The snow was dumping in Boulder on one of the coldest nights of the year as die hards piled into the Fox Theatre to see the Disco Biscuits' side projects: Dr. Fameus and Conspirator. Conspirator consists of Marc Brownstein (Biscuit’s bassist), Aron Magner (Biscuit’s keyboard player), Chris Michetti (RAQ’s guitarist), and a rotating cast of drummers. The band has played six dates in Colorado, and has now completed the last of their first leg of winter tour.
This was an enormous weekend of live music on the Front Range, and there was not a better way to kick it off then seeing this super group. The Disco Biscuits have been dear to me since I was in college in Philadelphia in 1996. Later as I got to know them and saw them more often, I came to understand their talent, influence, and innovation that have led the electronic jam band world for almost two decades.
On the other hand, I was also lucky enough to see RAQ several times as they toured Colorado. The first time I saw them was in Vail where my friends and I were the only ones in the crowd and they rocked so hard anyway. From that day forward, I saw them about twenty times until their eventual break up or hiatus, I hope.
With this history, how could I now be incredibly excited for Conspirator at one of the most famous venues in the country? Dr. Fameus, aka Allen Aucoin, drummer for the Disco Biscuits opened the show with one of the highest energy and talented one man band shows that I have ever seen. Aucoin would give Keller Williams a run for his money for the one man band crown. His speedy hands mixed with the beats that he sets sound like a much larger band. Furthermore, the crowd is so into it. For an opening act with one performer, I have never seen a dance party so engaged in every beat. Aucoin’s dedication to his instrument is unparalleled, and that is why the crowd came on time to see the opener. Towards the end of his set, he played a song called “London Funk,” which left the crowd wanting much more.
That is what they got when Conspirator came on. It is widely known that Marc Brownstein loves Colorado. All of the Biscuits do for that matter. After expressing his affections again and explaining how they killed it in Fort Collins the night before, they came out swinging. The super group started a long first song which had a ton of energy. Michetti was unreal and at times seemed to be Brownstein’s musical soul mate. There were songs that sounded like LCD Soundsystem, and others that reminded me of LMFAO, but one my favorites on the night was “Digital Buddha.” The other major highlight was their song “Velvet Red” with Pink Floyd’s “Another Brick in the Wall” mixed into it.
The second leg of their tour starts later this week with an east coast then west coast run. If you are looking for a dance party with an extreme amount of musical talent, look no further and see these guys. They are innovators of their genre, and I have never heard anyone say that they did not have fun with any of these members on stage.
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