With the weather cooling down (shortly before the Autumn Equinox), walking in to The Downtown Artery for a Blitzen Trapper show seemed more than appropriate. This rustic folk band is rooted in Portland, Oregon and The Artery was to host one of the many stops on their tour. This tour is appropriately named “Songbook: A Night of Stories and Songs”, where Blitzen Trapper would take longer breaks between each song to delve into the history of how it was developed.

The stories told between each song brought the entire experience to a personal level. The band members would go back and forth between each other, telling tales and reminiscing over times of trouble-making and simplicity. Blitzen Trapper referenced many of their influences,from Pavement to Wilco- and even doing an exceptional cover of “Jesus, etc.”

Blitzen Trapper finished their time here in Fort Collins with an encore set complete with classics like “Black River Killer.” To top it off, lead singer Eric Earley walked on stage with an open-back banjo, which made my heart melt a little, and proceeded to do a cover of “In the Air Tonight” by Phil Collins. Overall, Blitzen Trapper provided a perfectly intimate atmosphere to pair with their incredible music.