Five years ago a band from Dayton, Ohio came together with eclectic interests in music and a common love of Phish. Each of the four members came from various rock, funk and soul backgrounds, but all had similar taste when it came to the wildly successful jam band from Vermont.
The Werks now find themselves regularly referred to along with Phish and last year they were the second-most searched band on jambase.com, behind their idols. A few months later they would lead that category, starting their own era of jam stardom.
While 5 years old, The Werks have the feel of a band that is just getting started, gaining momentum and making a name for themselves at every new location. On Saturday Oct. 6, they will be making their Aspen debut for free at the Belly Up and they couldn’t be more excited to be rising in notoriety in Colorado, a state with a music scene that is constantly receiving recognition.
For the past three years, The Werks have hosted their own festival to larger crowds each year. 3,500 attended the event this year, which included three performances by The Werks. From Colorado there were two side projects of String Cheese Incident that played, EOTO and The Kyle Hollingsworth Band.
Like most bands in the jam band genre, The Werks have a tough time feeling comfortable with labels that would likely categorize them before they have a chance to break barriers.
“I don’t want to drop the ‘jam-band’ word, ‘cause that sometimes pigeonholes us,” says drummer and singer Rob Chafin. “We are basically rock and funk and electronic dance music, a little bit of everything. But our biggest thing is that we improv and jam a lot. You should expect an improvisational dance party.”
As a band that jams, they have multiple songs which are strictly instrumental. They see that some music is able to stand on its own without lyrics.
It is definitely much easier to experience The Werks psychedelic, dance rock than it is to describe. All four write music and every member sings at different parts of a show. Their sound is the product of them taking their favorite parts of different genres and incorporating them into their own jamming style. They explore genres such as funk, electronica, soul, bluegrass, jazz, R&B, and dance.
In order to understand The Werks musical abilities, one must first witness them first-hand.
Their songs can go on and on, as members hold on to jams with four-song sets that could last much more than an hour. Their musical repertoire is diverse and eclectic and their style of performing is affected by the energy of the audience, assuring that each show will be unforgettable.
“Every show is going to be different without us even trying because we always jam and push the boundaries of our songs,” says Chafin. “We like to do the unexpected and throw a curveball sometimes.”
Over the past year The Werks fan base has shot up significantly all over the country and Colorado is no different. They can’t wait to play Aspen for their first time and they are ecstatic to be part of the Colorado music scene.
Chafin says, “Aspen is the last night of our Colorado tour and we are definitely saving the best for last.”
John Zelazny thinks about breasts all year long and doesn’t need a certain month to be reminded of them. He appreciates your comments at zelazny@aspendailynews.com.
