Dopapod | 2022-06-25 | Rancho Del Rio, Bond, CO [SBD/AUD Matrix]

Live, I saw Dopapod; was I evil? Don’t nod. Enjoy this recording of Dopapod at Beanstalk Music Festival!

As the final day of the Beanstalk Festival rolled on with the sun finally setting over the mountain, it was clear there was only a handful of acts left. Lucky for fans, this year’s festival absolutely stacked the final night of music, throughout the day treating fans with some of the strongest sets of the weekend, punctuated with a monster set from Boston’s own Dopapod.

The band wasted no time kicking into their set by starting things off with their original “Turnin’ Knobs”, a sound that seems at times otherworldly, hinting at genres like funk, rock, and electronica, but never grounding itself fully in either, floating along the ambiguity with an intriguing swagger. Next up they performed a rockabilly-esque tune titled “Jawnmower”, a robust composition that takes listeners on a journey, as it organically morphs through a wide spectrum of sounds – from jazzy, to grassy, to psychedelic. The band then launched into what would become the biggest jam of their set, an epic take on a fan-favorite, “Vol. 3 #86”, busting at the seams with dynamic jamtronica grooves and vibrant textures that evolved patiently but purposefully, delivering one of the most compelling improvisational segments of the entire weekend. This would eventually segue into another fan-favorite, “Onion Head”, a song that propelled us back into the jamtronica space, led by the moog’d out keys work of Eli Winderman. The song had a dark micro-jam that featured some fierce guitar leads from guitarist Rob Compa before crashing into the final progression of the outro, which again featured one of the most complex and masterfully executed song outros of the night. The band then sauntered into another tune, “Nuff”, for a quick jaunt before kicking into the grungy main riff to “Braindead”, a dark, carnivalesque song with a hypnotic cadence and on-brand creepy vocal delivery, all coalescing in a cryptically catchy chorus. Next up, the band took on the Bachman Turner Overdirve classic, “Taking Care of Business”. Their version was a fun take on the original, adding just enough funk to breath some new perspective into the tune while still keeping the uplifting celebratory feel of the original. Not to mention, I’d be surprised to know if BTO ever took this tune out to the 10 min mark, a feat in and of its own.

Still having some gas in the tank, Dopaopd pressed on with the second big improvisational moment of their set, during their original, “Velcro” – another cosmic mingling of Eli Winderman’s spacey synth tones, Rob Compa’s shimmering guitar notes, consorting with the steadfast and nourishing drum beats of Neal “Fro” Evans and bubbling funk bass slaps of Chuck Jones that amalgamate the Dopapod sound. No other performance may have put that on fuller display than this one tonight. The band eventually segued this into the final portion of “Vol. 3 #86” before ending the set with “Black Holes”, a newer song off their most recently released self-titled album. The song showed itself to be a perfect set closer, with an upbeat dance rhythm spurred by more patented Dopapod cosmic funk tones.

Dopapod lived up to the lofty expectations set by their peers throughout the day, sending it with a set full of creativity and improvisational prowess. The band moves as a single unit, executing both their labyrinth compositions and spacious jamming with a seemingly effortless cohesion, finishing songs with intricate endings, flexing their virtuosic arrangements, and exhibiting their refined songwriting skills to bring a band shaped from more than a decade’s worth of touring. Confident, artful, and able to express themselves in their own voice with ease, Dopapod is deserving of praise and so much more as one of the scene’s premier live acts. Now if only I could say all that in a palindrome. Taco cat.

Dopapod | 2022-06-25 | Beanstalk Music & Mountains Festival at Rancho Del Rio, Bond, CO

Tracklist

-= One Set =-

01. Turnin’ Knobs

02. Jawnmower

03. Vol. 3 #86

04. Onion Head

05. Nuff

06. Braindead

07. Takin’ Care Of Business (Bachman-Turner Overdrive cover) >

08. Velcro >

09. Vol. 3 #86

10. Black Holes

Show Notes: This set was performed on the third day of the annual Beanstalk Music and Mountains Festival. This was the festival’s ten-year anniversary. This set was performed on the Main Stage. 

Taper Notes: FOB DFC mics raised around 7′ PAS. Board patch and mix thanks to FOH Engineer Eric Crumb. 

Thank you to Dopapod and Beanstalk for being cool with taping/sharing shows. Go see live music and support your local musicians and artists! #spacetapes

ARCHIVE LINK: https://archive.org/details/dopapod2022-06-25.StudioProjects.C4.MKII.cards.AUD.SBD.Matrix.FLAC16bit