FMP 024 – Bridget Law and Tierro Lee
Ride Festival 2019
Recap
The 8th Annual Ride Festival backdropped by steep slopes of evergreens and aspens in downtown Telluride was filled with good vibes and great music. Everyone has their band, and for this crowd, it’s Widespread Panic. And Panic does not skip a beat. Mean solos and raspy, eerie vocals define this legacy band. Long jams fed a stellar ambiance in the crowd.
However, the Ride Fest is not just Widespread Panic. Take a listen to some of the alluring artists of the festival below and be sure to check them out on tour.
TYLER BRYANT & THE SHAKEDOWN
This band ROCKED, bringing a new generation of the rock genre to the forefront. It was rugged, raw, and dirty. Small town Texas-born guitarist/vocalist Tyler Bryant commanded the stage in the best of ways. Riffs of southern jam band, blues, and slasher rock were skillfully crafted in their music. Only in their 20s, this band is on the up. I wouldn't pass up the opportunity to see them live.
And who’s not a sucker for a little slide guitar?
PONY BRADSHAW
Pony Bradshaw, whew! This project, backed by singer, songwriter, James Bradshaw, has a honest, pure vibe. He has a beautifully smooth voice and haunting, intriguing lyrics. He kicked off Saturday afternoon right with his Americana storytelling. I really dug Pony Bradshaw, take a listen below.
Photos
FMP 011 – The Motet – Dave Watts
The Freio Music Podcast
Episode 011 - The Motet - Dave Watts
Podcast Transcription - Coming Soon
Start out by introducing yourself
Other Podcast Episodes
FMP 010 – Aphasia
The Freio Music Podcast
Episode 010 - Aphasia
Transcription Coming Soon...
Other Podcast Episodes
Sonic Bloom Photo Recap 2018
Sonic Bloom 2018 Photo Recap
This year at Sonic Bloom the music was on fire as usual. Three main stages running until 2am and one stage running until sun-rise with music until 6am. The workshops begin at 8 am so there is really only two hours of 'off-time' per day all four days of the festival. The music and grooves transitioned seamlessly as different artists plugged in while others finished out their set. The main stage has a 'tween' stage, which if you are not familiar with the term is a small stage right next to the main stage and features short usually under 30min performances while the main stage undergoes a set change. This is the optimal way to transition on a large stage while maintaining the audience's attention and attendance.
With thee stages going simultaneously for 8 hours (with three stages that is actually 24 hours of live performances compressed in time and space within walking distance), which provides an opportunity for more musicians to be heard and benefit from the cross-pollination of musical audiences. The river ran dry but the music and shaded hammocks at the hummingbird stage provided a welcome mid day napping location. There is no shortage of amazing talent and the careful curation of musical acts that preform ensure a high threshold and a healthy diversity while still being true to the festivals electronic roots.
Photos will never capture sound so seek out good listen to new music. Click here to listen to live tracks from Sonic Bloom 2018.
Some more music the official Sonic Bloom Playlist on Spotify:
Gipsy Moon – FMP 003
The Freio Music Podcast
Episode 03 - Gipsy Moon
Hello, my name is Silas Herman and I play the mandolin for Gipsy Moon. My name is Matt [Cantor] and I play the bass. My name is Makenzie Page I sing, play the guitar and tenor banjo. I am Andrew Connley.
Where did you guys meet and how did you decide what instruments were going to be in the band?
Silas - Well we have been through a lot. The arrangement of the band now is a little different than it first began. We started a band about two years ago, and we started with a different band member then. We have been through a couple of things But this current arrangement is what has felt the most natural and right. As far as choosing the instruments we all have our own musical background, so we have brought them together to turn it into something
Matt - I think the most interesting thing… well, it's all fairly standard. Except for the tenor banjo, it is a little different. I think the cello is probably the [instrument] that catches people’s attention the most, as being kind of different. So I guess we could have Andrew answer why he decided to play the cello.
Andrew - Alright. Before that though I met these guys at RockyGrass, the best festival in the world man, that festival changed my life. I met Silas, and Makenzie up there and then Matt later. I used to play mandolin, and the mandolin is just a fuckin awesome instrument. There are a lot of incredible Mandolin players out there, like Silas, he is fuckin incredible dude. It takes a lot of dedication to push yourself outside that pack. Crooked Still I was influenced by them in a way. Someone introduced me to them. That pretty much changed the game. I was like oh, wow… You can actually do that with that instrument, that’s a cool possibility. It is basically a big fiddle. For violins or fiddles, the opposite equivalent for that, the more for informal variation. For cello, there really isn’t a word for that. There is no reason why that is. I saw a lot of mandolin players. There were not a lot of cello players that were pushing outside of that box. So it seemed like a really good play for life to focus on that.
So were you guys exposed to music from a young age? Or what inspired you to pursue being a musician.
Silas - I definitely grew up around a lot of music. My dad actually played in a band, Leftover Salmon, for over 25 years now. So he was on the road a lot of the time when I was growing up. So I was always surrounded by acoustic sort of bluegrass music of that influence. So I really just got into it and got a lot of it in my head. When I was around 12 or 13 years old I started taking it seriously. I started with the guitar and transferred over to the mandolin, which I am mostly playing now.
Did your dad teach you to play the guitar?
He taught me a fair bit to begin with, definitely. But then I tried to go outside of that musical genre to get my own sort of sound.
Makenzie - I did not grow up playing music. I found music when I was older. Ya, I just started with a friend who played. I would borrow his guitar and sing and play with him. I just surrounded myself with people who were really awesome at it [music] and learned.
Andrew - Um, I played a little drums and a little guitar growing up. It wasn’t until, you know, early teen years so that actually happened with the Mandolin when I was 16. My family wasn't really into it but now they are. Rocky Grass, that festival, got everyone in my family playing music in some way. My dad was a big record collector though. He had like 15,000 records when he died. He would be really happy to know that that is being carried on a little bit. He was a big fan.
Andrew - Ya, I played in the school orchestra on the bass for a long time. It was fun but I was never really serious about it until I graduated from high school. Then one day my friend was like “hey do you want to play bass for us at the mall?” I took my grandfather’s bass which I had had for a while but I had never ever played it because I would never practice. I would basically just go to school and play and have fun but I never took it seriously at all. I ended up getting blood blisters from playing at the mall for an hour. It was just an interesting experience because I never realized that people could pay you for playing music. We played at the mall and we each got $20 bucks and was like “woh, this is crazy!”. I just had so much fun and made money! So I basically started, and just did that a bunch like every day, and started making money. That is how I started doing it.
Was your grandfather's bass a stand-up?
Andrew - Ya it is the one I play. My grandfather played music in new york. He played Jazz for like 80 years so it has some history there.
You guys have a unique sound. You have come together with different backgrounds. Are there any genres or artists in particular that have inspired you to pursue the music you create today.
Silas - I feel like just being in Colorado, in general, you are sort of in a Mecca of a lot of amazing musicians and a lot of inspiration. A lot of young bands and bands that are more progressed. We have a lot of friends that have been through a lot of the same cycle of growing as a band. So we have seen that there is hope in the future and have just had a lot of inspiration from a lot of different people in that way, definitely.
Andrew- I am mostly inspired by older music. Old 50’s is what I primarily listen to at my house. That and funk, which is kind of interesting. That was kinda my parents' music. So I grew up with things, not necessarily a lot of disco funk, 80’s and late 70’s funk. Like Rick James and stuff. It is kinda a weird combination. I just ended getting really into Django Reinhardt. From that I have been listening to only really old music and funk. I like traditional Gypsy music too.
