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Lou Anne Michel, Trish Popvich, Nathan Schmit,
Katie Schmoker, Charlie Sullivan, The Swami,
Tim Wenger
PHOTOGRAPHY
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Brandon Marshall
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Reproduction in any manner in whole or in part without express written consent
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editorial content or advertisements that do.
6
April 2012 | ColoradoMusicBuzz.com
Interviews
The Word on the Scene, From the Inside
her innovative
and emotional
lives shows,
and creative
producer
sensibility.
Roniit: Interview
by Corey Blecha
[email protected]
As electronic music continues to press into
mainstream culture, there are certain acts that
bridge the gap between the new-age digital
world of music, and the traditional pop tunes
we have become accustomed to hearing on the
radio. One local act that has been integrating
electronic influences into her highly polished
pop songs is Roniit; a rapidly rising star in the
local scene who has been turning heads with
Attending
the College
of Arts and
Media at the
University
of Colorado
D e n v e r ,
where
she
studied music
business under
some of the
most esteemed professors in the state, Roniit
Alkayam has been able to develop her unique
style in the past year or so, resulting in some
stunning electro-pop compositions, including
“Now or Never” and “Stronger”, off her new
album--available on her Bandcamp page.
Pristine production, coupled with smooth and
whimsical vocals, result in a style all her own,
and one you will be hearing around town in
the coming months, as Roniit continues on
her roll of top-notch productions and stunning
live shows. I had a few words with her about
some of her influences and what she aims to
accomplish with her music.
CMB: Who are some of your local, as well as
international influences?
Roniit: So many local Denver bands are
extremely creative when it comes to how they
release their music. I’ve definitely taken notice
of bands like Achille Lauro and Mancub, who
use creative means to release tracks - such
as in a fortune cookie or on a candle. Dave
Devine is a great local guy, creating beautiful
music and teaching others how to do so. Most
of my big influences are over in Europe. I love
so many electro pop bands from over there,
such as Monarchy, Oh Land, Royksopp,
and more. I’m also a huge fan of metal bands
such as Opeth, Children of Bodom, and
Moonsorrow. Every once in a while you
might hear a growl or guitar solo on one of my
songs.
CMB: What equipment/programs do you
use to create your music?
Roniit: I use Apple Logic along with a few
plug-ins. The most important part of my set up
is my Apogee Ensemble interface. That thing
has incredible pre-amps which makes vocals
sound real nice and shiny.
CMB: What are your goals with this project?
How did it begin?
Congress of the Crow
by Tim Wenger
[email protected]
Congress of the Crow has been creating a
good buzz around town lately. Colorado Music
Buzz got the chance to catch up with Shannon
Antos and get the latest scoop. “The magic of
C.O.T.C. stems from the players themselves.
We play from the heart and paint a dynamic
landscape in sound,” according to the band’s bio.
CMB: What big shows do you have coming
up?
COTC: Our calendar is listed on our website
cotcband.com. Currently it is filled with recording
dates. As spring progresses we’ll be back to
playing live.
CMB: What do you have going on this summer?
Tours, record release, anything news worthy?
COTC: C.O.T.C just completed its first national
magazine interview for Cycle Source Magazine,
so we’re pretty excited about that. It’s a custom
motorcycle publication, and we’re in their “Full
Throttle Rock” section March 2012. We are also
launching a Kickstarter.com project to help
raise funds to complete our album. All donors get
merchandise and gifts for helping out, and are
mentioned on the album credits. We should have
a very solid album since we have a big library
of material to choose from. This spring, we’ll be
focused on finishing up the album and then we’ll
be back to playing live shows and regional events
in and around Colorado. We are aiming for a few
large festivals this summer. More details to come
on www.cotcband.com
CMB: What are your best markets to
play? Favorite and least favorite markets
personally?
COTC: We have spent most of our time playing
in and around Denver, which can be hit or miss,
but is always fun. We have participated in a few
large music festivals over the years, which were
great. Any time that we can play in front of a large
crowd is a plus, and we always gain some new
fans. It’s also a great place to network with other
bands. The mountain towns are a lot of fun as
well because the crowd is usually ready to have
a good time.
CMB: Anything else you want people to
know?
COTC: We are a small cohesive band made up
of music fans, and lifelong musicians, that love to
play good music and believe in what we do. We
want to build a strong local family and are open to
feedback, suggestions and opportunities. Please
visit our page at cotcband.com and look for us on
Facebook as well. Shoot us a personal message,
and you’ll hear back from one of us very soon.
Also, please check us out on Kickstarter.com, help
us out and get some great C.O.T.C Merchandise!
As for goals, if I could do everything I’m doing
now, but on a larger scale I’d be very happy.
For instance, I’d love to go on tour again, but
do it bigger and better. I’d also love to get to
the point where I have help with marketing and
promotion of my music, whether that means
label support, or just the support of someone
influential that believes in me. Another goal is to
reach the point where I can afford to work with
professional creative individuals who can help
me create spectacular videos for my music.
CMB: Any upcoming events, releases, etc.
coming up?
CMB: What do you have for albums so far,
and what is different between them (different
producers, different style songs, etc.)?
COTC: Currently we have a self-produced selftitled album from 2008. It’s a mix of tracks that
we recorded at Module Overload Studios in
Denver and some live tracks right off the mixing
board. At that time, we were really promoting our
live sound, and did not do a lot of production on
the tracks. We are currently working at Macro
Mellon Studios in Denver, which is our home
base, and is engineered by Davy Attwood, our
bass player. It’s nice to be able to spend some
time at our own studio and leave our equipment
all mic’d and dialed in for the next session. We are
still focused on capturing our live sound, but with
more production and mastering. Davy has a great
ear, and the mixed tracks are sounding great so
far. The three of us as a whole are pretty hands
on in the studio and are involved in editing and
dialing in each track.
Roniit: I’ve been playing in various bands for
years, but after being let down by band mates
one too many times, I realized that I could
accomplish way more on my own. I started
writing songs on my computer, never showing
them to anyone. Then I met my drummer/
boyfriend, Eric, who was producing electronic
music in Nashville. He polished one of my
songs and added drums; it sounded really
professional, so I released it on Soundcloud.
Fast-forward two months later, and I have 5,000
Soundcloud followers begging for more songs.
I decided to move to Nashville to complete
an internship and work on music. While I was
there, I wrote several songs, all the while getting
production lessons from Eric. Eventually I made
a Facebook page, and decided to release an
official album and start playing my music live.
Roniit: I’m going to be releasing a new song
within the next month. I’m also planning on
doing a music video this summer. As always,
I’m playing in Denver almost every month, and
MIGHT be doing a full tour of Colorado this
summer.
CMB: Shout outs?
Roniit: I want to say ‘HEY’ to my touring mate
RainbowDragonEyes who writes crazy music
on his Nintendo Gameboy. I also want to
say “sup” to my best friends in Denver’s most
extreme metal band - Vale of Pnath/
Secondhand Serenade
by Max Giffin
[email protected]
What makes a serenade? According to John
Vesely (vocals and guitar) of Secondhand
Serenade, it’s a mixture of love and sincerity-you have to really mean what you write. This
recipe has launched, and sustained, Vesely’s
career, one that started by building a national
fan base online. This fan base was responsible
for selling out the Bluebird March 16, when
Secondhand Serenade played with
Boyce Avenue and the After Party.
What attracts such an audience to an acoustic
guitar player? Vesely claims that there’s no
secret-online tool behind it, no magic. He
claims that being personable leads to people
sharing his music with others exponentially.
Vesely’s ability to be personable shone through
in his performance, as he mockingly sang
a cover of Enrique Iglesias’ “I Can be Your
Hero,” that had people smiling, laughing, and
singing along. Instead of dodging fans after his
set, Vesely mingled with the audience.
Vesely is a very grounded musician. He relaxes
in the company of good friends and family,
and values the father-son bond. When he
isn’t winning people over with serenades, he
enjoys cooking. His eyes get dreamy when he
imagines cooking chicken and steak fajitas,
April 2012 | ColoradoMusicBuzz.com
and he gets very animated while describing his
recipe for making eggrolls.
So what wisdom can Vesely share?
First, kangaroos don’t have furry pouches. They
are his favorite animals to see at the zoo, and
he informs me that the pouches aren’t fuzzy.
He gets a satisfied smile while describing a
disgusting place that most people don’t spend
time imagining.
Second, every good relationship is based on
listening. Whether it’s a friendship or romance,
he has realized all too often that his friendships
are not symbiotic anymore. Recently, Vesely
had a rude awakening when he realized that
the person he considered his best friend, only
considered him a friend. Vesely listened to what
his friends had to say. He said the criticism was
harsh and unkind at first, but necessary, and
he has put in a lot of effort becoming a more
positive person ever since.
This transformation has motivated Vesely to
view his previous success very humbly. “It
was a successful single, it wasn’t the end of
the world.” During his set, Vesely announced
proudly, that enough money had been raised to
fund his next album, an album that “will belong
to you and me, not a record company.” Stay
tuned to his social media for updates.
