Freio Music

Front Country – Concert & Album Review

By

It was the night of May 5th at Swallow Hill Music Hall in Denver, Colorado. The rain turned to sleet and the sleet turned to heavy snow. The arrival of the Californian Bluegrass band was greeted by nasty weather and a packed house filled with music lovers of all ages. The night began with Rail Splitters from Boulder, Colorado warming up the theater with their quick pick’n and melodic music.  By the time Front Country took the stage the audience was ready for steady rhythmic bluesy bluegrass.  Front Country is one of those bands who cannot be easily fit into a box or genre. They expand upon all of their individual strengths to blend, mold, and shape the sound until it’s profound.

Front Country’s songs are inspired by a range of topics including but not limited to the snowy state itself, Colorado, and an old time song about a gold mine prostitute. When Melody picks up the Kashishi she woos the crowd with her shakin’ while both Adam and Jacob trade instruments between songs to bring a new sound.

Front country’s album, Sake of the Sound, was created by a sextet (six members). Three of the six band members on the Album have jobs outside of the music industry. The momentum the band is riding keeps gaining speed, propelling that ‘Gospel Train’ around the country.  With diverse musical backgrounds, they feed off each other musically to break through traditional boundaries. They have earned University degrees studying, jazz guitar, vocals, classical guitar, and jazz bass. They have worked hard to get to where they are today and it is clearly paying off.

Sake of the Sound

Album Credits: Released 16 September 2014. Mandolin by Adam Roszkiewicz, Guitar and Vocals by Jacob Groopman, Guitar and Vocals by Melody Walker, Banjo and Vocals by Jordan Klein, Violin by Leif Karlstrom, Stand-up Bass by Zach Sharpe. Produced by Kai Welch. Engineered by Scott Bergstrom. Engineered by Scott Bergstrom at 25th Street Recording – Oakland, CA. Mixed by Erick Jaskowiak at J Studio – Nashville, TN. Mastered by Eric Conn at Independent Mastering – Nashville, TN. All songs arranged by Front Country. Photography by Robert Perry. Album Art by Danielle Diessner

They dedicated 10 consecutive (16+ hour) days to the recording of their debut album, Sake of the Sound. While many bands struggle to find a collective sound due to their individualistic desires, Front Country is a band of stars, shining together.  Their collaborative spirit is revealed as they dynamically alter their music for maximum impact.

If you enjoy acoustical harmonies with some fast pick’n solos, this band is not one to miss. If you missed the show, the good news is that Front Country will be back in Colorado and touring the country once again in a few weeks. With stops at festivals, such as Campout for the Cause and Meadow Grass, this band is only getting started. They won a place on the main stage at Telluride Bluegrass Festival, and they are on their way to a city near you.

To check the latest Front Country tour info: click here

To listen to the FreioMusic interview with Front Country:  click here

Arise 2014 Video

By Leave a Comment

Official FreioMusic Arise Festival 2014 Video

Arise Festival 2014 in Loveland, Colorado. Freio Music’s talented team captures the cultural gathering with energy with style. Arise Festival features artists from across the musical spectrum. Share it. Enjoy it. See you next year!

Credits:
Produced by Freio Music

Directed by Joe Morahan & Daniel “Buddy” Thomas

DP by Daniel “Buddy” Thomas
Editing by Daniel “Buddy” Thomas

Time-Lapse Photography by
Melissa Harrison, Isaiah ‘Scott’ Brown, & Michael Morahan

Music by
Polish Ambassador

Arise Festival At SunRise Ranch

Arise Festival 2014 in Photos

By Leave a Comment

Arise 2014

By Leave a Comment

The 2nd Annual Arise Music Festival:

By the time the gates were finally open, the energy began to pick up.  With the people came art, laughter, color and flavor.  As the camping area began to fill up it was clear that this year was much larger than last.  The same beautiful location shared by thousands of new attendees.  With ‘dualing stages’, two stages set up right next to each other intended to minimize musical downtime, the music continued and the crowd stayed close.  The electronic stage, Souls Rising, had a stacked lineup of talented young and established acts.  The energy by Souls Rising stage kept a steady group of dancing bass faces content.  While the Souls Rising stage was considerably smaller than the other two main musical stages, it was the destination for many festival goers and it delivered.  The stage and surrounding area was decorated ornately from the lasers beaming around the ground to the CDs hanging reflectively from the trees.