Makenzie - Ya I like old music too. My favorite right now is Edith Piaf. I can't stop listening to her.
Andrew - For me, musically, a lot of fiddle players. Though when I listen, it is kinda whatever my mood is into. It could be anywhere… From Bach, to Naughty by Nature to NOFX. Or bluegrass. Or old-time music. A lot of old-time music. So it is across the board it is more about what I am feeling at the time. They just help keep you going and influence you.
How are you able to highlight the individuality of a particular instrument, while at the same time maintaining a cohesive sound.
Makenzie - I think something that has really helped us is that we are really open-minded, as a band. Someone will bring a song and maybe it is totally... an entirely a different direction than we are trying to go. We just do it anyways. We are not trying to put ourselves in this whole genre, where we play this one specific music so we must stick to it. It is like hey let’s try that, now let's go this way. Lately, we have been trying to combine songs. Where one genre and a totally different genre that are just smashed next to each other. It’s really fun. If we do this dark eyes song, which is really gypsy, into this other song which is Calypso. We take traditional songs and totally do spins on them. We go from a Latin vibe into a Celtic tune. So I think that is something that we have been really digging lately.
Andrew - So were you referring to separation and how we set each other up for solos?
Ya.
Trying to be aware of your ranges and try to not step on each other's parts as much as possible. Actually going from a five-piece band to a four-piece band has made that way easier in a way. I mean we had some good people we played with. Especially with cello, it is always trying to figure out where my part fits, like in a puzzle. Try to not muddy up the bass or the guitar, or tenor, or vocals. It is a delicate range. It is always really case by case. It is not really one formula but there are definitely patterns.
Silas - We recorded our last album at silo sound (in Denver) and had Tim Carbone, of RailRoad Earth, produce it. We have made a couple of other recordings with some friends in the mountains. Our first record we did with Dave and Enion Tiller from the band Taarka, at their house in Lyons, which unfortunately got destroyed in the flood.
How do you go about creating a song?
Makenzie - Every song is definitely different. Like it is its own little being. Lately what we have been doing is someone will come up with a basis of it and bring it to someone else. Like hey here is this. Usually, two people will come together. We have been doing a lot of collaborating like Matt, or Andrew or Silas will bring me something and be like I have this idea and it is these certain parts, write some words for it. It's really fun, it’s freeing. It is really helpful to widen your personal perspective on music, because you are working off of something that someone else wrote. So it is a nice broadening of your own ideas.
Andrew - I think it is case by case when it comes to where ideas come from. A lot of times I will have a bass melody and have some chords. Just trying to pass it on. Here try this out. Can you improve it? A lot of tunes have happened that way. Sometimes it is more specific. A lot of times I will want to hear tunes… Well, there are definitely arranged parts in them. It takes some working through to figure out what works for instrumentation. And to figure out if it is a good idea or bad idea. It is a lot of trial and error of just testing out stuff between us.
Do you have any future songs or albums in the works that are going to be released?
Makenzie - Ya we are going to be releasing an album this spring, so ya. In March. We recorded Silo Sound Studio with Tim Carbone. It was Kickstarter funded so we appreciate to all of those people who helped out. It has been a really fun album. A Lot of in-studio kinda stuff. We just got the masters yesterday so we were listening to them. It is definitely a more produced album. It has been really fun to be like “Let’s add this here” and “let's do these crazy harmonies there”. Usually, we are a one take and that's what you get. Last week we went up to this studio, called Mountain Star Studio, it is up in Rollinsville, kinda close to our house. They record straight to tape. So it was fun to do the exact opposite because they record to tape. So literally only one take and that's what you get. So that was really fun. So we did two tracks there that we will probably release at some point. It was an 8 track tape. It was literally straight to tape and then they turn it into digital after. Ya so in the Spring look out for that. It is called Sticks and Stones
So you guys have a management company and a manager. How is it working with a manager and what are the benefits? Are they enabling you to focus on your music while they worry about the scheduling and booking?
Makenzie - It is awesome. We don’t have to worry about that kind of stuff. Because that is half of the battle, when you are becoming a musician, is the business side of it. When you are an artist you don't want to have to think about that stuff.
Silas - It is also hard to promote yourself self righteously. Like saying “hey this is my band and we are so great, you should hire us.” Having a separate party to do that for you is very helpful.
These [next] questions are more individual.
Were there any particular artists that inspired you to pursue the mandolin?
Silas - I started out by playing the guitar. I had a musical upbringing. Then I really drove away from bluegrass I was brought up around. I got into electric guitar. It sort of started out there. Then transitioned back over to acoustic guitar and now mandolin which I am playing now. Some of my bigger influences have been Adam Steffey and Chris Keely. Some of those guys who are just great bluegrass players. I would like to sort of expand past that genre with my own playing too. So take influences from all sorts of things like Jazz.
How do you push yourself to that next level?
Silas - Oh man, just practice. It’s constantly a battle. It's constantly a cycle of getting beat down and then being re-inspired to do even better.
Matt, your bass playing adds a lively bounce and rhythm to the music. You guys don't have percussion and it seems like in a way you fill that rhythmic section. How do you as a bass player elevate yourself to that next level, how do you improve? Was there anyone who guided you along the way? Maybe your grandpa?
Matt - Well, unfortunately, my dad is really old and my grandfather was very old. I honestly started playing music right as my grandfather died. Which sucks because I play a lot of swing which is the stuff that he played. I would say the biggest influences on bass have been Chris Wood, Jimmy Blanton, Gareth Sayers.
Matt - What did you ask again?
(Other band members’ laughter)
Matt - Ok, Ok, I am really hungry. I can't think. I like the first part of the question that you asked. Because I had a realization last week when we were playing. There was this band before us that was really good. Their rhythm was really tight actually but they didn't have a bass player. And they are a string band. It made me realize how much rhythm the bass adds in this certain sense. It was really all there. Their rhythm was really good but because they never have that bass to be like “this is where the beat is”. It just kinda never really moved people, I noticed. I think it moved them, but didn't push them to move. Where it really hits them…
I like watching interviews with really old bass players because they always have really amazing things to say and it is really funny. I was watching this interview with Milt Hinton, who is the most recorded Jazz musician ever. He is on like 9,000 recordings. Now, he is this like 90-year-old guy. He is playing some bass line. I like to play it like this. I like to people to know, this is where the beat is. And that is what I am trying to do lately. Like this is where it is. Be more definite on the rhythm.
Well, Makenzie, I don't know how long ago you started playing vocals, so I would be interested to know that first of all. Your vocals seem to drive some of the songs and lead the direction for everyone else. You all make great space for each other but how did you become such a strong vocalist and so quickly and was there anyone who guided you along your path?
Makenzie - Oh man, you never really think about this kinda stuff with yourself because you are always looking forward. Well, I loved singing Disney songs as a kid. Well, I still do. Ha! I still sing Disney songs. Singing has always been in my life but I didn't play an instrument until I was 18. So I was a little older when I picked up an instrument and had any form training. So singing has always been in my life but I just wasn't really out there with it. It was a hidden, very personal thing to me. So that was something. Coming out of that shell and connecting with the people in the audience. The voice is such a connection that we have to other people. That is something I really love about singing. That is something I really aim for. Trying to have that conversation with the crowd, as if you are in the room with one other person. You kind of take them than somewhere else with that. It is really this very personal thing that you kind of have to give your all to. It is really hard to do that. I think that's why I didn't start playing music until I was older because to me it was such a personal thing. So I guess that is what I aim for and what I look for in my own vocals when I am listening back. Could you understand what I was saying? Did it sound like I am speaking or connecting? It is really just about connection to me. You get a lot of that from old folk singers like Joan Baez. The ones who really sat down and told you a story. I just love that old stuff. I am really into Edith Piaf. Even though it is in French, she has a lot of English stuff too, but she has this old sound to her voice. I think it is so timeless. I am just really digging that right now.