7
Planet Buzz
Where it all happens...
your band is actually doing in the market place.
We’re going to help you get a brief picture of
what success actually looks like in the new
industry, by the numbers.
“As for new stuff, it usually takes people a few
years before they deem something ‘classic’
enough to want to hear,” says Chris Demakes,
vocalist and guitarist. The band, always known
for their humorous stage show led largely by
Demakes and bassist Roger Manganelli,
has traveled the world of music for nearly two
decades. “[Tour life] is better now than ever,”
says Demakes. “Still playing to lots of people
all over the world, we ‘hit’ as many new towns
and cougars as we can.”
Less Than Jake Talks
Their Music, Rocks
Summit
by Tim Wenger
photo credit Max Gifﬁn
[email protected]
Less Than Jake is not like milk. Even after 20+
years on the ska/punk circuit, they are not yet
soured and curdled, and their music can still be
used to cool you off a bit when life gets too hot.
At the Denver stop of their 20-year anniversary
tour, LTJ proved that oldies can still be goodies
by rocking the ears off Summit Music Hall with
a set that consisted largely of songs from their
albums Losing Streak, Hello Rockview and
Anthem.
Some might say that they are like ﬁne wine,
growing better with age, but the truth is that
they still played a lot of the songs that I fell in
love with when I was in 8th grade, spending my
lunch money and the little I made doing chores
around the house, on ska records through
mail-order catalogues. Their live show has
always been one of the most entertaining and
humorous in the ska/punk world, and that still
stands true. The best description I can give
to this Gainesville, FL, ﬁve-piece is that they
are consistently unswerving in their delivery of
the greatest style of music to come out of the
‘90s. I have seen them at least a dozen times
now, and I still can’t stay out of the pit when
they play songs like “All My Best Friends are
Metalheads.”
The band featured a large backdrop looking like
a twenty-dollar bill for this tour, replacing former
President Andrew Jackson’s head with their
own character, to signify the band’s twenty-year
history. The capacity crowd at Summit Music
Hall wasted no time getting into the music-the ﬁrst song featured a large circle pit with an
impressive amount of water and empty beer
cups ﬂying overhead.
The butt of more than one of their jokes on this
particular evening was the infamous Tim Tebow,
who spent his college days in LTJ’s hometown
of Gainesville. Always known for a distinctive
stage show, Demakes and the gang have spent
their fair share of time over the years coming up
with ways to interact with the crowd. “[It comes
from] a combination of boredom mixed with the
fact that we aren’t exactly wooing audiences
with our boyish looks,” says Demakes. “We
have to do something, otherwise we would be
staring at our shoes like 95% of the bands out
there.”
They played a solid hour of oldies mixed with
a couple of recent albums, and one brand new
song before walking off stage, only to return
and close the night with “Look What Happened”
and an enormous eruption from the crowd.
These guys always put on a show worth seeing,
and I, for one, can’t wait until they come back
around. Fortunately for us, they have no plans
of stopping anytime soon. “The motivation
lies with the fact that we still love doing this,”
Demakes says. “We haven’t played a nursing
home yet. That one is on the bucket list for
sure.”
Musician Meets Metrics
(Exploding Heads May
Ensue)
by Michael Amidei
[email protected]
In the old days, circa 1991, “making it” was a
fairly easy thing to describe. It meant record
deals, sold out clubs, record execs with greasy
ponytails who called everyone “baby,” and
gave you tiny bags of what you thought was
powdered sugar to keep you busy backstage
with the groupies. Ah, the good old days . . .
no more. Ponytail boy has long since gone into
real estate, and the record industry, once the
grand curator of what music found its way to
your ears, has fallen. This shouldn’t be news
to anyone. The death was well publicized. But
for the majority, the aftermath is murky and
uncertain.
Let’s start with what we know: One thing is for
sure, while the record industry has tanked it
harder than Chris Farley into a coffee table,
the music industry has been growing; in fact,
it’s doing great. The shift has been, depending
on who you ask, a good one. There is more
music consumed by fans now than ever
before in history. More than ever, it is the direct
connection between artists and the fans that
drives the business.
Knowing that, we’re going to talk about
something pretty scary to most musicians, it’s
called metrics. Numbers. The reality of how well
Hopefully my kids will be smart enough to put
me in that nursing home.
[email protected]
In downtown Denver, at a prime location on
13th and Grant, Bender’s Tavern is known as
a venue that allows local musicians to express
their talents. Bender’s has landed on the radar
for many local and out-of-state bands, looking
for a place to play. A few years ago, employees,
Luke Schmaltz and Jennifer “Mamma”
Foreman, bought out the venue. One of the
most interesting aspects of this venue is the
setup of the stages. Walking into the bar, any
patron will get the obvious vibe that this venue
Bonnie and the Beard, a folk/rock band with
Spanish gypsy inﬂuences and their catchy
original songs are new to the venue. Band
members Megan Fong (Bonnie), and Tony
LoVerde (Beard), were surprised, but happy,
when asked to answer questions about the
stage, staff, audience, drink specials and the
overall venue. “It’s nice to play somewhere,
where people are involved. Good crowd in
an intimate room,” LoVerde said. Aside from
that, Bender’s is known for taking care of their
Venue of the MonthBenders Tavern
by Ryan Edwards
8
Next Big Sound. This kick-ass Boulder-based
startup is not only one of the products of the
now infamous Techstars program, but it is also
helping to pave the road for the new music
industry, by providing a tool that independent (or
signed) artists, managers, and beyond, can
use in order to measure not only the buzz, but
where their particular target market engages
with them the most. For instance, if your
audience listens to you primarily on Facebook,
then focusing most of your energy on Myspace
might just be a waste of time and money.
But beyond the ability for us to track our own
numbers, it allows us to see some other groups’
performance as well. The advantage of this is
that we get to see, for the ﬁrst time, accurate
numbers that reveal to us what success in the
(digital) music industry looks like. How many
new fans does U2 get during an average week?
How many plays? Now you can see how it adds
up and adjust your plan accordingly.
So what can you do right now? First of all, go
take a look at www.nextbigsound.com and
look up your project. I warn you, the numbers
can be sobering. If you aren’t happy with the
kind of buzz you are getting, then you need to
commit yourself to ﬁnding how to achieve those
numbers. (www.rockstarmindset.com is a great
place to start.)
But the truth is this: The gloves are off. You can
no longer blame a record company for “just not
seeing the genius” of your work. The fans are
there, and now, so are the tools. Go get ‘em.
The pair decided to take their love a few steps
further by picking out some classic Sailor Jerry
tattoos together. Brandon picked out a classic
Sailor Jerry pin up ﬂash that looked like Dee
Dee, and had it marked on his arm forever,
while Dee Dee honored her mom with a rose.
plays music, however, I found there is more
to this venue than meets the eye. There is
another stage--not noticeable at ﬁrst glance-set behind padlock doors. There is a mural of
the Reservoir Dogs, and the sole attention of
the patrons is on the music.
The second, larger stage gives Bender’s
something that most other venues in Denver do
not have--character. As owner, Luke Schmaltz
said, “We wanna have something going on
other than sports. We don’t have TVs, we
just have music.” Unlike many venues around
town, the appreciation for music that Bender’s
has is not biased, no matter the genre. One
stage could be punk, and the other could have
anything from country music to open mic.
First of all, what are we measuring with
these fabled “metrics”? Well, for starters, we
are measuring new fans, plays, views and
comments from across the Internet. Then
it’s time to dig into things like reviews and
mentions, basically anything that indicates the
level of buzz that exists around your project.
How do we do that?
SAILOR JERRY PLANTS
FRESH INK ON BUZZ
BAND CROCODILES
Photos by Nate Igor Smith
Crocodiles’ front man, Brandon Welchez,
swung by the Sailor Jerry Rum Airstream at
the Mess With Texas Party along with his wife
Dee Dee from the Dum Dum Girls.
musicians in regards to drinks for the night-often taking care of the tab for a good show.
Bonnie and the Beard have every intention of
playing again Bender’s.
After looking into the bigger stage, I had to ﬁnd
out about the smaller one. And, like Bonnie
and the Beard, the acoustic guitar duo of Dave
Connelly and Brad Wilson are newbies. They
April 2012 | ColoradoMusicBuzz.com
Also stopping by the for some ink, the
Growlers, Feathers, Bleached, TV on the
Radio, Passion Pit, Stalley, Theophilus
London, from INK MASTER Oliver Peck. And
outside, chillin’ in the sun, was ﬂawless style
maven, Alexa Chung, cooling off with a Sailor
Jerry Rum Perfect Storm.
You never know what might happen when you
hit the Sailor Jerry Rum Airstream. Coming
soon to another festival near you!
