“Doodle, man, you would totally be Turtle.”
“C’mon, me? Really?”
“Yeah, man! Of course, you’re the driver! And we all know Greg would be Eric.” “Wow,” I thought, “did I really just walk up on an already Entourage-esque crew talking about which Entourage characters they each resembled?”

In this crew, Doodle (reportedly named for his favorite munchy-time snack, Cheez-Doodles) is an amiable, portly, bearded fellow who drives the Penske truck that follows Derek Vincent Smith and Cory Eberhard around the country.

Greg, a “make it happen” kind of guy, is a master of loading in and setting up all the Pretty Lights gear, and, in the absence of the regular lighting designer, he’s quite talented at controlling the $250,000 LED light wall that plays a crucial role in the live Pretty Lights experience. Naturally, the leader of the group, Phil Salvaggio, Pretty Lights Front of House Engineer and Tour Manager, was responsible for assigning each of his buddies his respective Entourage character (not to mention producing the concert).

The details of these behind-the-scenes characters may not be so exciting at first. However, these personalities were a perfect sample of what the rest of the evening would be like. Sometimes, it seems like the artists we book for our College concerts are mainly concerned with hanging out in the tour bus before walking on stage for a dry, 90 minute set required in order to receive a check later that night.

I mentioned to Doodle, “Man, I must say, you guys have been so cool, so easy and fun to work with compared to some of the other artists and crews we’ve worked with in the past.” Doodle just said, “Yeah, that’s because we’re from Colorado – that’s how we are out there.” I think anyone in attendance at the show could sense the same vibe I felt earlier that day: these guys were determined to produce the best show possible; their hearts were in it, for us.

Shortly after these conversations, Chris Fox rolled up with Derek and Cory in his car. I had seen pictures of Derek Vincent Smith, but none of the pictures did him justice. They all show a quirky, stylish, “A/V geek,” not a 6 foot 4 behemoth of a musical pioneer. After introducing myself, I escorted Derek up to what would be his hospitality room for the evening. Derek was very easy to talk to, very laid back like his friends. I knew it would be a good show. I also decided to take the opportunity to get some information from him. What follows are some of my questions and his answers.

Derek, your music can be downloaded free at PrettyLightsMusic.com. I was quickly turned on to your music after downloading it for free. Why did you and Cory decide to do that?

“My original intention was simply to get my music into as many stereos as possible. I had no idea that it would actually turn into a means for me to make a living through touring. Now, I continue to offer the music for free because I believe it creates a lasting, loyal relationship between me and the fans.”

Do you ever wish you were making money off of those 150,000+ downloads?

“Actually, I am. If it weren’t for all the word of mouth about the album downloads, my live shows wouldn’t be nearly as successful as they are right now. I’m very excited to have played a part in the transformation of the music industry, and I’m looking forward to seeing how it plays out.”

The monome is a sick piece of equipment. Is it your favorite piece? Is the monome an “instrument?”

“It is definitely an instrument. I do love it because it allows artists to interface with electronic music like never before. Finally there is actually an efficient means to “perform” this kind of music. I can’t wait to see other ways in which technology plays a part in the evolution of music performance.”

Your music seems to be very “now,” very “this” generation. What does Pretty Lights sound like in 5 years? Does it evolve with technology?

“That’s something I think about a lot. I wish I could produce the music I’m gonna make in 5 years, tomorrow. But that’s impossible. All I can do is continue to strive for originality and stay on top of what’s possible. I do know that the primary things that make music good won’t ever change: emotion and soul.”

Are Pretty Lights and other similar electronic artists the future of music?

“Most definitely.”

You were highly demanded by the students of this rural, traditional, all male school. What do you think about that?

“It’s very exciting that the sound I started producing in my bedroom 10 years ago is finally finding its way around the country and the world.”

With that, Pretty Lights took the stage last Friday night and performed, fully immersing the audience in both music and visual sensation.

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