BandWagon Magazine - June 2020 - The Fate of Festival Future by BandWagon Magazine

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album reviews VIVIAN PG. 4 A.M. PleAsure ASsassins PG. 5 andy sydow PG. 6

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KEVIN JOHNSTON

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VIVIAN

The Warped Glimmer Laura Giagos

BandWagon Magazine

and puts the seat back for the listener. It’s a warm envelope to rest in but exciting enough not to put you to sleep. VIVIAN’s Tim Massa and Alana Rolfe came out of big changes leading up to quarantine: Massa went through a divorce and their other band Stella Luce ended after ten years. Suddenly, they began cranking out songs. “There’s a sense of urgency but an overwhelming sense of loss,” says Rolfe, “It’s so confusing it makes your head want to split in half.”

Covid-19 has changed much of what we love about music – some possibly forever – but the indomitable spirit of musicians continues to persevere. Fort Collins-based dream pop duo VIVIAN are such creators, releasing their debut full length album The Warped Glimmer, while already well into producing a follow-up. Spacy in all the right ways and saturated in the tell tale signs of art-rock gone pop, The Warped Glimmer turns on cruise control

“In the last two years I really got into home recording and beat production,” Massa says. “I was working on some stuff as Stella Luce was winding down and Alana took an interest in collaborating. I was all-over that because everything I was doing very much lacked vocals and that top melody she provides,” he said. After recording at home, Massa and Rolfe needed outside perspective, recruiting producer Chris Beeble (The Blasting Room) to mix half the album and

John MichaelLandon (Estuary Recording Facility, Austin) to handle the rest. That polish shines through on “Tick Tock Talk” and “Break” where we get a taste of Massa’s and Rolfe’s pop side. While there are moments that feel like a band still finding their voice, The Warped Glimmer

is a strong first step into this new world of music. The bones are there for something special and it’ll be exciting to see what they do next. Listen

The

Warped

Glimmer and support VIVIAN at vivianmusicco.com

A.M. Pleasure Assassins Careless Laughter

Laura Giagos

BandWagon Magazine

With their fifteenth, yes fifteenth, release Careless Laughter, A.M. Pleasure Assassins remind us there’s a whole scene of bands in Northern Colorado who – wait for it – refuse to give a shit. They remind us that making music is supposed to be fun. It’s about putting yourself out there, because just like A.M. Pleasure Assassins, the audience – wait for it – also doesn’t give a shit. Carefree and meandering, Careless Laughter is a post-punk romp through the head of bandleader Jared Meyer. Mixed and engineered by Meyer, then sent over to Fort Collins studio staple The Blasting Room for mastering, the EP has a tasteful finish to it that doesn’t detract from the DIY energy of A.M. Pleasure Assassins’ music in the raw. Beginning with Meyer and his friend Mitch Keller in 2010, the band has gone through a lot of phases. “We had a rotating cast of collaborators for the first few

years,” says Meyer. “Then we focused on touring, so we held a regular lineup of players for a couple years, but I’ve always kind of been the centrifuge,” he stated. Careless Laughter is a quick run at just sixteen minutes, but it moves well and new listeners will definitely be attracted to the freedom of the whole thing. And while Meyer is comfortable walking the awkward line between punk and post-punk, there’s a surprising amount of exploration happening in the record’s relatively breif play-time. Moxt notably, there’s a cover of a Bevin Luna song, a fellow Fort Collins musician. Amazingly, even with fifteen legit releases under their belt, not all A.M. Pleasure Assassins music is properly out there yet. But Meyer is currently working on remastering much of the back catalogue for a big release down the road. “We have a lot of early material we’ve stopped sharing,” says Meyer. “We are currently remastering it all to breathe some much needed life into some great old basement recordings.” Meyer and crew bring a lot of heart to Careless Laughter, and while it’s not perfect, it’s not meant to be. It’s fun – and I’ll take fun over perfect any day. Listen to and support A.M. Pleasure Assassins at: ampa.bandcamp.com

