BandWagon Magazine - March 2021 - Kolby Cooper by BandWagon Magazine

MUSIC reviews

BandWagon Magazine

AJ Fullerton PG. 4 Bones Muhroni PG. 6 Shwarma PG. 8 Wolf Van Elfmand PG. 10

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AJ Fullerton

The Forgiver & The Runaway Chick Cavallero

BandWagon Magazine

Colorado’s AJ Fullerton is a roots, blues artist with a reputation for slick, fingerpicking guitar and bottleneck slide talent. Over the last 4 years he has won 16 Colorado Blues Society Members Choice Awards in 9 different categories, representing TCBS in the International Blues Challenge in Memphis, and is now signed to his first national label, VizzTone records – all while under 30.

Produced by multi-talented Steve Marriner (MonkeyJunk) and featuring a Canadian cast of handpicked session musicians, AJ leaps from the acoustic to a rich full-band sound on The Forgiver and The Runaway, a new hands-down-favorite AJ Fullerton album due out March 26. “The whole idea was to go to Toronto and work with Steve to make a record of the songs I’ve had in my back pocket,” Fullerton says, and you can hear why one of the aforementioned awards he received was Favorite Songwriter.

powerful title track has a funky, spooky aura both eerie and sweet, proving AJ to be both a master writer and guitarist.

“Cherry Red” (by JD Taylor and Tyler Goodson) and “Hooks in the Water” (by Colin Linden) aside, all songs were written by AJ, covering a wide range.

Intense, haunting guitar work, funky bounce and searing soloing pair with tasty, powerful harp from guest harmonica players Paul Reddick and Jake Friel throughout.

The opening gospel cut “Remind Me Who I Am Again” uses smooth organ and choir, “Could’ve Been Mine” has cool piano throughout with Marriner adding tasty harmonica, and the

For those missing acoustic AJ, “Homesick” and “Hooks in the Water” return to that style, though AJ is clearly comfortable with his bandmates showcasing their talents.

“I think it’s a step in the right direction,” Fullerton says of The Forgiver and The Runaway. “It takes some of the best qualities of my acoustic records & blends them into a full band sound.” With Marriner, he has accomplished that in a big way. If you aren’t familiar with AJ Fullerton, now is the time to get on board. This young man has a bright, blues future.

The Forgiver and The Runaway is due out March 26 via VizzTone records.

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Bones Muhroni Boom Snap Clap

Laura Giagos

BandWagon Magazine

Bones Muhroni, aka Crew Rienstra has done a lot over the years to find ways of making interesting music. While folk rock was always at the center of the breadth of material Rienstra (along with many other talented musicians) released under the Bones Muhroni name, there was always something bizarre and out of place happening underneath. That off-putting yet magnetic quality was always a peek into the personality of Rienstra, no matter how understated it was. After relocating to Los Angeles from Colorado, Rienstra held on to the Bones Muhroni name, and that weird guy living beneath all the cool, folk rock attitude began to rise to the surface. Then “the Covid” hit, forcing Rienstra to retreat to his bedroom studio where, freeing himself from any sense of convention, he produced Boom Snap Clap. This ten-track

escapade of gratuitous sampling is like early Panda Bear meets TV Girl meets a guy who got his theater degree from the University of Northern Colorado. Packed with nuance and texture, Boom Snap Clap is Rienstra letting go in a lot of ways. Instead of focusing on writing songs in a traditional way, he dug into learning the engineering side of things. Along the way he created something that bounces between electro, R&B, grunge rock, even a metal tune (featuring Bones Muhroni original drummer Ryan Wykert recorded in a garage in Santa Fe, New Mexico), and safely landing on the graceful folk number “Call on Me”, which oddly enough fits perfectly on the album. Stand out tracks “Search Inside my Widowed Mind” and “Tap On Ivory” both carry an understated, emotional weight that pulls at you – the harder you listen, the more you find. Singles “Faster Than a Bulleit” and “I Should Have it RN” are straight-up pop rock songs that really show Rienstra stretching his songwriting legs.

Boom Snap Clap, at the end of the day, was just a fun project for Rienstra, but what came from it is real work of inspiration and creativity. Support Bones Muhroni by purchasing Boom Snap Clap for whatever price you choose at bonesmuhroni.bandcamp.com

Shwarma

Loveworthy Live EP Gabe Allen

and the pandemic has spurned an especially productive bout of experimentation. In May, they livestreamed a 17-song, 47-minute set of new music called Emily’s Apartments to YouTube. To add to the madness, a number of strange occurrences were caught on camera during the recording. At one point it was revealed to the audience that Steve Sanchez’s drum set was rigged to explode if he ever stopped playing or dropped a beat.