More On Crocodiles:
killkillkillcrocodiles.blogspot.com
concur that Bender’s is known for having a
pretty damn good sound system, and about the
dedication the owners and the staff have for the
bands. According to Connelly, “[Bender’s is] a
great place for bands who aren’t big, who are
trying to get big.”
www.benderstavern.com
Planet Buzz
Where it all happens...
change in 2008 to Other Lives. “We had one
of the founding members (Eric Kiner) leave on
mutual terms,” explains Tabish. “We thought
it would be a good way to start new. It did
something psychologically.”
Other Lives: From Bon
Iver to Radiohead
by Steffanie Giesler
[email protected]
Scalpers lined up in Broomﬁeld hours before
the sold-out Radiohead show to sell $200
tickets to fans. Craigslist ads were written from
people begging others who had an extra ticket
to take them, in exchange for money, company
or both. What would they give to open for them
to tour with them?
Opening act Other Lives is marking themselves
on the map with their second release, Tamer
Animals. Originally from Stillwater, OK,
members Jesse Tabish (lead vocals), Josh
Onstott (bass, organ), Jenny Hsu (cello,
piano), Colby Owens (drums), and Jonathon
Mooney (piano, violin, guitar), have made a
name for themselves the last few years. The
band, originally named Kenuk, formed in 2004
with one album released before the name
The self-titled debut album was released
in 2009, and the lead single “Black Tables”
became a TV show hit. The song was featured
on shows such as Grey’s Anatomy, One
Tree Hill and Ugly Betty. Material for the
sophomore album was written while touring
in 2009 and 2010. “I hadn’t previously been
on the road before,” says Tabish. “You get this
feeling where you become more of an observer
and a third party. That’s where the lyrics [for
the album] came from. The lyrics are about
observing the life around us; the landscapes,
and the relationship between people and their
landscapes.”
Tamer Animals was produced by industry
legend Joey Waronker, who drums in the
super group Atoms for Peace with Thom
Yorke. The 11-song album, released in May
2011, is a beautifully easy moving, meticulously
written piece of work that needs to be digested
slowly by each listener. The band intertwines
orchestral and rock music with gripping lyrics.
Inﬂuences of Sigur Rós are apparent, while
glimpses of Tabish’s voice resembles that of
the National’s Matt Berninger. Exceptional
tracks include “For 12,” “Landforms,” and
“Tamer Animals.”
Read more of this article at
ColoradoMusicBuzz.com
ﬁfteen minutes, a very courteous length of time
for those who have had to wait eleven years
to see them play again, or for the ﬁrst time
(Radiohead has not played Colorado since
2001 when they played Red Rocks). The set
list consisted of 23 songs, most of which were
from In Rainbows and King of Limbs, but they
threw in a few older songs including “Idioteque”
and “National Anthem” from Kid A, “Karma
Police” and “Lucky” from OK Computer, and
“Street Spirit (Fade Out)” from The Bends.
There were two encores that were timed just
right, and ended with applause for the crowd
(those British gents are so polite).
Radiohead, 1st Bank
Center, March 13, 2012
by Allison Diekhoff
[email protected]
I don’t have to tell you that Radiohead is one
hot ticket. Let the review begin… Radiohead
transformed the 1st Bank Center on March
13th, making the approximately 6,000-capacity
venue feel like a festival of Coachella-sized
proportions. The stage: massive. The lights:
amazing. It was all I could do not to keep
from talking a million miles a minute in excited
anticipation of their set. Other Lives opened,
sounding remarkably more like Radiohead than
they do on their album.
Radiohead took the stage for two hours and
As for the “hot ticket” aspect, I had feared a
crowd of vultures would swoop in when the
doors ﬁnally opened to the 1st Bank Center.
The line wrapped around the block because all
of the seats were general admission--a band
that sells out two pre-sales and a general onsale within seconds will do that. Then again,
those who put in the effort for the presale, and
those who end up paying ridiculous amounts
for tickets from scalpers, are the ones who
really care about the band, and genuinely want
to enjoy the show. Thus, no vultures. I actually
did not encounter any rude people; in fact,
everyone I spoke with was very pleasant and
polite. As for bears, I did see a few of those…
(wink wink).
Radiohead.com
Cameron Leahy (lead vocals, guitar) of the
three-man Downtown Fiction, entertained the
audience by singing with the animated intensity
of a boy band without the cheesy commercial
choreography and silly lyrics. Reaching out for
the crowd, Leahy strived to build a connection
throughout the set. The audience responded,
and by the end was singing the chorus of “I Just
Want to Run” for Leahy.
Mayday Parade
by Katie Schmoker
Photo Credit: Maxine Gifﬁn
[email protected]
Mayday Parade, We the Kings, the
Downtown Fiction, and Anarbor played to a
sold-out crowd Saturday, February 25, at the
Black Sheep in Colorado Springs.
The lighter pop-rock sound, and mainstream
success, of these bands attracted an audience
composed mostly of teens, with parents
closely monitoring at the side and back of the
venue. The atmosphere was light and fun, the
only time a four-person mosh pit broke out
was during a Mayday Parade song; the band
challenged the crowd to get into “the heaviest
part” of the song “Black Cat.”
Dressed in casual unlabeled stripes, v-necks,
and Polos, Anarbor grooved through several
songs, including a cover of Adele’s “Someone
Like You.” Slade Echeverria (lead vocals,
bass guitar) introduced their new guitarist Dave
Melillo with an adventurous story about how
Melillo had saved the Phoenix, Arizona, band
from certain death on black ice the previous
night. Melillo shyly added that it was his fault
they had slid.
April 2012 | ColoradoMusicBuzz.com
We the Kings played an acoustic set; Danny
Duncan (drums), has a broken arm from a story
that suspiciously resembles “Titanic” and ends
in Duncan saving 300 small kittens. Regardless
of the less-than-fortunate circumstances
surrounding the injury, the acoustic set was a
real treat; they played an especially emotional
tribute of Jason Mraz’ “Heaven Can Wait”
dedicated to past member Charles Trippy
(bass guitar). Trippy left the band earlier this
year to receive treatment for a brain tumor.
Mayday Parade played their melodic pop rock
to a warm adoring crowd who reached up as
the dynamic members played to different sides
of the stage. They played through a set of
eleven songs, including “Kids in Love,” “Three
Cheers,” “Miserable at Best,” and “Anywhere
but Here.” Derek Sanders (lead vocals, acoustic
guitar), held hands of people in the front row or
grabbed his hair in angst, adding to the genuine
feel of the poignant set. Jake Bundrick (drums,
percussion, vocals), developed a blister on his
vocal chords prior to the show, so Jeremy
Lenzo (bass guitar, vocals), ﬁlled in for him.
The throng of devotees demanded an encore,
and Mayday Parade satiated the demand with
“Stay” and “Jersey.” Mayday Parade will be
back in Denver for Warped Tour this summer.
Check out an interview with MayDay Parade at
www.coloradomusicbuzz.com
9
Rock
If it Rocks, it’s Here
gathering of very avant-garde people with wild
ideas about what can actually be considered as
art using an audible medium.
I felt myself asking how I could possibly
discover this strange environment - was the
tirade around me really occurring, or did I get
passed a questionable drink? As I thought back
on how I had arrived at the Mercury, I knew it
was for one purpose, and one purpose alone-to see the opening act, Casualties of the
Digital Revolution.
The Denver Noise Scene
by Joel Center
[email protected]
Just when I thought I had gotten a little sample
of everything the Denver music scene has
to offer, I was proven wrong. My moment of
astonishment came as a result of Gorinto, the
Mercury Café’s weekly “Experimental Food and
Music” event. Now, while some connotations,
and even stigmas, of the word “experimental”
in correlation to live music involve a gimmicky
performance and mediocre music, the actual
deﬁnition was better displayed that night at the
Mercury.
What was transpiring in the room was more
generally accepted as noise than actual music,
and ﬁttingly so. It wasn’t that the music was bad,
it’s just that it wasn’t music at all, by common
deﬁnition. In reality, what I had stumbled upon
was a taste of Denver’s Noise Scene - a
Casualties of the Digital Revolution is one man,
Taylor Fitzke, with an incredible intuition not
only for the common factors that make actual
music (you know, stuff like notes, articulation,
dynamics, rhythm, tone, and space), but he is
also uncannily in tune to the constantly growing
and changing genre that is taking our fair
city, along with the rest of the world, by force:
Electronica.
While I’ve come to terms with electronica being
a fun style of music to party to, it had taken
until very recently for me to be able to actually
sit and enjoy listening to the damned stuff as
a respectable art form. Casualties, along with
better-known artists such as EOTO, Beats
Antique, and Thievery Corporation, helped
me ease into a state of astonishment and awe
at these rapidly reproducing artists that fall
into some sort of sub-category or another of
electronica.
I felt very fortunate that evening to have been
made aware of all of the positive sounds that
have come from these new and different styles
of music, for if I hadn’t been, I certainly would
have developed an even deeper cynicism
towards the dastardly sounds that were
assaulting my unprepared eardrums throughout
the rest of the night at the Mercury Lounge.