 

Photo taken by Molly ‘Mojo’ Buckiewicz

 

This year’s attendance appeared to be at least double, possibly triple, the previous year’s attendance.  The festival was prepared and there was ample water, food, and portable toilets.   The vender village was one of a kind with an array of smells coming from the food stands, and an array of colors coming from the vender stands.  Artists are now migrating to Arise festival from all over the USA, contributing to its colorful diversity.  Arise is Colorado’s best and most diverse music festival.

Once again SunRise Ranch played the role of the gracious host and one can only hope that they received the support and recognition they deserve for sharing the incredible valley to all of us who attend.  With out the support of SunRise Ranch this event would not be possible in its current form.  The artists also deserve a huge shoutout for making the experience what it was, and sharing ideas, thoughts, and emotions through their sound and visions. Equally the fan, the festival goer, the music lover, the ‘escape the 9-5 artist’, anyone who attended a festival, deserves a huge thank you.  With out listeners how could music work?  It is you who make this possible and for that all of us here at FreioMusic, Thank You!

 

 

 

Arise Festival 2014 – Sneak Peak

By Leave a Comment

Arise – Colorado’s most Diverse Festival

Nahko and Medicine For the People - Photo by M. Morahan
Nahko and Medicine For the People – Photo by M. Morahan

Arise Festival 2014
Dates: August 8th, 9th, and 10th
Location: Sunrise Ranch – Loveland, Colorado
Tickets: Buy Here

The Arise Festival in Loveland, Colorado resides on the beautiful 1,000 acre SunRise Ranch nestled in an open canyon. The 2nd Annual ARISE Music Festival will kick off this August 8-10 and will showcase a stellar lineup including Beats Antique, Galactic with special guests Chali2Na and Lyrics Born, Grateful Grass featuring Keller Williams, Billy Nershi (String Cheese Incident) and Reed Mathis, The Infamous Stringdusters, The Polish Ambassador, Groundation, Tribal Seeds, Nahko and Medicine for the People, The Everyone Orchestra featuring Steve Kimock and the return of Quixotic, among many other favorite performers.

The diverse musical lineup draws a diverse crowd and all are well catered to. This is an event for all ages. From the young to the old, Arise festival is for you. A truly spiritual and holy place for some, with yoga and workshops. For others the draw is the late night music that rages through the campground at night. The family camping, designed to enable sleep and a playful place for those little ones, is a plus for families. In fact, kids 12 and under get in free! Everyone has their place to be, have fun, and escape the daily grind of city and work life.

20140524-190523-68723644.jpg

For those of you familiar with festivals, the camping can make or break the festival experience. Luckily Arise is located in a mystical valley in lovely Loveland, Colorado. With spectacular performers such as Quixotic, the traditional artistic limits are broken. Influential and environmentally conscious musical acts help preserve the landscape and the pristine SunriseRanch for future generations. For those 21+ micro-breweries will be in attendance and will certainly refresh a parched palate.

20140524-190524-68724680.jpg

For a taste of the adventure to come, listen to FreioMusic’s curated playlist:

Quixotic Fusion, an incredible auditory and visual experience. Check out the video below:

Are you ready for 2014 Arise Festival? Buy tickets here

What to bring?
– good attitude
– friends
– fun and comfortable attire
– your tickets!! (cannot be over emphasized)
– food + water bottle (you can by food or drinks at the festival)
– tent + sleeping bag + pillow
– sunscreen + shade
– trash bags (pack it in pack it out)
– ear plugs
– warm and cold weather clothes
– a rain jacket
– a few dollars to buy some apparel
– positive energy
– an open mind
– a smiling face
– yourself (go on now, get your ticket! We’ll meet you there)

Directions

From Denver:

From Frisco:

From Cheyenne:

SnowBallin’ 2014

By Leave a Comment

Interested in hearing about what is becoming one of the freshest and most unique festivals in the music industry taking place in the spring snow out in beautiful Colorado?

