http://www.jambase.com/Articles/Story.aspx?storyID=20109
by: Nick Boeka
10/28/09
Cosmic Consciousness :: 10.17.09 :: City Hall :: Denver, CO
The sacred space of the lens is in which you view God
But also how God views you. -Alex Grey
The works of visionary and psychedelic artists like Robert Venosa,
Alex and Allyson Grey are nothing new to many music fans. From Tool
to The String Cheese Incident, Alex Grey has provided album covers
and posters which inspire people to discover their own reality and
seek that iconic transcendental state of being that is depicted in so
many of Grey's works. Often though, lost in the translation from
brush to print and distribution is the intention behind the art; the
story behind the images, and the memories behind the actions.
On a special evening in Denver, the CoSMos collided for what began
first as an intimate passing of knowledge from Grey on his pivotal
works, a fashion show with Goodie, and meet & greet with the Greys,
then into a non-stop dance party until morning. Todd Smith, owner of
Boogie Down Productions said, "My vision for Cosmic Consciousness was
to fuse together visionary elements of art, theater, music, and
fashion to create a unique experience that each person could walk
away from radiating." Those who attended left radiating wildly,
vibrating together on a universal plane of oneness.
Hosted at City Hall and 2 AM, Denver's newest multi-functional events
space, the sold out Cosmic Consciousness featured three floors of art
and music installations with over 12 artists live painting, including
the Greys, J-Garcia, MARS-1, and Michael Garfield on the main floor.
Add aerial dancers, a multitude of vendors, and a dual level outdoor
amphitheater featuring fire dancing, and the event came off as more
of an urban festival than a show. Where the venue normally has a warm
ex-textile factory look, with red brick, concrete and exposed wood
beams, on this evening pieces of incredible art, video wall
projections, and sculpted lighting took center stage to invite
visitors to escape from the bustling city and unify to celebrate
incredible talent.
Beginning at 8 p.m., an early crowd of nearly a thousand listened to
Alex Grey give a sit-down presentation on his evolution as an artist.
Introduced by his wife Allyson, who shares an extremely visual and
palatable connection with Alex, he provided a revealing profile that
was more "True (Hippy) Hollywood Story" than PowerPoint presentation.
Grey guided us through very personal photos from his early, uh,
performances. He openly discussed his experiences with the mind
enlightening chemical LSD and the influences it had on his early
obsessions with polarity and the dominance it has as a theme
throughout his work. He invited us all to the family's land to visit
the Chapel of the Sacred Mirrors, a sanctuary of art and love. Grey's
voice put the large, close-quartered crowd at ease for over an hour,
and everyone gave their utmost attention, focusing and some straining
to hear every word that was spoken by a knowledgeable yet very
personable being.
At the end, Allyson offered her thanks for being a part of the event,
then said, "Now we're going to paint!" with an eagerness that
embodied the spirit of the night. The addition of massive banner
sized versions of many of Grey's most famous works, like "Theologue,"
"Painting," and "Cosmic Christ," which was combined with multicolor
LED lights on a DJ driven pulse, had a steady gathering of 40-50
people getting weird nearby, all transfixed every time I walked by
the installation.
The music lineup alone, featuring the hottest DJs to get people
swerving, would have drawn a sizable crowd on a busy night in Denver.
By the first sets thrown, the 3,000 capacity space was packed and
every act played host to a dance party. Upstairs and downstairs for
hours, fans heard the boom-bips and wobbles from Shen and Kilowatts,
Emancipator, EPROM, and Heyoka, who each immediately brought their
A-game. Shen's work transcended the level he had achieved with his
Moonshadow Beats release, and fans of Bluetech that haven't caught on
yet better pay attention. Kilowatts and Emancipator both took their
heavy beats and stimulated the room with crisp high range melodies
that cut through the air. Watching Emancipator is a bit more fun than
your typical DJ set, as he incorporates live guitar playing. Speaking
with him later, he mentioned an upcoming collaboration that will
feature more live instrumentation.
Speaking of instrumentation, Boulder's Big Gigantic stole the show
with the evening's most captivating set. Dominic Lalli (sax) and
Jeremy Salken (drums) tore through many of the tracks off of their
latest album, Wide Awake. Live "Light of Day" incorporates more Lalli
sax work, as he blazes the main lines and opens up the middle
section. Definitely the hometown favorites, their sound continues to
grow as the two find their place in the hyphy scene. As the evening
picked up intensity, both EPROM and Heyoka delivered dirty track
after track, like a grease-garage working the late shift, and had the
capacity crowd dripping sweat and begging for more as the last beats
echoed through City Hall's sound system.
Catering to the late night crowd, the after party began in the same
building's basement space, Club 2 AM, and immediately flew off the
hook with CrowdRock taking people by storm with their acid crunk,
powered by intense bass, the type that vibrates you and sends your
body into a frenzy as you beat match to the groove. San Fran
favorites Mimosa and An-Ten-Nae also reminded Rocky Mountain fans
what sounds are being produced on the Left Coast.
Looking around, people's eyes showed the wear and tear that dancing
for so many hours produces, and yet everyone was driven to stay up
and witness the talent of these two artists. Mimosa's latest, Flux
for Life, catalogs the noises and beats of S.F. and NorCal, and rang
through Denver until after four in the morning. The evening ended,
but for many the memory of the experience is still resonating and
this writer in particular was glowing for days after the experience
and meeting the Greys. The event was truly special, and we have to
hope it wasn't just a one-off event.
.
0 comments:
Post a Comment