Almost Familiar

Get familiar with 3420, a talented three-piece ensemble that has spent the last six years developing a sound and a continuously-evolving and expanding live show that manages to stand out for all of the right reasons in the hyper-competitive Denver music scene.   We catch up with Josh, Martin & Stryker just a week before tomorrow’s show at The Ogden Theater in Denver opening up for the OG Michal Me...

Way up high in Sierra Nevada, Pretty Lights channeled the unique flavor of California Soul and expressed the spectrum of the human experience over two mystifying nights of music near the shores of South Lake Tahoe.  The project has exceeded its potential-with an onslaught of deep cuts that hadn’t seen the light of day in 10+ years, nostalgic covers tastefully swirled with modern electronica, and a...

Get familiar with the 5am Trio, composed of Sam Andrus (5am), Aaron Harel (ZONE DRUMS) & Keith W (½ of Wax Future). They are incredibly talented musicians on their own, but together form a group that have occupied a distinct place within the scene, bridging the gap between high fidelity sound design and live instrumentation/improvisation.  We caught up with them ahead of their second 5amily and Fr...

55 years after the culturally-significant Woodstock Music & Art Fair of 1969, the Check Your Vector Tour brought Pretty Lights and company for a two-day celebration on the idyllic grounds nestled in Upstate New York.  Bethel’s historical context and sense of place offered a unique lens to interpret these powerful sets that highlighted the band’s evolving ability to swirl tracks ranging from classi...

Red Rocks is an iconic venue to see music in, and it is especially meaningful for the evolution of the Pretty Lights project and its impact on Colorado’s electronic music scene. 2024 was no exception, as the band and crew continued to elevate the Pretty Lights experience to New Heights once again. The PL team pulled out all the stops for their massively triumphant return to the venue, six years in...

As we approach a weekend 6 years in the making, we revisit when the Pretty Lights crew returned to headline both Bonnaroo and Electric Forest last month after more than a decade since their last appearances that solidified their presence/reputation in the scene.  It’s hard not to feel engrossed in nostalgia seeing PL back headlining renowned gateway festivals, exposing a new generation to their sp...

Hampton, we have lift off. This weekend Pretty Lights returns to the iconic Hampton Coliseum for the first time in nearly a decade to kick off the Check Your Vector tour. Wes and Elizabeth reflect on the last time the Pretty Lights project was in the building as we look forward to the start of a new tour!

Get familiar with TF Marz, Co-founder and Creative Director of all:Lo music collective, whose Colorado and Pacific Northwest roots heavily influence his refreshing and distinct take on electronic music that is healthily infused with hip hop and RnB sensibilities. We dive into the music scene in the PNW, including his iconic sunrise set at the renowned Grove Stage at Shambhala Music Festival, the c...

Get familiar once again with Greg “The Lazershark” Ellis, a highly revered, industry-respected, ruthlessly sarcastic lighting designer who has been responsible for nearly 15 years of breathtaking and dazzling visual displays as innovative as the music it backs. Best known for his work with Pretty Lights, Greg is no stranger to the spotlight, having worked with global names like Banks,  30 Seconds...

Like the city of New Orleans and “the tangled veins of cypress roots that meander this way and that in the swamp” the final sets of the Pretty Lights tour were “interrelated, wrapped around itself in ways that aren’t always obvious.” Channeling the spirit of Dr. John and New Orleans itself, the Pretty Lights team threw a party befitting for the end of such a historic tour; once again paying massiv...

Even the sky is not the limit for the Soundship Spacesystem crew. Using it as their palette, the crew engaged Sky Lites to coordinate a light show with 75 drones, on top of having special guests in the VJ booth. This was just one of many unique elements that passengers on the Soundship Spacesystem were treated to during the crew’s mission at The Caverns in Pelham, Tennessee.  The Caverns felt remi...

Famous San Francisco promoter Bill Graham’s marquee on The Warfield theater for The Grateful Dead’s concert on September 25, 1980 said it all: "THEY'RE NOT THE BEST AT WHAT THEY DO, THEY'RE THE ONLY ONES THAT DO WHAT THEY DO" Almost Familiar invites prolific live music journalist, Upful Life Podcast host, and friend, B.Getz, to return to the show to muse on whether the same can be said of this ite...

