The 10th Annual Art Outside Festival kicks off in Texas on Friday with a stacked lineup that includes Emancipator, Conspirator, the Motet and the Polish Ambassador. We caught up with Motet drummer Dave Watts about the band’s new album, favorite summer performances and what fans might expect from their first Art Outside appearance.

The Motet is a Colorado band, and proud to be so! What do you love about being a musician there? It’s really about the fan base. Most of us aren’t from here, but we moved here because there’s such a fertile scene for music – and that’s really because we have great fans and incredible support. People love music here and it’s a healthy environment; a lot of us came from the rat race in Boston so we appreciate the vibe.

The recently released self-titled LP is the seventh studio album for The Motet. How has the band’s sound evolved since its debut, and how has the album been received so far? Great! It’s our first album that was a 100 percent collaborative effort among the players, so it really represents all of us as a band; our sound has evolved so much over time.

How has the band’s sound changed over the years? Has the funky vibe remained virtually the same? We love to play dance music. Being a band led by a drummer, rhythm is the foundation of what we do. We’ve visited different styles and genres over the years; our Halloween shows have been consistently attributed to funk music – Jamiroquai, Prince, Stevie Wonder. There’s 13 different shows we’ve done, and that music has really become a part of our sound.

This year’s summer schedule included opening for Umphrey’s McGee at Red Rocks, a two-night run at the Mish and two nights of Rowdytown as Big Gigantic’s band. Do you have any personal highlights from performances from this year? For sure the Red Rocks shows. We’re blessed to be able to play there three times in one summer, and as Big Gigantic’s live band.

What’s it been like seeing former Motet member (and Big G saxophonist) Dominic Lalli transition from the Motet to Big G? It’s a reflection of how the scene has changed. Dom can go from being a modern jazz saxophonist to embracing this EDM scene and becoming a producer. Watching that transformation go from ground zero to selling out Red Rocks in less than four years – without the industry, radio play or record labels behind them – has been kind of amazing.

The Motet’s last Texas appearance was earlier this spring at Euphoria Music Festival, and one of the band’s two sets was the music of Jamiroquai! How did that come about, and can AO attendees look forward to any special surprises or old school appearances during the Motet performance on Friday? We have such a huge repertoire at this point that anything’s possible. There are a huge amount of originals and covers to go through … but we don’t really work on the set list until the day of. We try to keep it fresh.

Halloween seems to sell out every year, and this year is no different, with the Mixtape 75 Halloween show in Boulder already sold out. What is it that people love about these events? Yeah, Colorado just loves to celebrate. Halloween is a perfect excuse, and they know we put a lot of hard work into it.

What’s unique about this year? Normally we cover an artist from the past. It’s really fun to learn a discography, but this time we’ve switched over to taking a year of hits – disco and funk from 1975. I don’t want to let any secrets out, but it will be a dance party. Trust!

It seems like Art Outside kicks off the Motet’s fall/winter tour season. What are you looking forward to in the next upcoming months? We’re doing an east coast run and playing at the Brooklyn Bowl, in Atlanta and in Asheville. Then we’ve got a run with our good friend Keller Williams in December.

What are you listening to right now? I listen to funk music between 1970-1983, it’s kind of my thing. I like a little bit of modern music but honestly so much seems like it’s been recycled from the past, I figure why not just go to the source? But my favorite band right now is Snarky Puppy.

Check out The Motet at Art Outside Festival this weekend!