BandWagon Magazine

There are generally two kinds of bands that self-designate as psych rock. The first are bands deeply immersed and indebted to a canon that stretches from ‘60s era garage rock to Tame Impala. The second are bands that thrive on manic weirdness and refuse to be confined by genre limitations. Shwarma

the

latter.

The five piece Denver outfit is driven by “a desire to play whatever style [they] feel like trying,” as their website states,

On (yes) Valentine’s Day, Shwarma continued the saga with the Loveworthy Live EP which they once again debuted as a live stream. In the video, the overtlysilly mix of tightly-arranged funk jams and melodramatic ballads is accompanied by a revolving door of meticulous costumes, sets and effects. The band lays down a catchy funk groove with energetic horn hits sprinkled over the top for the opening track, “Wouldja Rather?.” Guitarist Jackson Kaufman and keyboardist Dalton Groves trade

irreverent lines of raunch with a pansexual ilk before arriving at the somewhat confusing refrain: “I don’t care if you’re straight or gay, just wanna make love to you.” As the EP progresses, the band continues to genre-hop. “Instinctual Love” takes on ‘60s era R&B while “Oh Lindsey” escalates a ballad to absurdly melodramatic heights. The performance ends with “Baby, No,” a 4-minute

crescendo in which Kaufman sings (sometimes cries) the words “oh,” “baby” and “no” again and again over a descending keyboard progression and overdriven guitars. No matter what genre they’re drawing from, one thing is for sure. Shwarma is having a damn blast doin’ it, and doin’ it well. Support Shwarma directly by purchasing Loveworthy Live EP at music.shwarma.band

Wolf Van Elfmand All Blue

Valerie Vampola

BandWagon Magazine

structures leave comfortable spaces for the harmonica, steel pedal guitar, and lead guitar to add conversational nuances to the texture. Whether the songs feel upbeat or laid back, the blues surround them with melancholy. The minor key harmonies in “Sweet Regret” and the whining of pedal steel guitar pull the song in a gloomy direction while van Elfmand’s story of bitter heartbreak drives home the dark atmosphere.

Coloradan Wolf van Elfmand’s music has always had a western flair. This remains true in his newest album All Blue released in February, but he also incorporates what the title suggests: the blues. Many of the tracks are cool and steady like a long lost J.J. Cale gem, but incorporate improvisation and musical playfulness, like in the opening track “We Don’t Gotta Leave Today.” The spaces between the melody and simple chord

Van Elfmand’s sound across the album is consistent, leaning on lightly driving, sad Americana vibes to tell his stories, but the track that stands out the most is “Take A Little Sadness.” While the rest of the album uses more acoustic and clean instrumentation, this song starts off with a more obvious drum-machine and uses heavy distortion across the track. The songwriting aesthetic remains the same with Americana grooves, but the song sounds blocky and rooted in rock like something that

could have been recorded by The Black Keys. The bluesy sounds van Elfmand intertwines in his music compliment a modern western vibe that will make listeners feel

like exploring the frontier as they drive through the mountains or across the eastern plains on I-25. Directly support Wolf van Elfamand by purchasing All Blue at wolfvanelfmand.bandcamp.com

Ron: Weekdays 6am - 10am 1. More Live Music Coming Back – I know we won’t get back to pre-COVID live shows quickly, but I still get hope from recent gigs like Martin Sexton at the Boulder Theater and Lettuce at Cervantes. Fingers crossed for more! 2. Rock Hall Nominees – The Rock ‘n Roll Hall of Fame has announced the 16 noms for 2021. From Foo FIghters to Fela Kuti to Kate Bush, YOU can help vote them in! Visit RockHall.com 3. Today In Music History – Late March has birth anniversaries of Sister Rosetta Tharpe, Nick Lowe, Sarah Vaughn, Damon Albarn, Aretha Franklin, James Iha, Lene Lovich, Teddy Pendergrass and many more! I’ll note these and more, weekdays at 7:30am with Today In Music History. 4. Electronics Page on Craigslist – I decided to upgrade my stereo receiver at home and found a killer TEAC multi-channel on Craigslist. Score! Now I can have everything (turntable, CD player, TV, cassette player, DAT deck and DVD player) ready to go! 5. Thank You, Neal – In early April we’ll say hello to Community Radio of Northern Colorado’s new CEO Tammy Terwelp. And sadly wave Neil Best into a well-earned retirement. Neil began at KUNC almost 50 years ago and helped create The Colorado Sound. His heart, intelligence, kindness and experience is in everything we do. Neil, “Thank you” doesn’t seem like enough.

