Where you need to be on Aug. 28 if you know what is cool ...

Library’s Local Music Series to kick off fifth year with outdoor performance by The Outfit

Local Music offers Parker Library a platform to show folks that libraries are alive, always fresh and forever relevant -- not tired warehouses for predetermined materials.

The library’s popular Live Local Music Series, which was originally designed to highlight Parker Library’s extensive collection of Local Music CDs, will kick off its fifth year with an outdoor performance by The Outfit at 7 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 28, on the south lawn of the library.

(Bring a picnic blanket to sit on!)

"These shows bring our community together in a really personal way," said Sharon Nemechek, Parker Library branch manager. "They're casual and friendly and open to everyone. People of every age come in to enjoy the music and chat with the artists."

The series, which has played host to almost 40 bands or solo acts, strives to push the genre envelope, offering the gamut from high-end classical to death metal.

A small but effective budget, decent attendance, smart electronic marketing efforts and passion for knowing the local scene have allowed Parker Library to snare up-and-coming local performers that would otherwise be out of reach for a small series, such as John Common, the couple behind coutry smash Jones & Raine and F.O.E., who garnered the 2009 Westword Music Showcase award for best Denver area MC, in addition to Angie Stevens and, now, The Outfit, which was nominated for a Westword Showcase award and has enjoyed play on KTCL’s Locals Only show.

Parker Library’s Live Local Music Series also acts as a vehicle for outreach to the metro Denver music community, which is recognized nationwide for producing acts such as The Fray, Meese, 3OH3! and others. The library has a relationship with Colorado Music Buzz and the Parker Mainstreet Center, among others.

With shows in-house -- and on the lawn -- the library is able to show attendees that a library also is a civic space, one that can be transformed into a venue for a diverse range of uses. And featuring Local Music performances "off-campus" occasionally at spots such as the Mainstreet Center -- or outside on the lawn -- is a great advertisement for the library-without-walls attitude of Douglas County Libraries and an excellent way to showcase the district priority of increased outreach efforts.

Here’s our conversation with The Outfit’s Eric Johnston about the band and its upcoming showing in the library’s Live Local Music Series. In addition to its Westword nod, the band, made up of Johnston, Casey Banker, R.J. Powers, Mike King and Christopher Cain, was slated to play in July in the Denver Post Underground Music Showcase.

Q: Everybody seems to have a different take regarding what genre you all fit into. You were nominated for a Westword Music Showcase award – best Lo-Fi/Garage Rock band. Does that fit? How would you describe your music in terms of genre?

A: Classifying bands is always difficult, especially when it is your own. I think we do fit into the Garage Rock category. We have always been very spontaneous and we never try to use too much polish. I guess these qualities make people reach for that category when defining our sound.

Q: Tell me about the experience of being honored with a Westword Music Showcase nomination. That’s a pretty big deal.

A: It was really amazing to be nominated along side so many other amazing Denver bands. If you ever see that The Omens are going to play the Lion’s Lair, GO. It was one of the best shows I have ever been to.

Q: You all got radio play this spring on the Locals Only show on KTCL 93.3. Tell me about that experience.

A: Chris [Cain] did a lot of the footwork for that. We knew we were going to be on, and we tried to inform as many people as we could. I think it is important for big stations like that to play and support the scene that is constantly developing around them.

Q: What did you think when you were first asked to play in Parker Library’s Live Local Music Series? Did you think music in the library was crazy or cool? Doesn’t music and libraries just border on naughty?

A: It’s a great opportunity for us. We’re excited about playing such a different venue. Parker Library seems to be working really hard in terms of providing its patrons with a steady flow of many different genres of music.

Q: You were planning to release a new CD this summer. How did that go?

A: Actually we haven’t released our full-length CD yet. We are still chipping away, trying to get everything just the way we want it. The process of making the album has been long and arduous, but I think it will be well worth it in the end.

Q: What’s next for the band?

A: We want to release this album and keep making the music we love.

Choose The Outfit

Check out The Outfit at http://www.myspace.com/choosetheoutfit and then come out to see them perform in Parker Library’s Live Local Music Series at 7 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 28, on the south lawn of the library. Follow Parker Library’s Live Local Music Series on Twitter at www.twitter.com/colorado_music.