Garage A Trois 12.17.11

Cervantes Masterpiece Ballroom
Denver, CO

Words By J-man
Photos By Carly Marthis & J-man
Audio Recorded By Corey Sandoval (Kind Recordings)

These are the shows I live for. Supergroups have come to embody what I love about our scene. In this situation, it came to us in the form of a well rehearsed, well established project. Garage A Trois has been out-putting intense and thrilling music for some time, but very rarely do the stars align for a tour. Realize, all of the members have other projects going on, so to find time that all are available to hit the road is a rare treat. That night in Denver would mark an epic musical experience for those who attended.

Initially I was curious as to how the turn out would be. The musicians are solid and reputable, but was the name "Garage A Trois" recognizable outside of a small group of folks? The answer was yes. With the opening band Zobomaze' hitting the stage to a respectable crowd, I was drawn to Zobomaze's organization and progressions. I recalled them doing a lot of funk when I last saw them, but that night at Cervantes they catered to the crowd and experience.

Patrons danced and moved to the unfolding arrangements of Zobomaze. The music was jazzy, kind of funky, but more than anything it was coherent and impressive. Each member, from the bass player to the drummer to the guitar and sx/keys reflected a poised approach to the music.

It was great to be surrounded by friends dancing and partying, anticipating what would be our ultimate demise. There was an elevated level of energy as there often is at Cervantes. Screams from the stage marked the beginning of Garage A Trois' set. We braced ourselves as the band eased into a bright progression via Mike Dillon's vibraphones... Then the jam dropped with fury.

Garage A Trois Live at Cervantes' Masterpiece Ballroom on December 17, 2011.



Enter Marco Benevento on keys, Stanton Moore on drums and the psycho on sax, Skerik. The music was a combination of experimental jazz coupled with immeasurable energy and rage. Then the music took a turn for the scary as dark radiating tones projected from the stage followed by some overwhelming percussion from Mike and Stanton. As with previous GAT experiences, I was blown away. The set did have it's low points, typically in the form of screaming or an attempt at rapping, but overall it was mainly high points... which were indeed breathtaking.

At Set break the band stayed on stage to sell merch, sign autographs and meet with fans. I'm not sure that I had ever seen that happen before. It was good marketing, but also came off as a little cheesy...

The second set played out similarly to the first, but with even greater intensity. There were moments when I would look around and noticed most of the folks within immediate sight literally looked horrified. The experience was overwhelming, especially if it was your first. What an incredible two set of music! That night was one of the best musical experiences that I had enjoyed in some time.

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