The Oriental Theater
Denver, CO
Words By J-man
Photos By Jedediah Liddell (Lovemore Creations)
Audion By Corey Sandoval (Kind Recordings)
Denver was buzzing on this particular Saturday as The Everyone Orchestra made a stop at The Oriental Theater, just outside of town. The sidewalk out front of the venue was packed with folks socializing and participating in the swing of what felt like a shakedown. Following an intro from Matt Butler explaining the concept of the project, the group launched right into an improvised "composition" that involved the crowd yelling "yes" almost immediately. From left to right the line-up included Jans Ingber (The Motet), Kai Eckhardt (Garaj Mahal), Dave Watts (The Motet), Bill Nershi (The String Cheese Incident), Anders Beck (Greensky Bluegrass) and Tim Carbone (Railroad Earth)! It had a very Colorado vibe from the line-up to the execution. "What do you mean by that?" you might be asking. What I mean is that Colorado has a very high regard for string music, hence the stacked string section as well as the involvement of members of The Motet. The music played out with furious string and funk execution that contributed to one of the most cohesive Everyone Orchestras that I have heard to date.The performance features each member at the top of their game and on their toes as Matt pointed to specific participants and called them out (musically). The pressure of the moment creates a certain spontaneous output that makes even the musician themselves smile as they dive into uncharted territory. The jams climbed, peaked, dropped and fell back into danceable grooves with each member of the group contributing everything from a small lick to all out massive solos that caused the crowd to go wild! As Matt tossed cues out, the band responded, willingly accepting the challenge and further painting the canvas. The intuition of Matt Butler cannot be overstated. For all of these top notch musicians to put themselves out there and to take directions from a conductor speaks loudly to Matt's ability and the respect that he has gained throughout his the span of The Everyone Orchestra's existence. Additionally, the crowd clearly respected Matt, his concept and his choice of musicians for the project as The Oriental was packed!
Everyone Orchestra Live at Oriental Theater on May 18, 2013.
The following day it was announced that The Everyone Orchestra with the addition of guitar wizard, Steve Kimock, would play a free show at Denver's Sculpture Park as a part of the "Summer of Serendipity" concert series. We arrived to find a large crowd of music fans had gathered to celebrate their Sunday with the "Orchestra." Grateful Dead cover band, New Speedway Boogie, performed as the sun beamed down on Denver. Familiar faces danced, hooped and smiled while members of EO wandered through the crowd dodging children being chased by their caring parents. I had the pleasure of speaking with Matt Butler, who was clearly excited about how the weekend was going! I complimented him on the project and the group's output, saying that the previous night was one of the best EO shows that I had seen to date. He smiled and agreed. A few minutes later I was approached by Tim and Anders, who were also excited about the band's Colorado performances. It was great to hear Anders speak excitedly about being put on the spot by Matt and being forced to create without thought. As well, how great it was to travel with Tim and to get to catch up as opposed to seeing each other in passing.
Overall the buzz surrounding The Everyone Orchestra is currently the biggest that I have witnessed. The members involved were having a great time performing and the audiences ate it up, then asked for another serving. And another serving is what they got with Sunday's show going off with incredible energy! What a fantastic way to kick off the "Summer of Serendipity!" Be sure to catch the next phase of the concert series this weekend at Denver's Civic Center Park with Space Lab feat. DJ Logic, Members of Particle, Lotus, The Disco Biscuits & more! Also, catch Matt Butler's next Colorado visit on Saturday June 15th when he returns to MC and create a little magic at LOHI Music Festival! Go see The Everyone Orchestra and support the concept of conducted improvisation!Jedediah's Photo Gallery
www.everyoneorchestra.com
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