The MFJS Reporter — Winter 2020 T-R

As Slow Hollows walks in, the crowd tenses in anticipation and I watch from the side. As one of the concert photographers, I observe four awkward young-adult men fiddle with the set. Then, as soon as the band opens with their song “Dark Comedy” you can feel the excitement being injected into the once placid crowd. Ezykiel Vigil, a concert photographer who often works with the Larimer Lounge, explains to me how even though they may not seem like it at first, Slow Hollows always brings the energy.

“[They are] one of the more lively acts that come through here,” said Vigil.

Slow Hollows is an Indie rock band originating in Los Angeles, California. The boy band includes the lead singer Austin Anderson, bassist Aaron Jasonoff, drummer Jackson Katz and backup singer/trumpeter Daniel Fox. Anderson has appeared in some big-name artists albums including Tyler, The Creator and Frank Ocean.

The room had a grungy feel with a faint smell of marijuana and stale beer lingering. While the concert hall was merely a bar with every inch covered in neon posters and peeling band stickers, the Slow Hollow fans transformed it and invigorated the band. 

The Katz was playing with such intensity he shattered his drumstick in half, sending small wood chips across the stage. The song then came to a halt as Katz sheepishly asked the audience if any of them had an extra drumstick on them – miraculously, a boy in the front row had one and the concert quickly started up again. 

Cassie Wilson, one of the opening acts known in the music world as Cous, expressed her appreciation for Slow Hollows’ passion in their live performances. 

“They are the spice masters… keeping it low-fi but also high-fi,” said Wilson. 

Before coming to the concert, I had listened to a few of Slow Hollows’ songs and had not particularly liked any. I am not sure if it was the band’s passion or the energy of the crowd, but I absolutely loved the band live. 

About halfway through the concert, the band stopped playing and made slightly exasperated banter with the crowd about the altitude. I Guess these California boys were not ready to perform above sea level. 

At the end of the concert, the band quickly placed their instruments on the ground and ran offstage, which, in this case, was a door at the back of the stage. Then, as soon as chants of encore started, Slow Hollows quickly reappeared and finished with an aggressive fast song that got the audience jumping. 

As Wilson said the underrated boy band was the, “best of all flavors.”