Andy Sydow Wicked Dreams

Nate Wilde

BandWagon Magazine

The current state of things is difficult for everyone, and the music industry is certainly no exception. The mere idea of throwing an album release party or touring to support new material simply does not exist. However, local artists are still consistently grinding and releasing new material. Colorado’s Andy Sydow has made this dark time a little brighter with his latest EP Wicked Dreams. The record kicks off with the title track, an alt-country story about nation-wide travel and going through the motions, while deep down the storyteller longs for true purpose. Reminiscent in style of early Wilco and Ryan Adams, it’s highlighted with a slide guitar solo that might appear in one of Derek Trucks’ dreams. After rambling through several states, the protagonist

lands in Colorado which he “calls home,” full of “beauty, adventure, and a different kind of tone.” The album then takes a turn into the sincere love song “Still My Girl.” Here Sydow bares his soul, yet keeps the mood a little tongue-in-cheek as he describes the ideal relationship he’s so fortunate to have found. Much like Neil Young did on Are You Passionate?, his collaborative album with Booker T. and the M.G.’s, Sydow combines elements of Americana and classic R&B to create a timeless ballad. Finally, the record’s closer is the chill, quasi-love song “Feel Like Gold.” With elements of early folk-rock a la Buffalo Springfield or Gram Parsons, paired with a guitar solo that brings to mind Trey Anastasio or Jimmy Herring of Widespread Panic, the song puts us in a weed-reeking Red Rocks show rife with dancing hippies – which frankly speaking, is an atmosphere we could all use right now.

Wicked Dreams is available now at andysydow.com and although a physical release show is impossible, the hourplus live video he made to celebrate the release is still available to enjoy at facebook. com/andysydowmusic

Art The Music District helps emerging musicians develop and share their skills and passions with the local community and beyond. Contact us today to learn more about the resources we will be offering online going forward.

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We offer workshops, panels, and consultations to help support musicians and music-based businesses in building sustainable careers. Check our blog and social media for resources, opportunities for consultations, and more.

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Ron: Weekdays 6am - 10am 1. Strings & Stories, For The Bluebird – We were heartbroken when the yearly fundraiser for Future Arts Festival had to cancel. Now they have an online fest with more than 16 performers (Wes Schultz is one!) FAFColorado.org 2. Colorado Sound Music Meetings – Have you heard? Our monthly Music Meetings are virtual! Now anyone from anywhere can join us in curating the Colorado Sound. ColoradoSound.org 3. Fontaines D.C. – “Who says new music doesn’t have a bite? This punk band outta Dublin has only been together for 3 years. But their sound will make you feel you’re in CBGBs in 1979! FontainesDC.com 4. Top 20 of 2020 – Each month this year, the Colorado Sound is looking for you to tell us your favorite “__________”. We’ll have a different subject each month then count down your Top 20 at the end of the month! For June: what’s your favorite movie soundtrack album? Tell us at ColoradoSound.org 5. You Asked For It – Is there a song you want everyone to hear? Maybe it’s never been played on the radio? Each weekday morning around 9:45 I play specific listener requests! Submit here: ColoradoSound.org/you-asked

Margot: Weekdays 10am - 3pm As of this writing, we’ve lost 80,000+ Americans to COVID-19. Included in these grievous losses are some wonderful musicians. This month, I chose 5 songs, each by a different musician we’ve lost to COVID-19. 1. John Prine - With such a vast, influential body of work, it’s truly hard to narrow it down to just one. So my choice comes from his last major label album of original songs, Tree Of Forgiveness. Listen to “The Lonesome Friends Of Science.” Only John Prine could make the idea of planet Pluto being demoted and the largest cast iron statue in the world into such a charming song. www.JohnPrine.com 2. Adam Schlesinger (Fountains Of Wayne, Ivy, Fever High) - The catalog of songs and contributions to the arts he leaves behind is large: The title song for the movie That Thing You Do, music for The Manchurian Candidate and many more films, all the music used in the TV show Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, and I haven’t even scratched the surface regarding his bands. Check out the Fountains Of Wayne song “Radiation Vibe.” FountainsOfWayne.com 3. Dave Greenfield (The Stranglers) - When you think of the early years of Punk, you likely think of the loud, raw sound of bands like the Sex Pistols. But the early years of Punk also had bands like The Stranglers, who incorporated keyboards. Dave Greenfield made that difference in the sound of The Stranglers.

