DJ Logic & Friends 2.10.12

Sherman Street Event Center
Denver, CO

Words By J-man
Photos By Carly Marthis & J-man
Audio Recording By Ed Simon

This was one of those learning experiences, when I realized that I had to step up to the plate for something that may or may not be huge. When the project was brought to my attention by Jay Bianchi, there was already turmoil surrounding the event. There was confusion between the Logic camp and the promoters of the event, regarding a plethora of logistics. I stepped up in an effort to to mediate and see to the potential success of the event. With the event approaching, the details slowly fell into place via struggling to ascertain information. The week of the show came and eventually the day. It was interesting to be a part of such a large scale event and it was quite the unique experience to watch it unfold.

Amidst the details of money, booking, staffing, etc., I saw great potential. Posters and handbills were printed and distributed, social media was covered and doors were a mere twelve hours away. My girlfriend, Carly, assisted in transporting gear between Quixote's True Blue and The Sherman Street Event Center. It was a tedious and draining five hours of manual lifting to load into a venue that is notorious for difficult load-ins. Up and down in the elevator and old wooden staircases, we managed to get the gear into The Grand Ballroom. As we loaded-in, so too did the production crew, setting up lights and sound for the show. Four o'clock pm brought a small break, with our return to the Event Center coming at seven.

We pulled up to the venue at the same time as Pete Wall (Textiles), Brian Jordan, Colonel Bruce and DJ Logic. We loaded in and began setting up gear. Early that night, Logic informed me that Cecil "P'Nut" Daniels, Colonel Bruce, Jojo Herman, Dave Schools and Jimmy Herring would be sitting in. The musicians began to warm up, sound check and talk about the evenings setlist as the production company wrapped up their set-up. We passed around the guestlist and drink list as the venue began to come to life. Carly took Colonel Bruce over to the Fillmore prior to show time to catch Widespread and Logic wasn't far behind.

Following the soundchecks, we took care of the final remaining issues and made our way down the back staircase to the greenroom. As the doors of The Sherman Street Event Center opened, a massive security presence converged on the entrance to excessively search and harass all parties, myself included. Fans started to trickle in and then we got word that Widespread Panic's show had ended, three quarters of a mile away. The crisp evening air was overtaken by icy snow as the time came for Textiles to take the stage.


Textiles Live at Sherman Events Center on February 10, 2012.



Textiles set began with some technical issues and the sound guys scrambling with confusion. The crowd began to grow in size as Textiles launched into their set. The first track was unfamiliar to me, which was interesting as Textiles has limited material. The dark menacing beats and groove from Brook Mouland translated into some serious spaciness with the addition of Doug Tapia's synth and Pete Wall's sax. The jam opened up and the keys laid the groundwork for a funky twist. The track closed with Pete utilizing heavy effects on the sax. The second track was also unfamiliar and brought a more up-beat vibe. The break down came with an ambient layer featuring Pete on the xylophone. Towards the middle/end of the track, Pete turned to the flute before resolving the jam with the sax.

The third track of Textiles' set began with a beautiful female vocal track that went into an electronic backbeat. That track would make three for three new tracks in the set to that point. I was impressed and intrigued by what I was hearing. The crowd as a whole seemed to be enjoying the music, but wasn't overly reactive to the set. There was a mellow vibe at The Event Center as more familiar faces entered the venue.

As Textiles' set wound down, I headed backstage to get the special guest, DJ Logic on the Techniques (turntables). His entrance to the stage seemed to spark some interest from the small crowd. I recognized the closing track as the track that Logic had recorded with the band in the studio about a year prior. Logic began with a scratch groove that meshed well with the equilibrium of Textiles. More folks moved towards the stage and the crowd danced with enjoyment. Pete tore into a ripping solo that excited the hell out of the folks at the front of the stage. Logic continued with a consistent scratch throughout the track, closing with a semi-enthusiastic applause from the crowd.

Looking around the room, I found myself unsatisfied with the turn out to that point. People were fucked up and the weather, coupled with tight security and the lack of credit card option, began to weigh on the turnout. I grabbed a couple of friends and headed downstairs to the greenroom for some red wine. It was great to see such a fantastic turnout of familiar faces. I was surrounded by great people and looking forward to seeing how the DJ Logic and Friends set would translate.

Sometime in the early hours of Saturday morning, I took the stage to welcome everyone to The Sherman Street Event Center. It was a surreal moment. As I looked out into the crowd, I could see so many familiar faces smiling and cheering in support. I called for one more round of applause for Textiles, introduced DJ Logic and Friends and made my way off of the stage to handle a few more issues. The raspy-voiced Logic took over on the mic, welcoming everyone to the party...


DJ Logic Live at Sherman Events Center on February 10, 2012.



The set began will a tasteful improvised jam that slowly and gained steam with each member adding their layer to the mix. DJ Logic dropped a beat with Wally Ingram right behind on the kit and percussion. Brian Jordan delivered some percussive funk chops and both Pete Wall and Cecil "P'Nut" Daniels traded licks. Garrett Sayers brought his typical giant bass lines to the party, leaving no room to stand still. The instrumentation was solid and the solos aggressive. At one point, Garrett stepped up and vocally mocked the notes he was playing in the bass and the jam resumed with Logic and Pete on the flute. What caught me immediately was the diversity and flow of the music. Somewhere during the twenty five minute track, the music took a turn towards space only to return to a rock vibe with Brian tearing apart the guitar.

The second track brought a similar vibe and a handful of sound issues. As the band played on, the sound crew struggled to balance the music and keep it from feeding back. It was frustrating both for me to watch and for a couple of the musicians on stage. As the issues were sorted out the jam was elevated to a chaotic and raging point. The song climbed down with P'Nut's insane electronic sax as the music segued into what I would consider another track. Though the musical composition remained similar, the flow had changed. The jam became very digital and spacey at the end reminding me of Atari effects.



The following track would clock in at around thirty five minutes and close the set around 2:30 am. Though lengthy in composition the set seemed to offer limited variation but consistent groove. The track ended with Pete's sax screaming and Logic introducing the band. The band encored with a funky track that featured each member for one last time. The show ended with Logic thanking the crowd and thanking me personally for my efforts. I was flattered and exhausted...

As The Sherman Street Event Center cleared out, I sat on the front of the stage reflecting on the evening and what we could have done differently. Only one of DJ Logic's "confirmed" guests turned out and as I glanced at the will call list, I noticed that several folks had purchased tickets, but failed to turn out. One by one, I said goodbye to all of the participants of the evening's affairs. For my first big event, I learned a lot and gained quite the perspective on how these sort of happenings unfold. Thanks to everyone who came out and to everyone who gave their support!

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