Get Funked Up

You probably think of Swallow Hill, the non-profit music association, as a down-tempo enclave of chill folk and acoustic music. If that’s the case, then Denver band U.S. Pipe is about to funk up your expectations. Joined by a few Swallow Hill regulars, the critically lauded ensemble, helmed by Chris...

By Joel Warner

June 12, 2008

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You probably think of Swallow Hill, the non-profit music association, as a down-tempo enclave of chill folk and acoustic music. If that’s the case, then Denver band U.S. Pipe is about to funk up your expectations. Joined by a few Swallow Hill regulars, the critically lauded ensemble, helmed by Chris “Citrus” Sauthoff, who’s played with George Clinton and the P-Funk Allstars, will take over the music hall tonight at 8 p.m. with a special, completely unplugged show. The party continues tomorrow at noon with an interactive workshop about the roots of funk, from barbershop doo-wop to the touchdown of the Mothership.

“Some people are more into the traditional folk and think that’s what we should stick with,” says Laura McGaughey, associate director of communications at Swallow Hill (and Sauthoff’s wife). “But funk music is very much rooted in what I believe folk is supposed to be about.” Tickets for tonight’s concert are $12 to $18; registration for tomorrow’s workshop is $21 to $25. For details, go to www.swallowhillmusic.org or call 303-777-1003. Swallow Hill is at 71 East Yale Avenue.
Sat., June 14, noon, 2008

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Joel Warner is a former staff writer for Westword and International Business Times. He's also written for WIRED, Men's Journal, Men's Health, Bloomberg Businessweek, Popular Science, Slate, Grantland and many other publications. He's co-author of the 2014 book The Humor Code: A Global Search for What Makes Things Funny, published by Simon & Schuster.

Contact: Joel Warner