McPherson Chapel on the campus of Fort Lewis College will soon add rock venue to its list of uses. Overlooking downtown from the college mesa, this scenic church’s main purpose is hosting events churches are known for, from marriage to memorials.
It however remains available for much more, presenting meetings, retreats, work gatherings and now, moving forward, the occasional rock show.
If you go
WHAT: ORA plays psychedelic dream rock. Half Bandit opens.
WHEN: 5:30 p.m. Saturday.
WHERE: Chapel on the Fort Lewis College campus, 1000 Rim Drive.
MORE INFORMATION/TICKETS: Visit https://ora.band.
Local band ORA – Annie Brooks on guitar and vocals; Stephen Sellers on bass and synthesizer; and Cyle Talley on drums – will play the chapel on Saturday. Opening the show is Half Bandit.
Music, of course, will be at the forefront as a church should boast a solid score, but this is not a show with religious undertones, unless concerts are your own form of Sunday mass. An offering that’s more than a typical concert, this inclusive event will feature music accentuated by sound person Clay Conley and lighting designer Jacob Brooks.
It’s also a dry event; concerts in bars sometimes result in the music taking a backseat to the beverage. However, not serving alcohol keeps the music and how it’s presented front and center.
“The chapel struck me as one of those kind of blank-canvas spaces with a really beautiful backdrop. And I also just thought, why has nobody done this before? And I like to push the envelope with those kinds of ideas in the band sometimes,” Sellers said. “And it’s going to offer a space that feels more like a listening room.”
All three members of ORA have kicked around the Durango music scene for years; while singer-songwriters Brooks and Talley dug into pop music that remained experimental, joyous and downright hooky, Sellers has held down bass duties with old-time outfit Six Dollar String Band and bangs out electronic dance music as DJ for hire.
ORA gives its members a different path to tread. The recently dropped single “Future Temple” is a cut ripe for ears that dig into dreamy, psychedelic rock, living somewhere where prog meets weird pop, coming from a band that celebrates group creativity.
“ORA is a place that feels really expansive as a musician, even if we are trying to stay kind of in a certain brand or sound. This next chapter is feeling like there’s just a lot of possibility,” Sellers said. “And this single that we’re releasing I think really captures that. I felt it as we were recording, the process and ease of collaboration. It’s not to say that there aren’t moments of panic or hard conversations or you’re being confronted with your own kind of ego stuff, but in the end, it’s so worthwhile to do this work with these guys. So the sky’s the limit with ORA, and to be in our 30s or 40s and in a position to have the tools, to have the time and to have the support from our community, our family, our people. I’m really excited to see where the band goes.”
ORA’s mission, along with the booking of this show in a nontraditional venue, falls right in line with the growing, do it yourself musical mindset taken on by many in the local music scene. It’s making music available for everyone in places that aren’t typical venues.
“That’s the fun part about playing in Durango, is how we can present things in a way that feels creative, for everyone’s benefit – for our benefit as musicians, and also for our audience to have new experiences,” Sellers said.
“I think there’s a long history of Durango being very DIY, where if you can dream it, you can do it,” Talley added. “And just sort of using what skills and friends you have to do something crazy, so this falls very much in that line.”
Bryant Liggett is a freelance writer and KDUR station manager. Reach him at liggett_b@fortlewis.edu.
