It’s been a long year since the last Llamapalooza fell victim to the fickle Colorado spring weather. But the delay has only raised hopes among Colorado College students and music fans for this year’s 26th rendition of the music and arts festival. The gates to Worner Quad are set to open Saturday, May 7, to more than just the student body. The music-loving community of Colorado Springs is in for a full day of live performances at the intimate outdoor festival where blankets on the lawn and couches carried in by students serve as general seating.
Just don’t expect llamas—the fest was named as a comical spinoff of the influential Lollapalooza that originated in the 1990s. But there will be llama-themed merchandise along with the music, art, food, drinks and games.
This annual event is directed toward students and community members alike, merging the school’s campus with the energy of local artists, food vendors and beer by Upslope Brewing Company.
The Llamapalooza committee has worked all year to put together a lineup of five outside artists and two student bands. With an increased number of performers, Llamapalooza co-chair Eboni Statham stresses the committee’s desire to better represent all genres. “It would be unfair to pick one specific type of music we feel would be representative of the student body because that is impossible,” she says. Spanning electronic-pop to funk to hip-hop, this year’s Llamapalooza touches a wide variety of musical tastes, accomplishing what Statham calls “a unifying experience for people.”
Here’s a rundown of the lineup and schedule:
Promiscuous Stepsister | 2:00 – 2:45 p.m.
Colorado College’s own “Mutant Motown with a touch of Funkadelic Jazz/Yazz.”
Listen: youtube.com/channel/UCdDoQsveUyAhunorQQ687MA
touchit | 3:05 – 3:50 p.m.
Self-described as both “rather smelly” and having the “Most Best Worst Hair of 2015,” touchit is an eclectically funky veteran campus band known for lively performances at school events and off-campus parties.
Watch how they won their 2015 Llamapalooza billing with a Battle of the Bands victory: youtube.com/watch?v=TX57WsjRKbQ
What Up English | 4:10 – 5:00 p.m.
Hailing from Nashville, Tennessee, What Up English’s electric dance-rock energy is made for parties.
Listen: whatupenglish.bandcamp.com
Llamapalooza 2016
Saturday, May 7
Colorado College, Warner Quad
Tickets available at the Colorado College Worner Center, 902 N. Cascade Ave. Free for students with CC ID, $15 nonstudent.
Contact: llamapaloozacc@gmail.com, 719-389-6000
Michael Christmas | 5:20 – 6:20 p.m.
Having just released his debut album What A Weird Day, Christmas experiments with various synth melodies and soft-hitting beats to create a captivating energy which MTV recently called “a mellow ride through bizarre vibes as told by an everyman rapper.”
Listen: soundcloud.com/michaelchristmas
SALES | 6:40 – 7:40 p.m.
Lauren Morgan and Jordan Shih, otherwise known as SALES, are a indie-pop duo from Florida, known for soft guitar riffs and dreamlike melodies.
Sample: wearenotsales.com
Bully | 8:00 – 8:40 p.m.
Contrasted by lead singer Alicia Bognanno’s crisp soprano, Bully’s music takes influence from both the grunge movement of the 90s and the recent re-emergence of synth in alternative music. Having recently toured with Best Coast, Bully is a rising band not to miss.
Listen: bullythemusic.com
Kool A.D. | 9:00 – 10:00 p.m.
Best known as a member of Das Racist, Boy Crisis and Party Animal, San Francisco rapper Victor Vazquez, or Kool A.D., has a radiating energy that will have the entire festival dancing before he tours with Run The Jewels this summer.
Listen: koolad.asia
—by Samantha Silverman