Now, I can’t let myself say, with conﬁdence,
that the experience was completely torturous,
or that there was no talent in the room. The
ﬁrst obvious bit of talent (after Casualties of
the Digital Revolution’s set had ﬁnished) came
from the all organic and vegan buffet that the
venue had made available for the modest
price of ﬁve dollars as the Experimental Food
portion of the evening. This was, in fact, one
of the remainder of the show’s most redeeming
qualities; the food was absolutely delicious and
was noticeably lacking that hint of plastic taste
that is getting so popular in pre-made food
these days.
Echo Beds was the only Noise group that
really stuck out to me that evening. While all
attention in the audience was diverted to a
group of three gentlemen--two working away at
various effect and synthesizer pedals, while the
other clawed at the guitar and operated more
pedals at his feet--who were conducting their
noise in the foreground, the three members of
Echo Beds were busily setting up just under a
dozen old television sets in the back corner,
and tuning them to a station that only received
static. They had an impressive array of these
Ballet Nouveau
Colorado Closes Tenth
Anniversary Season with
Garrett Ammon’s Rock
Ballets
by Tim Wenger
phot credit David Jennings
[email protected]
Ballet Nouveau Colorado is getting ready to
launch their new production, Garrett Ammon’s
Rock Ballets, We Will Rock You, at the
Performing Arts Complex at PCS April 1315. The full performance will include three
different dances, each themed after the music
of a different rock band. INXS, Queen, and
David Bowie are the featured groups, with a
full ballet being performed to the music of each.
Colorado Music Buzz got the opportunity to
catch a rehearsal of the performance as well as
get in a few words with choreographer Garrett
Ammon.
The work itself is far from what a mainstream
stereotype of ballet might be. The dancers
work every day with Garret and his wife Dawn
to perfect the routine, the mistakes they are
working so diligently on correcting appear so
minute that the untrained eye would not even
notice. Each of the three ballets that will be
performed, represent the music in a different
10
Ammon and his wife, Dawn, have been working
together since they met in Memphis, TN. Both
had been dancing professionally for several
years, and Ammon’s interest began leaning
heavily towards getting into choreography.
When the opportunity arose for a position with
Ballet Nouveau, they jumped at the opportunity.
“From the very beginning, we knew that our life
was meant to move forward together,” he says.
“We both agreed that we wanted to continue in
the dance ﬁeld, and we wanted to work with a
consistent group of dancers.” They have now
been here in Colorado for ﬁve seasons.
“[Rock Ballets] is our most requested show,”
says Ammond. They have not performed it
since 2008. “We didn’t want to bring it back
too fast, but people are really excited to see it
again. Ticket sales are going crazy.”
Check out Garret Ammon’s Rock Ballets at the
Performing Arts Complex at PCS, 1001 W. 84th
Ave. Tickets are available online at bncdance.
com or 303-466-5685.
When it was time for their portion of the show,
the televisions ﬂashed images of the all-seeing
eye of the dollar bill, mixed with all sorts of
intimidating war and military sequences, most
of them old and devoid of color. Then one
member of the group started screaming, and
an all-out assault began on my ears. It was like
the audience had been suddenly jerked through
time and space to a war zone, complete with
bombs, sirens, dictators, and marching armies.
The effect was like a violent psychotic freakout.
Your mind becomes confused. It rejects the
offensive sounds forcing their way into its
territory and wills your physical body with
everything it has to move your legs, one by one,
towards the door and out into the night, and
to just keep moving until the whole terrifying
ordeal has transformed into silence far behind
you. This is no ordinary horrifying experience,
however. These men have managed to create
the effect that oncoming headlights give to a
dim-witted deer; you cannot look away. Logic
is telling you to run, but this stuff has meaning.
It’s actually going somewhere, trying to convey
something.
Read more of this article at
ColoradoMusicBuzz.com
music industry, but we go a step beyond,” he
says. “I ﬁnally got into doing what I’m doing now
about six years ago, and we niched out to the
music industry about two years ago.”
way, with dancers hoping to bring the emotion
of the music to life. “It is kind of like ‘So You
Think You Can Dance’ on steroids,” says
Ashley Burns, communications manager for
BNC. “It is really exciting to see how this show
has the potential of turning the word ballet
on its head, and breaking down stereotypes.
Garrett’s style is what the future of dance needs
to stay relevant.”
“Every new work is a different beast,” says
Ammon, whose company just ﬁnished up their
previous work, Love in the Digital Age, over
Valentine’s Day. “When I start to choreograph,
the ﬁrst thing I do is spend time listening to
music, searching out music, and ﬁguring out
what I want to do. I am a very music-driven
choreographer.” He lets his crew of dancers
use their own personalities to play a large role
in creating the steps for each ballet. “I don’t
create any steps before I come into the studio,”
he says.
shitty little ampliﬁers, a buffet of synthesizers
and mixers, and various cymbals, ﬂoor toms,
and even crystal drinking glasses scattered
throughout their stage area.
Morning Sock Studios
Goes National
by Tim Wenger
[email protected]
Maybe they are really on to something here;
ready to change the way the music business
presents itself to potential customers. Maybe
they are the digital age’s version of backyard
graphic design. And maybe, they have been
enjoying too many boat drinks and are unable
to ﬁnd their way to land, refusing to take the
needle off that Jimmy Buffett record for fear of
having to ﬁnd one of those “real jobs.”
Whatever is going on, husband and wife team
Curtis and Shawn Gorlich, seem to be on
to something with their graphic design and
consulting company, Morning Sock Studios.
The company, which is run from the couple’s
boat off the shores of Hilton Head Island,
SC (and wherever else the current takes
them) provides bands and music businesses
with graphic design services, merchandising,
business consulting and more, and are in the
process of taking their campaign to the national
level. “What we’re offering is helping these
musicians on the business side of things,” says
Curtis. “We don’t want to be their management,
we don’t want to be their booking agent, we want
to give them the tools to do this themselves.”
Curtis is an entrepreneur who has owned ﬁve
different companies over the last 12 years. “We
do graphic design and merchandising for the
April 2012 | ColoradoMusicBuzz.com
In addition to designing killer merch for your
band, they specialize in thinking about the
things that you forgot about. “A lot of bands
don’t know about all the tax incentives that
are out there,” says Curtis. “We are partnering
with a good friend of mine, we are trying to
put together health insurance and equipment
insurance for musicians at a highly discounted
rate.”
“We try and make it easy so that these musicians
are able to have their own business and not
have to rely on other people,” says Shawn.
“A lot of them do not know about branding or
design, and how important that may be in their
music and how much money it can generate
for them. We educate them on how important
an identity is.” All of the services that they
provide may seem a bit confusing to bands at
ﬁrst mention, but for serious artists that want
to make a living, or at least promote what they
are doing to their best ability while keeping their
assets insured and protected, Morning Sock’s
services are nearly essential.
The company is committed to working with
only high-quality talent, and prefers to take the
time necessary to do things right. “If [they] are
planning a tour, they can’t come to us a month
beforehand,” says Curtis. “Generally, we like
about six months; that gives you three months
to really create the image of that tour and three
months of hardcore promoting.”
“We are sailing around on our sailboat and
visiting new cities all the time,” says Shawn.
“We believe that everyone should be doing
what they love, and that’s why we want to help
all these new musicians get the word out. If
they’re successful, we’re successful.”
Check out www/morningsock.com for more
detailed info on what they do, along with contact
information.
Photos and Interview by Sheila Broderick
[email protected]
Let us introduce you to the Blackouts, a Denver group that is fast becoming one of Colorado’s
premiere all-female, in-your-face hard rock bands.
Shaped by Kate Innes (lead guitar) in 2008, the band consists of Innes, Ali Frankfurt (lead
vocals), Hope Bertsch (drums), and newest member, Susan Phelan (bass).
Phelan joined the group last December; Frankfurt began as a guitarist, then became the lead
vocalist in 2010; Bertsch joined in 2008, and was responsible for bringing them together; while
Innes is an original member and co-founder of the Blackouts.
CMB: How did you come together as a group?
Ali: I grew up surrounded by music; my dad’s mom was a touring singer in the
1930s and 40s, and my dad’s dad was a piano player. My father was a working
musician from the time he was 13 through college. He played drums, piano,
guitar, and any instrument he picked up, he could just play by ear.
When I was 13 years old, I went to my first
rock-n-roll concert, Bon Jovi in 1986. It
was at that moment, I found my self and
my passion. I bought my first electric guitar,
and began to learn metal tunes of the ‘80s,
and classic rock tunes of the ‘60s and ‘70s.
I am self-taught and like to dabble with the
drums and bass as well.
I spent the next few years dreaming of
becoming a rock star. By the time I was
18, I became distracted with boys and
emotions, etc. and my parents began
to discourage the rock-n-roll lifestyle.
