Words & Photos By J-man
My day started off with a video shoot at a restaurant in downtown Denver with my associate on an upcoming project, Tim Carbone. We enjoyed lunch as well a unique experience filming the pilot episode of our new series. While talking over lunch and a beer, Tim informed me that he would be playing at The Aggie Theater in Fort Collins with Whitewater Ramble with special guest Steve Molitz. With an offer from Tim for guestlisting, I consulted my schedule and made the decision to round up the troops and head to Fort Collins.
We made some Jerry tea for the road and made the hour and a half trek to Fort Collins, arriving at The Aggie to a less than expected turn out. Entering the venue, I was surprised at how few folks had turned out for the early portion of the show. That being said, it was early, and the demographic for this type of music/event is pretty wooked out.
The folks that were already in attendance we getting down without reservation, and absolutely loving what Whitewater Ramble was laying out for them. Tim Carbone joined Whitewater Ramble on electric guitar for several songs, mainly focusing on rhythm and limited melody. Though a few times Tim stepped up and took over, smiling as he displayed his lead ability.
After a few songs the band welcome Steve Molitz of Particle to the stage. Ultimately this is what sucked me into the show. I had to see Steve guesting with a string band. The mere thought of his space meshing with psychedelic string music had me intrigued. The fit was as close to musical perfection as possible. Whitewater alone creates such a full powerful sound, but add Steve Molitz and Tim Carbone and you've open the door to almost endless possibilities.
Tim Carbone's ability on fiddle is among the top on the scene. With a look of effortless enthusiasm, Tim explores the fiddle, consistently outputting brilliant overall tone quality. His timing and ability to read the jam/direction reflect the experience and knowledge of a virtuoso. His presence was very welcomed.
The second set came to a close. As it did, I approached the stage to pursue an interview with Steve. This interview would be unique as it was pretty on the spot, and I knew I would have to get creative without an assistant or camera person. I thought, if worse came worse Tim could film it.
Following the interview, I stepped out of the unbearably hot theater to get some fresh air and to catch up with my friends, who by this time were space-faced and enjoying a wooked out drum circle. After an undetermined amount of time, bass could be heard coming from inside. I looked back at my friends who needed more time to space out, and I headed back inside.
Walking through the threshold of the building it was apparent how many additional heads were now in attendance. Plainly stated, the place was packed and hopping. The band played on as they looked over the crowd, beaming with smiles. It was hard for me to keep my eyes off the crowd as it was exactly what I had expected/hoped for from Colorado. It was a complete wook-out. I couldn't have been happier.
At some point later in the second set I noticed that Tim was off stage. So, I stepped backstage to thank him for guestlisting myself and my friends as well to mention that all of our footage from our shoot earlier in the day came out well. Steve was also backstage and we enjoyed some more shit talking left over from the earlier interview. After a few laughs and some non-sense, I was on my way to catch remainder of the show.
The band closed with raging energy as it had consistently maintained throughout the show. Up and down the music went, peaking out often with massive amounts of energetic climaxing. Whitewater Ramble obviously came to throw down. You don't invite out Steve Molitz and Tim Carbone, to take it easy.
I was extremely impressed with the band, the new tracks, the ability to jam within the psychedelic string realm and the overall show itself. If you're not familiar, I would recommend checking them out. I'm glad that I did.
www.whitewaterramble.com
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