Papadosio

Before marquee gigs at Red Rocks and Electric Forest, the guys in Papadosio were bandmates in Athens, Ohio working out a hybrid strain of psychedelic rock and electronic music. Somewhere between their college town beginnings and an expanding circle of midwestern venues, they learned how to distill influences ranging from Radiohead to Bob Marley and place it all into a longform, livetronica, jam-band kind of context.

Now based in Asheville, N.C., Papadosio have fans wherever they go — a following built over 16 years on a foundation of prolific studio output, epic live shows (documented with albums), and electrifying concert visuals that glow like a microdosing epiphany.

A gig in 2020 near their adopted hometown in the Carolinas — at a former county fairgrounds complex — was illustrative: Papadosio flooded the stage with prismatic, colored light that cascaded up a set of multi-tiered visual screens behind the band while radiating spotlight beams swarmed across the audience.

Sometimes referred to as “Pop a Dose Yo” by their fervid fans, Papadosio are nothing if not trippy in their performances, music, videos and associated art. Swiping through band-tagged social media reveals stunning images, like acid spilled on a canvas, captured at their performances.

Band members have actually waded into YouTube comments beneath their clips to try to quash fan rumors that the nickname is the band’s own intended meaning and pronunciation of “Papadosio.” It might be a tough case to make with a discography whose album titles include  “Microdosio” and “T.E.T.I.O.S.,” which stands for “To End the Illusion of Separation.”

Touring is another form of identity for a band like Papadosio, who recently promised on their Instagram that they would have “a LOT more shows to announce” over and above the 17 dates that filled out their first fall-winter gig poster. Papadosio also introduced a new track, “Zoom Out,” with a caption exhorting fans to “ ‘Zoom Out’ with us and appreciate the tiny world that we all know” — as in, enjoy the view from space.

Papadosio with Guavatron and Galactic Effect perform 7pm Saturday, January 21 at Revolution Live in Fort Lauderdale. papadosio.com ~ Amanda Moore