When you come across the relaxed and cheerful faces of Matt Beck and Destiny Spang at local shows, it may not be at all apparent that they are perpetually making moves and generally working their asses off to help those very shows happen. But they are. The duo heads Brotherly Love Productions, a local "full service live music production outfit" that could fairly be called the engine that drives the jam band scene in South Florida.
The pair exudes such love and enthusiasm for the scene, that one must wonder what sort of fuel keeps the BLP engine running. "Community!" says Spang. At shows you'll see her floating around hanging with friends--pretty much everyone in the room--as much as getting lost in the music.
And, the community gatherings are not limited to darkened clubs. In addition to putting together stellar shows, BLP has been known to organize activities like kickball games and kayaking trips that bring together bands, artists, and good vibe peeps of all sorts.
With Aura Fest approaching, the BLP team has been swamped lately. The festival itself is a client of theirs, along with several of the featured bands. Of those, Spang says, the Heavy Pets are probably the closest to their hearts. "They've been there since the very beginning," she says. "Matt's been seeing them since long before they were even the Heavy Pets."
In fact, the first BLP event was an after party for an Umphrey's McGee/Disco Biscuits show where the Pets rocked local bar Cheers. That was five years ago. Since then, the Pets have developed a regional following and BLP has worked with such big names as Toots and the Maytals, Perpetual Groove, and Toubab Krewe.
Of course, their focus has always been uplifting local bands that constitute a musical family. Recently, Beck took Aquaphonics, Fusik, Ketchy Shuby, and the Resolvers out on a mini-tour around Florida. And all of those bands, as well as the Heavy Pets, will be rocking Aura this weekend.
In addition to cheering on the fam, and introducing them to new listeners, Spang is looking forward to discovering some new bands for herself at the fest. Particularly on her radar are Ohio band the Werks, Connecticut funkers Kung Fu, and Sonic Spank, one of the many Philly bands that will be at the fest.
Be sure to keep your eyes peeled for all these bands at the fest, and all things BLP around town and beyond. They wanna love ya!
Aura Music Festival. Featuring Papadosio, Brothers Past, Zoogma, the Heavy Pets, Marc Paperscissor and Friends, Aquaphonics, Fusik, Resolvers, Ketchy Shuby, the Werks, Sonic Spank, Kung Fu, and more. March 9 to 11 in Saint Cloud, Florida. Tickets cost $90 to $115. Click here.
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