Review: Everyone Orchestra @ Quixote’s
Everyone Orchestra @ Quixote’s True Blue – May 22
Watch the conductor! If ever there is question about where a song is going, these are the only words you need remember, whether you are part of the band or the audience. Matt Butler, founder and conductor of the Everyone Orchestra, knows what he wants and he gets it. Using a dry erase board, Butler directs his rotating group of musicians with phrases as broad as “simplify,” as inspired as “explode!” or as open-ended as “take it anywhere.” When he wants the crowd to join in (which is often), he’ll turn around and wave his hands in the air, or grab the microphone and start scatting, or he’ll sing a repeated line. Everyone follows.
[All photos by Laura James]
On Saturday night at Quixote’s True Blue, a Denver bar dedicated to the memory and spirit of Jerry Garcia, the Everyone Orchestra did all they could to live up to the free-wheelin’ musical spirit of the Grateful Dead. The seven-piece orchestra takes on a mind of its own, allowing every wave of inspiration to run its course, with Butler one step ahead of the game, jumping ecstatically into the air or calmly directing a beautiful crescendo.
The names you came to see on this night were obvious. Guitarist Steve Kimock sat coolly at center stage, standing occasionally, resting the guitar on his knee, and playing a mellow slide-guitar so calmly it’s as if he doesn’t even try. Keyboardist Kyle Hollingsworth (String Cheese Incident), at stage right, mouthed along with the notes to every solo he played and could hardly control the smile on his face.
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