Regretfully, I put my dream, and my guitar,
aside for the next 15 or so years. In 2008, I
was in my daughter’s preschool class. The
teacher was also a local musician, and we
made a connection; I told her that I played
guitar years ago, and she mentioned that
her friend, Kate Innes, was putting together
a chick band just for fun.
Although I hadn’t taken my guitar out of its
case in years, I felt compelled to check it
out. It was instant religion; the universe had
brought this magical connection together. I
was alive with the energy and passion of a
teenager again! Kate hadn’t played guitar
since college, and we began to relearn
from the beginning.
We started learning some easy covers and Jenn (the teacher) sang, and attempted
to teach herself the bass. Jenn’s sister, Amber hadn’t played the drums since her
days in a high school marching band, but decided to give it a go. Eventually,
Jenn brought in her friend, Darci, to sing lead while she focused on the bass.
After a few months, Jenn left the group.
Kate’s long-time friend Jenn Brown joined
the band on the bass. Brown could barely
play a note. We played our first few shows
with Jenn (the teacher) singing harmonies
and back ups, but she left soon after. At the
same time, Amber decided she wasn’t in it
for the long haul.
Hope responded to Kate’s Craigslist ad
for a new drummer. She auditioned, and
the rest is history. We went on a 2-year run
with Darci as our lead singer. We improved
slowly and began writing more and more
original songs. Again, personal differences
caused Darci to leave the band.
Still flying on pure passion, I decided to
give it a shot as the front woman. I had a
whole new aggressive and gritty style that
gave us more of the sound that we had
been looking for. After a few months of
regrouping, we came back onto the scene.
We got a great response to the new sound.
Six months later, Jenn Brown decided to
leave the band and pursue a new project
with her then soon-to-be husband. At that
moment, I thought to myself, Hell, what do
we have to lose at this point? I am going to
ask the bad ass Susan Phelan to fill in for a
few shows, until we find a new bass player.
I was praying that Susan was going to ultimately sign on, and she did!
Susan: I am the newest member of the band – performing with the Blackouts
since December 2011. [I grew up] in Indiana, my family owned a music instrument
store, and my father was a professional upright bass player. I started playing
bass when I was seven years old, and have been in bands since I was 13.
I studied some music in college before dropping out and becoming a professional
wrestler – I was
“Liberty” with POWW
(Powerful Women of
Wrestling) back in the
late ’80s/early ’90s.
I’ve taught bass and
guitar privately, and
had the opportunity to
work with young kids
at a couple different
rock and roll camps.
I was also the front
woman (on bass and
vocals) for the Dirty
Backseat
Lovers
(nominated
this
year for “best of” in
Denver Westword).
CMB: Tell us about
your new release
Getaway
Driver.
Where did you find
your inspirations?
Ali: This is our
second
6-song
EP release titled
Getaway
Driver,
named after one
of our songs. We
decided to record
the
culmination
of what we had
accomplished since
Darci left, and right as
Jenn was planning to
leave, to capture sort
of a chapter in our
story. For me, these
songs are inspired
by our lives, and the
emotions that we
have gone through.
These songs were
written straight from
the heart and soul.
The lyrics are about
experiences
we
have had in the past
through present day.
The song “Getaway
Driver,” and the EP,
is about transforming
from all of life’s
stress and difficulty,
escaping, and coming alive through rock-n-roll. Our music is a therapeutic expression.
Susan: (joined after the CD was recorded) my father, who was my music teacher and
mentor, continually inspires me. I strive to give my all at a show, and my band
mates also inspire me. We strive to put on a good, hard-hitting rock n roll show
each and every time we hit that stage. Our goal is to have fun, play some great
music, and take the audience on a wide ride!
CMB: What is your favorite song off of your new CD and why?
Ali: For me, it is “Getaway Driver” because it is hard, fast, and driving, with a cool
riff. It symbolizes freedom and empowerment through the transformation into the
alter ego. It is this whole other side of all of us, and that is empowered through rockn-roll. It is about letting go and being in the moment. When I play, everything else
vanishes, and I am fully present in the moment and free! It’s my Getaway Driver!
Kate: “Getaway Driver” started as something I wrote about breakups, but Ali
chucked the lyrics and made it about that moment you’re escaping your 9-to-5
life--jump in the car with your crew of friends and, in our case, go drink beers and
get onstage to rock!
CMB: What do you find to be your biggest challenge as musicians?
Kate: Gotta find the balance between working hard and having fun, finding time
for it all. When it comes down to it, we’re friends who have each other’s back,
and always will. New songs we’re writing reflect that: “Blackouts Brawl” and “Stay
the Fuck Outta My Way.” We never cancel practice because we know we have
to keep pushing.
Susan: The biggest challenge for me has been dealing with people who question my
musical skills strictly based on the fact that I am a woman. I have been playing music
my entire life and I can play as hard and fast as any man. I don’t believe gender has
a damn thing to do with musical ability – it takes passion and a whole lot of practice.
Ali: I think the biggest challenge was starting basically from ground zero, as
musicians, and working our way in a relatively short amount of time to where we
are now. It is frustrating when your musical ideas are beyond your technical ability.
However, we are improving all the time. People mention the whole “all girl” thing as
something not to be taken seriously. I feel like we have gained a lot of respect from
the music community
for being just raw and
true, and bringing it
hard as hell!
CMB: If you could
be super heroes
what would you
be and how would
you use your gift
good or evil?
Ali: It is ironic
that you ask this
because before my
shows, I always say
to my husband that
it is time to transform
into my bat suit. I go
from mom/wife to
rock-n-roll.
Black
leather, denim, and
studs! In fact, when
I was writing the
lyrics to “Getaway
Driver,” I had written
a vocal section over
the bridge that was
something
like,
‘rock-n-roll
super
heroes,
civilians
by day....’ however,
it never made the
cut. One of the
verses in the song
says, ‘workin’ like
a dog at my 9 to 5,
time to transform
and come alive,
put on my leather
and my knee-high
boots, honey, got
one thing left to do!’
Anyway, that is the
essence, this super
hero transformation.
I would say that I
would want to use
my super hero
powers to inspire
and
empower
young women to
follow their dreams
and passions. Not
to sacrifice yourself
for anyone or thing,
just listen to your heart and go for it, balls to the walls. If I were ever to make any
real money at this gig :) I would play for the protection of animals from abuse
and neglect, ensuring that those who mistreat animals would suffer serious
consequences by law.
Susan: I’d love to be able to defend the underdog. It’d be helpful to be able to fly
to get around quickly – and wear some kind of fancy cape. I would definitely use
my powers for the good and help those less fortunate.
CMB: What are your thoughts on the Denver music scene? Kate: We count so many bands among our friends, it’s pretty cool to be part of a
thriving rock / punk scene in this town. There is some new Internet radio shows
that are supporting the local scene, most notably Clampdown Radio.
Ali: The Denver music scene has a full range of diversity in music. There
are extremely talented musicians in this town. There is never a shortage
of good shows to see. All in all, the Denver music scene has treated
us quite well. Fortunately, we are in it because we love what we do.
CMB: Tell us about a significant moment for the band.
Ali: A few instances come to mind: Our first “real” show at 3 kings opening for
Girl In A Coma and Miss Derringer. I was an absolute anxious wreck, to the
point where I was barely able to function. We stood up there, not knowing what
the hell we were doing, stiff as boards! I don’t think we missed a single note or
beat of our little amateur set, nor did we move a muscle or ever once engage with
the audience:) Ha! We have come a looooooong way!
my eyes to read, “Hell yes, I would love to fill in!” I let out a blood-curdling scream
and proceeded to call the band so we could scream with joy together.
Now that we know Susan on a whole different level, she is so normal and
down to earth. She is modest and humble, and we are so blessed to have her
in this band. Finally, we are honored to be on the cover of Colorado Music
Buzz Magazine! Thank you, Sheila! The Blackouts are a dream come true
for me. I would love to see us propel even further but I can at least say that I
fronted a rock-n-roll band before I die! I have done what I always dreamed of
doing. I feel so fortunate to have this opportunity at my age and stage of life.
CMB: Do any of you have any side projects going on?
Kate: Good rehearsal space is hard to find in this town, especially on a budget.
I’m opening up RocketSpace Rehearsals in April; we’re building four soundproof
practice studios. It’ll be perfect for bands who don’t need their own dedicated
practice space, and who don’t want to deal with the hassle of signing a lease
and bringing their own P.A. system. For bands that practice 1-3 times a week,
they’ll save money, and the rooms will have all the basic gear already set up.
It’s a lot like the drop-in rehearsal spaces that you’d find in NYC or L.A, really
flexible. Instructors can teach lessons there too. It’s a great location at 2711
Larimer Street, between Larimer Lounge
and Meadowlark.
therocketspace.com
facebook.com/RocketRehearsal
Side Note: Keep your eyes open for a
more in depth look at The RocketSpace in
next months issue.
CMB: What are some of your favorite
Denver bands?
