House Blend Band attracts ecstatic crowd

The House Blend Band held its fourth summer concert on Saturday, Aug.10 from 6:00 to 9:00 p.m., which had Niwot cheering for more songs at the end of the performance. The concert has undergone many difficulties and interruptions over this summer with the band's saxophone player, Greg Worthington, acquiring COVID not long before the July performance. Other concerts were interrupted by bad weather, but not this time.

While there was a bit of rain an hour before the concert, the weather Saturday night was crisp and clear and perfect for an outdoor summer concert. There was also a beautiful sunset over the mountains during the concert.

Some of the songs the band performed this month were: "Levon" by Elton John, "Layla" by Eric Clapton, "You're the Inspiration" by Chicago, "The Joke" by Brandi Carlile, and what the band described as a highly improvised version of "Hotel California" by the Eagles.

Evelyn Curry, age 10, sang "Just Call My Name (I'll Be There)" by Blackmore's Night with her mother Paris Tomich and grandfather, Michael Tomich, representing the band's three generations of vocalists.

The Night Owls, a band of 10-12-year-old musicians from The Niwot Gig, performed during the House Blend Band's break. The band consists of Cooper Edwards, the band's lead singer and guitarist, Emerson Smith, the drummer, Maxwell Acton, the bassist, and the music director, Martin Marks, who played the keyboard for the band.

The Night Owls played "You Give Love a Bad Name" by Bon Jovi, "Saturday Sun" by Vance Joy, "We're Not Gonna Take It" by Twisted Sister, and "Demons" by Imagine Dragons.

The performance of "Demons," also featured guest singer and guitarist Teddy Hammond from Friday Fire, another band from The Niwot Gig. The Night Owls will be back for the House Blend Band concert on Sept. 14 as well.

The House Blend Band started off the second half of the concert with a guest singer and barista at The Old Oak Coffeehouse, Zack Collins, who sang a cover of "Good Riddance" by Green Day. Collins will soon be returning to school at Emerson College where he is majoring in theater and performance.

The concert had a large turnout despite the threat of rain. So many people attended that The Old Oak Coffeehouse kitchen ran out of spaghetti and meatballs before the end of the concert. The salad this month from Slow Food Boulder County was provided by Sprout City Farms through Jack's Solar Garden, a farm for both food and solar energy, and the salad dressing was provided by the Niwot Market.

Nearly the entire crowd had taken to dancing in the street during the last songs, so when the end of the concert was announced, there was a huge collective cheer for an encore. The House Blend Band did not disappoint. It played five more songs after the concert was originally going to stop - "Get Down Tonight" by KC and the Sunshine Band, "I Can See Clearly Now" by Jimmy Cliff, "Soul Man" by Issac Hayes and David Porter, "Gimme Some Lovin'" by the Spencer Davis Group, and "Love Train" by The O'Jays.

During the last two songs, the audience started a massive conga line that wove through Second Avenue, creating a ribbon of dancers enjoying the music under the darkening sky.

The final concert of the summer series will be on Sept. 14 in front of The Old Oak Coffeehouse on Second Avenue.