Silas Herman and the Tone Unit debut: Silas Herman and the Tone Unit light up the stage with their debut performance at the Nederland Summer Concert Series. The crowd at Chipeta Park on Saturday, August 31, couldn’t get enough of their infectious energy and fresh sound.[/caption]

The Nederland days of old seemed revived this past Saturday afternoon, August 31, 2024, at Chipeta Park as Silas Herman and the Tone Unit played to a huge crowd of residents and visitors.

Concertgoers set up on the grassy field with lawn chairs, blankets, and beverages, while children played in the park. Kaleidoscope Kitchen food truck dished out fried plantains, crab cake sliders, and chicken skewers for hungry mouths. The festive affair was the final in a series of summer concerts sponsored by the Nederland Downtown Development Authority and the Town of Nederland.

The stage, sound, and engineering were orchestrated by Time Served Production Ltd., an employee-owned company that has been producing music in the Front Range for 35 years.

Peter Fiori, owner of The Caribou Room and employee-owner of Time Served Production, said that attendees have been very respectful of the park, cleaning up after themselves and their pets. Good job, Nederland!

Silas Herman, also an employee-owner of Time Served Production, is the son of Vince Herman, lead musician and singer of the progressive bluegrass band, Leftover Salmon, and who has been playing for 30 years as a nationally touring act.

Silas has graced the stages of Nederland since he was a teenager, honing his skills, musicianship, and dexterity on the mandolin. He has appeared on stage alongside notable artists such as Del McCoury, Sam Bush, Billy Strings, The Infamous Stringdusters, Leftover Salmon, Yonder Mountain String Band, Greensky Bluegrass, Railroad Earth, Elephant Revival, The Kitchen Dwellers and The Lil Smokies…to name a few.

He was joined by Matt Cantor, Ricky Miera, and Jack Cloonan, collectively known as Silas Herman and the Tone Unit, at this, their debut show.

Fast picking and melodic stringwork moved many to dance and jump, spin and clap, and one child did cartwheels in the grass.

At the end of their performance, Silas’ mother, Kimba Stefane, was beaming as Silas shouted out, “I love you, mom!” from the stage. Hearts were breaking in all the right ways.

Stefane, owner of Blue Owl Books and Gifts, said it was a really special day. Insider note: Stefane embroidered her son’s shirt with roses on the shoulders and a mandolin on the back – how sweet!

The Tone Unit was followed by the River Arkansas. Fronted by Mike Clark, the band delivered a mixture of heartfelt country, blues, folk, and Americana, inspired by the source of the Arkansas River in central Colorado.

This summer has seen several talented acts perform at Chipeta Park, including Rolling Harvest, Wirewood Station, the Ben Sproul Band, Banshee Tree, Diggin’ Dirt, and Atomga.

“Time Served Production has been really proud to put on these shows… so be safe and we’ll put on more. We’ll do more,” said Danny Schafer, also a Time Served Production employee-owner.

The hopeful plan for next year: to do it again and add more acts, keeping with a long tradition of live music in the fair town of Nederland.

For more information on the Nederland Summer Concert Series, visit their website at https://www.timeservedproductiongroup.com/nederlandsummerconcertseries.