It was a Tuesday. And as such, I was grinding through a spirit crushing morning of sales calls and corporate email, when I got a text from a friend that offered a chance to break the mold of my boiler plate weeks, which consist of the following: wake up, grind my face to dust against the LED glow of my dual desktop monitors, work out, eat, work some more, sleep, and, eventually, revel in the laziness and lechery of a burger with a side of Friday night television on the couch.
But June 8 was not another Friday to forget, as my new acquaintance, Mitch Kline of this very blog, had a media pass and plus one to a show at Red Rocks featuring space funk groove lords Lettuce, and the intergalactic genre busting Floozies.
Were these my bands? Nope. Did I want to catch some rays, have my eardrums rumbled, get my ass shaken, and check them out anyway? You’re fuckin a right.
June 8 finally rolled around and it was an unseasonably scorching early summer day. As I waited in line to (hopefully) grab my media pass and tickets at the box office. By the grace of Funk Jesus, my media pass and tickets were waiting at the box office, along with a gaggle of slow-moving, but spritely fans of the dreadlock and tie-die variety. Yes. The hooting, yewing, and hollering had already begun and the sun was nigh 35 degrees above zero.
When I finally strolled into the venue after a cold bevvy in the parking lot, the Jaw Gems of Portland – Maine, not Oregon – were wailing on their last song of the set, a loose, synthesizer drizzled jam.
Following the openers, The Funk Hunters, Funk Jesus worshippers from the great white north, came out with their hip-hop beats reminiscent of Pretty Lights, supplemented with electro glitch and pop savvy. The set amped to another energy level when they brought out guests Leo Napier, and then subsequently a camo-clad Georgia Murray of LIINKS.
Eventually The Floozies emerged on to the stage, their gear platforms forming a three piece trifectorate . From stage right, the trio of backing horn players. Center was a cage of synths and production gear with a guitar-strapped Matt Hill, flanked to his left by drummer Mark Hill (yes, they’re brothers). The mix of funk, electro, dubstep, and electronica kept the asses off their seats long after the sun had set.
Lettuce emerged the reigning champions of the evening. They came out bumping to a god-groove and the night was alit. Their lights and backdrop provided a galaxy of neon strobes and stars boomeranging off the bounce of their cosmic grooves.
Between sets it was prime people watching indeed. Good vibes always abound when people ask – no, beg – to have their picture taken. Did they try and find a way to get the picture? No. They just wanted their picture taken. To be documented in their colorful attire. To revel in the beat and freedom. To breathe the fresh air and to jam among the warm summer air with others, unapologetically happy to be cutting loose.
A welcome reprieve from the corporate bone-hammer monotony, indeed.
All photos by Josef Bachmeier
Lettuce returns to Colorado Nov 10 to perform with the Colorado Symphony at Boettcher Hall in Denver. All of the detail can be found at lettucefunk.com.
The Floozies are at flooziesduo.com.