Outer Reaches Explores the World

Outer Reaches Explores the World was a one day even put on by Outer Reaches, a festival that explores music that's pushing boundaries within their genre Outer Reaches wrote “The show will celebrate the spirit of boundary-pushing music while emphasizing a broader geographic appeal, giving prominence to artists inspired by rhythms and traditional world instruments.”

The event started off with Brandon Draper’s Drum Safari giving a lecture about drum history. This lecture was interactive and informal. Brandon is a gifted speaker. He was very preformarive while dropping knowledge bombs and even his tangents had meaning. His lecture ended with a drum safari where everyone picked up an instrument and jammed along.

The stage lights had a warm yellow glow, a small table with candle and a glass of whiskey stood next to Teri Quinn. People were sitting on the floor of the recordBar with their eyes glued on Teri. One audience member described her set as a gut punch, but in a good way. Her smokey voice is like a sweet incense while her lyrics tug at all those feelings we struggle to name. She also gifted us a solo version of her song about women who run with the wolves; this song is usually played with her full band, Abandoned Bells.

As Harptasia sound checked a woman filled the front of the stage with roses. By this point the recordBar had filled with people. There was a buzz of excitement and curiosity. Every song felt like a grand gesture. The band was stacked with talent - Calvin Arsenia and Michael Oshiver on harps, Simon Huntly on drums, Landon Hambight on Electric Guitar, Alison Hawkins on synth, Joe Donely on Bass, Billy Winston on Sax, and Sophie Fleur joined in for a song. Harptasia’s expansive sounds filled the recordBar with a fusion of classical and pop. At the end rose pedals rained down like a joyous confetti as the band played their final song.

Enrique and Andres of Making Movies brought up to energy another notch. There may have only been half the band, but they brought a full show to the crowd. One thing that makes Making Movies shows stand out is the passion and furry they play with. In this set they found balance between slow and fast songs. This stripped down set allowed us to hear Andres and Enrique playing off each other in new ways.

SUNU ended the night with an epic dance party. They flooded the stage with percussion, all the percussion! The night came full circle with their afrobeat, funk, and jazz. Horns were wailing to the beat of the never ending party. This was the perfect end to a great night of exploring sounds.