BandWagon Magazine - November 2013

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BandWagon Magazine northern colorado’s arts & entertainment magazine november 2013

BandWagon Magazine northern colorado’s arts & entertainment magazine november 2013

ALBUM REVIEWS Paul McCartney New

Chris Sheridan BandWagon Magazine

Paul McCartney is one of the most electrifying, successful musicians of all time. Not only does he enjoy immortality as a member of the Beatles, he went on to form Wings and continued after that with a robust solo career. The momentum of that solo career continues with New, another unique addition to McCartney’s robust discography, featuring a mix of familiar styles and new ideas.

From the beginning, McCartney is ready to explode. His recent marriage has left him with a fresh, young energy, which he carries through the entire album. The whole thing is exciting and happy, the product of someone who could have been half McCartney’s age.

The first single, “New,” feels just like a Beatles song in nearly every way, and more than anything else on the album, shows McCartney is still bristling with charm. McCartney continues with the rousing, standout “Queenie Eye,” an anthem for confidence basking in warmth.

New is filled with different flavors.

Opener “Save Us” is catchy and exciting, the acoustic “Early Days” feels comfortable yet unique with an almost Cash-esque vocal slant, and the wholly

unique “Appreciate” introduces some electronics for a song that feels from another album, yet completely at home here. “On My Way to Work” would feel messy in the hands of a lesser artist, but McCartney effectively balances the different styles in a way that feels absolutely natural.

This diversity comes at the assistance from four producers, including Mark Ronson (Amy Winehouse), Paul Epworth (Foster the People, Florence + The Machine), Ethan Jones (Kings of Leon), and Giles Martin (yes, that Martin, the son of George Martin—the Beatles producer). Sounds from each of those artists can be heard sneaking into this album courtesy of the producers, and it makes for what feels like a variety bag of different influences.

At times, this stunning crew makes the album sound a bit too busy, feeling more like a collection of songs rather than a cohesive piece that tells a story.

When some of the best stories are told by a linear string of meaningful songs, the disconnected feel of New makes one slightly wistful of what could have been with a better-assembled album. As it is now, it feels chunked into each of its styles, rather than evenly distributing each one, and it’s difficult to ignore.

The benefit, however, is that the album feels like McCartney is reaching

out to connect modern music with old-school styles. There’s a good mix of each, as well as a couple that just combine them together, but whether it’s the seductive “Road” or the warm synth-acoustic blend of “Hosanna,” they all bear McCartney’s unmistakable stamp. This is far from an artist trying to “get with the times” by replicating what the kids are playing. Instead, he embraces them, integrates them into his repertoire and makes them his own in a way that you’d think he’d been using them for years.

With such a long and varied career, it may be easy to write off Paul McCartney as one of “yesterday’s musicians.” However, if New is any indication, this aging rocker still has a great deal of life left in him and shows a strong desire to make sure the world knows it with a satisfying bridging between old and new.

The Dig You & I

Jed Murphy BandWagon Magazine Based out of New York City, the members of The Dig are no strangers to the workings of the modern music scene. In a seemingly constant state of “record then tour” since their first album in 2010, their hard work has taken this four piece on the road with acts such as The Walkmen, The Antlers, and Portugal. The Man. Now, the release of their latest EP You & I shows a band locking in on sound ready for a bigger stage.

The Dig’s sound walks a line between psych rock and shoegaze, drawing from the spacious sounds of reverb-laden guitar and thick bass, coupled with dreamy synth lines and unobtrusive drumming to create something surprisingly profound.

Not wanting to be the “album a year” kind of band, The Dig instead chose to write and record two EPs throughout the year. Tired Hearts released in June of 2013 was the first; You & I released October 22nd

completes the set. “We wanted to try something a little different from what we usually did. We decided we wanted to write and record an EP, then tour on it then do it again instead of doing a full-length album,“ said vocalist and guitarist David Baldwin.

