The Magic Beans – Self-Titled Debut Album

Jenn Cohen | November 1, 2011 | 1 Comment

by Guy Errickson

www.thenakedstage.Net

Delirious, with fertile textures proliferating great subtleties, The Magic Beans are a psychedelic spring day traipsing through fractal-splashed daisy fields, an effect augmented through the lose-yourself light cage. Officially described as an Americana-bluegrass / electro-acoustic fusion, supplemental influences audibly range from R&B-esque funk, bouncy new-wave, even disco, to an electronica-live band amalgam – they are a provocatively danceable tornado spin of trippy sound and fuzzy fury while lobbing licks like lights. Clearly excited and energized to be playing, never-ending notes ricochet and drive the assembled cavalcade down the rabbit hole and up the beanstalk to a truly giant experience. Keyboards and rhythms spin brains and bodies like a bouncing top, adding to the lush field of dancer’s rapt joy. With a light show and massive sound seemingly able to turn a local bar’s stage into a major venue – it’s not just a performance, they’re an entertainment spectacular!

Quite talented and considerably more serious about their music than most assemblies of young 20-somethings, and rooted in Four Mile Canyon west of Boulder, the Magic Beans are previous winners of the Waterfront Music Festival’s Local Band Contest. They really know and listen to each other on stage, and do all the band’s business in-house, even spending many, many hours on-line looking for just the right fonts to use in their layouts. From having only a 2-song demo recorded as part of a friend’s class at Naropa and the fans gathered at rager house parties, they’ve been bringing big crowds – even before the release of their debut album (recorded live at Sky Trail Recording Studios in Boulder, artwork provided by Sweet Melis), which is available for free as a CD-quality download from their FB or Bandcamp pages.

The Magic Beans are: Scott Hachey, Electric and Acoustic Guitar, Vocals, Percussion; Chris Franklin, Drums, Percussion; Josh Appelbaum, Bass; Casey Russell, Keyboard, Guitar, Vocoder; Hunter Welles, Acoustic and Five-string Baritone Electric Mandolins, Synthesizer; and Sean Thomas (Triple L Designs) Lights.