A tradition started last year, Cashmere Christmas, hosted by Cashmere Sweater and Motherfunk, returns to the Cervantes’ Other Side stage on 12/13. Cashmere Sweater — Tyler Gwynn, Andrew Cooney, and Kevin Hinder — will be the evening’s house band, working in tandem with event directors, set designers, and overall vibe aficionados Motherfunk to bring this “crazy Christmas special” to life. This year’s event is also a fundraiser for Backline Care, a nonprofit organization providing mental health and wellness resources to music industry professionals and their families. One dollar per ticket sold will go to Backline, with an additional separate donation option. It’s an event that only happens one night a year and should be a great time for a great cause.
But what makes this crazy Christmas special so crazy and special? First, Motherfunk transports the audience to a 1970s living room with their set design. The musicians onstage are dressed accordingly and in their best holiday outfits and fans will get the sense that they’re watching an old-timey Christmas TV special. Of course, a three-man shindig wouldn’t be much of a shindig at all, so the trio has enlisted a plethora of local friends and musicians to join in the festivities. With over a dozen players having already RSVP’ed to join Cashmere Sweater this Friday night, the Other Side stage will suddenly feel like the busy and bustling cocktail party it’s intended to.
The list of musical guests for the Cashmere Christmas is lengthy. Opening the evening will be The Elegant Plums. From there, Cashmere Sweater will take the reins and expects around 15 to 20 guests throughout the night in “different iterations.” The guest list thus far is as follows — Shawn Eckels, Max Newman, Sam Walker, Derek Dames Ohl, Eric Luba, Kay McKenzie, Michael Lenssen, Borahm Lee, Scottie Bolin, Fritz Boniface, Alex Blocker, Evan Holm, Marc Townes, Karl Summers and more TBD. It’s a mixture of musicians who are “bigger and national, and local guys who you see playing but never get to see playing together, which is going to the best part about it,” Gwynn said of the supergroup.
So, how does the music take shape with an event like this? According to Gwynn, “You never know what’s going to come next.” In preparing some semblance of a setlist, Gwynn, Hinder and Cooney get together to rough draft, discussing what worked last year and what to do differently this year. “Who plays with who, what order is trial and error, a lot of work,” Gwynn said. Overall, however, it’s a team effort that they pull off “pretty flawlessly,” with a big buildup to something that results in a whole lot of fun. If you know anything about Cashmere Sweater and the people they surround themselves with, that fun is guaranteed to be accompanied by a whole lot of laughter and some debauchery, too.
With the combination of the visionaries at Motherfunk, the care collective of Backline, and an exhaustive cast sheet of eclectic musical talent, Cashmere Christmas has truly endless potential. “We have the concept of something really cool,” Gwynn said. “This could turn into a really fun thing that Denver looks forward to every year, and we can’t wait to see what the future holds.” With tickets still available and more names still being added to the bill, it’s time to get into the holiday spirit and secure your seat at the table for Cashmere Christmas II.