SnowBall, taking place April 4th-6th in Denver, CO, is definitely a music festival that is truly something different. The festival is being held at an exciting new venue this year, Sports Authority Field in Mile High Stadium. The new venue will provide a wide open space for attendees to interact, explore, dance, and of course, get weird. The SnowBall Stage, which is the main stage, will be outdoors and may provide the opportunity for attendees to put their dance moves on display on a snow covered dance floor. So if you plan on attending, please be safe and be prepared for the cold. The SnowBall Stage will also have a Big Air area beside it where extreme athletes will be performing tricks to tantalize your eyes while your ears are being entertained by bumping beats. Some of the most well known artists will grace the SnowBall stage with their presence. On Friday, be sure to catch the melodies of Jimkata, the funky beats of The Floozies, and then let Knife Party shake you with some heavy bass to close out the first night. On Saturday, the highlights include local 3-piece electronic hydro-funk sensations SunSquabi, funky fresh four piece livetronic group STRFKR, and the one and only Derek Vincent Smith, better known as Pretty Lights, playing his soulful tunes right where his original roots began. Then on Sunday, Chali2Na from Jurassic 5 brings some fresh hip-hop to the stage along with House of Vibe, Busta Rhymes brings an original rap set that you could only get from Busta himself, all before Griz closes out the festival with a funk filled set of jazzy electronic beats that will have you grooving with all of the energy that’s left in the tank.

The other three stages are all in heated tents around the stadium and will each provide their own distinct atmospheres once you are inside. The Groove Tent will feature a variety of music throughout the weekend with the highlights being the grimy electronic beats of Mimosa, the all original tunes of Wave Racer, some funky fresh trap from Lunice, a high energy electro house combined with drumstep set from Kill The Noise, and PLM Party, the not to miss set of the weekend featuring Pretty Lights, Michal Menert, Paul Basic, Supervision, Eliot Lipp, and many more artists from the Pretty Lights Music record label. I personally cannot wait to see what all of these amazing producers co-create up on stage together; the possibilities are endless.

The Ballroom Stage will feature artists who make their craft through either their skills on an instrument or through the sounds of their voice. This stage will provide very different sounds than the others so be sure to make it over there if you are into artists who have their own specific individual sound. Eminence Ensemble will trance you into their one of a kind flow as they rift it on their instruments. Afroman will bring you back in time with his old school style and with jams like “Palmdale”, “When I Got High”, and other 90’s classics. Or be entertained with original electronic acts like Flash/Lights, Trippy Turtle, Twin Shadow, Chrome Sparks, or Rufus Du Sol. No matter who you catch at the Ballroom Stage, you will be sure to be entertained.

The Heat Hut will be where you want to go if you are looking to get down and dirty to some electro house and deep house. This tent will be bumping the beats that will keep your feet moving all weekend long. The highlighting artists whom are playing at the Heat Hut are: Bixel Boys, Option4 and JustinJay on Friday; Graff, J.Phlip, and MK on Saturday; and then Need & Necessity, Maxxi Soundsytem, and Andhim to close out the stage on Sunday. So be sure to groove in the Heat Hut if you’re wanting some non-stop electro house beats.

SnowBall will also feature live ice sculptures by trained artists, free water refill stations, a Vendor Village filled with tons of goodies from artisans, a Merchandise Booth to pick up SnowBall gear, food options from local restaurants to food trucks, drink options from sodas and juices to beers and cocktails, and also late night after parties to keep you going and entertained throughout the weekend. Check out the full lineup breakdown and daily schedules. Get your SnowBall tickets now because prices will go up! Advance 3-day GA and VIP tickets are still available for SnowBall here ; advance single day SnowBall tickets here.

Tantalize your ears with a taste of the music to come this year at SnowBall…

FreioMusic SnowBall 2014 Soundcloud Mix

Article and soundcloud mix created by:
David ‘Dino’ Durkin

Gipsy Moon

By Leave a Comment

Gipsy Moon created a dance party at Agave this last weekend, 01/16/2014 at Agave, see why?

This first video stars the mandolin player, Silas Herman, who wrote and leads the song with powerful and evolving melodies. Nothing better than a joyous jams.

