deeper experience than just going to a concert,” said Austin Gavlak, Founder of Powabunga. “We are creating a special, immersive environment and bringing together a variety of activities that evokes a real visceral response. Powabunga is designed to expand your mind and your heart, and we aim to have everyone feeling inspired when the event is over.”

Ticket holders can expect to be transported to a snow-filled dance palace with various mountain activities, a mind numbing music lineup, interactive art installations, and most importantly, a like minded community of those passionate about music and the mountains. Gavlak, a 10-year Vail resident, draws on inspirations from Berlin, Barcelona, and Black Rock City to spark the streets of Vail Village. Powabunga is also proud to have sustainability at the forefront of production design, leaving Vail Village with a minimal carbon footprint once the festival is over.

“I am blown away and proud of the community we have cultivated over the years and am excited to bring everyone together once again for a world class experience in the Rocky mountains,” said Gavlak.

Attendees are encouraged to follow Powabunga on Instagram and Facebook @powabungafestival for more information on line-up announcements and more. Further details on late night after-parties at John A. Dobson Ice Arena hosted by Buckhorn Social Club and Ski House, Gavlak’s other experiential projects, will be announced in the following weeks.

Please visit www.powabunga.com for updates, to purchase tickets, and to see the full 2021 lineup.

Music | SNAILS | The Ogden Theatre (1/16/2016) | Review

SNAILS (Photo Credit: Jason Siegel/Jason Siegel Photography)

Sold out Ogden Theater can be a scary place, especially for young and enthusiastic show-goers who demand front stage proximity. Under the right circumstances though, namely a frigid Saturday begging for a good face melting, scary is all you can ask for. 

Wuki, not to be confused with wookie, opened for Montreal based producer and DJ, Snails. His mediocre mash ups featuring pop songs and throwbacks, like Lil Jon’s “Get Low”, were reminiscent of noise at a frat party. To his credit, the packed house swayed aggressively in approval, unable to resist singing along. From the last row of the upper deck, the decibel level and sound quality were unimpressive. However, this was not a problem when Snails threw down. Standing closer meant submitting one’s brain to melting and one’s personal space to relentless violation. 

Though the population density was intimidating, the venue was ramped with unthreatening characters exhibiting a surplus of hatpins and 16-year-old girls who evidently forget their shirts at home. Apparently bone-chilling temperatures don’t deter teenage super humans from wearing “minimalist” show attire. Fortunately, there was plenty of heat inside. 

Fittingly of vomitstep and his #freethevomit campaign, Snails kicked off his set with “SNAILEDIT”, opening with the line, “The vomit… has been freed. Do you recognize the power?” Snails is a weird dude. It’s apparent in his online presence, music, visuals, and performance. That being said, he is wholly transparent and fans love him for it. Snails primary visual is a snail projectile puking an unending supply of fluorescent spew and yet his Soundcloud has 142K followers. Apparently, and I couldn’t agree more, weird is cool. 

20 minutes felt like an hour. An hour and a half didn’t feel like time at all. Although Snails repeatedly builds up to powerful, colossal drops, their creative variations combat predictability. While there was a definite pattern in the build and climax of his tracks, the set was incredibly interesting. Stationary was not an option; anyone in the crowd not womping and thrashing was sucked into a black hole of womping and thrashing. 

The audience was young, but not without age outliers. Potentially the only person in the audience over 40 (my dad) was dancing as hard as the rest of them, though his knees and back aren’t as resilient. He described the crowd as the 80’s metal kids of today. Sure enough, there was a notable collection of head bangers. However, we were not at a metal show; we were breaking our necks to the soupy, slimy sounds of Snails, complete with a desirably disorienting light and laser show. 

What began with white strobes, transitioned to colored light beams. Then the visual projections, all featuring snail graphics, intensified the experience. During the final quarter of the set, Snails brought out the big guns… an insane display of green and multicolored lasers. He even included live instrumentation via the talented sax player, Big G, who appeared on stage for one of the final tracks. 

Only Snails could remix Backstreet Boys “Everybody” into a gritty track thick with bass without it sounding forced or inauthentic. Next time Snails visits Denver, Ultra5280 will be there. Thrilled to see what this OWSLA artist will create! Wishing him the all best, and also hoping those poor girls found their shirts. 

Article by: Haley Midzor