On May 30th and 31st bluegrass group Fruition took over Cervantes’ Other Side in Denver for what turned into two very special nights of music.
The Oregon based quintet supplied fans with 6 sets of music across 2 days. Of those sets, 2 were apart of a very special day time patio set where fans were treated to tunes and food as a pre-party for night 2.
One way they made it extra special was by continually bringing up friends to play with them each of the nights. Some of those friends were Infamous Stringduster’s members Andy Hall (dobro) and Chris Pandolfi (banjo), Greensky Bluegrass guitarist Dave Bruzza, Elephant Revival violin player Bridget Law, and many more. In total Fruition was joined by a dobro player, a banjo player, 2 violinists, 3 guitarists, a saxophone player, a guest bass player, and 2 guest drummers across the 2 night stand.
Along with incredible sit-ins from their closest friends, Fruition touched base on multiple covers. The crowd was pleasantly surprised with Get Back by The Beatles, Friend of the Devil by The Grateful Dead, and other covers from amazing musicians like Ray Charles, Marshall Tucker Band, The Wood Brothers, and more.
One thing that caught me so off guard was how different the 2 nights were. As expected, the set lists were different, and each night had its own special guests, but what you didn’t expect was to see a bluegrass band on night one and then to feel like your at a rock n’ roll show for night two.
Night one was filled with what in my opinion were the hits, featuring tracks like “Mountain Annie” and “The Wanter.” Night two saw the band reach their comfort zone. By the time 2:30 rolled around the band took a bow, but nobody left. Only a few seconds later lead singer Jay Cobb Anderson is running back on stage accompanied by bassist Keith Simon and singer songwriter Brad Parsons on drums.
“We are gonna take our shirts off and play some rock n’ roll for you guys if that’s okay,” Jay commented. A few songs later the rest of Fruition joined the band and continued to play. “Thank you guys for sticking around, were just jamming and having fun now,” guitar player Kellen Asebroek commented as the band finally came to a stop at 3:11 am! I was blown away.
All weekend the band commented to the crowd about how Denver was their second home, thanking the crowd for their on going love and support. From the crowds point of view it felt like it was a hometown show for the band. Fruition constantly defined a genre creating a mixing blend of bluegrass, soul, folk, and rock n’ roll. Being a bluegrass band with drums and a keyboard can create a unique venture into a genre of music I have become so passionate for.
Fruition was the first band I ever covered for DubEra almost a year ago, and there is nothing more inspiring then seeing how much this group of musicians have grown and evolved into this beautiful group it is today. Be sure to catch them on tour or appearing at multiple festivals across the country all summer!