Together You & I and Tired Hearts would make a decent full-length album containing the same balance between peaks and valleys that Midnight Flowers has. But the decision to split the recordings with a tour and the fresh song writing gives the two EPs their distinction from each other.

You & I comes across as slightly more mature and refined. Not the maturity that separates adolescence from adulthood, but instead the difference in a year of an aging whiskey.

Working with producer Greg Giorgio at Tarquin Studios in Bridge Port, Connecticut, Baldwin said that this time around the band had more opportunity to work with the songs they had written instrumentally.

“When we record we’re just trying to capture our best songs. For You & I we

had more time to experiment. When we would leave the studio at night we would go home and really explore our sounds.”

You & I represents an honest step forward for the band in terms of both quality and a sense of where they are headed sonically. Landing more on the psych rock side of their sound, gone are the distortion-driven pop songs and catchy hooks of Midnight Flowers and are instead replaced with something far more ambitious.

Never ones to slow down, The Dig plans to begin writing and recording a full-length album once they finish their tour but do not want to set any exact dates on it. Until then, You & I is a solid recording from a band music fans looking for something new will enjoy.

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BandWagon Magazine northern colorado’s arts & entertainment magazine november 2013 AFI

Burials Aaron Hammond BandWagon Magazine Few bands can generate such a devoted fanbase and vocal critics at the same time as AFI. Burials is their newest album, and could be the material for a treaty between all its various listeners.

Burials is AFI’s ninth studio album, released October 22nd on Island Records, and is another step forward in their constant musical evolution. They originated as a hardcore punk band and through their albums have experimented with horror punk, alternative rock, glam rock, and dark electronic sounds. If that sounds eclectic, that’s because it is - but AFI has somehow maintained a consistent sound underneath.

One of the ways AFI has maintained their identifying sound is through dark and often florid lyrics. Burials is no exception. The album explores ideas of isolation, anxiety, loss, and anger. These lyrics harken back to an older, Sing the Sorrow-era AFI, or to balance the brightness on some of the more glam-heavy tracks.

Like most of their albums, Burials begins with a slow, mysterious opener, “Sinking Night.” It then jumps into a nostalgic single, “I Hope You Suffer.” Horror-movie strings bleed into an layered verse, then

explode into a rage-filled chorus.

“I Hope you Suffer” is one of the strongest tracks on the album, a good choice for the first single.

“A Deep and Slow Panic” draws its blackly glittering sound from the more recent Crash Love album, as do the songs “17 Crimes” and “Greater than 84.” Other songs such as “The Conductor” and “The Embrace” incorporate elements of industrial metal.

There are a few tracks that are simply AFI-flavored alternative rock. “Rewind” and “Heart Stops” could be good starting places for listeners unfamiliar with the band’s distinct style and sound.

The album is painfully honest and raw. The obscure lyrics that have previously overshadowed the meaning of AFI’s music have been toned down in favor of an angry and fragile emotional self-portrait of lead singer Davey Havok.

In a recent interview with the Cincinnati CityBeat, guitarist Jade Puget admitted this album was made in large part as a distraction and outlet for an emotionally stressed Havok, which isn’t usually the case. The result is an album with more thematic unity and urgent truth that cuts through the band’s clean technique and layers of sound. While the band’s unique musical flair is ever-present, this is an album accessible to almost anyone.

Darkside Psychic

Matt Hutcheson BandWagon Magazine Dark and brooding electronic music is not difficult to find, but electronic musician Nicholas Jaar has managed to stand out from the pack with his cerebral, beatdriven style. Jaar along with jazz bassist Dave Harrington make up Darkside, and the project signals a new, more varied approach for the musician. Electronic music, particularly intelligent dance music, or IDM, is often obfuscated by nature, but Psychic manages to attain greater heights by being dizzyingly eclectic.

The album is a mixture of dark synth tones, looped electronica beats, and psychedelic guitar.