[Andrew] you told me that you recently got a strap. Does that change the way you are playing? Does it enable you to run around onstage as opposed to being locked into one corner? [Also]
It just seems that your cello adds a depth to the music. The melodies that you choose to play seem to create a different direction or depth. Can you speak to the way you play and anyone who has influenced you along the way?
Andrew - So ya. First, the strap is kinda new. It’s way fun. It is called a ‘Block Strap’. So shout out to Mike Block. He is an inspirational cello player to me. He invented the strap system. It lines up really nice. It feels natural. You get it in this spot and it is just like you are sitting down but it follows you around like a baby strapped to your chest. It [takes] a little bit of adjusting. If it is not set up just perfect some stretches are a bit hard to get but if you get it set up right, no problem at all. So maybe it adds a little difficulty but it is twice the fun. So it is a good tradeoff, I think.
Andrew - As far as cello adding depth, it definitely does. It is kinda that midrange that you don't really hear in sting band setups very often. Which makes it kinda difficult to find the part sometimes, because you don't want to step on someone else. Ya, it is like an extra dimension. Now that I am so used to it. When I go back and listen to a bunch of string bands now I feel like it is lacking something. But that is just me personally.
Andrew - But as far as influences… Crooked Still, a great band. They are still playing a little bit. Rushad Eggleston, is one of the players Tristan Clarridge are both fantastic players. Natalie Haas. It is really a small club of non-traditional cello players but I really appreciate what they are doing.
Can you talk about your first live performance, any fears that you experienced and how you overcame that?
Silas - Ya I fall into a pretty unique realm, with my dad being a musician. He would bring me up on stage when I was extremely young before I could even play an instrument. He would just leave it up there plugged in. So I could just go up there and stand there with the instrument. Not making any sound out anything. I think it helped me feel natural on stage and get past that whole thing before I even got into music. So once I did, there wasn't a whole lot to overcome. I will say that whole fear factor thing definitely, in some ways makes you play better though. Knowing that really amazing musicians are there and you look up to a lot will definitely make you play better and push you.
Matt - I had a funny first… Besides playing in school concerts and stuff, I am not going to count that. My first personal music concert. I remember I was playing electric guitar. I was super excited. I think it was a talent contest at my school. I was so excited to play. I was so pumped. We were playing one song. It was the classic thing where the curtain comes up. I think there were three electric guitars and a bass. It was probably really shitty. My amp, it just didn't work! It just didn't work! Honestly… Seriously, as the curtain went down and we finished the song, my amp… Baaa the amp turned on. I just remember I was so furious! I could not even talk to anyone. I just remember my mom saying “don’t worry, you will always remember that your first concert was… the worst. It will be a good story”. I am finally getting to tell it, I am glad.
Makenzie - Oh, man I don't think I have a good first concert story. Mine was at one of those farmer markets, down in my town. It was just me and this girl playing music together.
Were you nervous?
Oh, god. I get nervous now. Even still.
How do you overcome it?
Makenzie - Well… (Alcohol, muttered from the background). Haha, you cant tell the children that! But really that is one way. I do have a drink before I go on stage. I don't know, I guess I just try to forget about it. Practicing! We practice before we play and every time we do that we are tighter and feel better. That is something especially with acoustic instruments, when you plug them in, the whole world is different. If you can play a few songs, acoustic, and remember that that's how it sounds, and it sounds great! When you get up there it can sound all crazy. You hear something different than the crowd is hearing. And then you just reassure yourself that it's all good. Warming up for sure. That's half the battle is getting up there and doing it! It's awesome when you do, and when you let loose!
Andrew - Wow, Devotchka is awesome. Just for the listeners, we are listening to them soundcheck right now and they are amazing. Ya, my first time on stage… The first band I played with was a traditional bluegrass string band. I played Mandolin. The first time I met them, it was a Jam at a festival and they pulled me on stage that night too. It was cool because it was just a bunch of hippies. A bunch of young hippies. I was like ooh, wow. I can play bluegrass to young hippies and they are going to love it.
This is along the same lines as the previous question, and you may have already answered this. Do you have any interesting, strange, or odd pre-performance rituals?
Makenzie - I like to stretch sometimes. That helps me feel better. Definitely, as a girl, I just like getting ready. It makes me feel better when I leave the house and I have done something slightly with my hair and it is not like I just rolled out of the bed. Although on tour it gets hard because eventually, I do just roll out of the bus to go play a show. Just having a moment to myself is one thing I like. I really like to collect myself, no matter what has happened that day. Then when you go in front of the audience, you really have the responsibility to them to give them your energy. If your energy is all crazy and out there it is nice to do some breathing exercises before going on.
Matt - Probably the one weird thing I like… I don't always do it but sometimes I do. it is a little trick I learned from Jaco Pastorius. Supposedly every show he would have a bucket of fried chicken backstage. You just eat some before you play and it gets all over your fingers. It feels really nice on the bass… I don’t think it would work for a mandolin because you are holding a pick. But because you are just using your fingers it gets on the bass strings. It is almost like a lubrication. A bass lubrication system. A B.L.S., that is what a bucket of chicken is.
Silas - I mostly have a bunch of certain picking exercises I do to warm up, just to get the fingers moving and wrists lose. That's about it. Smoke a lot of pot. Ya, scales. Also a lot of picking technique, just the right hand, to loosen up.
Do you have any advice for a band starting out today? Would you encourage a band starting today to get a manager? Or is it practice, again and again? What advice would you give?
Silas - I feel that in the end, it is the music that prevails. There are a lot of bands that do make it through social media but the best ones that have a sustaining audience I feel like have solid music and a unique thing. So I would say just finding yourself and your own sound and exploring that as much as possible before you even get into the business side. Becoming as passionate about music for your own reasons.
Matt- I would say I have two pieces of advice. First play as much as you can. Find some buddies and just get weird with it. I mean that is how I started. Jamming for hours with our eyes closed. That is how I found myself. But I think this band is a little more refined, which is good. I think you need to go through that first stage though. Secondly, if you want to be a touring musician, make sure that you don't really hate being in cars. Honestly, that's one of the things I didn't realize that like 60% driving. Everything is work but if you are not the type of person that doesn't want to be in the car a lot it is probably not going to work out. At least a touring musician. You could be a studio musician I suppose.
Makenzie - It is so interesting to be asked that because I still feel like we are such a beginner band too. But you always feel that way with your own growth. You always kinda feel like you are only just getting it now. My advice is to not worry about it and just play. Play out as much as you can and the management thing is nice. We call him “Mom” because he takes care of everything. So it allows you to just focus on the music and not have to worry. I mean the times we have to worry about getting people to a show and all this. It gives you so much weird anxiety. To not have to worry about that stuff is awesome. Ya, about the car thing… You spend… That's the thing with finding people to play with too. I mean you spend a lot of time with each other in a very small space. I have definitely learned more than I have ever learned, just being in a band, and not just about music. It's been awesome. I recommend it.
