It's Wes Smith Yo! Rockin' Steady in Boulder, Colorado — Yo!
Agent 137 keeps steady on her mission to follow the magic fugu aka the It's Wes Smith Yo! tour. This time she catches up with Brandon DeRosa part of the "Bee Humble Collective" to see what all the buzz is about in Boulder.
How did you start out in the scene?
I got into the scene at 16 when I bought first tables. My intent was to start scratching in a band (like Limp Biscuit did then), however, bands fell apart when you are a kid. Instead I started doing my own parties at 18 starting with a warehouse party. Eventually I got out of the scene when it started to decline but then got back into it eventually. I starting meeting people and crews in Denver - Denver is a really small scene with a REALLY big heart. It's been an uphill struggle but our scene has been coming back strong and all the crews have come together and really supported one another.
How did "Why We Groove" start?
Around 4 years ago we used my uncle’s property and threw a small BBQ. The next year Karl Sav lived in Colorado so we booked him and really started thinking about expanding the show. In our third year we brought in Bella and Omar Santana because we grew up on this type of breaks and really wanted to portray both older and new styles. This year we are bringing in Wes and have a huge lineup of Colorado talent from all over the state and beyond as well. It is a bunch of different styles and djs from different crews including some other types of broken beat, including drum & bass.
Who is throwing the show?
OvrDub is a crew that throws a huge festival called FREEMAN at the same time as Burning Man where monies are donated to pay the DJs and everyone comes for free. It's an alternative for those who cannot afford to get to Burning Man and a way to give back to the scene. Michelle Blankenship is the Mothership and everyone added together is The Bee Humble Collective.
What makes your show different?
The property is beautiful - there is cottonwood and big huge trees. The sun sets on the mountains and the sun rises strategically in back of the djs. We shut down the second stage for sunrise and we plan choose the dj for sunrise carefully to be sure we maximize the experience. The line up is stellar with so many different styles, everyone should be happy with the experience.
Also, there is a limited amount of parking so we are only charging $10 for the car load. As many people you can fit for ten bucks is a steal.
We have a fire poi crew, really good live graffiti artists BLK MTL & SkitzoFrenic and are working with vending from Social Menace Clothing (yay Perez!), Primerdome and the ROOT of the Hill.
What other shows do you throw?
We do some smaller shows throughout the year, Freeman pre-party (boat party), I have helped with FreeMovement , FreeThinking, CAKE, Audio Damage and help host nights at alot of the local breaks clubs nights such as Dirty Thursdays at the Milk Bar and HeadRush at Vinyl.
Finally - why Wes Smith?
I have Wes Smith and Debbie B records from back in the day, I have known about him for a long time and have been paying attention. I put out some emails and responses back, but Wes has a lot promotion and buzz right now. Along with the new album coming out - fresh ideas, artwork, and stickers (kids want stickers). I have never done a party with so many positive people before - our only goal is to shoot for a good vibe.
Thank you, Brandon. I look forward to seeing the posts and pics online and wish you a wonderful show.