Fox Street is playing the Bluebird Theater on Friday and they are bringing their big band sound with them. For the last 8 or 9 years, their soulful mix of Rock, Funk, and R&B swing has made them a staple of the blossoming Denver music scene. The pillars of Fox Street have always been their three founding members, James Dumm (Guitar), Eric Low (Drums), and Jonathan “Skippy” Huvard (Guitar and Lead Vocals) but over the years their lineup and sound has evolved constantly. Listen Up Denver! sat down for an extensive conversation, and a few beers, with Huvard and Low to get their thoughts on the band’s sound, what’s to come in 2015, and what its like being in the middle of a burgeoning music scene like Denver.
“Over the years we’ve been fortunate to work with people who have grown into more than just hires for a gig” said Huvard. “The sound we are going for is a big, full sound. A lot of times adding more people into the mix clutters things but we’ve been lucky to bring in people that add to the sound in a way we couldn’t have done on our own.” Fox Street has worked that idea to the bone and over the years have collaborated with a plethora of musicians from bands like Leftover Salmon, Derek Trucks Band, The New Mastersounds, as well as local favorites The Congress, Kinetix, and Tiger Party just to name a few. Their ability to almost seamlessly integrate these different people has allowed them to refine their own sound while constantly exploring new territory. The one thing that has always made them stand out from their peers here in Denver is their ability to harness the power of the big band. Channelling giants like the Allman Brothers, The Rolling Stones, or even The Blues Brothers Band, when the core of Fox Street, now including Mirco Altenbach [Saxophone and Keys] is bolstered with a horn section and some female singers it is a sight to behold.
Friday the band will welcome Bill McKay [formerly of Leftover Salmon], a master of the B3 organ sound, Todd Smallie [JJ Grey and Mofro,The Derek Trucks Band] on Bass, Aubrie Hamrick [Motive!] along with Jon Gray on trumpet and Nathan Peoples on sax. “When you bring in people like Jon or Nathan, Bill, or the rest of these guys, who are so good at what they do, its impossible for them not to add to the mix and take things to another level,” said Huvard before Low picked up where he left off. “We’ve always tried to hire people better than us” [laughs]. While better may be a stretch, both Low and Huvard agree that striving to work with people who are of such immense talent has forced them to step up their games and push to bring their playing to a higher level.
In addition to the expanded lineup, fans can expect to hear some new songs in the mix at The Bluebird. Songwriting has been another strength of the band and Huvard is extremely proud and excited about this new batch of songs. “The band has grown up a lot and these new songs have a certain realness and maturity to them that wasn’t necessary present on our previous albums” he admitted before adding “it really feels like we are hitting our stride right now.” On top of vetting these new songs in the live arena, Fox Street has been working with Josh Fairman at Scanhope Sound studios and plans on releasing a tracks incrementally over early 2015 before dropping the album as a whole later this year. “Its great getting to work with a guy like Josh” said Low. “We are extremely lucky to have such a great relationship with him both personally and professionally. We’ve developed a technique and vibe in the studio that makes us better. He knows how to get the sound we are looking for.” Huvard added “the studio can be a very vulnerable place. Working with a guy who makes you comfortable really makes the whole process easier.” The band recorded their first album in the basement of Fairman’s house and when Fairman opened his state of the art recording studio, Scanhope Sound, the decision to continue working with him was “a no brainer.”
This kind of growth and evolution is something we have seen from a lot of the bands in Denver over the last few years. Fox Street is part of a local scene that is starting to become as vibrant as any in the country and this is not lost on these guys. “A lot of what keeps us going are the fans here in Denver” said Low. “People want to come out on a Wednesday night and see live music”. From a fans perspective, we are lucky to have a group of bands like Fox Street, YAMN, The Congress, Kinetix, Tiger Party, and so many others that provide us with such a deep bench of talent but also push each other to be better every day. It would be easy for these bands to dislike each other but instead these guys have, over the last 10 years of playing music together, have developed long lasting friendships and a camaraderie that is at the heart of what makes the local music scene in this town so great. “Five years ago there was this weird competition, it was always supportive, but i think as we have all grown up and our bands have matured, we’ve all developed our own sounds,” said Huvard. “Back then it was easy to lump us all together but now we have all refined things and instead of the weirdness, there is truly a sense of of people working towards a common goal…how does that not make you better?” “We push each other, we are always looking at each other and trying to take things to another level,” said Low.
After a huge 2014 that was capped off by a jaunt to Europe for some sold-out club gigs and a performance in front of 20,000 Polish bBlues fans at the Rawa Music Festival in Poland, Fox Street seems poised to take things to that next level. Friday will be the first chance their fans in Denver will get a chance to see these efforts. In addition to Fox Street and their big band, Andy Palmer and Tomahawk Fox are on the bill so get down to The Bluebird Theater on Friday night for an evening of Funk, Rock, and Soul you won’t soon forget.
FOX STREET
w/ Andy Palmer & Tomahawk Fox
The Bluebird Theater
Friday, January 16th
Tickets: $12.00 Adv, $15.00 DoS
PURCHASE HERE
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