Andrew - ya, music is fun. I would tell you that the first thing is work on your music. Try not to suck as much as possible. Try to be unique too though. A lot of bands will get in the cycle of trying to imitate their heroes. Which is nice for learning. But if you are making an act you can't really do that. Well, you can but it is hard to say how far that will go. Sometimes it does, you never know. Having a good singer too. Tim Carbone said to us… a few steps to success is to have good songs, a good singer, and there was something else too. But that was probably the most important thing. Oh ya, and be really fuckin lucky. Ya having a manager too. We got lucky that we had management and representation early on. Well, we first started with our buddy Kiam. It was his first time managing a band and then we got Ryan in there and it was his first time doing it too. So I recommend...
Makenzie - Find a friend who really gets along and who is business oriented and minded.
Andrew - Ya, If you have a friend who is really O.C.D., can write lists, and type emails, and wants to party a lot, he is the man. Just be like hey dude, do you have much going on? Do you want a side hobby for a little while? Make a few bucks and then eventually you will make a lot more. So ya, if you have a friend, get him involved. Get him to manage for you. I love our manager!
Where can our listeners keep up with your tour schedule and your latest releases and learn more about Gipsy Moon.
Makenzie - Facebook is honestly the best. Facebook and Instagram. Facebook.com/GipsyMoonBand Instagram.com/GipsyMoonBand on each of those. Also our website. We keep that updated. GipsyMoonBand.com So, ya those are the best places. Facebook you will kinda get a more personal view of us whereas the website is a little bit more formal.
Well, thank you Gipsy Moon, for sharing your knowledge and sharing your time. I am really excited to publish this and thank you again for your time.
Thank you, we really appreciate it.
Other Podcast Episodes
ProJect Aspect – FMP 002
The Freio Music Podcast
Episode 02 - ProJect Aspect
Start out by introducing yourself
Thanks for having me, man. It is good to see you. My name is Jay Jaramillo, I go by Project Aspect. I am twenty-nine years old and started playing guitar when I was about ten years old. My dad gave me a guitar with a built-in amplifier on it. Previous to that I had never thought about being a musician or even playing music. He kinda shoved me in that direction and the rest is kinda history. I just kinda picked it up and played by ear. I started joining bands and putting together my own bands. I made t-shirts when I was like 10 years old. That kinda progressed and snowballed into producing music, which is what I got into at the end of HighSchool. After high school, I took it to the next level. Me and my friend, Zach Karuza, aka Kruza Kid, one of my best friends, we went to high school together. We started the mile-high-sound movement which is a collective of artists and promotional record label that we have kind of like grown into what it is today. It is becoming bigger and better. It is developing into what we want it to be. Instead of throwing together random shows, we put time into it and we curate events. We make sure that our friends have a chance to vend their jewelry and their merchandise. We like to bring everything to the table, as much as we can.
A full-service event.
Ya, for sure. So that has kinda been the focus for a while, other than pursuing trying to be a full time touring musician. So that is where we are at now.
Now tell me your vision a little bit more with Mile High Sound Movement… How many artists are involved currently and where do you see it going in the future?
Our roster right now includes about eight artists that we are fully committed to. But it is always open for interpretation. If you are in the Colorado Music scene, don't hesitate to reach out. We are always open. It is an open invitation. We are always down to expand the family. The vision at first was to just kina help hungry musicians who had a product that they are passionate about. Give them a chance to showcase that on a bigger level rather than a local cafe show. When me and my friend Zach were starting out we had so much trouble getting shows. It was such a struggle and we really didn't have that much help. We were doing a lot of show at Herman’s Hideaway on south Broadway because we had a hip-hop band at that point. We wanted to bring something together that helped people. [Like us] when we were in that situation that we wished we had. We just want to put people on, and get people in front of crowds and enable them to do their thing.
Kinda help them get to the next level.
Exactly. It has transformed into a record label which has always been the vision. For about a year now it has been an official record label. So we are really excited about that. We want to keep that going and make it as big as possible.
Clearly, it sounds you are sharing what you have learned along your path with the next generation, or at least with your friends and the artists around you. So you have mentioned your dad already who was an influence on you early musically. Are there any other artists that kind of helped you on the path?
Not really, man. Just kinda my peers and the people who I went to school with and started these early bands with. Other than that, I was just heavily influenced by Punk Rock and Classic Rock. My dad raised me on Classic Rock. I eventually got into alternative music and punk rock. That was a major influence to me and molded me in the early years. I did a lot of power chords on the guitar. But it was all self-taught. I just kinda played by ear.
Picking up tabs online?
Ya, Picking up tabs online. Honestly, I can just listen to something and replicate it by ear. Obviously, I wish I had a little more classical training. This way it is fun. I like to let my mind do the work for me. Do the work for my hands. And just freestyle. That played a huge role in the beginning too. Then When I started producing music I just took that knowledge and put it into arranging and making sections of a sound.
Can you remember your first musical memory as far as performing? So not just hearing a song but the first time you either jumped up on the table in front of your family and started singing or the first time you played for your school...
One memory sticks out vividly. I played at this coffee shop and it was just an acoustic performance with me singing. I was probably 11 or 12 years old or something. I told my whole family and all of my friends. My whole family came out and we packed out this cafe. It was just this little coffee shop. I did a couple covers but it was mostly original. I have always just written music and performed it. But I remember covering a Staind song. Remember that song ‘Outside’? [singing] “I'm on the outside. I'm looking in”. I played that song and a bunch of other songs. That was just the beginning. That was the first musical memory. It was pretty well received but I was just a kid. That was the very first time I had showcased what I was working on. It was gratifying. It was tight.
That's awesome. It is also… I think very telling, that you had a family their that really packed the venue. You had a sold-out crowd on the first show.
Right. Ya, my family has always been a huge support. Huge support. My mom, my dad, my brother, my siblings. Everyone has had my back from day one and believes in my dream. It really helps me and influences me to keep going.
So guitar was your first instrument? Is that correct?
Correct.
What about artist have influenced you by ear or meeting them in person, touring. I know you are very active in the music scene, and you get exposure to lots of different artists.
Like I said I was really into punk-rock back in the day. We were talking earlier about my Offspring remix. Offspring was big early… Just kina listening music influence for me. I liked Blink 182 a lot. Blink 182 was the first concert that I went to that I vividly remember. Apparently, I was at Michael Jackson when I was a year old… but yeah seeing Blink 182 when I was around 10 years old, just after I started playing the guitar. Bad Religion opened for them. A lot of people back then thought that that was kind of strange because Bad Religion was a huge Punk-Rock band and Blink-182 surpassed them playing pop-punk music. That was a sweet experience. I really didn't start being inspired until, by music, until I started joining bands in high school. My peers were huge influences for me. I had a band called “Street Light Symphony”. It was an Emo band. The members in that band were a huge influence for me. But I ended up going to a show at Red Rocks in 2005. That was what really opened my eyes to a whole new world of music.
What show was that?
That was 'Big Summer Classic' a two-dayay event. String Cheese Incident headlined both nights. They had a stacked lineup, both nights with Umphrey's McGee, Keller Williams, Michael Franti and Spearhead, Yonder Mountain String Band. That two day event was a major turning point for me. I went from liking alternative music, hip-hop, and rap music to this hippy jam-band happy go lucky scene that I had never imagined participating in but it opened my eyes. It turned my brain around and made me want to explore that more.
Great. So we were talking earlier, and I found it interesting, somehow it came up in conversation that you went to an atypical school and it really impacted your life or trajectory. If you could go into that a little bit and talk about why the change of school was such an impactful event for you. And how old were you roughly or what grade?