TBO: the Swanks, King Rat, Lyin Bitch
and the Restraining Orders, Smoothbore,
the Hollyfelds, Dirty Lookers, Fire in the
Asylum, the Railbenders, Snake Rattle
Rattle Snake, Halden Wafford and the
Hi Beams, Dick and Lois, Hawk Attack,
Hotgun, Sunday Girl, the Jekylls, Black
Lamb, Vibes on Velvet, the Bloody Fives
and many more…
CMB: Lastly, what makes you stand out
as a Denver band?
Ali: Well, the obvious, that we are one of
the hardest rockin’ female bands. You don’t
hear too many women getting compared
to Bon Scott from AC/DC, and Lemmy
from Motörhead. Again, the diversity and originality in our music sets us apart. I
also think that the image we portray is, quite frankly, HOT!
Susan: The fact that we are an all-female rock band is pretty unique, and we play
well. There is no pretending here. We bring the ROCK with 100% passion! We’ll
kick your damn teeth in!
If you haven’t heard the Blackouts yet, what are you
waiting for? An equal mix of punk, metal, and hard
rock, they are diverse in the sense that every song
sounds different based on what inspired them at
the time. The amount of talent between theses four
make up one tight and well-oiled machine. I can’t
wait to see what the future brings for the Blackouts.
This is one group that won’t silently go in to the
night.
Upcoming Shows:
April 12th Colorado Music Buzz April
Release/EP Release at Herman’s
April 28th at Lost Lake with Lords of Fuzz
May 26th at 3 Kings with Hotgun and
Demon Funkies
June 8th at 3 Kings for Mile High Lowlife
Compilation Show
Another funny moment was when we were asked to play the Thunder Valley
Motocross National Championships. We were rockin’ our hearts out to
hundreds of Motocross fans, not realizing that we were playing, at one point,
right over the National Anthem! That didn’t go over too well:)
July 6th at Benders line-up still tbd
Also, when we were considering asking Susan to join the band, it was as if we
were asking this larger-than-life person to play with us. I carefully planned how I
would ask her to fill in, totally expecting her to say no. My finger hovered above
the send button for at least 30 seconds before I had the courage to press it. I
nervously awaited her response and when it finally arrived, I cringed and opened
facebook.com/TheBlackoutsRock
Future
The New Movement...
a band plays a song they wrote together for the
ﬁrst time, it is truly magical. If you think you
may want to start playing music you write with
others, you will need to know how to make a
song chart. Here are some questions to ask
yourself:
What is a chart?
Tips For The Young
Musician Vol. 14
by Stephan Hume
[email protected]
Nothing compares to seeing young bands
write their own songs. They realize that music
creation is truly something we can all do. When
“From Artists to Artists”
with Jonny 5 of the
Flobots
Successful Musicians Pose Question
to Youth on Record Students
by Nathan Schmidt
[email protected]
At Youth On Record and Flobots.org, our
mission is to empower students to express
themselves through music. This is the ﬁrst
of a series, which asks successful musicians
to thoughtfully ask the students of Youth On
Record a question about their perspectives as
artists.
Jonny 5 is a founding member of both the
Denver-based band, the Flobots, and of
the Colorado nonproﬁt Flobots.org. He is
A chart is like a road map. Everyone in the band
is driving the same car at the same time. It’s
probably a good idea to have a map so everyone
is going to the same place. A decent chart helps
you communicate the length of the song, the
order of each part, and any other information
necessary; including lyrics, chords, rhythms,
etc. If you are unsure of what sort of chart you
should be making, consult the Internet or your
music instructor.
Are the blind leading the blind?
a tireless warrior for those whose voice has
been marginalized or minimized. Jonny 5 is
an educator and youth advocate, and can be
caught at a local high school or college campus
near you, empowering those to actively and
responsibly pursue the change they wish to
see in the world.
Jonny 5’s question to YOR students: “When
you write or produce music, who is it that you
are creating for? What is it that inspires you?”
“What inspires me to do my writing is everyday
life, and what me, my friends, and family, go
through.” ThizKIDD
“I really like it when someone internalizes my
words/music and feels what I feel. I love it when
someone smiles and looks at me like, ‘How did
you know that’s how I feel?’” EVI
Are you collaborating?
There are some rare circumstances where a
band is hired by a singer/songwriter to play parts
exactly a certain way. This is cool, but it is not
writing. Above all, it is not collaboration. When
more than one person has their hands in the
creation of something, they are collaborating.
If you are lucky enough to play with the same
group for several years, you will likely amass
quite a bit of material to play. What happens
when you want to go back and play “an oldie
but a goodie?” What could possibly help you
remember the framework of that song? That’s
right, you guessed it: the handy dandy chart
you made. Bust that chart out and smile with
conﬁdence. You did yourself a very nice favor
by making it.
“When I ﬁrst write it comes out just for me
because I’m just writing my emotions, and it’s
just a way to get them out. Eventually it turns
into more of a global statement because I want
people to be able to connect with the emotions
I put on paper. I try to write all kinds of stuff
because I hate when writers or musicians have
the same style over and over again because it
makes the music boring after a while.”
Gabe W
“It’s easier for me to put it on paper than go
out and talk to someone. It helps me a lot more
because you can choose to share it or keep it
to yourself.” Devin C
“The people that I create my music for is
society and the community, to display my train
of thought and what goes on in my head. It
helps me get my emotions out and show the
world how I feel without having to talk with them
in person.” Josh G
“Mis liricas o canciones son para mi familia y
los jovenes que están perdidos de civilización
que sienten que no hay un proposito para vivir
la vida sonriendo y no usando drogas.”
Gabriel M
Colorado Music Buzz is rocking the radio
waves! Starting on April 7th at 2pm, CMB will
be inﬂuencing the masses for two hours with
the best interviews, local music, news, and of
course your participation!
on Saturdays between 2 and 4pm.
You can see the entire stream online or just
listen as well on your computer or phone.
Simply visit ColoradoMusicBuzz.com or
MileHighUnderground.com and start listening
Do you have a super memory?
them want to move.” Levi
“I get the chance to inspire people and make
Each week we will be showcasing the best
local and national talent with questions that
will provoke and induce great conversation
between us and the artist/band. We will also be
playing the best local music from Air Dubai to
the Epilogues to Take to the Oars during the
show. Expect some in studio performances as
well.
If you are writing a song with at least one other
person, you need to start by making charts right
away. Will the song change over time? This is
very likely. But your chart is there so you can
make edits.
living in poverty.” Killah Ken
“Who I write for, is the people in the struggle of
life having problems day to day. Mostly people
“mOOse” and “C.C.” will be hosting the show
each Saturday … and you can plan on crazy
banter just between those two! We will also
have occasional guest DJ’s in with us to take
things to an even higher epic level.
18
Playing a song you wrote for the rest of your
band can be extremely rewarding. Just have
a chart so the rest of the band can join in or
at least have a reference. If you have ever
had someone sit down with a guitar and say,
“Uh…it goes something like this, but I am not
really sure,” you probably don’t feel conﬁdent
that you can follow along. However, even your
loose song ideas are communicated way better
when you can hand others a map in writing of
where the song is going when you bring it to
others. A charting band is a happy band.
You will also ﬁnd us at our events streaming our
concerts live to the masses! Watch our website
and print for more details on when we will be
streaming the live events.
Artists/Bands – want to be considered for an
interview on our show or get your music played?
Contact us thru our CMB website contact form
and let us know! We are looking for the next big
artist/band and maybe that it is you, eh?
We are also looking for sponsors and
advertisers for our show. No other media source
can do more for you that Music Buzz can with
our print, web, and radio presence – you will
reach your audience! Call Chris Murphy for
more info on these exciting and very affordable
packages! 720-429-8717 | Email: CMurphy@
ColoradoMusicBuzz.com
MileHighUnderground.com
ColoradoMusicBuzz.com
April 2012 | ColoradoMusicBuzz.com
“I write for myself, mostly because I try to say
something to a crowd of people, but it doesn’t
work out most of the time.” Walker
“Whoever is in my audience, I’ll try to point or
help them see my vision or help them make it
through a hard time.” C*A*P-ability
At Youth On Record and Flobots.org our
mission is to empower students to express
themselves through music. The following
are fantastic examples of how powerful our
student’s words can be. We count on our
students to inform us educators how they see
the future and their role in it, so that we may
best help them prepare. It is truly amazing what
many young people will do and say when given
an opportunity to succeed.
Post
Where it all Happens
First, making the most of selling your new
recording (CD, mp3 etc.) It starts long before the
‘release date, even before you get the CD (or mp3) in
your cyber hand. You have to understand where you are
going to sell that recording and to whom you will sell it.
The “where” (we call it place in marketing) boils down to
three basic outlets: at the gig, on the Internet, and in the
independent stores that will stock your music.
The Manager’s Corner
April 2012
By Chris Daniels
[email protected]
I’ve managed my own band since the 1980s, and
despite the amazing change in technology, success in
the music business is built around four tried and true
elements: great music, really hard work and timing
(often mistaken for luck). The other key element is
getting the help you need to make that luck happen.
