Live on the Lanes: October Recap
Will Hoge & William Elliot Whitmore at 830 North
Will Hoge and William Elliot Whitmore came through Fort Collins and delivered an unusual yet special show on the lanes at 830. What made the show so unique was the level of intimacy that isn’t always the experience you get at the Live on the Lanes shows. The venues have a lot going for them between bowling, arcade games, laser tag, etc.., but this also means there is a lot happening all at the same time that can sometimes be distracting. Not a single person that came to the show came with any interest in anything other than to hear these two kind word smiths sing. The room was completely captivated and silent as the crowd mostly inhabited the dance floor, sitting cross-legged, to watch the show. Both of the artists found the situation quite comical, but were also very gratuitous for how engaged their audience was.
Whitmore sang songs of strong convictions that offered a glimpse into a life of trials. He bounced back and forth between a banjo and guitar, though it was his powerful vocals that carried the performance.
Hoge was something of a middle American country singer. Lots of that Nashville old-time flavor, but founded on new progressive ideas that challenge the stereotypes of what being ‘country’ is about.
Thanks to these two amazing and humble musicians for the stories and songs.
- Written by Caleb D’Aleo
Hoverfly at 100 Nickel
The first band of the evening was Curt Claudio. This was a three-piece band consisting of guitar, vocals, bass, and drums. They mostly played Alternative Rock, but included a wide range of influences throughout their set. They would have songs that would start out sounding like a Folk ballad that would turn into Grunge a minute later. The fact that they were able to make these huge shifts so effortlessly was really impressive and engaging.
Next up we had Tonic & Time, a four-piece with two guitars, bass, vocals, and drums. Also, the majority of the band was female, which is always awesome to see. They opened up with a really cool Rock cover of Jolene by Dolly Parton. I always love hearing a song covered in a totally different genre than its original. Their whole set was super fun and high energy, and included a lot of never before heard music that they had just written while on a hiatus for the Summer. The best part of the night was when they brought up a little girl from the audience for their last song, and had her participate in some of their songs.
The headlining band was Hoverfly, who were returning for a third time and featured guitar, bass, vocals, and drums. They ended the night off strong with a super high energy set. Their sound was definitely more Pop-Rock than the other bands, but still maintained the same crowd engagement that the previous two bands did. They also brought their own projector and had some really cool visuals playing behind them that synced up to the beat and lyrics.
- Written by Ben Jabolinski
Tonewood and Brandywine & The Mighty Fine at 100 Nickel
Brandy Wine & The Mighty Fine started the night off with great energy. They all came dressed up in their best costumes for this Halloween show and the crowd loved it. They are a 5 piece jam band with a violin, 2 guitars, a mandolin, and a bass. They are female-fronted and she leads the show with an upbeat energy. They were a great way to ease into the night and get excited about hearing some jams. Tonewood is another 5 piece jam band. They have a standup bass, drum box, guitar, banjo, and fiddle. They brought great energy and all dressed up in really fun costumes. Everyone in the crowd had fun jamming along with them. If you missed these two bands hopefully you can see them some other time – they’re great!
- Written by Saige Dean
Workingman’s Wednesdays at 100 Nickel
The band playing tonight was Grateful Dead cover band Seeing Stars. They play a free show every month as a part of the Workingman Wednesdays event. They played two separate hour-long sets throughout the evening. They came on stage leaning into the honky tonk side of Grateful Dead. Their steel pedal player added some twang to the evening. They did a lot of their typical jamming, with audiences vibing along in the background. The band shouted out bowlers as they played, and gave shoutouts to their friends who came. Overall it was a fun night, we can’t wait until next month!
- Written by Annalee Knies
Blast N Bowl at 2454 West
This show was a Wednesday night performance presented by Blast ‘N Scrap. The heavy, punk-fueled concert began with a performance from Nagant, a noisy grindcore band whose crunchy guitar riffs and growly, shouted vocals jolted the audience out of their seats and prepared them for the rest of the evening.
Up next was three-piece heavy rock band Mercurial Vengeance, who brought a very DIY, Nirvana-inspired energy, able to create a vibrant atmosphere out of a very simple setup. Their set consisted largely of covers of grunge and punk songs, with a few originals sprinkled in, and set the scene perfectly for the next three-piece band, Dark Forbodings. This group performed another punk-influenced set, with heavily distorted guitars and high-energy drums the made for an exhilarating performance.
Finally, Into the Grey brought the evening to a close. This group full of clearly experienced musicians put on a top-notch demonstration of talent, flawlessly executing their fascinatingly intricate guitar riffs and drum fills. Overall, the night was full of high energy and loud sound that left the whole room astonished.
- Written by Tim Falin
Funk Lab at 2454 West
This show was the long-awaited return of the Funkadelic Laboratorium to the 2454 West stage. After taking a break for the summer, the UNC Funk Lab came back as electric as ever, in the first of this school year’s monthly performances. Opening the evening was groovy trio Dr. Lunch, who performed a selection of covers from R&B/Funk artists both old and new. The perfect compliment to the more grandiose Funk Lab, this trio played a very mellow, instrumental set that set the mood for the rest of the night.
The second half of the night was a musical journey through the 70’s, with the Funk Lab covering artists like Al Green and Aretha Franklin. This performance may have marked the debut of a new lineup for the group, but the 12-peice band still sounds as locked-in as ever, with each section playing off each other perfectly to create one seamless collective. Each song captured the attention of the audience even more than the one before it and by the end of the night, the whole alley was dancing along to the groove. Overall, this performance was a triumphant return and built plenty of excitement for the group’s next performance in November.
- Written by Tim Falin
Comments are closed.