So, I left traditional school in 6th grade… Actually ya I think it was 6th grade. It was the transition from 5th to 6th grade. I was going to Green Mountain Elementary School. I had transferred over to Jefferson County Open School, which is an alternative school in Lakewood Colorado, that my sister had been going to because she was a “Problem Child”. These schools were meant for kids who weren't excelling in traditional schools. It kind of helped them find more meaning in their life and pave their road for the future. Which was huge for me. This school, they made you create your own curriculum. So you did six passages; Adventure, Global Awareness, Creativity and so on and so forth. Each one was a different challenge for you to research and make a paper and do hands on work. For instance, my creativity passage was making an album.
That’s Awesome
My plan was to make a full album and I only got to three tracks. Just doing multi-track recording. It was a huge learning experience for me because I learned that recording doesn't come easy. You can't just knock something out, just like that. It takes time. It takes so much time. Yeah, it takes so much time. It really opened my eyes to what the world of music had in front of me for the rest of my life. For my adventure passage, I became a vegetarian, for two months. I learned a lot about the facts about meat and healthy living. And how it made me feel. I got a little irritable.
With meat or without it?
Without it. I made me kind of learn that I do like meat. I like it in my life but I am still open to trying it out…
That’s great that you are open-minded enough to totally radically change your diet.
Ya, it was a great experience for me.
And that was part of your school! That is so interesting... Coming from a western mind, an American Mind, thinking about diet in school is very far down the list of topics.
The school was more so getting you ready for the life ahead of you rather than more school if that makes sense. Instead of molding you to get ready for college. They mold you to get ready for the rest of your life. And it changed my life. It made me realize I wanted to be a musician for the rest of my life. If it wasn't for that school and my advisor Daina, I wouldn't be the man I am today. So I am thankful every day that I made that transition.
That is great! Out of curiosity, do you think that this school is great for everybody or is this kinda a creative outlier school that's...
I think the school is good for anyone who applies themself and really uses their tools to take on what you want to do. I think if you are really passionate about something. I think that if you want to get out of the traditional learning situation and focus on your life, I think that’s a good move.
Ok, moving on from that. You collaborate frequently. There are many different vocalists on your tracks. You mentioned Kruza Kid [earlier]. Tell me about collaboration why you choose to do it and if it is important to you, why?
I think the most fun thing about collaborating is that you are not limited to your own ideas. So when I collaborate with someone, it’s fun because you can take a pallet that someone else laid out and manipulate it. You kinda already have something to work with. When you are doing something by yourself you have to start from scratch. It's all you. You are kinda limited to that. When you are working with someone else it sparks off so many more light bulbs. It makes you… It brings more influence to the table. For instance, when I collaborate for Unlimited Gravity, we feed off each other. We bounce back and forth. We do what we call the “Hot Seat”, and that's when we are in the mode, and one of us is going to be producing and the other one will be kinda chillin in the background. When we are the one producing we call it the “hot seat”. We just go until we feel that we did something substantial then we switch it out. You know, we eventually we come up with this orchestration of sound that we would have never been able to accomplish on our own. That's the beautiful thing about collaboration, is that you can use both minds to create something bigger.
That’s great! You said a lot of awesome points that I hope young musicians hear and really take to heart. As you said, when you are working with yourself, you are limited to yourself. And you've got to recognize that you everyone is finite and we are all limited. I love the “hot seat” idea. Both the fact that when you are feeling the flow you have got to be in the driver’s seat, in the control center, in the cockpit, or behind the mixer, but at the same time you have got to yield way to the other, for their turn in the hot seat and kinda sit back and listen.
Yah
Sometimes you have got to let… I assume you guys are working with loops and you have got to let the sound kind of soak in.
Exactly
And eventually, maybe an idea comes out. From not the hot seat but the dude chillin in the back who has been there with his eyes closed.
Exactly. There are two important roles for sure. It’s fun to sit back and listen to what you have been working on and listen to what they are working on.
Truth. Because one person is actively trying to slay the dragon and the other person is just kinda being more passive and being more reflective.
Yah. I like that. I like that. Yah, that is definitely the approach for sure.
But I think it actually takes a lot of discipline to sit back and let someone else do some work.
That's true too. But you would be surprised at how anxious we can get too.
Yah, sometimes you have to speak up.
Haha, sometimes we are like you've got to let me in there [the hot seat], I've got this idea. Like I said collaboration is like another level of creation.
Tell me about your album.
I am working on a full-length concept album called “Sync About It”. This is kind of my baby right now. This is what I have been working towards and putting all my energy towards right now. Did you want to talk about “all we dream”?
No, let’s talk about your new album.
So this new album is called “Sync About It”. It is a full-length concept album which means that it flows from beginning to end and there are no breaks in the tacks.
So it is meant to be listened to in order?
Correct. So it is just one long story. I have always wanted to create something like this ever since I was a kid listening to Pink Floyd albums and stuff. So this is a really important project for me. This is actually breaking me outside of my comfort zone. When I was a kid and I was in and out of bands playing guitar and singing, I did a lot of singing and I did a lot of writing. I wanted to get back to that. I am not the greatest singer in the world but I like to sing. I did a little singing on this album and I did a lot of guitar work. I wanted it to be something that lasts forever. The Idea behind this is to make something that has substance and holds true for generations to come. I just want something that’s going to stick around. That people will be listening for a long time.
Are you collaborating with other artists on this album?
Ah, I do have Kruza Kid featured on a track.
Is it fair to say that this album is, in a way, a different path than your others in the sense that you are getting back to your singing and writing?
In a way, yes, but it also stays pretty true to the traditional Project Aspect sound. I don't want to do something completely different that it is unrecognizable. I just want to expand on what I have already got. So it is more complex I would say. It just has more substance to it. I want to branch out my sound. I don't want to limit myself to just making dubstep, or bass music, or electronic music. I want it to be real music that anyone could listen to. So I would like to head in that direction. But I'll never stop making heavy bass music because I love playing that at shows. It is always be something that is important to me. So I just wanted to branch out on this album and kinda create something that has a lot to it and I would like to reach different demographics.
So it is going to be a wide-ranging album?
Yah, definitely, There are going to be some rock-n-roll inspired tracks in there. And I do a lot of intricate guitar soloing and harmonizing my guitar. You will find some hip-hop sounding tracks like the one that Kruza Kid is featured on. There are ones that follow the traditional Project Aspect sound that I have always stapled into my music. I am always going to love to make the glitch-hop kind of grimy bass music. So there will always be parts of that scattered throughout the whole record. I am excited for it man. This is something that I have been working on for almost two years. I haven't released a full-length album since 2016. So this is a big one for me and I hope it breaks some barriers.
Ya, I believe it will. I'm excited to hear it and we are all going to have to stay tuned. Where will the new album be released, just for our listeners? Where can they find it when it comes out?
You know we are still in the early stages of it. I have a lot of promo work that I am trying to work on. But I am shooting for the end of spring.
Ok. When it comes out… ProjectAspectMusic.com?
We are also working on launching the Project Aspect website. So stay tuned for that. So it is going to be a process of things leading up to the album. First, we are going to launch the website. Then we are going to launch the videos for the singles. Then the album is going to drop. Then we are going to do a whole album release party in Denver. So it will be one thing after another leading up to the album.
Nice, that is a good campaign. So some of the people listening [to this podcast episode] will likely be listening in years to come. So in a way, we will be in the past when they are listening. Am I correct with the URL ProjectAspectMusic.com?