These days that help is everywhere. The book I wrote
for my CU Denver class on artist management is called
“DIY: You’re Not in it Alone” and that is exactly what you
need to understand. You need to make the most of the
tools that are out there.
Unless you are Adele, selling 21 million of her album
“21” the chances of you making major bucks on the
sale of recordings are limited. That means that DIY
artists and managers of young acts need to face two
important facts. First, you are going to have to make the
most of the revenue you do generate through selling
recordings, and second, you are going to have to
capitalize on every income stream available to you.
The gig is easy, but don’t over estimate your sales. It
used to be about 15% of your audience size but these
days, because most people are getting their music
online, you can cut that in half. If you sell out the
Bluebird at 900 seats –a good night might mean you
sell 60 CDs ($600 worth, less taxes and a percentage
for the venue). That means you better not ‘over-press.’
Use a simple break-even formula, look at the number
of summer gigs you have and be realistic about your
sales estimates.
In order to reach iTunes (they sell more than any
other music outlet at this time), you will need to use
an aggregator: CD Baby, The Orchard/IODA,
TuneCore or a number of others. In my experience,
CD Baby has the best accounting, including the pennies
you get from the streaming sites like Spotify and
Rhapsody. Others like TuneCore and The Orchard
are good, but as I said, CD Baby’s accounting is the
best.
There are still a huge number of independent record
stores across the country like Albums on The Hill,
Twist & Shout and others. In order to get your CD
into independent stores across the country, you will
need to get a “retail” distributor like Burnside, Red/
Koch, AEC, or one of a few others. In order to get to
work with those distributors you will need to be able to
prove that you are going to appear in the cities
by Chris Daniels
[email protected]
The Upper Root 40
COMBO Music Festival
On April 22, at the Fillmore Auditorium, the Upper
Root 40 Music Festival kicks off with a COMBOsponsored trade show, and gathering of the faithful, to
spend a week of live music, panel discussions, movies
and more.
For those of you who don’t pay much attention to road
signs, Root 40 is Colfax Avenue, and there is a kind
where those stores are located via touring or
radio or something more than your Facebook page.
Once you line up some sort of distribution, you need
to look at your timing. Retail will need to have CDs a
minimum of 30 days before the release date, and they
will need time for marketing to their outlets, usually 60
days prior to release. This is pretty typical. Even CD
Baby used to need between 14 to 30 days, and the
Orchard/IODA took around 40 days. TuneCore is faster,
but there you need to have your marketing in place. You
should also get a UPC code (bar code) so Soundscan
can track your sales.
In order to get press for your record (and there are
plenty of friendly outlets like the Colorado Music
Buzz and local blogs like heyreverb.com that will
give you ink), you need at least 21 to 30 days before
your release.
If you have only 300 facebook fans and no actual
website, then you have some serious Internet work
to do to market and sell your music. Developing an
Internet presence is essential to the successful release
of a recording. That means more than a Facebook or
ReverbNation page…it means owning and using your
own website (I will cover this more in future articles). But
check out a Billboard article about Emily White,
a great Brooklyn label owner, to see how important
that aspect of selling recordings will be to you, or an
artist you manage. White gives you ﬁve essential tips
to making money when marketing a recording--they are
great, and they involve some serious Internet work.
from Terry McBride, manager of Bare Naked
Ladies, who explained that they pressed a threesong CD in a paper sleeve that their merch tables gave
away. Instead of the band saying something like “please
buy our new CD” they were saying “please stop by the
merch booth because we have a free sample CD for
you.” McBride said it increased their sales by over 30%.
The cost of the 100 or so CDs to give away can average
about 20 cents apiece, so for around 20 bucks and a
little time and effort, you have something to entice folks
to your booth. Like the old drug dealers used to say, “the
ﬁrst one’s free.”
Last but not least, YouTube. Now we are into landmine territory because even “Celebrity Apprentice”
is trying to get videos to go viral…so it’s a crowded
market. If you have the right song it can be great …
but it can also cost you are great deal of money with
no possible return. There are good, cheap ways to do
it but do not count on your song going viral. No matter
how amazing the concept and video are, talking dogs
have us all beat.
As stated earlier, ‘hard merch’ or CD sales at gigs
used to be the best source, but that revenue is down
over 50% so you will have to ﬁgure out a way to cope
with that reality. The best advice I can give you comes
If you take the time and the energy to make a great
recording, then you want to do more than have 15 boxes
of unsold CDs in your garage. So plan the number you
press carefully, line up good distribution, set up good
timing for the release, and allocate time to marketing
through the Internet and incentives for the sale of CDs
with free music, or a free sticker with every CD, etc.
People may love listening to your music but you’ve
got to make a real effort these days to get your fans
involved in listening to it in order for them to take the all
important step of buying it. And yes, lots of people give
music away--if that’s your goal, that’s easy and takes no
brains or skill. It takes a lot of work to make money with
recorded music. We’ll go into other revenue streams
next, stay tuned!
of extended ‘musical mile’ or so between the Bluebird
Theater and University of Colorado Denver on the
Auraria Campus that includes the Ogden, Fillmore,
the L2, and an amazing area of music-related venues
like Lion’s Lair and Satire Lounge to name only two
of the 20 or so venues that will be presenting music
all week long.
products and, as in the past two expos, COMBO will
have listening sessions; plus all week long, there will
be lots and lots of places for musicians/bands to play!
If you/your band is interested in playing, please GO TO
THE COMBO WEBSITE AND CLICK ON THE ‘MUSIC
EXPO’ BUTTON and ﬁll out the form or contact Mark at
[email protected] to ask for more information.
Opening on Sunday afternoon with the COMBO
Music Expo at the Fillmore (Colfax and Clarkson),
many music-related businesses will showcase their
On Monday night at 7pm at the L2, the College of Arts
& Media at CU Denver will present a panel on “Live
Music In Colorado and Beyond in The Digital Age”
narrated by Assistant Professor Chris Daniels, and
featuring Sean O’Connell from Live Nation, Andy
Guerrero from the Flobots, Ed Pierson from Warner
Brothers-Chappell Music, Henry Root (attorney for
Garth Brooks), Dina LaPolt (attorney for the Tupac
Shakur Estate), and many more.
On Tuesday at CU Denver in the Starz Movie Theater
12, there will be a panel on “Surviving in the Digital
Age” with artist manager Mark Bliesener, Ed Pierson,
Dina LaPolt, Henry Root, and others, to discuss
publishing, record deals, and the changing world of
recorded music and delivery.
Wednesday night at the Denver Film Society,
Colorado Public Radio ﬁlm critic Howie Movshovitz
will introduce and lead a discussion on the ﬁlm
“Festival,” about the amazing Newport Festivals, and
the coming of rock and roll to the folk music scene of
the 1960s.
On Thursday there will be an all-day free outdoor music
festival called the CAM JAM featuring ﬁve bands that
include, Churchill, Places, Princess Music, Green
River Vibe and Broken Tongues, plus vendors from
the Root 40 Music Festival. The CAM JAM kicks off
at 11am, and the music runs all day long until 5pm.
You can park behind the Tivoli and come check out
the music and the fun on the big stage outside on the
southeast corner of the Tivoli.
Visit coloradomusic.org.
April 2012 | ColoradoMusicBuzz.com
19
A-sides
The Good and Honest Reviews
Emma Back – C’est
Nous
by Guy Errickson
thenakedstage.Net
GErrickson@
ColoradoMusicBuzz.
com
Lovely to behold, and gifted with an equally
lovely voice and the talent to play both piano
and violin superbly, Emma Back melts together
lush folk with gypsy and jazz inﬂuences. What
further sets Back apart is her songwriting, visual
to the point of creating a cinematic short ﬁlm,
drawing the listener into the vivid images from
her heart and slightly-off-kilter smile, clearly
amused with the self-contradictory nature of
existence. Ruby-red lips perfectly formed for
singing seductive French as well as English,
one gets the impression Back performs
because she has music within her that must
come into existence with honest sincerity.
Listeners can hear Back’s musicians loving to
inhabit the world of her old-soul compositions,
and who’d-have-thought-of-that beautiful live
covers. Balkan, and other inﬂuences, come
genuinely; she toured internationally with the
teen world choir Village Harmony.
Back’s trio includes Brandon Hagen (Patent
Pending, The Get Down Easy’s-both with
Emma), Statue of Liberty (see CMB Jan.
2012), Bones Muhroni, BlackBloom on bass,
guitar and vocals; and Will Reynolds (The
Patent Pending, Phunkadonic, Detchen Hawk)
playing drums. C’est Nous also includes cellist
extraordinaire James Hoskins (Sherefé, Buzz
Band, Tokyo Tribe, County Road X, New Land
Balkan Band)!