Margot: Weekdays 10am - 3pm Since 2002, the Library of Congress has chosen “25 recordings showcasing the range and diversity of American recorded sound heritage in order to increase preservation awareness.” It is known as the National Recording Registry. (www.loc.gov) There are a lot of fascinating sounds from our past and a fair amount of music heard on the Colorado Sound including: 1. The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars (album) David Bowie – Selected in 2016 2. “Hallelujah” (single) Jeff Buckley – Selected in 2013

3. Ramones (album) The Ramones – Selected in 2012 4. Purple Rain (album) Prince – Selected in 2011 5. Nevermind (album) Nirvana – Selected in 2004

Stacy: Weekdays 3pm - 7pm A look at our Top 20 of ‘21 for March and the (virtual) return of South By SouthWest, SXSW. 1. Who Is Your Favorite Female Musician? - Every month The Colorado Sound poses a new question. In honor of Women’s History month and International Women’s Day we want to know your fav’ femme! Vote now at coloradosound.org and listen on the last Friday of the month for the top 20 as voted by you! 2. SXSW - Conversation with Queen Latifah and LL Cool J – Join them virtually for a lively, in-depth conversation about their illustrious careers in music, television and movies (in front and behind the camera), their cultural resonance and Latifah’s role as executive producer and star as the first female Equalizer. 3. SXSW – Music Showcase with Astrid Sonne – Sonne is a Copenhagen-based composer and viola player with a background in classical music. She creates electronic soundscapes, combining looping, sampling and live instrumentation. Her live performances create an ethereal, sometimes chaotic experience, channeling different perceptions of sensory and emotional states of being. astridsonne.bandcamp.com 4. SXSW – Music Showcase with Enno Cheng - Cheng leads the next generation of Taiwan’s indie songwriters. From her time with the guitar driven folk rock of Chocolate Tiger to her current solo work, Cheng challenges the listener with soul-bearing lyrics and fearless songwriting. Expect a raw, acoustic performance. 5. SXSW – Movie Premiere: Broadcast Signal Intrusion (BSI) – BSI was inspired by broadcast interruptions in Chicago in the late 1980s and remain unsolved to this day. It’s an unsettling journey into our collective technological nightmares, confronting our deepest, darkest fears of both man and machine. Starring: Harry Shum Jr., Kelley Mack and Chris Sullivan.

Benji: Weekdays 7pm - 10pm 1. The Lady and the Dale – This doc tells the story of transgender entrepreneur Liz Carmichael who had the courage to take on Detroit auto makers during the energy crisis of the 70’s. We learn of Liz’s colorful past and cunning ability to get out of a number of crises. 2. Nick Waterhouse: “Place Names” – Nick Waterhouse takes a new direction on his latest release. His classic R&B sound is still there but he adds string arrangements giving his music that timeless quality a-la Sam Cooke or Aretha Franklin. 3. Crime Scene: the Vanishing At The Cecil Hotel – This great documentary explores the death of Elisa Lam. There is a lot of creepiness, mystery and unanswered questions surrounding this case. The role of web sleuths is also explored. At the end we are still left with more questions than answers. 4. Alex Maas – “Been Struggling” – Leading Austin, Texas’ Black Angels for over a decade, Maas steps away from the band on his latest effort. Instead of the booming psychedelic sound fans are used to, Maas delivers a more introspective sound that will gain a new set of fans. 5. Geoffrey Miller – All Night Honky Tonk Man – Geoffrey Miller is as honky tonk as they come. He wears a ten-gallon hat and a Nudie suit, reminiscent of George Jones and Ernest Tubb. Put a dime in the jukebox, grab the nearest bar stool and crank this album.

