Snowball Weekend Review

by: Corey Blecha

Over the weekend, both Colorado natives, and out-of-state travelers, made the trip to Vail Valley for the  Snowball Music Festival. Spanning from Friday to Sunday, 2012 marked the 2^nd year for this festival.

Friday got started early with plenty of local bands scattered among the stages, including Dubskin and Eminence Ensemble, both with strong sets that undoubtedly earned them some new fans. Each group has a unique style that is helping them grow quickly in the local reggae and jam band scenes.

As the night got cold, Major Lazer and Big Boi heated things up, both giving high-energy performances that kept the freezing temperatures off of everyone’s mind and got the crowd ready for the night’s headliner, Rusko. Showing everyone why he has become a staple of the scene, Rusko ran through a set that included all the classics, as well as some new bangers that everyone was dying to hear through the massive sound system hanging from the stage.

Saturday, the weather warmed up, and daytime sets by local up-and-comers, Sunsquabi, got the growing crowds ready for another great day of music in Avon. I had the opportunity to sit down with the band later in the day, and these guys will be making noise over the next few months, delivering their signature electronically-infused, hybrid jam of nearly every major influence in Denver’s electronic music scene to the masses.

The push from Colorado bands, like Sunsquabi, to get their music out and rock stages across the country, has vaulted our state to the top of an insanely healthy national music scene. Keep an eye out for them as they look to expand their musical horizons this year and play several festivals this summer!

After the locals played, national acts, Dada Life, and the Kooks, took the main stages for what were some of the craziest sets of the weekend, showing that at the half-way point, nobody was getting tired anytime soon. Seeing a summertime festival crowd this early in the year, and in the mountains no less, is an awesome sight and the weekend is a great holdover for die-hard festival fans to get through the coming months before the summer season hits full swing.

When Saturday’s headliner, Snoop Dogg, hit the stage, the gin and juice began flowing as thousands of people got down to the smooth beats of one of rap music’s biggest stars. Dropping classic after classic, with some new grooves added in as well, Snoop Dogg brought the whole party together for one of the best sets I have ever seen him play. The addition of a drummer, keyboard player, and guitarist added a live feel that went over perfectly with the live-band friendly festival crowd.

After loading up on breakfast burritos and Bloody Marys on Sunday morning, everyone headed down to Nottingham Park for one last go-round on the Snowball rollercoaster. Throughout the day, as was norm by now, local bands and blossoming DJs from around the state held down the stages for most of the afternoon, easing the day-3 crowd into the final night of music.

After a great set by BoomBox that had the crowd getting funky and the temperatures rising, Beats Antique hit the stage, bringing their unique, and mystical stage act to the festival. They had everyone excited and waiting in anticipation all weekend, something that was apparent when the back of the crowd stretched to the far fence, leaving no room for anyone that didn’t make it on time. Zoe Jakes led the trio of performers with her distinctive dancing and drumming, no other band could have better prepared the enormous crowd for the headliner to come; their set was the perfect transition into the last performer of the night, Bassnectar.

As people made their way to the main stage, the sight of what seemed like the entire town of Avon converged into one area giving me chills that one can only experience at a festival like Snowball. With thousands of people focusing on the same thing, all enjoying the beautiful sights and sounds, there really is nothing better to be a part of. For a music and nature lover, the final set of the weekend, featuring one of Colorado’s favorite touring artists, Bassnectar, was one for the records.

Bassnectar demonstrated why he just might be the most prominent name in the ever-expanding genre of dub step. With his entire collection of signature, slippery-bass productions in the bag, and the usual mix-up of re-invigorated Soundcloud gems, Bassnectar’s set was a perfect balance of light and sound that is rarely perfected so finely.

The success of Snowball has brought the addition of two new winter festivals, Snowglobe and SnowMont, scheduled to take place, so it doesn’t look like winter festivals are fading out anytime soon. With this in mind, we can only hope that Snowball returns next year and delivers on the reputation it has built as one of Colorado’s premier music events!

Tags: beats antique, denver, colorado, bassnectar, vail valley, snowball music festival, dubskin, eminence ensemble, dub step, major lazer big boi, rusko, subsquabi, avon, dada life, the kooks, snoop dogg, nottingham park, bloody mary, boombox, zoe jakes

Category: Exclusives