The first night of my three week trip to Colorado was spent enjoying Dopapod live at the Bluebird Theater in Denver. It was a night full of great vibes and awesome music. The people I met inside and outside the venue were all extremely nice and fun to be around. There were a few times I can recall having my arms around complete stranger’s shoulders while we danced like fools. I believe the same thing would have happened even if it weren’t for the elevation increasing the level of buzzed up this Minnesota native photographer was that evening. Man, I have to remember that a few drinks go a lot further at this altitude.
Words and photography by Tanner Morris.
As I arrived to the venue I could hear the opening band, The Jauntee, rippin it up from outside. Coming out of Boston, this Psychedelic-JazzBluesFunk group was a perfect introduction to a night of good music. Check em out on facebook.
Dopapod:
Taken from Their facebook page:
The Boston born, now generally Northeast based, but ever on-the-go Dopapod has come a long way from their college basement, DIY party roots. While maintaining to be as grassroots as their humble beginnings, the group has earned praise from taste making critics like Huffington Post, Jambase, and Relix, all the while tending to their ever expanding community of devoted listeners. The past 4 years have individually held the weight of about 150 shows, and included numerous festival appearances like Wakarusa, Summer Camp, Electric Forest, Camp Bisco, Peach Fest, & Gathering Of the Vibes. All of this time on stage together has given the band the opportunity to explore the wide variety of influences that has impacted them to be the players they are today. But, don’t be quick to think that the no holds barred openness to experimenting is unguided. While the brush in their hand uses every color, it’s the stroke on the canvas that gives Dopapod a distinct voice in the way of crafty songwriting.
That calculated compositional mindset and restless nature to never sit too still is what has allowed Dopapod to fully realize their fourth studio release, Never Odd Or Even. Guitarist/vocalist Rob Compa giddily tells, “We really felt that the material this time around represented a big leap forward, not just in the way we’ve been interacting as a band, but in the way our focus has become sharper in paying attention to things like melody, theme, lyrical imagery, and structure - all the elements that make a great song.”
Determined to have that maturity translate in the studio, the band enlisted friend and producer Jason “Jocko” Randall to both engineer and produce the record. Keys/vocalist Eli Winderman couldn’t be happier about how things went. “We lived at his studio for about a month for these sessions and it just clicked right away. Jocko immediately became that 5th member of band in many ways. With his attitude and approach to the recording process, we were able to really dial in the sounds we wanted, get those perfect takes we were aiming for, and have a blast the whole way through.”
Dropping on November 11, in the midst of an extensive Fall Tour, Never Odd Or Even is the spark that the band plans to ignite while in full stride of capping off an exciting year and launching them into the next.
Toward the end of their show, Dopapod invited up on to the stage Mike Gantzer, guitarist and vocalist of the band Aqueous, who had a show in Denver the following night.
All in all it was a wonderful night and a great experience. I will definitely be going to another Dopapod show when I get the chance. As should you.
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