Right, ya.
Ok I just wanted to make sure because when it is launched, someone will be new to it and it will be already out there.
That will 90% likely be the URL.
When you decide to market your music... First of all, how do you balance your time between creating new music, performing your creations, and at the same time hustling, for lack of a better term. You have got to get the next venue to call you, you have got to get on the next bill, you have got to collaborate with these artists… not only that but you have got to launch your website, you have got to get your music videos, you have got to get your apparel. So how do you balance those demands and do you have a team working with you?
Um, really it is just deciding what to do next. It is just one day at a time. We try to not look too far into the future because you only know what is going to happen today. So we are steadily game planning, me and my manager Chris Bockman(spelling?) and Ronny, Unlimited Gravity. We are really just scheming towards what we are going to do next. We are going to be releasing a new Unlimited Aspect album “Bass Ass Volume II” which will be coming out in the next few months. So that will be the beginning of that route because me and Ronny love making music together and doing the Unlimited Aspect thing. So we want to do that as much as possible. But as far as finding balance, man, its like I said. It is just taking on one thing at a time and not overwhelming yourself. We do everything in-house, we are not working with an agency right now. We are doing everything ourselves. It makes it that much harder but at the same time, the reward is that much sweeter. We are trying to organically create this snowball, this tidal wave that is going to eventually crash, and its going reach everybody. It's going to be something special, man, because we are working on something unique. It's going to be something that I hope people are going to be behind for a long time.
When you release an album, let’s say you and Ronny are making a collaboration… Do you then finalize it, stamp it, bounce it and you are done or do you send it to a mixing / mastering engineer? Can you walk me through the workflow after you have produced a song?
So when me and Ronny produce solo tracks we usually do our own mastering. It is kind of an unorthodox method we just use plugins and do it our way. Sometimes we send it to into mastering. Sometimes we create mixdowns that are at a lower volume and send them to someone to master. But for the Unlimited Aspect album, this was kind of a unique situation because we tracked drums for this album because Unlimited Aspect has become a live band. So our drummer Steven Kuzma is going to be featured on the entire album. So that was another challenge because we had to track all the drums. And our engineer who ended up moving away and we were not able to finish it with him. So we kinda had to take it on with what he had and finish it ourselves. So that is where we are at right now. Just kinda putting on the final touches to it and finishing it ourselves. We like to do a lot of it hands on. It is not the most professional method but it sounds good in my opinion. We like to have it completely our own.
And you get the final say. You get control over it. No one is going to send it in a different direction that you didn't foresee.
Ya. I have sent my own masters to some pretty good labels and they have accepted it, which felt pretty good. So I think we are on a good track.
So if you don't mind, can we jump into some the equipment that you use, either on stage or in the studio. What types of software, plugins, mics, guitar, whatever you want…
I produce in Ableton. We perform all original tracks. So I break down all of my songs into stems. That’s like pieces of the song that I play simultaneously. So I can affect every piece differently. So we have highs, bass, drums, vocals. So we play all of that simultaneously and we use APC 40’s by Akai. When we are using the APC 40’s we can literally manipulate pieces of the song and mix in different pieces of the song. We can jam out and toggle back and forth with anything we make. All the songs that we make are split up so that we can do this crazy interactive hands-on DJ technique that not a lot of people do. I think that it is really unique. A lot of people use stems but the way we use it is unmatchable in my opinion.
You are talking about the live performance, right?
Ya
So if I am not mistaken, we are talking about a beat pad that has translucent buttons.
Ya, its a midi controller.
And that hooks up into Ableton.
Correct
So you are slicing and dicing your song on the fly.
Right. We produce them. We export them all into pieces [stems] and we put them all into the live set and we put it all into the live set and we slice and dice on the fly… correct.
Beyond the computer and how you are interacting with your tracks [APC40], I have seen you perform and you frequently have a guitar and everybody has an instrument on stage with you.
Ya
How are you mixing that in? And tell me about what instruments you play and what is on stage.
Like I said. I started out playing the guitar when I was a kid. Then I went into the producing game and I kind of put down the guitar for a while, for about three years. Eventually, I realized I wanted to bring it all back into the music. And have it all together, the electronic and the analog. So for the past three or four years, I have really been hitting the guitar hard. Bringing it back into the live sets and recordings. So when I do the live set guitar, I do live looping. So I have the guitar plugged into another computer, which is also on Ableton, and I sync the two computers together via ethernet. That enables the second computer to slave to the first computer so I can quantize and loop my guitar on another controller. I can manipulate the guitar record on the fly [live] with the controller. So that’s been a really fun adventure to bring that in and also have it be part of the live set. Where I can still manipulate it like the other tracks. It can be all like one huge live workstation. It is really fun. It is fun to improvise and bring it in now and again and just rock out. For Unlimited Aspect, I play guitar, Ronny plays keys, and we have our drummer Steven Kuzma, and Ronny does live looping with the keys too. Eventually, he is going to bring his vocals again. Which we were doing for a while. He was doing live vocals and looping live vocals. He is working on a new album as well, which is showcasing his vocals because he was in choir pretty much his whole life. So he wants to go back to his roots and showcase that. So I imagine as we start doing more Unlimited Aspect shows he will start singing too. So that is exciting. Sometimes we bring up a saxophone. Sometimes we have other sit-ins. I dabble with pretty much any instrument, except for brass. I have never really messed with Brass. Anything I touch I can play a little bit. Not great but I can dabble.
Enough to be quantized, spliced, and put into place.
Ya, the guitar is the main instrument that I feel like I can handle.
I appreciate you revealing how you have two computers running and one is a slave to the other
Ya, I feel like people don't get to know that or see that during the live set.
As an audience member, I am always thinking how are they doing this!? Trying to decode what is going on onstage. As a sound engineer, myself, I am always thinking about monitor mixes and I see people with in-ear monitors and someone has a click track somewhere. It is a complex signal path. So I appreciate you demystifying what is going on on stage.
Ya it’s a pleasure for sure.
It is certainly interesting and I think it will help people get to the next level. A few more questions… One regarding your music and distribution. Your music is out there. I can stream you on Spotify, on Apple Music… I can find you on SoundCloud. You are doing a great job getting your music out there. So first of all, how did you decide where to put your music and how to get it there?
Oh, man that is a really good question. Basically, with music that I have come to the conclusion of, you just have got to get it out there, regardless of how you do it. Whether you are pedaling burnt CDs or putting it on SoundCloud, or you are doing a professional label release. In the grand scheme of things, it really doesn't matter because it is going to be out there and word of mouth is going to circulate. That is what I am coming to the conclusion of… If I have music to release I need to get it out there regardless of how it happens. One of the first Sonic Blooms that I attended… Shout out Sonic Bloom by the way. That is my hometown festy right there. I burnt a bunch of CDs. Me and my homie Ronny actually, Unlimited Gravity. We burnt a bunch of CDs and handed them out to people. And to this day people will come up to me, and that was about 8 years ago, and say “hey, I've still got that CD you gave to me at Sonic Bloom”. That is crazy to me because that was such early on music that we made.
And you were there as a fan. An attendee, non-performer.
Correct
So you really just showed up to where the music is and hustled your music. And give it a few years...
It was the dopest campaign too! We would be like “do you guys like free music?” People would be like “ya”. Ok, “Here, take this”. It was easy to get into people’s hands. I might start doing that again, you never know.
What is amazing to me is that a few years later, a few cycles around the sun, you are playing at Sonic Bloom. That’s awesome.
