Three Legged Fox kicked off their tour in the Mile High City

Copyright - Peyton Owen

The Philly based indie rock band, Three LeggedFox, kicked off their U.S. tour in the music-loving city of Denver, CO. TheBlue Bird Theater was a great spot for them to play two nights with the Michael Jackson cover band Who’s Bad? It is a small and intimate venue, but has a great sound and feel to it. The crowd sure was getting down with the band.

Before the show, I had the opportunity to speak with 3LF drummer, Kory Kochersperger. That was only after I had a few issues getting inside with my camera…no press pass…Oops! Once inside, Kory and I sat down upstairs and just started talking as if we had been friends for a while and didn’t even realize it. He was a genuine person without some crazy ego - always a good quality for a musician.

“It’s funny when people go ‘Oh Kory listens to this band’ so they just have to love it and they don’t even know who I am. It’s kind of pathetic…I don’t really get it either. It’s like why are you so interested in what I listen to. Go listen to what you like,” Kochersperger said bluntly. I got a nice laugh from this because he thinks of himself just as every other person out there, which he obviously is.

The fans

As we continued to share stories and our thoughts on music today, Kochersperger made it clear that without his band’s fans and their support, 3LF would not be where they are today. He talked about how each member of the band  make an effort to connect with their fans and talk with them after their shows. This was refreshing to hear from a musician who is doing what he loves, and at the same time is a regular guy who works another job. He just so happens to be in a band, which takes a ton of courage to do, especially because 3LF tours almost non-stop.

According a fan, Laura Dowd, who went to see 3LF the night before, “They are all super chill guys. I talked to them for a bit after they played and we just were shootin’ the shit. We even talked about snowboarding and how they were going the next day.” Dowd was quite excited, but never ‘star struck’ because they seemed to have treated her as a friend.

Fans are obviously a major force in helping musicians gain exposure and a wider audience. 3LF seemed to figure that out pretty quickly, but at the same time enjoy meeting new people and hearing what their fans have to say. Not everyone is going to have the same impression of them in different cities.

Kochersperger went on, “It’s great getting to know about our fans in different cities. Denver has a much different scene that is really cool to play in. This was only our second time here and it’s great. Everyone seems really chill.”

Touring isn’t for the weak and the fakers

3LF decided to start their tour off on a two-night run with Who’s Bad? in Denver, then moved on to Aspen, Tulsa, etc. from there. Kochersperger explained how hard they work to expand their audience by touring almost non-stop.

“We tour a ton. It gets tiring, but then I remember I’m not just going to stop something I have worked so hard for over 6 years.” Said Kochersperger. “If I quit every time I was tired then all of this would be a waste of time and effort, so why stop now?”

Kochersperger’s perspective on the intense work he has put into Three Legged Fox, doesn’t only pertain to musicians, but life in general as well. His thoughts on 3LF and different types of music were very interesting to hear because he is a musician, and has a better understanding of what it is like to be analyzed under other people’s musical microscopes.

“We were torn apart by critics and fans on how our last record wasn’t enough like our previous ones. I think people just use the Internet to talk shit after only listening to a record once or for the first 30 seconds of a song. It’s like, do you have anything else better to do besides hide behind a computer when the person may have no idea what we are about?”

Kochersperger also had a nice rant on his frustrations with people who believe what they are read without giving his music a listen. “I try to ignore it, and even if someone decides to talk about us negatively and evoking an emotional reaction, they are still putting our name out there.”

3LF has a unique sound and according to Kochersperger, each band member has his own genre that he really loves. For Kochersperger it seemed to be some “depressing folk music.” I laughed as we continued to talk about the different fads and phases of music, until it was time for 3LF to get up on stage and play their hearts out.

Starting the night off with some good tunes

As Three Legged Fox calmly stepped out on stage, the audience immediately started cheering. I could tell they were there for 3LF because once the band got situated they went straight to rocking hard and the crowd followed suit. The sound resonating through the speakers was powerful and passionate, so you knew they meant business.

Seeing the band bond together on stage, comfortable and confident, fed off into the sea of bodies dancing and screaming. The bass player was a bit stiff, which was strange, but maybe he had hurt himself skiing that day or something?

Either way, 3LF killed it. They only played a 45-minute set, but each minute was worth it. They held their own and made the audience come alive, not just for the headliner Who’s Bad?, but for themselves.

“I like Michael Jackson, but I really went to the show because I love Three Legged Fox,” said Dowd.

Even though this was my first experience seeing 3LF live, they blew me away. If you weren’t enjoying yourself while they were playing, you should probably get your ears checked or maybe you went with the wrong people. Either way, this dynamic group of guys are going to stick around for a while.

As a result of the wide-ranging individual musical tastes of each band member, Three Legged Fox is an interesting combination of hard rock, indie rock, some reggae, and whatever else a person decides to label them. I can say it is some great music that people should open up themselves to.  Give them a few years or so and I bet they will be a familiar name in your music collection.

All Photographs Copyright - Peyton Owen