Steamboat Pilot & Today

To hear the band members tell it, Pangea sounds like an entity -- a boulder that has been rolling down a mountain gathering mass and momentum -- or a local band that has been gathering members and inspiration.

Pangea, the entity, started forming about nine months ago with a mix-and-match list of musicians. The band played shows at Sabre's Comedy Den and at State Bridge Lodge in Bond, but the energy never felt quite right. It didn't feel like "Pangea."

Between then and now, the group lost a bass player and a keyboard player and added two guitarists.

Three members stayed with the band through all the changes: Jesse Greene on guitar and vocals, Shane LaVigne on percussion and vocals, and Jesse Calhoon on drums.

They discovered guitar players Derek McKulke and Ed Martinson (who also plays in Gyrus) during an open-mic night at Mahogany Ridge Brewery and Grill.

For a while, they were advertising for additional members, using fliers posted across town. They rounded out the band with bass player Greg Anaple, formerly of Liquid and the Surftones, and Monte Beck to play the keyboards.

Tonight will be the debut gig of the Pangea lineup that members hope will stick.

Pangea is a reference to the one landmass that existed on Earth before the continents broke away and settled in their current locations. Literally, "Pangea" is the Greek word of "all lands," and Greene sees the phrase as a perfect definition for the band's blending of musical styles.

The band is building its list of originals, written mostly by Greene.

But the band also pads its set list with covers of songs by Dave Matthews, the Doobie Brothers, Pink Floyd, The Beatles, Jack Johnson and Sublime.

"There are a lot of good musicians in Steamboat, but it seems like a lot of them aren't willing to work on songs and vocal harmonies," LaVigne said.

Calhoon grew up in Steamboat Springs and sees Pangea as something completely new to the local music scene.

"We're going to change the scene in Steamboat," he said.