EmmaSong.com
LIVE: Weds. 8pm April 18th / The Laughing
Goat / with The Patent Pending, Boulder
Sun. 3pm April 29th / “Be The Loud Flower”
Event, Voodoo Lounge / Boulder
Thurs. 9pm May 3rd / Transition Clothing
Special Event, Oriental Theater / Denver
The Host Club- Tut
Tut
by Jenn Cohen
JCohen@
ColoradoMusicBuzz.
com
This four-track E.P. from
Denver locals, the Host Club, consisting of
(and stay with me here) Aaron Elrod (vocals),
Adam Elrod (guitar), Tim Adams (studio bass),
Nate Barnes (studio drums), Emily Gallant
(guest vocals), Jason Webb (live bass), and
Jake Cook (live drums), is full of comfortable
melodies.
The title track, “Tut Tut,” is the only song
that didn’t really stick with me. However,
the soothing voice that complemented the
vulnerable lyrics in both “The Falling Out” and
“Reasons,” were enough to make me add this
to my CD collection. The E.P. is soft and sweet,
easily relatable, and a pleasure to listen to.
facebook.com/thehostclubband
KIDS-Kids
by: Sal Christ
Photo Credit: Courtesy of
Kontroll Recordings
SChrist@
ColoradoMusicBuzz.
com
Youth, more oft than not, conjures happy
thoughts: summers spent doing nothing and
everything at the same time, late nights whiling
the late hours into solitude, the careless ﬂight
on a highway at sixteen in a topless car with
your hair ﬂailing in the breeze, or believing in
the currency of dreams and their ability to take
you anywhere and everywhere you want to go.
For some, youth never ends, and for the rest,
it’s something recaptured over and over by way
of the musical turnpike—whether it stretches
over on vinyl or eight tracks or the perennially
nostalgic cassette tape.
While so much of the Nordic scene produces
airy gossamer that ﬂoats featherweight and
empyrean in its aural rendering, Swedish band
KIDS peals out with ‘80s indie pop ﬂair, and a
singer whose voice willows reed-like a couple of
octaves above the late Nico. KIDS’ eponymous
debut EP is meant for those summer afternoons
and evenings when carefree is the word, and
dancing is all that should be done. Cheery in
melody, but occasionally dark lyrically, the
ﬁve tracks impose a tempting dare to practice
stillness. In short: it can’t be done; these tunes
are far too catchy and boisterous to clamp a
hand on the wiggling.
A reverb-less guitar kicks off “My Sincerest
Apologies”—tricking the ears into believing
momentarily that KIDS is not a Scandinavian
indie pop pair, but a stripped down alternative
rock group. However, a blink later, cozy synth
pads and effects kick in and summer, sand,
and sunshine crash in like uninvited guests at a
Beat party. “Two Hearts Together” may well be
a poetic ballad, with lines such as, “I love the
way you move when we’re together / it’s light
years ago, but we’re only beginning forever /
we’ll be in this forever.”
Though a fair amount of indie/electro pop
rotated around radio speakers over the last
couple of years, Maria Pettersson’s bluesy
vocals set this band apart from all the rest.
Pettersson’s is a voice best experienced instead
of merely described—language simply cannot
do justice the smoky, matter-of-fact nature of
that instrument. The singer’s melodic partner is
none other than Jonas Linngård of Swedish
surfer indie group, Pets. Linngård contributes
the poppy, chirpy sound over which Petterson
buoys—successfully creating that hopeful lust
of youth that unfortunately ages over time.
Reminiscent of the original Ray Ban wayfarers,
neon sneakers, and Aqua Net hairstyles, KIDS
pulls off indie electro-pop while staggering
away from the sound that’s become associated
with Sweden and its neighbors. Though the
new generation of ‘80s fashion hounds will
never know the association between a ballpoint pen and a cassette tape, this duo is
certain to keep everyone a little lightheaded
with careless abandon during the upcoming
summer months.
The EP is available for free at Soundcloud and
Spotify.
20
Navigator-An Idea of
Home
by Tim Wenger
TWenger@
ColoradoMusicBuzz.
com
Navigator
takes
melodic hardcore to
a higher level with their new album An Idea
of Home. There is something to be said for a
screamer with enough talent that his words are
still understandable to the naked ear, and while
many bands fail in that category, these guys
pull it off quite well.
The two guitar parts ﬂow perfectly with each
other throughout the record, and the entire
album is mixed very well. What stood out the
most to me about the album is the way they
come into so many of the songs with quick,
melodic guitar parts and then follow up with
more of the same during the bridges. While
they may not be pushing the envelope on
pushing the genre past what it knows, they play
their music so well that it is really easy to throw
the disc on repeat and get into it.
They even slow it down on the album’s ﬁnal
track, bringing in some awe-inspiring gang
vocals over the lead guitar. If Navigator can be
as tight on stage as they sound on this album,
you can bet that they will be a force here in the
hardcore scene for a long time.
Online: Search “Navigator” on Facebook
TTF (formerly
Technicolor Tone
Factory) – self-titled
EP
by Guy Errickson
thenakedstage.Net
GErrickson@
ColoradoMusicBuzz.
com
Having built-up from a really kickin’ bar band, to
not just looking like they belong on stages like
the Historic Boulder Theater’s, but dressed
for the occasion and owning it - anyone
who likes the “Colorado Sound” will LOVE
TTF (formerly known as Technicolor Tone
Factory before trademark issues got in the
way). Playing jam-rock style, producing R&B
funk undertones from the monster bass (Zach
Jackson), and progressive, “supersaturated,”
psychedelic wizardry on the keys and synth
(“Melody Master Greg” Kallfa), efﬁciency
soars with just that *taste* of electronica. Dual
guitars (Jarrod Guaderrama & Brian Boster)
dance one after another on the reinforced
concrete foundation laid down by chiseled
drumming (Bryan “The Fever” Lefever). The
machinery is top-line, with three distinct quality
voices meshing to provide a welcome depth
in harmonies (and a lot of range in choice of
covers), allowing these inventive fabricators to
slash out great compositions that are original
and varied. Let them manufacture an enjoyable
night of danceable fun for you and your friends,
or stop by the showroom and TTF will help you
assemble some new ones!
Search “TTF” on Facebook
LIVE: Sat. 9pm Apr. 7th / Cervantes’ Other
Side / with The Magic Beans, Denver
Sat. 9pm May 12th / Quixote’s True Blue
Green River Vibe, Denver
April 2012 | ColoradoMusicBuzz.com
Lydia Cole-Me &
Moon
by Sal Christ
Photo Credit: Lydia Cole
SChrist@
ColoradoMusicBuzz.
com
The ever-heavy Chuck Palahniuk novel, “Fight Club,”
declares, “Only after disaster can we be resurrected,”
and considering the 18 months traversed between Lydia
Cole’s ﬁrst EP Love Will Find A Way and Me & Moon—
her ﬁrst full-length album—it’s entirely applicable. The
11-track record features acoustic tracks so emotionally
lightless and parturient they ﬂoat above the forlorn
heartache from which Cole’s music must have bloomed,
only because said heartache weighs more.
Love letters addressed to vestiges of an exhausted
relationship and former life ﬁlled with moments the
singer no longer embodies: these are what Cole proffers,
which she literally admits in “Love and Loss and Love,”
a track whose foundations build on strummed guitar,
subtle cymbals and snare, and the occasional bright
piano. Cole is one hell of a composer and lyricist,
having collaborated with producer Nic Manders and
instrumentalists Jono Wilson and Jol Mulholland.
The singer keeps things simple and uncomplicated—an
ageless quality haunts every track, entirely defying
temptation to tack an age on the songbird. Additive
is the affectation of Cole’s native kiwi accent, which
meanders up and down in timbre and casts additional
ardent depth to the shared dialogue of every song.
“Blind Boy,” the opening track on the album, instantly
calls to mind Ray LaMontagne’s 2007 tune, “Be Here
Now,” with its lolling, sustained piano and marching
guitar. A slightly bitter lament, the song serves
something of a kiss-off to the now-former signiﬁcant
other. Consequently, “What We Were,” remains an
acceptance of the relationship as it was meant to be—
simultaneously conceding the relationship’s destiny, but
also questioning whether the ex-partner understands
what the relationship represented in its entirety. The ﬁnal
track on Me & Moon imbues a lasting sense of wisdom
gained. “Unhinged my lock, turned a page…I start over
again,” she says in “The End of An Age,” acknowledging
that there’s little to do, but move forward. A rich, legato
piano verse trails beneath male backup vocals in what
is perhaps the most pragmatic, yet uplifting, song on the
entire album. Cole has loved and lost what she loved,
but is no longer caged by the ghosts of loss.
A stunning debut, Me & Moon may well be the softer,
less angry answer to the many, many caustic breakup
songs put forth in the ‘90s by Ben Folds. Sincere and
haunting, Cole knows how to break the heart with
honesty. While the singer is currently unsigned, it would
not be of surprise if she landed on a well-known label
at some future date—a voice like hers isn’t one to be
wasted.
lydiacole.bandcamp.com
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