Ukulele Loki brings old-fashioned fun back to Fox Theatre
Ukulele Loki’s Gadabout Orchestra is a cure for the common concert, updating the thrill of vaudeville for the indie crowd of the 21st century.
The six-piece band performed at Fox Theatre on Sunday to a venue of swing dancing, hopping and whooping crowd. Though the theater wasn’t sold out, the enthusiasm of the crowd filled the room.
Local band Paper Bird opened the show with their New Orleans brass style. The group made the atmosphere feel like a backyard barbeque as they joked around on stage in bare feet.
The band could be called a “do-it-yourself” act. Not only were they playing percussion on objects available in anyone’s kitchen, three of their songs were accompanied by a makeshift shadow puppet show.
Trombonist Tyler Archuletta said that after buying a new overhead projector, the band decided to make shadow puppets and had spent the afternoon of the show preparing. Dinosaurs and bears floated by castles and oceans during songs like “Livin’ Lucky” and “Jesus and Arizona.”
Aaron Johnson (aka Ukulele Loki) introduced his band of clarinet, tuba, trombone, glockenspiel and ukulele like a circus announcer.
“I’ve got a small instrument and I’m not afraid to admit it,” Johnson said.
His harmless humor and curly mustache resembled the days of vaudeville in the 1920s, but percussion beats and quirky lyrics helped blend the style with more current music.
To add to the entertainment, the show had two sideshow acts. Brandy Dew contorted her way through the air and performed aerial acrobatics with a suspended hoop and with long pieces of fabric. Another performer walked up a ladder made of swords. Johnson himself made a balloon animal lion for an audience member.
For many audience members, this variety show aspect set the Gadabout Orchestra apart from most concert acts.
“I love how intense the performers were,” said Stacy Smith, a junior environmental studies major. “I also like Loki’s mustache.”
After a show of lighthearted strumming, death defying feats and offbeat fun, the band marched off stage to greet the fans in the lobby. For a Sunday night concert, some concertgoers said it was the perfect start for their week.
“I thought it was tons of fun,” said Katherine Peterson, an applied mathematics major. “I liked the last sideshow act the best.”
Contact Campus Press staff reporter Carolyn Michaels at Carolyn.michaels@colorado.edu.
