Electron Comes To Colorado For A Four Night Dance Party: Attendance Is A Necessary Act

Estimated read time 7 min read

Electron BandPhoto by Andrew Scott Blackstein

Electron has landed in CO for a four night, electronic dance and Rock party in Ft Collins, Boulder, Frisco, and Denver.  Before the madness began last night in Fort Collins, Listen Up Denver! had the pleasure of speaking with founder and bassist Marc Brownstein, of The Disco Biscuits fame, about how this project started, what it is that makes Electron so fun to see, and what his plans are for early in 2015.

In 1999, Brownstein “wasn’t in the best of places” and was fired from The Disco Biscuits.  This led to him teaming up with Tom Hamilton [Brothers Past, American Babies],  Joe Russo [Furthur, Joe Russo’s Almost Dead], and his Biscuits bandmate Aron Magner to form Electron.  Despite the change in career path, it was “a very creative” time for Brownstein and the songs he wrote for Electron ended up becoming staples of The Disco Biscuits’ catalog after he rejoined the group a few months later.  From there, Electron remained dormant “mostly because of everyones busy schedules” said Brownstein, but in 2009 when the Biscuits “ramped down our touring” Electron was reborn with Mike Greenfield [Lotus] on drums and since then have played a smattering of shows here and there until last year when schedules permitted the group to get back out on the road.

For those who don’t know, Electron plays those aforementioned, Brownstein penned Disco Biscuits tunes along with a healthy dose of Pink Floyd covers and recently, even a few Grateful Dead songs thrown in for good measure.  While some may ask, why would I want to go see a Disco Biscuit cover band?  That sentiment couldn’t be more off base.  “We have such an amazing chemistry together,” said Brownstein.  “These guys are so good and just know how to play this style of electronic music.”  So when it comes to playing songs like “Shelby Rose,”  “Confrontation,” “Grass Is Green,” or any of the other songs that fans are probably familiar with because of The Disco Biscuits, Brownstein believes fans get a different, yet just as exciting, experience.  “These guys have all been there from the beginning and are just so good at listening to what’s going on.  That’s the most important thing when playing music like this…”

While its not the same experience as a Disco Biscuit show Brownstein understands the fans yearning for the full bisco experience.  “I get it” he said, “I get the comments of ‘well it’s not the Biscuits but I’ll come anyway’ [laughs] But at the same time its like, Jon wrote ‘Hot Air Balloon,’ and he is, maybe this is hyperbole, but i really think he is one of the greatest songwriters of our generation. We don’t have that in Electron so its tough to do that stuff.”

Anyone hesitant to go check out Electron is making a huge mistake.  Electron brings a fresh take to these songs that outshines most of the performances The Disco Biscuits have given in the last few years.  There is an obvious chemistry and enthusiasm when Electron hits the stage and it is infectious.  Add to that what Tom and Mike bring to the table and for any fan of Electronic Rock or Dance music it is a sight to behold.  Brownstein points to this chemistry as the biggest reason Electron is such a great experience for both him and fans.  As to how that experience differs from when these songs are played with The Disco Biscuits “It’s just different.  It’s a different band.  Mike is a little more jazzy [on drums], the groove swings a little more laid back and he has a lighter touch than Allen [Aucoin, drummer for The Disco Biscuits].  Mike swings these songs a bit more.  We just program Allen before the show, he’s a robot, everyone knows that [laughs]…Tom [Hamilton] is just amazing.  He knows exactly what we are trying to do.  He’s been around since the beginning so he just gets it.”  Not much needs to be said about the onstage chemistry between Magner and Brownstein.  The two play with a confidence and togetherness that only comes from being bandmates and best friends for 20 years and at its core their relationship is what truly makes Electron go.  The result is a powerful band that break down a crowd with the dirtiest of dance grooves on a whim, then send it blasting through the roof with soaring peaks that most bands simply can’t reach.  In the end there is really only one way to find out what differentiates Electron from Brownstein’s other project.  “You gotta come to the show. You won’t get it unless you come check out the show”

Luckily for us Brownstein says the band has several festival gigs planned for 2015 along with a few other dates that should hold over fans who are constantly clamoring for more.  Aside from that though it sounds like Brownstein’s calendar is pretty open in early 2015.  “I wore myself down last year” he said speaking of his heavy touring schedule.  Combine that with being a father and its not a surprise that he plans on taking some time off from the road this year.  “Its nice to finally have some open dates on the calendar.  I plan on hanging out at the house with my family and then locking myself in a room to write some new music.”  This includes some new material for The Disco Biscuits which haven’t seen an injection of new songs in years.  “I’ll write them for Electron first.  It’s nice to be able to have that to use as a kind of testing ground.  I like to write new songs and work them out with Conspirator or Electron first.  That lets us figure out the groove or where the peak is and that stuff then I’ll be ready to bring it to The Disco Biscuits.”   While maybe it’s not the news Disco Biscuits fans are looking for (some will only be happy if the band announces a full scale coast to coast tour) it should at least bring some optimism as the news of new songs to come adds to the positive momentum the band built at the end of 2014 with some great shows in CO, Philadelphia, Dominican Republic, and what most are calling the best New Year’s run in years.

For now though, fans of the Biscuits, and really music fans in general, should be concerned and excited about one thing: Electron is here for a four night run and like Brownstein said “You gotta come to the show. You won’t get it unless you come check out the show.”

Electron kicked off their 4 night run at The Aggie Theaterin Fort Collins last night before heading to Boulder tonight (1/15) for a show at The Fox Theatre.  Then they head up to the mountains for a Friday night throwdown at The Barkley Ballroom in Frisco before capping off the 4 night run at The Gothic Theatre on Saturday night 1/17 with what is sure to be a night to remember.  Get your ass to the party!!!!

ELECTRON

1/14 – The Aggie Theater – Fort Collins
1/15 – The Fox Theatre – Boulder
1/16 – The Barkley Ballroom – Frisco
1/17 – The Gothic Theatre – Denver

Gary Mellini

Gary is a lifelong music fan raised in Chicago. He is the "G" of J2G Live, a Denver based music production company that brings you "Dance Party Time Machine," "Revenge of the 90's" among other great events.

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