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THE COLORADO SOUND. AIRING ALL ALONG THE FRONT RANGE! AND ALL OVER THE WORLD AT

COLORADOSOUND.ORG 11

KOLBY COOPER’S

BEST, WORST YEAR. BY DAN ENGLAND Kolby Cooper returned through single-digit temperatures and deep snow to his East Texas home on January 17 to find the hallways full of water. That just sounds like a country song, doesn’t it? Maybe if he found his dog floating in the water, and snow clogged the engine in his pickup? Well, here’s how Cooper referred to it in an interview with BandWagon: “Whatever man, it’s nothing. Yada yada yada. We were lucky, man.” And he was kind of lucky. Especially given what winter handed to the millions of Texans who probably had never seen snow before 2021 – at least not the kind that busts power lines and brings pipe-bursting temperatures with it. The Coopers had a cracked pipe, but Kolby caught it just after it split, and their stuff, packed away in boxes for an upcoming move, was mostly dry and safe. Even so, it’s doubtful Cooper will make the ordeal into a song, as he’s got plenty of things to write about. He’s already catalogued plenty of sorrows, and at 21, he’s only just reached an age where he can legally drown them. In fact, there’s so much sorrow under his young belt that he calls 2020 a “great year.” Maybe one of his best. He put out the album Good Ones Never Last, live shows have picked up

(he plays Greeley’s Moxi Theater on March 5) plus he got to spend time with his two young kids and his wife, whom he finally dated during their senior year after being best friends since fourth grade. “We got to see what it was like to be a stay-at-home family,” Cooper said. “That makes me work twice as hard – when I have the time to work. I’m a lot more focused than I think I would have been otherwise. I’ve got a whole lot of family to provide for.” Cooper also put out an EP this summer called Vol. 2. It got all kinds of airplay, especially in Tex a s and

especially more in Palestine, a 19,000-resident town near Bradford, the unincorporated farming community of maybe 30 where he spent most of his life. He’s already famous on Spotify, where his tracks have received millions of plays, including “Every Single Kiss,” his first real song. He wrote it when he was 15, three years after he first picked up a guitar. “It Ain’t Me” has 12 million streams and “Fall,” a song he wrote when he was 17, has nearly 7 million. “2 Words,” his most recent, off Vol. 2, is an edgy send-off to an ex lover. It made radio people a bit jumpy (by now you can probably guess what those two words are) but it has more than a million listens, and so just the other day, Cooper got a pleasant surprise. “My cousin called me and said, ‘You’re on the radio,’ and that was just normal, we

get played down here a lot,” Cooper tells BandWagon. “But then he said, ‘It’s ‘Two Words.’ They just bleeped out all the bad words.’” Honest lyrics are a trademark for Cooper, something he attributes to his hard life growing up. His father died from cancer when he was 14, causing him to “grow up real quick,” which may have had something to do with him getting married at 18 and having kids. He wrote one song about his father, “Curse October,” about life making him grow up too fast. He said he probably won’t ever play it live because it’s too sad. “I think it’s made me write a lot more real,” he said of his life experiences. Cooper’s other trademark is his sound, a combination of country music and…punk rock? Yup. He considers himself a country artist, but two of his favorite bands, Nirvana and Blink 182, play a significant role in his songs. He has a tattoo of Waylon Jennings, his other favorite artist, but he has a nod to Nirvana on his other arm. Even his producer works with heavy metal bands.

“So when the two are combined,” he said, “they are combined delicately. I still think the core of it is country, but at the end of the day, it’s me doing what I want.” And doing what he wants seems to be the throughline. The pandemic gave Cooper time to write music that he thinks is the best he’s ever done. There’s more breakup songs, the kind inspired by his friends (not his wife – she wondered after he played “Two Words” for her) but there’s also songs about his family, which he thinks is the best stuff he’s written. Soon, the Coopers will move to Tyler, Texas, an hour away from Bradford, because they need a place to live after the house they were renting got sold. Yes, COVID-19 made things difficult, but he’s used to that right now. “It was a horrible year, and a great year,” Cooper said. “There’s nowhere else I’d rather be.” And then he remembered all that snow piled outside his door. “Well, except for right now,” he said.

CATCH KOLBY COOPER LIVE, IN PERSON AT THE MOXI THEATER IN GREELEY ON FRIDAY, MARCH 5.