The best Pretty Lights show of all time? The echo chamber was swirling in the aftermath of the Soundship Spacesystem’s leveling of one of its most-visited destinations, Chicago. Almost Familiar welcomes PLF Chicago representatives, Charlie Charles Char and Kris Wilhelmsen to reflect on the three-night tear, celebrating the influential legacies of House music and Pretty Lights’ inaugural album. In...

Not even biblical flooding could stop the Soundship Spacesystem tour from docking for an iconic three-day run at the infamous Brooklyn Mirage, whose larger than life production showcased the tantalizing abilities of the entire Pretty Lights team as both band and crew continue to fire on all cylinders: delivering new bust outs, continuously reinterpreting fan-favorites, and inspiring the masses in...

The Soundship Spacesystem touched down in Philadelphia for three nights of swirling samples from different eras and tasteful tributes to the city of brotherly love. With the successful execution of the band’s first “set sandwich,” the menu is full of limitless potential with a secret sauce that continues to be refined for a one-of-a-kind sensory experience.   **All music from this episode along wi...

The Swirl Bridge made its way down to the South East as Pretty Lights and the Soundship Spacesystem tour touched down for three awe-inspiring nights in Atlanta’s The Eastern as the band picked up right where they left off in Colorado.  While Atlanta experienced bust-outs, re-imaginations of repeated songs, several new songs that were debuted, the same unmistakable swagger and unstoppable tenacity...

The electronic music scene has been in a constant state of reflection and reinvention since its inception, yet one of its most influential pioneers of the new millenia has been dormant over the last five years. Earlier this month, balance was restored as Pretty Lights made a triumphant return across six unforgettable shows as the Soundship Spacesystem tour took flight in Colorado. Elizabeth and We...

Get familiar with Borahm Lee, a pianist and key member of Denver’s music community, known mostly as a member of the formerly Brooklyn-based duo, Break Science and multiple live iterations of the Pretty Lights project. He could have been a doctor or a lawyer, but his love for the piano and jazz derailed those plans at an early age and sent him on the course of becoming a masterful musician who has...

Get familiar with parkbreezy: producer, instrumentalist and co-founder of Denver’s beloved all:Lo music collective, whose compositions are a soulful and melodic exploration of the future with nostalgic glimpses of his past inspirations. Parker underscores the relationship between sampling and interpretation, its relationship to memory and nostalgia, and how that creates a moment in time that can f...

Get familiar with highlights of the 2022 festival season and beyond. Wes and Elizabeth share their own highlights and also conducted a community census to get a sense of what stood out between festivals, events, musicians, mixes, albums, and personal milestones. Trending submissions include Submersion Festival, Daily Bread's latest Bread & Breakfast mix and Mishawaka shows, and newly on some radar...

Get familiar with ZONE Drums aka Aaron Harel, whom you have likely seen on the drums bringing abstract electronic music to life with the 5AM Trio, Thought Process, CloZee, Daily Bread, and more. Aaron has a knack for recognizing potential in both music and materials - from cutting his teeth by promoting dubstep shows in a church to upcycling drum kits to making diffusion panels that “bridge the wo...

Get Familiar with Wessanders, a Connecticut- based producer and staple member of The Rust, whose music is as eclectic as his life experiences. A traveler and student of the world, Wessanders has immersed himself in many cultures outside of the US and imbeds them into his ever-evolving sound including his recently released EP, El Gringo Hace Cumbia (The white boy makes Cumbia).  Wessanders sharpene...

Get familiar with Cnopes, a producer whose electronic music style is influenced heavily by jazz, blues, hip hop and soul, creating sensational soundscapes that have caught the attention of lineup curators for festivals like Sonic Bloom and Sound Haven. Connor shares how he shifted his approach depending on the time slot and stage to match the vibe and what it means for smaller artists to be able t...

Get familiar with how the pandemic has impacted the experiences and infrastructure of two of the scene’s most beloved and influential festivals: Lightning in a Bottle and Sonic Bloom. After allowing some time for the dust to settle (and there was lots of dust), Wes and Elizabeth reflect on the highs and lows of returning to their favorite long-standing festivals after a two year hiatus.   Music fe...