Eagle County continues to have a lot of great music tonight as Kinetix plays at Sandbar in Vail and New Mastersounds and Papadosio play in Avon. The New Mastersounds are being supported by famous offspring Salvador Santana.
For band information…
Papadosio
Some music, because of its originality, timelessness, mass appeal, or perhaps because it is just plain odd, will always be destined for the hallowed halls of cult classicism. No band fits this criteria better than Papadosio. In just 4 years Papadosio has wowed crowds from Denver to NYC, Cleveland to Atlanta, shaking the earth at festivals and clubs alike.
Papadosio’s music is all about unexpected combinations. From Rock/House to Jazz/Hop to Dub/Breaks and so on, every song has a unique approach to attaining originality. Long improvisational interludes and vocal harmonies quickly set this group in a new category of mass appeal.
…with an amplified message of transcendence, unity, and universal understanding, Papadosio’s mission is clear: To combine eclectic musical traditions with modern Electronica to stir the heart and fuel the mind.
Kinetix
Party Rock. It’s a self-created genre, not ostentatious but simply a description of what a Kinetix show has come to be.
“Our goal has always been to channel the energy in a room and put on a performance. We want people to forget their problems and let loose. We put on a rock show,” lead guitarist Jordan Linit says.
Kinetix are equal parts pop and rock, like being warmly serenaded but knowing there’s a strong possibility of getting punched in the stomach. They blend pop sensibilities with searing guitar work and a physical, flexible rhythm section to create, well, Party Rock. The music is well composed and full of energy. The result has created a loyal, diverse audience spread throughout cities and towns across the country.
“You’ve got to play a show, first and foremost,” says drummer Jack Gargan. “A sold out venue or an intimate room, the song remains the same, so to speak. It’s all about, what can we do to make sure everyone in that room walks out with a smile?”
And play shows, they have. Culled from a few years, 400 gigs and 40,000 miles of interstate, Kinetix’s music is a direct byproduct of their journey. The packed late-night festival shows have left a deserved mark on the music, but maybe not more so than the smoke-filled rhythm and blues bars at 1:00 am on a Tuesday. They have a sponge-like quality to their development, summarized nicely in a Jambase.com review of their shaking-the-rafters performance at the 10,000 Lakes Festival last summer.
“Kinetix dropped one of the best Saloon Stage sets of the festival…[They successfully] mixed things up between poppy, punky, funky and sometimes in-your-face sounds. With the crowd hopping to originals and covers alike, Kinetix is poised to become a reputable late night attraction on the festival circuit.”
Let it be said, those festival dates have come in handy. Due in large part to those performances, Kinetix has turned friendly hellos into direct support slots for national acts The Flobots, Chali 2na of Jurassic 5, RJD2, Umphrey’s McGee, The Greyboy Allstars, and Particle. In fact, the Flobots were so enamored with Kinetix that Flobots guitarist/producer Andy ROK has signed on to produce the bands’ upcoming album, scheduled for a spring 2010 release.
Though diverse in taste, the band shares an intricate appreciation for music history and theory. In fact, the Kinetix story began in pursuit of advanced degrees at the Lamont School of Music. Having met each other at local shows, Kinetix formed and set their tone.
“The five of us started with different backgrounds. Pop, rock, ballad, hip-hop, and it took a lot of work and a lot of practice to create our sound,” remembers keyboardist/vocalist Eric Blumenfeld.
Of course to the band this birth seems ages ago, if only because they are the type to pursue continual reinvention. For Kinetix, that pursuit is on display nightly. In a few short cycles they have grown from the Denver venue scene to the summer festival circuit to nationwide tours. The music has inspired drive and confidence within the band, and the result sounds an awful lot like Party Rock.
New Mastersounds
Their bio and resume is great, but the only thing that needs to be said about this band is that… As an example of the respect this band commands, Peter Wermelinger - DJ, collector, and author of the crate-diggers’ bible The Funky & Groovy Music Lexicon - places the 2001 NMS track ‘Turn This Thing Around’ in his all-time top-ten tunes, along with the likes of Eddie Harris, Funkadelic, and Herbie Hancock. The New Mastersounds are at the very top of an elite selection of acts that bring the true soul out of funk.
Salvador Santana
With his current solo project, Salvador Santana has truly become a brand of his own.
“With the Salvador Santana Band record I was very passive and insecure, only because I wasn’t listening to my gut, allowing my second opinions to get to me. Knowing what I know now, I could have played that part better. I don’t ever want to have that feeling ever again.”
In addition to his musical desires, Santana has worldly efforts on his mind. After a trip to South Africa and inspiring work with Artists for a New South Africa (ANSA), something triggered inside of Santana to make sure his music wasn’t only about personal glory. Now that the record is out, Salvador will begin touring the project. He has already been posting various non-profit organizations on his website that will receive a percentage of the profits. “I want to use music in a positive way, and give back to people in need. There can never be enough people who do that.” And there can never be enough musicians pushing their art to the brink.
