Euforquestra, Mama Magnolia & Whiskey Autumn 2.1.18

The Fox Theatre
Boulder, CO

Words & Photos by Charla Harvey

Thursday night was an absolute treat at the Fox Theatre. Three seriously talented bands graced us with their instruments, their voices, and their souls. Denver-based band Whiskey Autumn kicked off the night. Greg Laut is the lead singer, he plays guitar and keyboard as well. Matty Schelling is the drummer, and Jason Paton plays bass and keyboards. At first, I was disappointed when Jason had his back to the audience for a good portion of the show until I realized he was playing the bass and keyboards simultaneously! Whiskey Autumn had a very calm stage presence. Everyone in the audience was smiling and dancing. One girl in the crowd had a polaroid camera, which seemed to fit the vibe of this indie pop rock band. Whiskey Autumn was appreciative the whole night, thanking the audience between songs. They ended their set covering David Bowie’s “Let’s Dance.” It was definitely a crowd pleaser. The band presented very professionally, as they had their set memorized – no scribbled napkins or floating sheets of paper here! Their set was comprised of seven songs.

Mama Magnolia feels like a family - you can tell they are close. They are also from Denver, and were absolutely magical on this night. Megan Letts (keys and lead vocals) has a voice as gorgeous as she is. She exudes confidence and poise, and her smile is undeniably contagious. Zach Jackson played bass beautifully, and surprised the audience when he started singing towards the end of the show. Jackson Hillmer played drums in the back. He never missed a beat, and he was always smiling. The stunning Carrie McCune played the trumpet and sang with soul. With her singing voice and her smile, she could be an angel. Everyone in this band can sing! Alex Cazet, who also plays in Kessel Run, played saxophone. Thomas Jennings was on guitar. The chemistry between this band is amazing.

Throughout the set, each member took a solo on their respective instruments. The other band members supported them—cheering them on, clapping for them. The band smiled at each other during every song. Amongst the crowd, everyone was transfixed by the synergy of Mama Magnolia. You could hear whispers among the audience talking about Megan’s voice. “I wish I could sing like that,” was heard in the crowd, by the bars, and the bathrooms. They surprised the audience when they brought out Lyle Divinsky from the Motet and Kimberly Dawson from The Pimps of Joytime. There was so much talent on stage. They introduced their two new music videos “Something About Fire” and “Half His Heart.” It’s only a matter of time before the whole country knows about Mama Magnolia, and we get to say we knew them before they got big!

Euforquestra headlined the night. The band is originally from Iowa City, but they are now based in Fort Collins. They are usually a funk, soul, reggae, afrobeat, and dub band, but for the show they became Euf-Zeppelin. They covered Led Zeppelin songs and dressed the part. Austin Zaletel was on saxophone. Jeff Peterson (and his impressive afro) played the drums. Otis Lande, who also plays in Intuit and Jive Tribe, shredded the bass. Matt Wright played the keys and Matt Bricker played the trumpet. Mike Tallman played guitar. Super special guest (who is also Mike’s wife), Kim Dawson, shared her powerful, soulful gift of a voice with us.

Euforquestra proved that they are a multi-talented band. They already sound amazing as their original funky, reggae selves, but they also do Zeppelin justice! According to bass player Otis, Euforquestra has wanted to do Euf-Zeppelin for a long time. They have a history of doing themed Halloween shows such as Talking Heads and Beck. “We were able to have Kim sing for the Halloween shows at The Aggie and Ophelia’s and they were well received. The Fox asked if we’d do another Zep set as a special one off, and we were happy to bring it to Boulder.”

Euf-Zeppelin started out with “The Song Remains the Same” and followed up with the obligatory “Immigrant Song.” The audience was already in high spirits because of Whiskey Autumn and Mama Magnolia, but Euf-Zeppelin playing and singing songs everyone knew just increased the happiness in the room even more. Everyone was singing along, dancing, jumping, head banging. They even brought Megan Letts from Mama Magnolia. Megan Letts and Kim Dawson singing together? That combination should definitely happen more often. Euf-Zeppelin ended the show with “Whole Lotta Love,” a perfect way to end the night.

Charla's Photo Gallery

www.euforquestra.com

www.mamamagnolia.com

www.whiskeyautumn.com

Euforquestra Setlist: The Song Remains the Same, Immigrant Song, The Ocean, Misty Mountain Hop, No Quarter, D’yer Maker > Babe I'm Gonna Leave You, Dazed & Confused, Black Dog > Moby Dick > Rock and Roll, What Is & What Should Never Be, Kashmir

Encore: Whole Lotta Love