His memorable harpsichord riff on “Golden Brown” is a perfect example of what he brought to the band. Stranglers.net 4. Manu Dibango - The BBC remembers Manu Dibango thusly: “Whether it was Congolese rumba in the 1950s, disco in the 1970s or hip-hop in the 1990s, his contribution to the development of modern music cannot be overstated.” The influential saxophonist, who brought modern African music to the ears of the world is best known for his catchy song, “Soul Makossa”. ManuDiBango.net 5. Matthew Seligman (Soft Boys, Thompson Twins, Thomas Dolby, noted session musician) You’ve gotta have a groove and Matthew Seligman provided it in the early years of New Wave. His bass can be heard on the original of “Video Killed The Radio Star” by Bruce Woolley & The Camera Club. Start there and then check out one of his many session performances on David Bowie’s “Absolute Beginners”. wikipedia.org/wiki/Matthew_Seligman

Stacy: Weekdays 3pm - 7pm 1. The Allergies – “Felony/Rile ‘Em Up” - The UK duo DJ Moneyshot and Rackabeat create some of the funkiest, sample drenched tunes out there. If you need a pick me up/home dance party, start with this new 7’ and work your way back through their catalog. TheAllergies.co.uk 2. X – Alphabetland – Everything you could hope for from the LA punk icons X. 35 years since the original lineup released an album and they haven’t lost a step! Alphabetland’s release was originally set to coincide with their 40th-anniversary tour which would have started last month. XTheBand.com 3. The Arrested Development Documentary Project – If you’ve never heard of or watched the Mitchell Hurwitz sitcom Arrested Development, watch this documentary about the greatest show nobody watched. arresteddevelopment.fandom.com. 4. Arrested Development – Now that you’ve watched the documentary, dig in! This 2003 series has an amazing cast: Portia de Rossi, Jason Bateman, Will Arnett and Ron Howard, coupled with incredibly talented writers and an irreverent shooting style. Fox killed off this Emmy winning show in three seasons; I highly recommend binge-watching them all! netflix. com 5.Matt And Kim Podcast - If you’re expecting Nobel Laureate caliber conversation, this is not the podcast for you. But if you’re stoked to hear this quarantined couple’s stream of conscious banter then jump in. They cover the important issues of today like zombies, using scratchy toilet paper and becoming furries. linktr.ee/themattandkimpodcast

Benji: Weekdays 7pm - 10pm 1. Ozark – I’m late to the party on this one but, it’s been some of the best binge-watching TV I’ve enjoyed during the pandemic. With everything from sex, drugs, rock n’ roll, and outstanding acting from Jason Bateman, Laura Linney and a whole group of characters, you can’t help but root for them despite their many flaws. netflix.com 2. John Craigie – Craigie is new on the Colorado Sound but has been performing for years, releasing 6 studio albums. A modern-day troubadour in the spirit of Woody Guthrie and Ramblin’ Jack Elliot, his songs are sweet and intelligent mixed with melodies that will have you singing all day. johncraigiemusic.com 3. Jaime Wyatt – Wyatt is keeping the spirit of Outlaw country alive. Frequently asking audiences for a show of hands on how many of them have “done something illegal,” she’s no stranger to trouble. The hardships and heartaches of her past creates a refreshing vulnerability in her music. If you like your Honky Tonk with a healthy blend of tears and beers, Wyatt is the artist you’ve been dreaming of. jaimewyatt.com 4. Jason Isbell: Reunions – With all of us hunkering down at home, musicians have found themselves with lot of time on their hands. The result has been a healthy shot of music at a pretty steady pace. Not surprisingly, many of the songs deal with the pandemic and the isolation surrounding it. At this point we’ve heard from Death Cab for Cutie, Jeff Beck, Mike Campbell and more. Joe Ely recorded an entire album on the topic, and Walter Martin came up with my favorite: “Quarantine Boogie” waltermartinmusic. com 5. Al Fresco Dining – Something about enjoying a meal outside makes me happy. With the arrival of Spring and Summer right around the corner, I may not have another meal inside until October. Aside from unexpected hail and thunderstorms, Colorado may just be the perfect place for outdoor eats.

