The young jam band from Boulder is only about 3 years old, but Amoramora has already played over 100 shows in 70 cities across the country. Having just come off of an East Coast tour along with performances in Chicago and Peoria, Illinois, the group returned home for a series of Colorado concerts at Boulder’s The Fox Theater, Keystone’s The Goat Tavern and Steamboat Springs’ Old Town Pub.
Consisting of Danny Evans on guitar, Eric Levine on bass, Tyler Hobbs on drums and Michael Lenssen on keyboard and trumpet, the group met in Boulder due to the music scene surrounding the University of Colorado. Levine was playing basketball outside of a local Jewish community center, noticed Evans was practicing inside and joined him. Shortly thereafter the group met Boulder-native Lenssen when he moved back from Florida.
“The pieces kind of just fell together at the right time,” Levine said.
Levine, who was attending CU thanks to a music scholarship, always wanted to be a performer. Like Lenssen, Levine is a classically trained jazz trumpeter, and toyed with the trombone and viola when he was younger, but it was the bass that caught his ear the most.
“I think the bass is just sweet because although it’s an instrument that people don’t necessarily hear as much on the frontline of music, it’s like very much the foundation of the whole song,” Levine said. “Like when you go to a concert and you’re dancing, you’re usually dancing to the bass and the drums. … I’m always about the groove.”
The psychedelic rock, funk and bluegrass sound of Amoramora is just as diverse as the group’s background and influences. Levine notes that Phish, Grateful Dead, Herbie Hancock and Miles Davis are just a few names that have shaped their tastes.
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“The first album that I really got into listening to was Miles Davis’ ‘Birth of the Cool,'” said Levine. “When I was 13 I was listening to that every single night when I went to bed. So I have a pretty close relationship with that.” Levine’s father also introduced him to classic rock legends like Jimi Hendrix and Led Zeppelin.
No matter the musical style, Amoramora strives to be upbeat and energetic. That doesn’t mean they don’t have any slow, sad ballads, but they aim to keep that to a minimum. The band’s name comes from a friend’s pet, Amora. In the group’s mind they’ve therefore dubbed themselves “more love.”
“Love is the thing that makes the world go round. We’re trying to shed a light on everyone’s day and not be super dark and deep. … I wouldn’t quite say it’s Jimmy Buffet with palm trees in paradise, but we’re trying to do our own version of that with a Colorado vibe, which is always positive.”
Though the band doesn’t have any studio albums, live recordings of past concerts are available on streaming services like Spotify and Soundcloud. A record will likely come out at a later time but for now the group is focusing on live shows.
“We’re a jam band, but you still need to have songs. We have like 35 to 40 original songs in our catalog. There are a lot of them that are very much structured and are very much songs with specific parts and lyrics and back up vocals. There is definitely a lot of opportunity to go into the studio with that material. I believe when we finally do record it’ll be a fun one.”
If you miss Amoramora on Friday, don’t worry. The band will be returning to Summit County on Feb. 2 for a show with Papadosio at 10 Mile Music Hall in Frisco.
“The Goat is always a fun spot for that late night crowd. It’s going to be after the Keller Williams show (at Warren Station) and so a bunch of people are going to be coming over to our show after that are in the jam scene. I’d expect it to be a funky dance party that night.”
IF YOU GO
What: Keller Williams after party with Amoramora
Where: The Goat Tavern, 22954 U.S. Highway 6, Keystone.
When: Friday, Dec. 22 at 10 p.m.
Cost: $4. Visit SoupAndWhiskey.com to purchase.