Space Elevator ALBUM RELEASE SHOW with Chopping...

Mike WT Allen's SPACE ELEVATOR rocks the Rickshaw Theatre with CHOPPING SPREE!
by Heather Horncastle

Have you heard of the 20 piece jazz metal orchestra Mike WT Allen's Space Elevator? Well, you might have heard them down the whole block on November 14th at the Rickshaw to celebrate the release of their new album Ceci N'est Pas Une!

First we must talk about Chopping Spree!, in Mike Allen’s words, the only band that could ever open for Space Elevator with their groovy, energetic songs and stage presence! They draw inspiration from the likes of Casiopea, Soil & "Pimp" Sessions, and King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard, Watching them engage with each other on stage and with the crowd, they are an absolute joy to watch live! From crowd surfing to mosh pits, Chopping Spree had the crowd hooked from the very first of many notes.

Next up, as the stage gets ready for the long awaited Space Elevator, who only really plays together once a year by the way, we welcome the band boldly described by the Vancouver Jazz Fest as: “There’s everything you think you know about big band, and then there’s Space Elevator.”

Formed by composer and bandleader Mike WT Allen, this twenty-person jazz-metal powerhouse exists as a vessel for Mike’s vision of what big band music can sound like in the modern age. His compositions traverse big band jazz, heavy metal, funk, experimental chaos, and full-blown avant-garde theatrics, with what the Georgia Straight calls “complex charts that combine crunching metal guitars with a billowing horn section and prog-rock keys.”

The night consisted of blasting horns, crushing riffs, crazy time signatures, bouncy grooves, and song called "Bagel", and plenty of weirdness! With guest appearances by Leda XO from The Hallowed Catharsis, Joel Parent from Ninjaspy, and rapper/singer Missy D, there was a lot to take in, and we mean that in the best way possible!

They’ve conquered the Rio Theatre, The Pearl, and now The Rickshaw. So the real questions are "WHERE will Space Elevator play next?" and more importantly "WHEN will Space Elevator play next?"