The lead up to a two night run of Papadosio in Denver can be called palpable, at the very least. The town was buzzing for weeks ahead of the shows. A lot of that excitement was dedicated to the legendary band themselves, but as we all know, Denver is brimming with talented musicians and that fact was on full display by way of the supporting acts both nights. One of those acts that stood out to us was Denver’s own Autonomix, who provided direct support on night one.

Autonomix has had a pretty stellar run in its short life as a band. This night, in particular, being their biggest performance to date. Something very noticeable by watching them play. The best in their craft rise to the moments that matter most, and we’ve witnessed Autonomix do exactly that time and time again. The crowd was encapsulated with their set last Friday night. The entire thing went by in a flash and it was one of those rare instances where the crowd seemingly wanted the opener to stay on stage. They were, in a few words, in their element!

“I’ve never experienced a better crowd. I’ve never been happier to be in a f***ing band!” professed Zack Smith, the Autonomix guitarist after their set. Their drummer, Jeff Pfannenstiel told us “..it’s the best venue we’ve played yet. Reminded me of Arise [ARISE Music Festival] but there were way more people at our set.” For the record, their set at Arise was at the same time as crowd-favorite, Tipper. Also for the record, the set Friday night was absolutely packed. Keyboardist Josh Nermon told us, “the community showed up. It was a reflection of the realities of the hard work we’ve been putting in. Everyone I looked at from the stage was having just as good of a time as we were! It brought me to tears. It was genuine. It was fun!”

There was even a special guest or two during the Autonomix set, something they have indeed become known for thus far in their career. This time around they hosted Saxophonist, Carl Cox, as well as Violinist, Melissa Joy or just MJ. MJ told us a bit about what it meant to her to be on stage. “I’ve played all over, with names like Late Night Radio, Maddy O’neal, Kevin Donahue, and more. It’s really been quite the gift. Papadosio is my favorite band so even not playing with them, sharing the same stage made this the most special set I’ve played so far.”

The performance was special no doubt, but as always when trying to build something, the question becomes what’s next for the band? “We want a tour! I hope there was someone who saw that and saw our potential as a band and who wants to share what we can do with as many people as possible” Nermon continued to tell us.

Autonomix left the stage primed on Friday night, for what would turn out to be a funky and more methodical first night from Papadosio.

Both Colorado-based openers on night two set the vibe right as well. Blossomn opened up the night with his stripped-down, trippy production. Like Papadosio, Blossomn offers a mix of instrumentation and mixing, exploring ambient slow jam territory as well as darker, more bizarre soundscapes. Cualli was next, turning up the energy a bit. His sound draws from many sources and he even incorporates field recordings he’s captured from all over the world. The result is a delightful communion of nature and technology in fresh danceable tunes.

Both nights of Papadosio went off without a hitch, letting the talent of all five members shine through in their extended jams of new and old tracks. Summit Music Hall was packed both nights, proving that ‘Dosio can easily secure more multi-night runs in Denver. It proved to be the perfect venue, in size and energy, to accommodate their adventurous style of music.

They’re a spectacular group to watch closely due to their communication, almost all of which appear to be intuitive. With over a decade of experience as a band and at this point countless shows and tours, their seamlessness isn’t surprising but it’s still damn impressive. Nearly half an hour into their set on night two, the guitarist/vocalist had hardly sung a word but improvised several guitar sections. Drummer Mike Healy had several opportunities himself to lead a percussion-heavy portion. Somewhere between dark and meditative, the sets both felt a little more downtempo than other ‘Dosio performances, but not to anyone’s discomfort. It was a perfectly welcomed aural adventure.

Live painting by Emily Kell, Morgan Mandala, Randall Roberts and more provided a great space to catch a little air out of the crowd and see the extent of Papadosio’s inspiration, across mediums. Overall, both nights were as much fun as we all could have imagined here in Denver. Talent, passion, friendship, and happy vibes filled Summit Music Hall for two full nights and left our hearts happy and full of music.

Look back at the epic two-night run with Papadosio at Summit Music Hall