Two quick items to cover today. I love reporting on good news. I am happy to report a great career advancement for Scott Aller, who I believe I remember as a teenage musician in Fort Collins. I wish I did not have to report on the passing of a great friend in music here in Colorado, John-Alex Mason.
According to already published reports, John-Alex Mason passed away on Monday Oct 17. He had gone into the hospital to have a benign cancer removed, began to bleed internally, suffered cardiac arrest, slipped into a coma and never recovered. John-Alex gave us some of the most emotionally direct and original blues in the state. His most recent album, Juke Joint Thunderclap, has been among the most popular in-state blues releases of 2011 since it came out.
Scott Aller (Boulder Acoustic Society, 5280 Live) sent out an early morning email detailing upcoming changes in his professional life. Congrats to all of Scott’s successes … here’s the text of the email he sent out.
Hey Friends and Family
Some of you may have been aware that I have spent the last month working for Colorado Public Radio as the Promotions Director for their new indie-rock station called OpenAir. However, over the weekend I accepted an incredible offer from Live Nation/Ticketmaster for their Business Development Manager position. My immediate responsibilities will be to lead strategic vertical mergers, acquisitions, and/or partnerships. Though I will remain based in Denver, I will be required to travel quite a often.
What Will Happen To 5280 Live?
Michael Schenkelberg and I will continue to operate our arts consulting firm as a side project; similar to the way it’s always been. For the next few months I will be taking a step back from its operations until I can get acclimated with the new position. Landon Hornbeck will be stepping in my place and taking over contacts and RFPs. I will still be leading our next two major projects: 3D Video Mapping at Macy’s in Loveland’s Centerra Shopping Center on November 4th and 5th, and Denver Arts Week “Under The Glasstop” performance on November 6th at the Denver Performing Arts Complex. You may reach Michael and Landon at Mschenkelberg@5280live.net or Landon@5280live.net.
What Will Happen to Boulder Acoustic Society?
Neil, Scott, Aaron and I have collectively decided that we wanted to tour less coast-to-coast. This decision was made before the Ticketmaster offer. We will continue to play regionally on weekends and travel to festivals on occasion. We still love playing together, but we we’ve lost our compassion for 24 hr drives, fast food, and couch surfing. SOOOOO stay tuned for local/regional shows near some of you.