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THE COLORADO SOUND. AIRING ALL ALONG THE FRONT RANGE! 11

to the need to avoid a second wave, Hamling said, even as she hated her decision. Friday Fest has attracted thousands to the 9th Street plaza to drink outside, carry their “go-cups” around and enjoy listening to a live band every Friday night during the summer since 2012. It was, as Hamling put it, her Even after she was the sick- will be able to gather in large baby, and it was just as responest she’d been in her life, Ali- groups by August. But that sible for reshaping Downtown son Hamling still cried after seems unlikely, and Hamling, Greeley as a fun place to shop, she essentially canceled the director of experience for eat and drink as are the new Friday Fest in Downtown the Downtown Development hot-spots like the rooftop patio Greeley. Authority in Greeley, won’t take at Luna’s Tacos and Tequilla or the Nerd Store. It’s more officially “post- many chances after she was But this summer, downtown poned” because, hey, who hospitalized with pneumonia for a couple of weeks. That hapwill be quiet, as will the arenas, knows, maybe people pened just before the coronavi- parks and places where massrus began sweeping across es of music the country, and her doclovers tors now believe she had it. Live music “pales in comparison”

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congregate. The Blues Jam festival postponed its lineup until next year, as did the Greeley Stampede, though that lineup will probably be different than the one that was supposed to play this year. Bohemian Nights canceled as well, as did just about every gathering you can think of that involves live music and crowds larger than a dozen people. “I still have work on the calendar,” said Colin Bricker, whose studio, Mighty Fine Productions, does the sound for the many live festivals and concerts that gave Colorado as much of an identity as its mountains and breweries. “But I find it hard to imagine pulling off any live music this summer. There’s just no way to do that.

“Even if, somehow, we could do it, a lot of the festivals I do are pretty slim margins for the presenters,” Bricker said. “They’re doing it more out of a labor of love. So even if they are down, say, 25 percent, that could kill it. Most people are taking a year off and hoping to do it next year.” But WAIT! That’s not all. If you don’t mind sitting by your computer, part of Greeley’s summer festival season may in fact, still be on.

The Greeley Creative District and the DDA will livestream Friday Fest, with interviews, recordings of the groups and shots of downtown, all of it hosted by Hamling. And the Blues Jam will feature Erica Brown, the Cast Iron Queens and the Grace Kuch band playing in isolation booths at Bricker’s aforementioned Mighty Fine Productions studio.

“I’m thinking, optimistically, we can have music in July,” said Ely Corliss, owner of the Moxi, who secured some government loans to keep him afloat for now, “and pessimistically the end of 2020. No one really knows.”

City venues that offered entertainment, such as the Lincoln Center, the Rialto or the Union Colony The Stampede also hopes to Civic Center, have to follow guidelivestream a bit. In September, the lines but are hopeful for the fall. organization will put on three virtual “We’re not at any official rodeos sanctioned by the Profesdecision points for the fall sional Rodeo Cowboys Association semester,” and broadcast nationwide by The Cowboy Channel network. There’s said Jason Everson, also some hope that folks can be in cultural affairs manager for the city. the stands, although no one knows “We are keeping in contact with yet if that will be possible. other regional theaters. The city is Still, the music lineup can’t hap- monitoring and responding to the pen, and the rodeo is offering tick- changing conditions of the evolving et refunds as a result. Part of the COVID-19 situation.” 2020 lineup could carry over into Even the Mishawaka, the popular next year, but most of it will likeoutdoor arena up the Poudre Canly change, said Justin Watada, the yon, canceled its summer lineup Stampede’s general manager. but held out hope that it could host The Bohemian Foundation can- some form of live music with a few celed its NewWestFest even tables outside. though the popular three-day event “I would LOVE to do that with lousually takes place in August. The cal musicians,” Mishawaka owner festival will schedule a new lineup Danielle Grant said, “just to have an when it returns August 13-15, 2021. opportunity for people to play. We Smaller venues canceled most of will develop that plan as one of our their summer lineups as well, even scenarios.” as some hold out hope.