Ya. It really came full circle with that one.
That is interesting and I appreciate you sharing the hustle. You have got to be Guerilla Marketing…
That’s true man. You have just gotta think outside the box. I mean people have been hustling CDs out of their trunks forever. When you are giving out free music it is kinda hard to say “no”, you know? That was definitely the early hustle.
Ok, a few more quick ones [questions]... First of all, describe your music in one sentence… or a word. A rough sentence, it could flow into a few.
All original, high energy, high octane, electronic bass music with guitar.
Booya! This one is kinda far out, big, philosophical question. I went to school for Philosophy so you have got to forgive me. But… What is music?
Music is what feelings sound like.
Very nice.
It is the best I could come up with right now.
That's great. Do you have any odd or interesting pre-performance rituals before you get out on stage?
We like to get down on the spliff game, me and my bro Cam. I love smoking spliffs so that's always been something I like to do before a show. Other than that, man… I get anxious before shows honestly.
Is it just nerves coming up?
It is nerves but also just wanting to get up there. And being backstage and having to wait to go on. It’s something that I have always… Not an issue with… but it always kinda happens, regardless of the situation. I am excited. I want to get up there. I want to play. I don't want to hang around and talk about nothing. I want to do my thing. But I love connecting with the people. That is one of the biggest parts of this scene is the people. It’s all about making those connections. So that is a big part of the pre-ritual is having your family there. Having your friends come backstage and hang out and just kick it. That really calms the nerves for me too. Just hanging out with the homies too is a big thing.
What advice would you give to a musician starting out today?
Go with your heart. Make music that you want to hear. Make music that makes you feel things inside. Don't do it for somebody else, do it for yourself.
Moving towards the end. Some label questions if you don't mind?
Sure
You are on 1320 Records, GruntWorthy Music, and Adapted Records. Can you tell me about how you made those connections and how you got signed to a record label? There are lots of aspiring artists out there who think that “I just need a record label and the doors would open for me”. I just want to hear your experience with the different record labels that you have worked with and why you chose to collaborate with them.
As I mentioned before, It is not a huge impactful thing regardless of how you release your music. But it is an honor and always a privilege to release your music under an established record label. It is just another form of collaborating. As I also mentioned before, collaboration is one of the most beautiful creations we have. It's fun to work with other people on your music and work on distributing it and getting it out there. 1320 was a huge one for me because it's Sound Tribe’s record label. Sound Tribe was a huge early influence for me. They were the first band I saw using Ableton. That was before I even knew what Ableton was. They made me research what Ableton was. Eventuall,y I got signed to their label and I got to open for them. That was another full circle thing. Shout out Sound Tribe for everything they have done for me. 1320 Records was a huge step for me. It was cool just to be under… not only under such a huge touring act and someone that I looked up to but also being alongside of other people who have released music under that label. That is another cool thing. When you release music under different labels you are alongside all these amazing artists. There are so many artists out there, and most of them I have never even heard of but they make the dopest music. It's an honor to be alongside people with similar interests. The Adapted thing was cool because it is an Australian label. It was cool to get my music internationally released. That was kind of the fun part about that. Like I said, it is just fun to work with other people.
So how did you get to Australia?
Man, we just submitted it and they liked it and they released it.
Walk through a young artist… What do you mean you submitted it? You found something on their website and obviously you had some tracks that were fire and ready to be released.
Ya, so most record labels have a demo submission page on their website. If you make music you can always send it to labels it's not an issue. Whether or not they will listen to it or like it, that’s up in the air. But must labels have a demo submission page. Even the biggest record labels in the world have mailing addresses that you can send it to. Ya, it’s just submitting your demo and hoping that the right person hears it and likes it. It helps having word of mouth and having friends on the inside too who have worked with the record label also. That is a slightly more helpful way but if you have the right music and you submit it, there is no reason that it won't be picked up.
But you chose them out of a group. There are thousands of record labels. I would imagine that you targeted some and I guess that you did not send your record out to every label. So how do you choose and what do you look for when you are working with a label?
Just look for professionalism. That is the one thing that you try to find in anyone that you work with in the Music Industry. Just professionalism because there are a lot of shady people out there and it is important to find people who are doing it for the right reasons. People who are in it for the music and willing to work to help you get your brand out there. Being on top of dates and royalty checks. Just being communicative. Communication between the artist and the label is really important.
Reflecting back on your younger self… What would you tell yourself then that you know now?
Get ready for a hell of a ride buddy! You are about to meet a lot of people and see a lot of things. I don't know, man. I think that I was prepared for what I am doing today. I think that the school that I went to and my dad and going to shows has molded me into the person I am today. I think I knew what I was in for but not quite the fashion that it’s in right now. So I think I would just tell myself to “get ready for a good ride”.
Well Jay, aka Project Aspect, thank you so much for being on the show! Is there any last parting words of wisdom that you would like to share and or links / plugs for your upcoming album or social handles that you would like to share.
Ya, keep on touch on the Facebook man. Facebook and the Instagram are the number one resources to find what I am doing next. So Facebook.com/ProjectAspect Facebook.com/ProJectAspect Like I said, I will be launching my website soon so keep an eye out for that, along with starting my promotion for my new album. Keep an eye out for the new music videos coming in the next few months. Just keep in touch and don't be afraid to reach out. I love to connect.
And Fans can learn of your new tour dates and upcoming shows on your facebook page?
Yes.
Great. Well thank you so much for coming on the FreioMusic Podcast.
Thanks Mike, Much Love!
Other Podcast Episodes
Sonic Bloom 2016
Sonic Bloom 2016 has a stacked lineup producing incredible performances too numerous to describe here. It is safe to say, “SonicBloom has become one of the best electronic music festivals in North America!” It is worth noting the international talent attracted to the base of the Colorado Rockies to share their vision, talent and art. To see the full lineup click here.
The mindfulness and vision to attract the top talent from across the globe, must be recognized and commended. The three official stages vibrated with historic house music. This festival is the nexus of the Colorado electronic music scene. The location is perched atop a beautiful space of land with the foothills of the Rockies to the west and windmill filled fields that go on to meet the eastern horizon. The festival has succeeded at curating a fertile ground for the world-wide cutting edge of musical maneuvering.
The sound systems are tuned to the valley and can bump through the entire festival grounds. The security is appropriately staffed and energetically aligned. The friendly faces can be found throughout the campgrounds, stages, in swinging hammocks, in high fiveing security guards, or the dancing chefs who happily serve nourishing food at reasonable prices. The ice, in high demand in the hot sun is the only noticeably overpriced product at $1/lb. The showers run at full capacity as people line up for their chance to clean off that layer of accumulated dust and dirt that is kicked up from all of the movement. The sunny and beautiful weather also brings with it the dryness enabling the dirt to turn to dust. The wind is welcome and the stream is an oasis for people looking to take a dip and cool off.
The unofficial or ‘renegade’ stages include tipis and camp sites stacked with speakers and subs. The colorful crowd and the apex of art have arrived to create an immersive experience that people are willing to dedicate four days to. Some of the crowd has traveled from across the continent to enjoy the this dreamed up reality.
This festival has become a small close nit group of people who are looking out for one another to form a utopic village for just under a week. The production continues after the last set as everything needs to return to its original order; stages must come down, lasers, lights, projectors, sound & lighting boards, 1,000’s of yards of electric wiring, speakers, microphones, instruments, and framework to name a few. The thankless work of setting up all of the stages and hauling in the gear was executed with time to spare and enough technology to entertain even the most avid of festival goers.
