Durango’s newest venue is off to a steady start, supplying another stage for performers in town.
Opening in late October, The Balcony Backstage is picking up where The Summit left off by offering local bands and up-and-coming regional and national acts a place to perform. Gone is the old stage with the pole in the middle. The music platform now is upstairs, backed into the northwest corner of the venue, allowing more dance-floor space and longer sight lines.
The room already has hosted plenty of local and regional bands. (Friday), Denver rock band The Congress will add to the list.
The Congress is comprised of Scott Lane on guitar, Mark Levy on drums, Jonathan Meadows on bass and vocals and Chris Speasmaker on keyboards.
The band has roots in Richmond, Virginia. Members had played in bands around the Mid-Atlantic before forming The Congress and relocating to Denver. Members came and went, and the band survived as a trio until Speasmaker joined on keyboards.
The Congress’ musicians all are players in numerous bands around Denver, filling in, performing in side projects and playing around the city’s fertile music scene.
“The demand for live music out here is unlike any other city,” Speasmaker said last week of Denver. “That’s what we think as a band, someone in Nashville or New York might disagree with me. ... People out here love live music, and you can make a living. You’re in a centralized location, you can tour the West Coast, you can tour the East Coast, you can also stay here, play local gigs, play the ski resorts. The music scene out here is incredible, you can come out here, make a living and stay busy. It’s worked out so far.”
The Congress is a diverse rock band, allowing the canon of classic and recent rock to influence their sound. While certainly a fit for Denver and the Front Range’s jam and rock community, The Congress is adept at crafting pop, rock, roots and soul songs.
There’s a songwriting component reminiscent of Graham Parker, or even The Band, with the addition of blues guitar rock of The Black Crowes or the work of Luther Dickinson. Yet, peel back a layer; there’s a Southern and even classic rock sense to the band, where a rootsy groove plays as much a part as writing a decent song. Their last studio effort, “The Lost Tapes,” was an EP of covers, including cuts from Marvin Gaye and Van Morrison.
“When people ask us what influences us, we usually say ‘old records.’ It’s too hard to classify us with one artist, one genre,” Speasmaker said. “We all love listening to music; we all have enormous record collections. They all influence our music.”
The Congress currently is recording its next record, set to be released in 2015.
Liggett_b@fortlewis.edu. Bryant Liggett is a freelance writer and KDUR station manager.
Bryant’s best
Friday: Rock music with The Congress, 9 p.m., $5, The Balcony Backstage, 600 Main Ave., upstairs, 764-4083.
Sunday: Music with Liver Down the River, 8 p.m., no cover, Moe’s, 937 Main Ave., 259-9018.
