THE ACIDOPHILES

When one first hears the compelling name Acidophile, questions and speculations surely arise from the inimitable name of the Fort Collins based live electronic duo. After a lengthy discussion with the energetic couple that comprise the band in their Old Town home, the couple excitedly explained the name to me and what it means for the beliefs and core drive of the growing musical act. When lead artist Amanda Gilson was deep in her biology text while preparing for a CSU final two years ago, she discovered the term acidophile, defined as an organism that thrives in highly acidic conditions. Although the band finds some connection and truth to the textbook definition, they have truly defined themselves in their interpretation of the name. The Greek suffix phile, means ‘one that loves, or lover of.’ It is their hope and goal to be able to inspire people with their music to follow their dreams, and that’s where the acronym ACID came about. They are the lovers of Awakening and Creating Individual Dreams, the Acidophiles.

When Amanda Gilson graduated from CSU last May with a major in biology and a minor in molecular genetics, she knew that she would not find herself sampling Petri dishes in a lab any time soon. It was clear to her at that time that she belonged with twenty-two year old Zac Rachid, and laying down heavy electronic beats and sharp trip hop synths is what they were meant to do. “We knew it wouldn’t be easy, but [music is] something we love, and you have to do what you love,” Zac passionately explained to me over a lit cigarette. When the couple met as coworkers at the local smoke shop Lazy J’s in early 2007, they had no idea what was in store for their musical careers, nor for the relationship between them. After many late nights spent together in music venues packed shoulder to shoulder with sweat covered ravers, Zac knew that Amanda was the girl for him, but it wasn’t until he wrote the electronic hip-hop based song Blue Kiss for her in December of 2007 that the feeling became mutual. At that point, a flame was lit between the two and an inseparable music based couple arose, ready to play for the world.

Like many of the individuals frequently found in the late night music scene, Gilson and Rachid had discovered the unique relationship amongst the member of the crowd in their pursuit of live music. After following the renowned electronic jam band STS9 on tour for several months, the couple found themselves “blown away” after their experience with the band at Red Rocks Amphitheatre in late 2008. It was there they realized that together they would start playing music, and hopefully someday make people feel the love and euphoria that STS9 had just made them feel.

Throughout the last twelve months, the couple has made amazing strides in their musical abilities and their status amongst the general public of Fort Collins, especially the avid live music seekers. They have taken on the band as a full time job, which has allowed them to really focus on improving their talents and making thoughtful decisions for their musical career path. Since January they have played nearly ten shows in Ft. Collins alone, ranging from opening acts at Hodi’s Halfnote, to two nearly sold out shows at the celebrated Aggie Theater. Last Saturday, the Acidophiles were given a very warm welcome by a young bouncing crowd at the Aggie, as the couple prepared to begin their second headline show at the venue in less than three months. “After our first show [at the Aggie],” Amanda told me with a proud smile, “the owner said he needed to get us back to play one more time before all the students went home for winter break. That was music to my ears.” After missing their first headline show, I was excited to see what the couple could do, but the energetic crowd gave me the impression that they were about to cut the rug and raise the roof, and that’s just what they did. Almost as if their keyboards were directly controlling the crowd itself, students and young adults all together took a sweaty study break and raised their hands in the air, bounced with the beat, and swung their bodies low towards the sticky dance floor, collectively forming a unified group of people with one general thought of dancing and love in mind. “It really felt amazing,” Amanda said with a full smile, “knowing that all those people came to see us, and that together we all had a great night.”

“We really appreciate all of the support we have received from our friends and fans,” Rachid said with an agreeing nod from Gilson. “And our family is really starting to support us too,” Amanda said while showing me the new laptop computer that was a gift from the family. Although their family has yet to see them play, the couple really appreciates the support they have received from them as they continue to follow their passion. For these two crowd-pleasing artists, the following of people is truly the most important aspect of their public success, as it is wit