Zion Rock Godchaux of BoomBox performs during the 2010 Mile High Music Festival in Colorado. | Photo Soren McCarty Mountain Weekly News
The Mountain Weekly News had the chance to chat with BoomBox before the duo’s concert at The Varsity Theatre. We caught up with Russ Randolph (producer, engineer, DJ and drummer) and Zion Rock Godchaux (producer, DJ, vocalist and guitarist) to discuss their experience at the 2010 Mile High Music Festival, life on the road and the release of their album Downriverelectric.
BoomBox was touring in support of Downriverelectric, which the band released as a free download to the first 1,000 fans through its website. While the interview took place years before Dead & Company’s historic residency at Sphere in Las Vegas, Zion Rock Godchaux’s connection to the Grateful Dead family remains a notable part of the band’s story. For more on the modern evolution of Dead culture, check out our coverage of Dead & Company at Sphere in Las Vegas.
Russ and Zion, thanks for taking the time to sit down and chat with us before your show tonight. You just played a rocking set during the 2010 Mile High Music Festival here in Colorado. Can you tell us about your festival experience?
Russ: “The festival was awesome. Everything from the crowd to production to weather, everything was perfect. We played at three o’clock in the afternoon, which sometimes can be difficult for crowds, standing in the sun for hours and all, but the tent was a great setting for a daytime set.”
Zion: “Yeah, MH was incredibly well organized and goes to the top of our list. The Colorado crowds are always great.”
Festival Sets vs. Club Shows
MWN: Do you guys change your approach to playing in a festival setting versus playing indoors?
Russ: “Yeah, for indoor shows like clubs and theaters, we normally play around two hours. It definitely changes the approach when you have to cut that in half for a festival. For MH, we played for an hour, which normally goes by very quick. Anyone who knows us knows that we are never afraid to take our time and stretch out. MH was unique in that time seemed to stop on stage for us, and we just played.”
Zion: “At festivals, the time restraint on set times can require a more premeditated and direct approach to the set. We have less time to say what we want to.”
Russ: “We are normally a late-night act and design our live show primarily around that. So the intelligent lights and lasers that can look huge in a dark theater get somewhat lost in the middle of the day sunshine. This forces us to come up with a different game plan for the visual aspect of the daytime sets, which are also very important to us.”
Bringing the Visual Experience Outdoors
MWN: I noticed a light backdrop behind you guys during the recent festival. Is this new for BoomBox?
Russ: “That was just for MH. We flew into Denver so we didn’t have all of our normal road gear. We do have a new lighting backdrop, but you’ll have to catch us on a drive tour to check it out.”
Grateful Dead Influence
MWN: Zion, with your roots in the Grateful Dead family, do you get a lot of requests to cover Dead tunes?
Zion: “Most people at our shows at this point are here to see BoomBox.”
Colorado Crowds and Touring
MWN: I remember reading you guys were from Muscle Shoals, Alabama. Do you consider the Southeast one of your larger fan bases?
Russ: “Yeah, the South is good to us and our home, but we love playing all over the country. I would have to say that Colorado and the Midwest are some of our favorites.”
BoomBox continues to blend electronic music, rock, blues and improvisational influences into a live experience that has earned the duo a dedicated following across the country. Their performance at the Mile High Music Festival reinforced Colorado’s place as one of the band’s favorite markets and highlighted why BoomBox remains a standout act on the festival circuit.
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