by Chris Clark

With Christmas right around the corner and the holiday season in full bloom, the present becomes an occasion for reflection, caring and spending time with the ones you love. Whether it's a reuniting family dinner, a charitable donation or a simple "I love you," 'tis the season for sharing and caring for your neighbor.

On the other hand, the festive season is also about drinking and being merry. When combined with a heavy dose of thick, Latin-infused funk, one wouldn't be surprised if an all-out dance party ensued. This is the idea Dave Watts has in mind for Friday night when the Fox Theatre hosts Watts and some of his finest musical friends for an evening of warm sounds and pleasant grooves.

Since 1998, Watts has been electrifying audiences in Boulder and beyond as the backbone of Boulder-based Latin groovsters, The Motet. In those years he has become a staple in the area's live music scene, forging musical relationships with everyone from String Cheese Incident's Michael Kang to The Flecktonesâ sax-player extraordinaire, Jeff Coffin. Now being one of the most celebrated players around, Watts returns to the Fox for Conscious Alliance's annual Christmas Benefit Show.

"With me on Friday night will be Jans Ingber on percussion and vocals, Joey Porter on keys, Paul McDaniel on bass, John Stewart on sax and a New Orleans transplant named Sam Hotchkiss on guitar," says Watts. "We'll be playing a lot of Latin and funk grooves with some open improvisations—less arranged than The Motet would be, but similar vibe."

Surely this will be a sweaty affair. Watts' drumming will provide the foundation for the Friends to take off and explore instrumental ground. Expect ample improvisational forays and some sultry, solid beats to back. It will be an evening that Boulder locals have learned to expect. Watts gives much credit to the Boulder community. He and bands like The Motet have been able to thrive in the rich cultural surroundings provided by the cozy Front Range mentality.

"I chose to live in Boulder because the scene here is so open and fertile for up-and-coming musicians," says Watts. "The players out here love to just play. There's much less of a dog-eat-dog mentality here than in other places around the country. It's been great for me to find my niche and be able to make a living at it, which I couldn't necessarily say about my time in Boston. There are many equally, if not more diverse scenes all over the country, but Boulder is a particularly accessible and friendly one."

Conscious Alliance, a Boulder-based nonprofit organization that seeks to help create networks of organic farms on Indian Reservations here and abroad through coordinated food drives, co-sponsors the evening. If you're a live music fan who's familiar with bands like SCI, The Dead and Sound Tribe Sector 9, then you'll already be aware of the tremendous support Conscious Alliance has in the music community, as well as in the Indian Reservations they assist. Conscious Alliance also gives a helping hand to an array of worthy causes outside the music realm. From the Conscious Alliance Hurricane Relief Effort, which saw staff head to hurricane-ravaged areas to hand out food to hurricane survivors (serving up to 2,000 meals a day in Waveland, Miss.), to the 2005 SCI Toy Drive, which took place earlier this week, they work nonstop for the common good.

Friday night offers the people of Boulder a chance to give back to the community during this year's holiday season and support some quality local musicians and a quality local organization.

Dave Watts and Friends play the Conscious Alliance Christmas Benefit Show at 9 p.m., Friday, Dec. 23, at the Fox Theatre, 1135 13th St., Boulder, 303-443-3399.

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