To view photos from the Roots Album release event, click here.

Last week, I had the pleasure of being part of an event that was epic.  Absolutely epic!  The Roots, Jimmy Fallon’s own band, had their album release party for their new album: “And then You Shoot your Cousin.”  By the way, I checked this morning and it is number one on Itunes! I was brought in by a colleague, Todd Neufeld, from the Twisted Balloon Co. in NYC to be a part of this masterpiece. To say that everything we created was unlike anything I’ve ever done before would be an understatement….the concept behind our twisted chaos was brilliant! The Roots wanted their Release party to be a work of art, to be something that would inspire future artists. I think that they succeeded. Our job was to create a balloon drop with 3000-balloons for two nights, totally about 6000 twisted balloons when it was all said and done.  We twisted so many one balloon things that day, I think I went home and was sleep-twisting. There were piles of bags filled with one-balloon dogs, cats, dinosaurs, hearts, lions, fish, giraffes.  Anything you can think of that is a one-balloon creation, we made it that day. The show happened at the Public Theater on Lafayette St in lower Manhattan.  Quest Love described it as their first Opera and I think it was just that.  It was a mixture of poetry, amazing dancing, and beautiful artistic expression.

The first song started and an absolutely amazing dancer comes out, moving in ways that I never thought possible. The song ends with a flourish and the lights flicker and come back on to a sea of balloon creations falling from the sky!  It was breathtaking! My favorite part of the show:  the balloons became an integral part of the show.  Everything that happened involved the balloons.  If someone walked, they popped a balloon; if someone played an instrument, it moved the balloons; dancing, moved the balloons…Everything meshed and brought out this stunningly beautiful show of artistry.  They did such a phenomenal job of producing everything.  The music was incredible, the dancing was ridiculous, and the lights were a show all on their own.

I tip my hat to The Roots.  Good luck in your ventures to come!

A few more fun photos from the event in New York City here.

So, tell me.  Have you heard their new album? What do you think of it?

Stay twisted, my friends!

-Tristen