The Polish Ambassador @ THE MISH
To get to “The Mish” is not the easiest, but well worth it. For our wee group of Boulder County groovy party people to get there, it took a small 30 min carpool, to a bigger 40 min carpool driving north to CSU in Fort Collins. And finally, a 45 min shuttle party bus took us up the Poudre Canyon arriving right at the front doors of the fantastic Mishawaka Amphitheatre.
But before we journey up this last leg of our colorful Colorado canyon tour, let’s talk about a few culinary highlights that made the whole experience last Saturday night even better. While they do have a nice selection of tavern food & drink up at The Mish’s Restaurant literally steps away from the main venue entrance, we decided to bring own riverside picnic from the fabulous Petra Grill located right near the CSU campus. Both the Gyro and Shawarma plates are nothing short of fantastic—and hey, don’t forget to ask for a side of the “garlic sauce” with every dish. It’s like a collapsed neutron star of flavor. Somehow they fit 10,000 cloves of raw garlic in every teaspoon, so just a little dab on every bite will transcend the already delicious fare into the stratosphere.
As we waited for our take out order of Middle Eastern delights to be ready, we stopped at Restaurant 415 for a quick cocktail + appetizer. Most of us had their house margarita called the Chupacabra. Made with Milagro Silver Tequila (an old client of mine), cucumber, jalapeño, lime & agave nectar. The lovely cocktail was light & refreshing with it’s signature flavor components perfectly balanced. We also squeezed in a sharable appetizer of especially yummy brussels sprouts prepared with fresh orange juice, garlic & shaved parmesan. These were not the typical crispy preparation, yet soft & supple with a fresh firmness— definitely some of my favorite brussels I’ve had in a long time.
Now with our Jordanian to-go plates and garlic sauces on the side in hand, plus a jug full of homespun Bloody Marias made with Sauza Hornitos Reposado Tequila, McClure’s Spicy Bloody Mary Mix and SuckerPunch Pickles, we were ready for that last leg up the winding canyon along the Cache la Poudre, Colorado’s only nationally designated “Wild & Scenic” river. The ride takes a little bit, but the group is fun and everyone was excited with anticipation like little kids on the first day of school—which was appropriate on the black painted school bus. The big difference of course was the wafting of weed, the passing party favors, and containers of various ABV beverages (NOTE: you can’t bring alcohol into the venue, so simply drink it before, and show Mish’s ticket takers your empty vessel).
Finally at The Mish (and coincidently, my first time), it’s honestly unimpressive. While the canyon & river themselves are breathtaking, the venue itself feels old and a bit tired on the outside. But once you enter, it’s like opening the door to Willy Wonka’s wonderful inside/outside chocolate room. Instead of a chocolate river, a real river is accessible from inside; instead of candy plants, trees & mushrooms, there’s psychedelic mushrooms and a stage filled with technicolored lights pulsing to techno global beats. Glimmering lasers zooming up in the sky through the amphitheatre and across the entire canyon creating dancing patterns of light on the rocks behind us. It’s pretty spectacular, and instantly one of my new favorite venues. It somehow feels grand because of the open canyon environment, but also surprisingly intimate with only about a thousand people at capacity.
Hey, I thought this post was about The Polish Ambassador!?!? You see what a misleading headline can do! Basically the show was fuckin’ awesome. We danced our asses off. Now check out the video below with clips from my iPhone. And yes, I highly recommend everyone see a TPA show ASAP!
A Few Heinsenfolg FAVs from The Polish Ambassador
While I usually include a mini-bio in my music reviews, I simply couldn’t beat the plethora of awesome info on The Polish Ambassador’s official website… this guy is one cool cat!
Musician. Producer. Beatsmith. Recording artist. Composer. Dance-floor general. Label-head. A mystery man of many hats, The Polish Ambassador rocks more than just a trademark jumpsuit, authoring sublime, intentional artistic works, animated safaris in technicolor sound. At first breath, The Polish Ambassador was an experiment, David Sugalski’s sound-art passion project that came to life. An inventive, imaginary character born of humble, humorous beginnings, he found his first audiences through the support of primitive digital radio stations. Today, TPA is among the premier EDM/live crossover artists in the country with millions of listeners around the world; he’s consistently in-demand at the live music-focused gatherings and boutique electronic festivals from coast to coast. Founder of independent label Jumpsuit Records, an environmentalist and early progenitor of the permaculture action movement, the world’s funkiest diplomat is here to party with a purpose.
The Polish Ambassador’s prolific output incorporates many styles, from exuberant global-house to fatback mid-tempo funk, you’ll pick up on West African percussion alongside stirring Kirtan melodies, a psychedelic sax solo or a fresh verse from a Brooklyn female emcee. TPA employs live horns, keyboards, guitars, violins, and a bevy of talented instrumentalists on stage.
In alignment with TPA’s artistic ethos is a low-key lifestyle that places a premium on being present, living in harmony with nature, participating in community and inspiring it to thrive. Offstage, David Sugalski instigated a village-building convergence in his hometown in Northern California, and manages his own 25-acre homestead in the picture-Esque, rolling Sierra Nevada foothills. The farmer/carpenter lives modestly in a cabin he built on his land of the lush; TPA music is created in a solar-powered recording studio on the property. When he removes the famed bright blue-and-yellow 80’s jumpsuit and reverts back to his humanoid self, Sugalski is an avid solo bicyclist who enjoys venturing up California’s breathtaking coastal Highway 1; he’s a dedicated van-adventurer, having built out an exquisite tiny home inside a contractors van.
Sugalski plans his TPA tours for minimum carbon footprint, he advocates for healthy-beverage alternatives at music venues. Jumpsuit Records has donated tens of thousands of dollars to various non-profit organizations and charities; a portion of the label split goes to supporting non-profits voted on by fans. TPA’s awareness-in-action coalesces with numerous non-profit endeavors, including Jumpsuit Records, own 501(c) certified organization ActionDays.us. TPA decided to eliminate the merchandise from his business model, in order to facilitate a fan-operated buy-and-sell marketplace. The Polish Ambassador has evolved exponentially, from an art project to a vibration; a joyful community that thrives on the dancefloor and finds freedom, connection, and collective oneness through this music.