You heard Gipsy Moon first hear @FreioMusic

For more info please visit their website: http://www.gipsymoon.net/

Immerse Yourself – Arise Festival – Loveland, CO

By Leave a Comment

ARISE FESTIVAL 2013

“The music is like the fire …. and we all gather around it to warm our souls”

~ Paul Bassis, Producer of ARISE ~

full_60434

A new festival has emerged onto the Colorado scene this summer. Backdropped by the serene beauty of the Rocky Mountains, Arise Festival has set its sights on being the very essence of a festival –  co-creation, music, art, yoga, and community. Sunrise Ranch, an hour north of Denver, will provide the magical space for festival goers to explore and re-connect with nature and one another. The atmosphere is looking to come together seamlessly, complete with Hemp Village, Kids Village, Organic Food and Beverage Village, and hey, my fellow beer lovers, a Craft Beer and Wine Village!

The festival will also feature a selection of independent films including – Bidder 70, Chasing Water, Arise, and The Bloom. If that doesn’t expand your mind enough – check out the healing space, Temple of the Heart, on site. It will encompass activities like yoga, kirtan, meditation, and a healers tent to completely rejuvinate you- mind, body, and soul.

THE BASICS

WHAT TO BRING: face paint, headlamp, re-fillable water bottle, warm clothes for the CO nights

Festival Info

Complete Lineup 

Camping & Lodging

Aside from the perks… the music lineup is stacking up quite nicely to create an incredibly diverse world sound to fill up those Colorado mountains.

So who is playing you ask?

Freio Favorites:

arise

We are very excited to be apart of this melding of art and community. Not convinced yet? Check out the music below…

But just you wait… the complete lineup so far includes:

poster arise

 

STAY TUNED FOR THE ARISE FESTIVAL CONTEST

FOR 2 FREE TICKETS!!

Wanderlust Wednesday Presents ROCKTIN GROVE

By Leave a Comment

Boulder based and CU buffed band, Rocktin Grove, is jamming its way through the Colorado music scene. With an original sound that seamlessly blends together a wide variety of genres, Rocktin Grove has a little get-down for everyone. From funked out bluegrass twang to hot latin soul, their sound is something uniquely robust and not to be missed. The seven member group, with two years of jam-tastic rocking under their belts, has incredible ‘get-yo-feet-movin” potential to break from their Front Range Colorado stage to a national one. Fans of the band describe the sound as “funky bluegrass awesomeness” and as an interpretation of music they have all always loved transformed into something new and original. The band says, “Calling Boulder, Colorado our home, the mountains, beautiful blue sky, and deep powder keep us loving life and loving music.” Amen.

Meet the boys:

Jon Kimbell- Mandolin/Vocals
Will Viitanen- Percussion
Wilson Harwood- Electric Guitar/Banjo/Vocals/Tres – with “get the cougars goin'” and “gangsta banjo” talent
Adrian Flynt- Bass/Vocals
Nate Luebbe- Mandolin/Violin/Vocals
Garrett Cropsey- Alto Saxophone/Vocals
Theo Farver- Acoustic Guitar/Harmonica/Percussion/Vocals/Trumpet

Looking for latin groovin’? Check out Ice Cream Cha Cha

My personal favorite: Crowfoot Funk…it will get you going! Hot damn!

Wanting more? Check out their site:

ROCKTIN GROVE .com

and their SOUNDCLOUD

AND their FACEBOOK !

 

Wanderlust Wednesday Presents – Cheyenne Lee

By 2 Comments

Cheyenne Lee, a singer/songwriter hailing from Oregon, is about to make her mark on the city of Angels. With a voice like Colbie Calliat and lyrics that speak to everyday human emotion, this beautiful and talented eighteen-year-old is headed for radio stardom. Cheyenne says, “My music is about the good things in life.” Not only does she write her own contagious lyrics, play the guitar,  keyboard and piano, but she has a dedication and passion that comes alive within her songs. Commenting on her sound, Cheyenne remarks, “It gives people somewhere to escape to when things aren’t going so well, it not only tells my stories, but the stories of so many others, and in that I find my music very unique…I want people to be uplifted, and I will continue to create music that does so.” Keep your radios turned on for this rising star on the LA scene.