These main elements blend well in songs like opener “The Golden Arrow,” which despite its 13-minute length and looped drum patterns, manages to viscerally surprise several times.

Jaar possesses a rare talent for atmosphere, and most of the songs manage to be cerebral yet danceable, while somehow simultaneously permeating dark tones. Jaar has obvious skill, but Harrington is the real star of the album. The spine of the best songs, such as “Paper Trails,” lie not in Jaar’s precise beat crafting, but in his deep, in-the-pocket funk guitar and bass. Even the best electronic musicians often sound like they’ve given up a bit of their humanity to machinery, but Darkside sound definitively like a band.

Jaar forgoes his usual obscure

vocal samples largely in favor of a distorted, nearly falsetto version of his voice. Nostalgic, neo-retro electronic music has certainly been trendy this decade, but few artists dive as eagerly into such a funky sound as Darkside. If Psychic expresses yearning, it is for a strange future rather than an ideal past. The band sounds like almost no artist making music right now, which would not be so positive if the music were not so addictive and exciting.

The tone of the album is varied yet accessible, as anyone could find a catchy synth-chord, guitar solo, or funky beat that merits replaying the song ad nauseum. The album’s final song “Metatron” brings many of the disparate elements of the record together with a patiently building interaction of synthesizer, guitar and vocals that leads to perhaps the best climax on the entire album.

The album is filled with many singular “wow” moments that may not be noticed until a second or third listen. Jaar succinctly described Psychic in a recent interview with NPR’s Rachel Martin, stating, “We want (Psychic) to be a nice-looking house. We want it to be like a friendly looking house with a nice door. And then once you come inside, you realize that there are some strange things happening inside the house.”

Jaar and Harrington have managed to craft an album surprisingly close to that description, and hopefully this is only the beginning for this funk band from the future.

BandWagon Magazine northern colorado’s arts & entertainment magazine november 2013

FILM REVIEWS Carrie 2013 - 100 Minutes – Rated R Christopher Sheridan BandWagon Magazine Remakes are tricky. Apart from gaining the ire of all fans of the original body (in this case, bodies) of work, remakes have a lot to live up to and rarely achieve it. Fans of Brian DePalma’s 1976 version of Carrie instantaneously attacked this remake. What’s the point of making another film, when the original was almost perfect as is?

Still, some excellent trailers and a strong cast gave some credence to the idea that this could be a quality film. Now that it is out, however, that question remains, and 2013’s Carrie does little to make its case as a relevant update.

Though it comes from the mind of Stephen King, Carrie really isn’t a conventional horror film, it’s actually a deeply tragic high school drama. There are elements of horror—based on the cruelty of human beings—interspersed.

The plot is the same as always: developing-telekinetic Carrie White, abused by her hyperreligious mother (Julianne Moore) and horrible classmates, is given a wonderful night at the prom by a pair of compassionate classmates.

The night turns sour when one girl, Chris Hargensen, decides to ruin it

for Carrie with that iconic bucket of pig’s blood. Finally pushed too far, Carrie unleashes her powers and kills everyone who has wronged her.

Director Kimberly Peirce disappointingly changes very little about the original film; this is a cosmetic rehash and nothing more. Lines are lifted wholesale from the original film, and scenes are only marginally changed here and there. Mild differences include Chris and her boyfriend going from pretty cruel to downright evil (something that worked) and maybe a couple of tweaks and additions to more closely follow the book. But they are inconsequential and can be counted on one hand.

However, Peirce does deliver a flashy, visceral film and displays a good knowledge of how to effectively frame a shot. She’s put together some solidly emotional scenes that mostly convey Carrie’s misery, though as good as Chloe Grace-Moretz is (and she’s really good), she still can’t step out of the shadow of Sissy Spacek’s masterful performance. Peirce fails to draw engaging performances out of any of her other players, including, surprisingly, Julianne Moore. The rest of the acting feels forced and unbelievable.

The big question then, is which movie has the superior finale.