She collaborated with Marsh to provide affordable practice tools that students and professionals can use outside of rehearsal time. The virtual choir videos even opened doors for the students to maintain the tradition of singing songs for graduation.

anice Vlachos hopes to create lifelong lovers of music. She practices this daily as the choral director at Fairview High School in Boulder. But when music educators across the nation were told they had to teach online, Vlachos knew she couldn’t stay true to her philosophies through just 30 minutes of theory worksheets and history lessons. So she asked her students what they wanted to do. “The first thing the students wanted to do was connect with each other, so we met up on Zoom,” Vlachos said in a phone interview for BandWagon.

allowing musicians to collaborate with their friends, bandmates, or favorite artists from home. But putting together a collaboration of 15-plus people requires a lot of time, a hefty budget, or in this case, a supportive community. Families donated money to offset costs of video editing and mastering, and local friends of the vocal music community like arranger Kerry Marsh and Stephen Ross of Face Vocal Band turned the student’s phone recordings into beautifully mastered videos. While out on a walk, Vlachos’ phone pinged with a link to the final video of the virtual performance, wherein she heard her students make music together for the first time in over a month. It stopped her in her tracks.

They wanted their community “I hadn’t heard their voices since back, and in a time of stay-at-home March 12th, and I had to stop walking orders and social distancing, music because I couldn’t see (them),” said educators like Vlachos wanted to Vlachos. make that possible.

Making music from a distance The students still wanted to makmusic and decided to try a “virtual gave Vlachos ideas on ways she choir.” Virtual ensembles, including can improve ensemble practice choirs, are a huge trend worldwide, and give more to her students.

Private teacher and owner of Loveland Academy of Music, Karen Suedmeier, does her best to ensure the musical community at the school stays strong by moving private lessons and group classes online. Loveland Academy of Music has offered online lessons since 2013, but only had a few lessons per week before March of 2020. After stay-at-home orders were put into place, teachers could maintain a source of income while students could have consistent social interactions through music lessons.

“Most [families] were grateful for us moving online because it helped them maintain a sense of normalcy,” said Suedmeier. The academy faced some frustrations with maintaining and recruiting enrollment, mostly due to the financial situations of families, but Suedmeier is proud of the extra steps they took. They initiated practice competitions and awarded prizes in personalized challenges to motivate students, as well as offered free online group activities and Zoom concerts. She even receives feedback from parents, who indicate how much more involved they are

becoming in their students’ lessons as they listen to etudes playing in the background and can hear the concepts instructors are teaching. A few months ago, online lessons wouldn’t have crossed most people’s minds as an effective way to learn music, but Suedmeier and the community at Loveland Academy of Music now see that it’s an equally viable option. “I’m excited about the option of professionals taking lessons during their lunch break” Suedemier gave as an example. “It opens up a lot more possibilities, like the flexibility of teaching on snow days.”

Guitarist Lance Ruby has taught online Skype lessons since he moved to Colorado from Utah in 2017. Now with all of his gigs canceled, he can continue to teach from his Fort Collins home and maintain financial stability. Moving everything online awarded him the opportunity to refine his teaching in creative ways: Ruby created a twocamera set up allowing him to keep his face on camera, but also zoom in on his guitar technique. In the past, his students always left their lessons with a page of notes, but now with access to notes digitally, he noticed common themes.

“I noticed there were a ton of repeats, so I started collecting those notes. I’m writing a packet, or a method book, that covers those topics, like scales and arpeggios. And now I have a nice PDF I can quickly send them and talk about it,”

said Ruby.

families move to different cities. One of my favorite online meetings is hosting weekly master classes with my best University of Northern Colorado friends who reside in California. We can demonstrate what we’ve been working on and provide constructive critiques in a trusting space, rather than defaulting to social media for feedback.

