Saxsquatch Is Real — Just Go to Cervantes'

Sasquatch sightings are extremely rare.

In a state often associated with the hair-covered cryptid, there have only been 131 sightings in Colorado, according to the Bigfoot Field Researchers Organization, and zero in the Denver area.

Of course, not all appearances are officially recorded and reported, so that number is most likely much higher. But we’re willing to bet both feet that no one has ever spotted the one and only Saxsquatch anywhere in or around the Rocky Mountains, even at Bigfoot Days in Estes Park.

That’s about to change, however, when the woodwind-wielding missing link from the backwoods of North Carolina comes to town on Thursday, April 17, for a show at Cervantes’ Masterpiece. T Biscuit and Louie Letdown are also on the bill.

The first official account of Saxsquatch dates back to 2020, when his jazzed-up saxophone rendition of Daft Punk’s "Around the World" dropped. “I was just putting it out there. The response I got, believe it or not, at first, was not a lot,” he explains. “But I wanted to be a force that can give people the same feeling I get when I listen to the saxophone.”

Since then, his output increased, and Saxsquatch’s following grew well beyond bigfoot-enthusiast circles, thanks to his catchy redubs of popular songs such as Van Morrison’s “Moondance” and Star Wars staple “CANTINA.” For the record, Chewbacca, a Wookiee, is not part of the bigfoot genus, “but we’re all kind of wookiees inside,” as Saxsquatch sees it.

In 2022, Saxsquatch, who performs in a full sasquatch suit, appeared on the game show That’s My Jam, hosted by Jimmy Fallon. It was certainly a first for music-making mythical creatures. Now, everyone’s believing.

“There’s lots of people who haven’t believed in me, so it feels really good to be believed in,” Saxsquatch quips. “That feeling inspires me to keep going now that we’re starting to get bigger.”
He’s speaking with Westword from somewhere in Texas, where he found a gas station to take a brief break from the road. It’s unclear if Saxsquatch stocked up on Jack Link’s beef jerky, but he’s happy to share that nearly every date on the current tour has sold out, including the Colorado Springs stop on Friday, April 18, at the Black Sheep. Don’t worry, though: There are still tickets available for the Denver show, as well as the Wednesday, April 16, gig in Fort Collins at the Aggie Theatre. But that likely won’t last long, so grab them sooner rather than later.

And if you do get a chance to check out a Saxsquatch show — with its EDM energy and awe-inspiring display of otherworldly sax skills — the seven-foot-tall performer prefers you keep your hands to yourself. It’s something he likes to call “consensual sax.”

“People like to touch me. They get a little handsy. I’ve been trying to [tell] people...like, ‘Please, don’t touch me,’” Saxsquatch explains. “Depending on how wild they are, they will or will not follow that rule. If you tell a bunch of people having the best time not to touch me, they kind of just want to touch me even more.

“We were in Dallas [March 29], and it was so wild that people couldn’t comprehend not touching me,” he adds. “I had to be my own security for a second. It’s a good problem to have; at least, it’s crazy. But you can see me. That should be enough.”

Before Saxsquatch broke onto the scene, the best evidence anyone captured of bigfoot’s musical abilities was the Sierra sounds. There are other recordings of squatch howls, but they're not remotely close to what Saxsquatch can do with his saxophone.

He credits his passion for the instrument to his musically inclined family as well as the iconic tenor sax soloist Junior Walker, particularly his playing on the Foreigner song “Urgent.”

“I was like, ‘What is that sound? I love it so much,’” Saxsquatch recalls. “When I found out it was a saxophone, I went to a pawn shop and bought one and became obsessed with the sax ever since.”

In case you didn’t know, Sasquatches have rhythm, he explains, so melding sax with his affinity for EDM music felt natural.

“My grandfather was Gig Foot and my sister is Big Flute. It’s all about the rhythm,” Saxsquatch continues. “We didn’t have a lot of access to music, but when you listen to something over and over and over again, it becomes a part of you.”

He relies on that innate ability when it comes to choosing songs to reimagine, too. “I go with feeling only,” he shares. “I think people like it when the music you play is genuine. The audience can feel so much of the nuance.”

Being a public figure is more about uniting “people from all walks of life” through music than confirming the existence of an elusive cryptid species, according to Saxsquatch. “You have to come to the show to realize how beautiful it is to see people coming together and literally raging,” he adds. “It’s ravers. It’s Bigfoot believers. It’s people who don’t usually go to a show, but Saxsquatch is their only and favorite artist.”

He doesn’t take his platform and visibility lightly, so while he’s already answered some big questions, he’s also comfortable helping his audience navigate another from the stage.

“People come to the show to answer the question, ‘Why are we here? Why are we living life?’” Saxsquatch concludes. “It’s a big question, but I feel like an artist is supposed to give real-time context to answer that question and make people get a fresh perspective, so they can go back to feeling like they’re living their best life.”

Saxsquatch, with T Biscuit and Louie Letdown, 8 p.m. Thursday, April 17, Cervantes’ Masterpiece, 2637 Welton Street. Tickets are $34.