Schedule
Saturday, August 13 at 8 pm (Main Stage)
Sunday, August 14 at 9 pm (The Final Waltz)
The Motet sure did put the “mo” in Motet for this year’s festival. For their two performances this year — on the Main Stage Saturday and the Sheridan Opera House on Sunday — Jennifer Hartswick, Shira Elias and Jason Hann will add extra spice to what is an already a very funky stew. These three familiar faces will bring to the stage mountains of musical chops and improvisational excitement.
Jennifer Hartswick of the Trey Anastasio Band is a renowned trumpeter and vocalist with a resume longer than a trombone. Shira Elias, formerly of Turkuaz, will add her smokin’ hot vocals, and percussionist Jason Hann of the String Cheese Incident will be on-hand to ramp up The Motet’s infectious rhythms.
The Motet was founded in Boulder in 1998 by drummer David Watts and has kept the dial set on funk ever since (and soul and jazz). The acclaimed core of the band is Watts, Joey Porter on keys, Garrett Sayers on bass, Drew Sayers on keys and saxophone, and Ryan Jalbert on guitar. They are often joined for live shows by horns, vocalists and other instrumentalists. With Watts driving the bus, the rhythm is locked in and — again — very funky.
Their following in Colorado is the definition of devoted and Telluride is no different. We love them. They’ve visited the valley and have soaked in these mountain vibes many times.
As 2022 was about to dawn, the Marshall Fire tore through dense residential areas near Boulder, incinerating more than 100 homes, including Watts’ and his partner’s home. Fortunately, no one was home (save for their beloved dogs, who perished in the blaze), but Watts lost everything. Had he been home, he most likely would have been at his kit, headphones on, staying sharp. Losing everything left him with a deep sense of gratitude.
He reminds us in a Westword interview earlier this year, that when there is nothing else, we have our friends, family, and a community that, in The Motet’s case, is bonded by music.
"Let’s hold tight and appreciate the most basic thing we have in this life: each other.”
Take a look at your tarp companions, hold ‘em tight, and give it up for The Motet and their remarkably talented special guests.
Jennifer Hartswick
Trumpeter and vocalist, Jennifer Hartswick is one of the most exciting performers in music today. She exudes confidence and joy and brings her own refreshing spirit to the stage every time she performs. Jennifer’s music is honest, soulful and comes with a maturity far beyond her years. Hartswick is an original member of the Trey Anastasio Band and has recorded/shared the stage with Herbie Hancock, Phish, Christian McBride, Tom Petty, Aaron Neville, Carlos Santana, The Rolling Stones, Big Gigantic, Dave Matthews, Meghan Trainor and countless others. Jennifer’s live performances are renowned as spontaneous, joyful and contagious. Her natural charisma and sincerity shines through, and each performance is a celebration of musical collaboration. And whether she is wailing on the trumpet or singing an intimate vocal solo, her performance is all part of a single seamless instrument, one that is played not only with astounding technical proficiency, but also with sensitivity, conviction and heart.
Shira Elias
Known for her mesmerizing stage presence and powerhouse vocals, Shira Elias is one of the most captivating performers in music today. Born and raised in Vancouver, Canada, Shira began singing and performing at an early age. Her passion took her to New York City, where she cut her teeth in the world of live music.
In 2014 Shira joined Brooklyn’s 9-piece funk band, Turkuaz, and spent the last 6 years with them touring nationally & internationally. Shira recorded six albums with Turkuaz and played shows across the globe at legendary venues like The Fillmore, Red Rocks Amphitheater, The Blue Note Tokyo, New York’s Terminal 5 and Bonnaroo. Alongside a plethora of noteworthy achievements, the group opened for George Clinton and Parliament Funkadelic, and toured with Jerry Harrison and Adrian Belew of The Talking Heads.
In the Spring of 2020, Shira finally released her debut solo album, GOODS the EP, under her own name and her adventure as a solo artist took flight. Shira finds her sound in the space where R&B, pop, funk and soul collide, in tandem with deeply personal songs and an electric live show.
In 2021, Shira’s desire to further discover her own sound as an artist saw her part ways with Turkuaz and dive head first into her self titled project and collaborations with other artists. At the forefront of a Shira Elias show, whether belting out a high energy funk tune or serenading an r&b ballad, is her remarkable ability, through her powerful voice and performance, to make people connect with themselves and music.
Jason Hann
Jason Hann is the percussionist and electronic producer for the multi flavored band, The String Cheese Incident since 2004. His versatility in so many different styles of music allows for his percussion textures and ryhthms to flow with SCI’s eclectic approach to their musical journey
From 2006-2021 Jason was half of the electronic improvised duo, EOTO. For 15 years, and over 1,000 shows, they took live and improvised Bass Music and EDM to the next level, headlining venues such as Red Rocks.
Performing professionally since the age of 12, he has toured and recorded internationally with the likes of Isaac Hayes, Loreena McKinnett, Dr Dre, Rickie Lee Jones, Brothers Johnson, Vinx, and Mickey Hart. His Colombian heritage, along with his passion for studying percussion throughout the world, has also taken him to places such as Mali, Ghana, Haiti, and Korea - allowing him a rare deftness to switch seamlessly through a variety of genres of music, whether it’s Rock, R&B, Pop, Jazz, Latin, Latin-Jazz, Flamenco, African, Persian, Electronica, Techno and World music.