Words: Slade Rand
Photos: Keez Fromm
River Spell brought new music and explosive jams to the Cervantes’ Other Side stage this weekend. The spry quartet out of the foothills played a six-song opening set, creating a unique space ahead of co-headliners Pert Near Sandstone and Armchair Boogie.
The band is Grant Livingston on vocals and acoustic guitar, Ben Maillaro on electric guitar and Zack Ritchie on drums and percussion. Jake Hasluck stood in on bass for the Other Side show.
Maillaro used the full range of his all-white Player Series Stratocaster onstage Friday. He closed his eyes and shifted from effects-heavy ambiance to band-leading solos with ease. River Spell has played more than 100 shows together, and the cohesive bandmates are naturals at meeting each other halfway to fire up a jam.
They drift from upbeat, folkier rhythms to funk and groove pockets led by a barefoot Livingston on vocals to bring it back together.
On Friday night, River Spell opened up with a new tune ‘Solstice’ that introduced the band’s lush sound and quirky blend of styles. It landed beautifully.
Comfortable hanging in space between songs, the band built creative intro movements ahead of originals ‘Only Love’ and ‘Bottom of the Hill.’ Livingston’s vocals cut clear through the ethereal music as he sang about life’s unknowns with infectious authenticity.
The mid-set romp through ‘Only Love’ took flight on a jazzy Maillaro solo while Livingston strummed up distorted noises on his guitar. He used pedals to create a swampy backdrop while his bandmates locked into a soaring melody over thumping bass, before Maillaro moved back to the tune’s core.
Livingston thanked the buzzing crowd and Ritchie whipped up a fun, rambling beat on the kit.
The band was all smiles as it tore into a bouncy arrangement of ‘Folsom Prison Blues.’ Each member shone on this one, even finding room for an extended drum solo on the 70-year-old Johnny Cash tune.
River Spell released its self-titled debut in February, brimming with joyful melodies and tunes celebrating the natural world.
Click here to read an After Midnight interview with the band on its debut album.
Livingston writes most of River Spell’s songs while the band collaborates and gives the tunes life beyond formal structure. He said he often finds new melodies hiking out into the woods alone with his guitar, giving a full day for songs to find him in natural places.
“I’ve had some really memorable experiences wandering around in some of my favorite places chasing songs,” Livingston told After Midnight about the album. “For me it’s a good way to keep the process fun and inspiring.”
Livingston moved from California to Colorado in 2022 with a vision for the River Spell project. He met Maillaro and original bassist Jake Demarco “almost immediately” before linking up with Ritchie to round out the talented lineup.
Hasluck, whose permanent home is with Durango’s Liver Down the River, played just his second gig with his friends in River Spell on Friday. He melded seamlessly, lending loud and tight bass lines to the band’s cabin-style jams.
River Spell played its first show together about two years ago at the Knotted Root taproom in Nederland. The current trio has gigged with different bassists recently while finding a new full-time fourth member for the journey ahead. River Spell returns to the homey brewery in Nederland on June 22.
The band launches its summer of music with a show at Mercury Cafe in Denver on May 17, before hitting Planet V Fest in Montrose the next week. Check out River Spell’s full summer tour here.
“We’re stoked to keep writing and playing and spreading our music to as many people and places as possible,” Livingston said.
After Midnight 
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