TICKETS AT MOXITHEATER.COM 15

’ n i y a St e v i l A S E U N E V L A N O I T N E V N O UNC

E N E C S E H T E V SA

BY GABE ALLEN

hen Ben Mozer was 14, he took a trip to Granada, Spain with his family. Across from their hotel, a theater was playing the newly released Tarentino smash hit Pulp Fiction, which he and his brother had been unable to see in the U.S. due to its R rating. As soon as they had the chance to slip away, Mozer and his brother walked over. But what stuck with him after the movie was over wasn’t Samuel L. Jackson’s iconic pseudo-biblical monologue: “The path of the righteous man is beset on all sides by the inequities of the selfish and the tyranny of evil men.” What stuck with him was the theater. “It was huge. There was a bar in the back and another bar up front,” Mozer said. “We ordered a beer and then had a pleather couch all to ourselves for the movie.” Mozer has spent the past three years converting an old warehouse on a two acre lot on North College Ave in Fort Collins into a venue that evokes that teenage experience. Although the venue was originally conceived as a bigger home for The Lyric, the independent theater that he opened downtown in 2007, it has continually expanded its offerings. Earlier in the winter, the Lyric was one of the only venues in Northern Colorado that was still producing live music. Mozer struck up a deal with a number of local bands: they could use the Lyric’s mainstage and P.A. system for rehearsals if they played a live set on the patio. Tonguebyte, Mission to Maybe, Fancy Bits and a few others have taken Mozer up on his offer and played weekend shows in the afternoon sun. But Mozer isn’t the only one finding a creative way to amplify local sounds. After shutting down his venue Hodi’s Half Note when the pandemic hit, Dan Mladenik start-

ed working as a talent buyer at the Mishawaka Amphitheater. This winter he has tapped local talent for the Mishawaka-produced Live on the Lanes series at Chipper’s Lanes, which is right across the street from the Lyric. The events are a phantasmagoria that melds cosmic bowling with late night coffee-house vibes.

“This is the pro crew from the Mishawaka – our sound guys and production manager,” Mladenik said. “We’ve got a whole set up of lights and black lights. After a couple of songs, everybody gets the vibe and it comes together.”

So far, Dave Watts of the Motet, the Runaway Grooms and a number of other local acts have graced the stage. Attendees can either reserve a bowling lane or a table for the performance. Soon, even after some venues reopen, many will remain closed and others will remain changed. For Mozer, the downturn in business has given him plenty of time to envision the future. One which includes, among other things, art installations, summer music festivals and a – quote – “sacrificial pig roast.” “The comparisons I’ve been getting are Burning Man and Meow Wolf,” Mozer said, planning for a vivid, fantastical future for the Fort Collins art and music scene.

FOR TICKETS AND INFORMATION ON UPCOMING SHOWS, VISIT

CHIPPERSLANES.COM AND LYRICCINEMA.COM

TURNING THE DIAL RADIO’S STU HASKEL PASSES ON BY DAN ENGLAND Stu Haskell shot rattlesnakes for fun and shot tequila with co-workers. But he also wore a suit and tie to work every day and understood the sales part of radio as well the programming, to the point where both a DJ and a marketing president both consider him their best mentor. Haskell was market president of iHeartMedia of Northern Colorado and Southern Wyoming. He was planning to retire when, at 71, he died suddenly in October of 2020. He was born into it, as his father, George, was a member of the Nebraska Broadcasters Association Hall of Fame. In his 45 years — probably, Haskell didn’t like to talk too deep into the past or assign dates to those memories when he did — he laid claim to some visionary feats such as developing KTCL, the 93.3 FM Denver/Boulder station, into the modern rock/alternative format that remains popular today. He also helped launch 96.1 KISS FM, one of the more popular stations in our area.

“He was always big picture,” said Kathy Arias, who was essentially his right-hand woman for 18 years. Arias was promoted into his job, which was hard, and when contacted, she launched into describing many of a good manager’s best attributes, including his patient, compassionate and demanding nature, the way he knew how she would react in any situation and his ability to talk to anyone, from a banker to a lawyer to a biker calling in to request a Winger song.

“AS YOU CAN TELL, I STILL MISS HIM,” ARIAS SAID. “HE WAS THE PERFECT BOSS FOR ME.” - KATHY ARIAS Big Rob, program director for several radio stations who works as “Big Rob” on KISS FM, said Haskell created a fulltime spot for him at the station. “He’d never met me – just heard me on the air,” Big Rob said. “I could have been awful. But he believed in me. I’ve

since had opportunities, but I didn’t want to leave Stu.” “I’ll bail you out of jail one time, and then you’re on your own,” Haskell used to tell Rob. Rob said even after Haskell moved over to sales, he would approach him with a programming or promotional idea and “his eyes would light up.” “Not a lot of general managers have that, and he did,” Rob said. “He just got it. That’s what was too special. He was just a natural.” Haskell did retire once, due to health problems, but his replacement was terrible, Rob said, and so Haskell came back to settle things down. He would end up running the place until he died.

“HE WAS MUCH MORE THAN A BOSS, AND I KNOW THAT NOW, AFTER SEEING BOTH SIDES OF THE COIN,” HE SAID. “I CALLED HIM UNCLE STU.” - BIG ROB

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