Goose offshoot Orebolo brought their short Colorado run to a close last night in Boulder. The acoustic trio, consisting of Rick Mitarotonda and Peter Anspach on guitar and Jeff Arevalo on upright bass, has quickly been gaining attention within the community for their stripped-down takes on large portions of the Goose catalog and choice covers.
Throughout the lengthy two-set affair, the packed Boulder Theater listened with (mostly) rapt attention as the beautiful sounds filled the air.
Opening with Goose jammer “Arrow”, we were immediately pushed into the unknown. While Orebolo has played the song before, they introduced a new arrangement in Boulder last night that focuses on a more dreamy soundscape instead of the usual hard-charging groove. The song eventually bled into the traditional “Greensleeves”, a nod to the holiday season and their upcoming Goosemas shows at the nearby 1STBANK Center this weekend.
A beautiful cover of Bob Dylan’s “Shelter From the Storm” continued to highlight Mitarotonda and Anspach’s perfect vocal blend – they are given much more of an opportunity to shine in this setting. A concise “Lead the Way” was followed up with “Honeybee” before the trio revved up a cover of The Band’s “Look Out Cleveland”. While this rendition was missing the clav-funk I love so much in Goose’s version, this jam was spectacular and was the first of many moments that Orebolo stepped outside the box over the course of the night.
The beautiful “Dim Lights” came next ahead of the catchy “Animal”. In lieu of Anspach’s usual synth intro, Arevalo contributed some skronky noises from his upright with use of his bow. Bass was KING throughout the night as he perfectly demonstrated his incredible musical versatility through inventive playing and incredible textures.
A debut cover of Polica’s “Amongster” and a heartfelt “Peggy-O” led into the set-closing “Rockdale”, in its more up-tempo Orebolo form. Mitarotonda threw in a “Factory Fiction” tease for good measure as they built to a fantastic peak and closed out the song.
Returning for the second set, we were in for a treat as “S.O.S.” got the acoustic treatment for the first time. A really cool take on the arena rock song ensued with standout solos from both Mitarotonda and Anspach.
The dual-part “Seekers on the Ridge” came next, leading into their almost-obligatory Elvis cover “Devil in Disguise”. Power ballad “Silver Rising” was next, again highlighting the three-part vocal harmonies of the group, before a groovy “Creatures” slinked in. Another extended jam developed with Jeff heavily teasing the bass line to “Pumped Up Kicks”.
A surprise acoustic debut of “The Empress of Organos” was tapped next and was a definite highlight of the show. Beginning with an incredible bass solo from Jeff, the trio took off into the song’s amazing groove before splintering into a back-and-forth staccato motif. Exchanging smiles on stage, they repeated this lick for a bit before launching back into the song proper to close it out.
Beautiful ballad “Arise” cooled things down after “Empress”, but the main event was still to come.
The moment many had been waiting for came when Jeff slowly whipped up some space with his bow to signify the beginning of “Dripfield”. The first version of the song played in Colorado was met with thunderous cheers from the audience as Orebolo closed the second set in fine fashion.
For the encore, we were treated to an emotional “Hallelujah” and a rocking “U.S. Blues” that saw the whole crowd singing along in a perfect way to end the night.
Infused with lots of banter and an incredible vibe, Orebolo continues to prove that they are a forced to be reckoned with. Look for them in bigger venues in 2023 and don’t miss a show!
Rick, Peter, and Jeff shift into Goose mode this weekend with three sold-out shows in Colorado! Webcasts are available via Nugs.net