I don’t know many bands that can make an hours-long concert feel fifteen minutes long, but Creature Canyon, the 5 piece psychedelic indie outfit consisting of members Austin Steele, Ryan Amyot, Kyle Victoria, Aaron Lund, and Luc Fralic, and hailing from San Diego, California, has it on lock. They had the audience in a trance throughout their entire set, and no one could stop dancing as they filled the small stage of the Atrium on a Friday night.

Their flavorful, sonically captivating, and trippy indie music was dripping with taste and excellent musicianship, and they made music that highlighted their proficiency in their instruments and their songwriting. Creature Canyon is clearly passionate about the music that they make, and it permeates not only their stage presence, but their songwriting and the way they talk about the music that they make. There are many ways to describe the band, but the simplest and most accurate is this: they are groovy as hell.

Although many of their songs shone in the practiced tightness of the instrumentation and the fitting lyricism, their song “Hot Streak” rose above. The mid tempo and the groovy keyboards make the track go above and beyond, and the cool and collected stage presence of the band made the audience feel like they were floating, suspended in the vibey music. They knew they had a crowd of entranced listeners and they used it to their advantage as the lead singer broke into the crowd on instrumental breaks and danced with the audience.

Funnily enough, the band was well-matched with the vibe of the venue. The lowkey orangey lighting and stained glass windows made for a 70’s vibe, and the band, which was framed in draped pothos plants, did not disappoint. All in all, Creature Canyon put on an incredible show, and I’m excited to catch them next time they roll through Fort Collins.

Article and photograph by Bailey Liverman.
More information on Creature Canyon can be found here.