He doesn’t feel the online lessons have impacted a change in student progress, but students like Nick Larson miss the personal connection with Ruby during their lessons. With a family at home, finding uninterrupted time for lessons and practice is a little more difficult.

As Janice Vlachos put it, “there’s good days and bad days,” just like there were in pre-virus times. Not all learning environments have the same impact online as they do in person, but stepping outside the box allows educators to become the students in improving their teaching, “The real difference is the while students are the glue that relationship I have with Lance, and keeps their community together. being in his room motivates me. I have to come out of my shell more when I’m in someone else’s space. It’s hard to focus when it’s in your house,” said Larson.

On a personal note, as a private teacher and a life-long music learner myself, music education in the days of social distancing gave me the idea to connect with my own music communities too. Online lessons let me teach students in other states and allow for consistency when

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BAND TO

National Independent Venues Asso

by DAN ENGLAND

There once was a time — say, six weeks ago — when music venue owners were comfortable working on their own. Then the coronavirus became a hit, so to speak, the level of which has not been seen since Michael Jackson’s “Thriller.” “We began right after the first week of March, at a weekly virtual town hall for venues to talk to each other,” said Stephen Chilton, who owns the venue

Rebel Lounge in Phoenix and works as a promoter as well, “and it immediately became clear we were in a deep crisis.”

right now? It’s mass gatherings,” Chilton said, “and we produce mass gatherings. A lot of restaurants never touch their capacity. We hope for sold-out crowds. Chilton now spends a lot of his We have a lot of bodies togethtime as the Vice President and er.” co-founder of the National Independent Venues Association. He Venues also rely on each other brought venue owners together to book artists who can string toafter the first round of govern- gether enough dates to make a ment relief went to corporations tour worthwhile. When the virus and restaurants (among other hit and artists canceled shows, they canceled shows across the businesses) instead of venues. whole country. “There was no one to speak for us,” Chilton said. “Everyone was “We need months of lead time,” talking about the big events and Chilton said. “We need artists festivals, and no one was talking willing to go on the road. A pizza about the mid-size venues and shop can open in Denver with no concern about what’s going on clubs.” in L.A. but artists need to book Venues are in a unique situadates to make it work.” tion, Chilton said, with a need for specific help. Restaurant as- Federal assistance needs to sociations, with thousands of be amended, he said, to offer members, were already in DC long-term relief, including lonworking on a plan when the first ger-term loans and loans that are wave, which included payment forgivable with easier standards. protection loans, came out. But “The programs were specifically what they wanted doesn’t work designed to get you through April for venues. and May,” Chilton said. “We won’t “What is the most unsafe thing be open in June.”

OGETHER

ociation Unites To Save Our Stages #SAVEOURSTAGES

What’s worse is venues take up space, and they have to pay for that space up front in rent, with high insurance rates and other costs that, say, hair salons don’t have, he said.

dustry. Chilton doesn’t begrudge restaurants, but he wishes venues got more credit for how they support restaurants and other businesses.

hopeful or not, “that changes every hour,” he said. Still, it does please him to see venue owners banding together as they never have before.

“We are huge economic multi- “I do think if we don’t get help, pliers,” he said. “But we get the it’s because it wasn’t possible,” smallest piece of that pie with Chilton said. “We’ve done everythe smallest margins.” thing we can do.” Without Federal help, more than 90 percent of NIVA memFOR MORE INFORMATION bers said they could not last anAND TO TELL YOUR other six months, Chilton said. LEGISLATION TO Venues may have to be closed, In two months time, more than with high overheads and zero SAVE INDEPENDENT MUSIC VENUES GO TO 1,600 have joined, and while that revenue, for twelve. SAVEOURSTAGES.COM number makes Chilton happy, it OR N IVASSOC.O RG still pales in comparison to the The response from Washingthousands in the restaurant in- ton was good, but whether he’s “We are asking for money to be set aside so that only we can access it, and we can take it for as long as we need to be closed,” he said. “We are closed to protect the public good, and we need the public to protect us for that.”