People in their ‘A-Game’ costumes come energetically into the festival entrance in groups. Everyone has made 10+ new friends and friendly neighbors. The exchange of ideas, paints, music and visual art permeate the mind of every attendee. One cannot help but be inspired by something of unique beauty.
Day in the Life; at Sonic Bloom:
Winds whip down the hills and across the plains. Dust moves in a hurried Eastwood direction. Every walk of electronic culture strolls through the grounds interacting with experiences, sonic vibrations and frequencies across the perceptible spectrum. Cars have been rolling in for over 12 hours at a steady pace filling up the campgrounds. The lucky and wise are nestled among the 6′ shrubbery whose neighbors are bushes and trees. My neighbors on the other hand-made the pilgrimage to SonicBloom from Louisiana. A tightly packed vehicle of four young energetic and enthusiastic beautiful artistic human beings. As a group, it does not seem possible to gather so many like-minded humans in a place to enjoy and thrive in a collaborative environment.
Friendly staff greet the goers. The hippy chicks and the electric glowers.
From the lighting to the sound, from the stages to the camp ground, there are smiles to go around. With the hammocks from Yammocks, and the beats from the peeps the festi is full of fun-loving music geeks.
Three stages of stacked sets featuring some of the top electronic acts from around the world. American electronic music lovers treat this event as an annual pilgrimage to discover and reunite with the music, people and source of creative energy that is the foundation of a festival. Creativity flows from the ornately decorated stages and sublimely composed tracks that suddenly take hold of the listeners and create a simultaneous bodily expression of enjoyment including but not limited to twerking, spinning, jumping, dropping, exploding or floating.
The breeze kicked up into a howl for Nightmares on Wax’s last song featuring one of the most recognizable guitar riffs around. The high energy Bonobo set was filled with masterfully woven bass lines pulsing through the night. The crowd can be heard cheering for miles.
The late night stages rage like there is no finality to human diurnality. The artists continue to stoke the flaming crowd into the next adventure and from one set to the next. The solitude of night embraced with the warmth of bass and faces.With the evolution of the performances, the pulse of the festival was amplified and magnified by the exemplified beat technique. The audible entertainment abruptly ended, with a slow retreating high pass filter that faded out for 15 min or more notifying the audience that the silent disco was starting. With headphones on, the party rolls on…
The nexus of Colorado electronic music counter-culture is here; at Sonic Bloom, on the beautiful property at Humming Bird Ranch.
Arise Music Festival
For its third year in a row, Arise Festival has united music lovers of all genres bringing an eclectic diversity of musical talent over the three day weekend in Loveland, Colorado.
It wasn’t just the quality performances across four stages that drew the crowd of over 5000 lovely people to the secret valley. It was the yoga, films, workshops, dialogues, live performances, and art that were enough to keep everybody smiling through the 90° days of Colorado sunshine. The week before the festival even began, the Permaculture Action Course brought people together for permaculture education and community building with a focus on catalyzing social transformation. The Polish Ambassador held his touring Permaculture Action Day at the venue with volunteers to actively regenerate biodiversity and natural resources. The family-friendly venue spanned over 100 acres surrounded by colorful mountains and festival-goers were treated with perfect weather and vibrantly stunning sunsets throughout the entire weekend.
At the elevation of 5394 ft. the thin air complemented crisp music of four music stages. The Eagle Stage hosted the largest of acts, sitting in a bowl and providing perfect views of the stage and down a valley of red-toned rocky mountains. Immediately next to that, was the Phoenix Stage which provided alternation in music to virtually never stop between the two stages. On the other end of the venue, the Area 51 Stage presented by TheUntz was dedicated to electronic music with 3D projection mapping, premium sound, and brought the dance party all day lasting through the night. The StarWater People’s Stage provided a constant array of music showcasing local talent that will surely become the next big names in Colorado. A stage dedicated to yoga in the Yoga Zone, rested on a hill above the festival grounds where people could embody their energies with leaders from all over the globe. During the hot days, the air-conditioned Big Sunrise Dome held films, intimate music and storytelling, and presentations.
This year, Arise continued to focus on uniting conscious music that aligns with the theme of conscious action, ecological activism, and social justice. Special guests were prevalent in nearly every act. In between promoting environmental awareness and expanding the gardens of Sunrise Ranch, The Polish Ambassador brought the largest crowd of the weekend with his funky smooth music that left attendees on an uplifted note for the rest of the weekend. Brooklyn based Turkuaz had the surprising highlight of the weekend blasting a mesmerizing set full of their unique take on funk with their powerhouse horn section and they’re beautiful singers. Earlier in the day, The ReMINDers raised faith in hip hop with Big Samir’s smooth flow complimented by Aja Black’s amazing voice. Not only did they rock the main stage, but the following day, they took over the Children’s Village playing a low key show for the kids and parents. Instruments were passed out among the children while other kids played on the hand built drums around the stage to join them in making music. Other musically talented people joined in to play saxophone and acoustic guitar; then kids danced on stage and even sang along side The ReMINDers. It was very heart warming to see a main stage act get intimate and spread smiles across all ages as they joined in on the music.
Saturday had a jam-packed musical lineup between the adjacent Eagle and Phoenix stages, allowing fans to never have to leave their spot. The non-stop music went from Nederland’s The Magic Beans, to the many musical styles of Ozomatli, to reggae’s finest Giant Panda Guerilla Dub Squad, to the rocking Joe Russo’s Almost Dead, then chilling out with Wildlight, ending with the soothing beats of The Human Experience. Joe Russo’s Almost Dead, formed by drummer Joe Russo from Furthur, brought many dedicated fans out to Loveland that night. With their rockin’ take on Grateful Dead songs, JRAD performed a highly energetic show that left the crowd wanting more. Those who missed them, should be sure to catch them in their next show. If it was possible to leave the continuous music at all, the Area 51 stage was packed with endless fun as well. The jamtronica trio hailing from Fort Collins, Skydyed fused electronic feels with funk, rock, and bass. Tnertle brought the Denver electro-funk before Defunk gave everybody a taste of his electro-soul beats.
The final day wound down with peaceful music across all stages leaving fans happily content before they head back to all over the country. Boulder reggae band Intuit brought their local captivating music to the Starwater People’s Stage. After playing to a sold out crowd at Red Rocks Amphitheater last week with Dirtyheads and Slightly Stoopid, Stick Figure continued the reggae vibes and graced us with their uplifting music. The large band Edward Sharpe and The Magnetic Zeros played a very enlightening show with lead singer Alex Ebert taking the time to preach love across the crowd. One of Colorado’s favorites, Mikey Thunder brought his fun-packed party to the Area 51 Stage before saQi performed his set full of mystic music sometimes backed by his soothing trumpet. Closing out the festival, Trevor Hall played his acoustic reggae to the loving crowd, bringing special guest singers and even a golden retriever to keep the feelings of peace spread throughout.
Overall, everything at the hybrid festival was incomparably flawless. Our journey, from beginning to end, was amazing in every way. Entering the venue with our cars was seamless, the festival grounds were immaculately clean, food vendors showed off their tastiest foods, and every single staff member and volunteer was genuinely helpful and kind. But it was the perfect camping, mind-opening workshops, earthbound yoga, and star-studded lineup over a weekend of beautiful weather that was one to never forget as we look forward to the next time we can all come together to experience what Arise has to offer.
:: A FreioMusic collaboration with Julien Deroeux & Duncan Lowder ::