Kicking off Memorial Day weekend in Colorado for the third year in a row, the Disco Biscuits will once again set the Mile High City on fire with two back-to-back shows at the Ogden, culminating at Red Rocks with their annual Bisco Inferno. Nearly two decades into their career, the Biscuits show no sign of letting up, and they still have a thing for the Cenntenial State.
"Our first gig in Colorado was in a Chinese restaurant in Boulder on linoleum floors," recalls guitarist Jon Gutwillig. "And from there to Red Rocks has been amazing. Red Rocks is just a really amazing place. You guys are so lucky; it's amazing they could make that. Basically it was there, and all you had to add was a soda vendor."
The group made it to Red Rocks with a lot of hard work. "That's part of the implicit deal with Colorado," Gutwillig points out. "They will support you, but you have to bring it. You can't half-ass a Colorado show. The people make Colorado special, and the store is a chance to bring the band and the people together."
The store Gutwillig is speaking of is a pop-up shop the band is slated to open this week at the First Avenue Hotel, at First and Broadway, in honor of the Inferno. In addition to hosting DJ sets from bandmembers and a meet-and-greet, the store is releasing a two-disc DVD set featuring footage of Paul Oakenfold, Lotus, Booka Shade and Glitch Mob at the previous two Bisco Infernos at Red Rocks. "We filmed and made the best video," declares Gutwillig. "It's the best concert series you can view if you have a home theater. It's always like you're reliving the event."
It's clear that Gutwillig and company go out of their way every year to ensure that Bisco Inferno is indeed an event. With that in mind, this year the outfit enlisted Rusko and Big Boi — two acts Gutwillig confesses to having in heavy rotation — to be part of the lineup, along with BoomBox and Emancipator. "Big Boi is the superstar," he gushes. "We shared a stage with him at Verizon last year with Sound Tribe Sector 9. He just seems real cool to kick it. People were really positive about his show. He wanted to do another one, and we wanted to do another, and the fans wanted to do another one." Gutwillig is equally amped about Rusko being on the bill.
"He's just a great dude in general," he says of the dubstep pioneer. "Aside from his skill, he's hilarious and one of the most fun guys in the game." As far as the whole dubstep thing goes, Gutwillig says, "a good portion of the credit is due to him. It's easy to underestimate how much credit is due to him and his tracks."