Brian DePalma knocked it out of the park with his devastating, muted build-up to the blood being dumped on Carrie. The scene was perfectly shot and made the viewer a helpless witness. Peirce botches this bit by replaying the falling guts and the impact from multiple angles, cheapening the effect of what was happening. DePalma’s massacre was cleverly shot with a split screen and different things happening in each panel, with masterful use of color and jarring camerawork. Pearce’s version takes up a good 10 minutes of film and expands on what the original did. This massacre is true revenge for Carrie, and oddly satisfying to watch as scores of her classmates meet their end in increasingly gruesome, creative ways. It’s gratuitous, but it feels earned.

Carrie is a flashy remake, and it follows closely in the footsteps of its predecessor. Unfortunately, that’s not necessarily a compliment.

It’s a good remake of the original because it is the original, with a fresh coat of paint.

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BandWagon Magazine northern colorado’s arts & entertainment magazine november 2013

Rush 2013 - 123 Minutes – Rated R Jay Wallace BandWagon Magazine Within any sport or fandom, when passions run hot, dickmeasuring competitions break out like a bad case of herpes, turning ever so volatile until eventually someone doesn’t just lose, they get destroyed.

Online, it is one’s reputation that gets the shaft. At Comic-Con, arguments over Wolverine and The Hulk duking it out can possibly result in a mechanical pencil in the eye in the most extreme case. On a race track, with machines that can weigh between 1,000-2,000 pounds and have anywhere between 200 to 600 horsepower on tap, someone’s eagerness to get to the finish line can result in a trip to the hospital, or worse. And yet people still fight those battles, letting their egos write checks their bodies may not be able to cash, all for one reason: to win, to be the best.

James Hunt and Niki Lauda were two such people. Hunt was a supposedly cocky Briton who would

go on to win the 1976 Formula One World Championship. Lauda was an eggheaded genius from Austria who would become an unstoppable force in Formula One, becoming one of Ferarri’s best racers, and was Hunt’s rival during the 1976 racing season.

Their methods were different, but they shared the same drive to succeed, no matter what. Director Ron Howard and screenwriter Peter Morgan set about showing how that drive to succeed pushed and shaped Lauda and Hunt in the film Rush.

Thor himself, Chris Hemsworth, plays Hunt while Inglorious Basterds’ Daniel Bruhl steps into Lauda’s shoes. As portrayed by Morgan and Howard, Hunt is a freewheeling, charismatic playboy.

His method is simply to be as fast as possible on the track.

Bruhl’s Lauda is the polar opposite: the guy is the Sherlock Holmes of race car drivers, which is demonstrated when he diagnoses the issues of his future wife Marlene’s (Alexandra Maria Lara of Downfall) Maserati “with his ass.”

This ability leads to him developing

a reputation as a hard-charging automotive master who knows how to set up a racecar. Early on, the two butt heads at a Formula Three race, establishing their ongoing rivalry.

They’re not without fault, of course. When Hunt’s first team, Hesketh Racing, closes up after failing to find a sponsor, Hunt’s marriage with supermodel Suzy Miller (House starlet Olivia Wilde) goes south, with Hunt getting drunk while waiting for a driving position to open up. Lauda’s anal-retentive tendencies and accompanying arrogance drives everyone up the wall, which results in a number of his competitors ignoring his pleas to cancel a race at Germany’s infamous Nurburgring over safety concerns.

It’s been a while since I’ve seen a Ron Howard film, but watching this, I find myself wondering why Howard isn’t as revered as Spielberg or Coppola. This guy knows drama and action as well as any of the other heavy-hitters in the film industry, and Rush shows it.

His recreation of Lauda’s crash and Howard’s interpretation of his recovery is horrifying and heartbreaking, and the finale with

Hunt eventually winning (Not a spoiler, Hunt won the 1976 season, read a book.) was truly triumphant.

It makes me want to catch up with his back catalog, namely his previous collaboration with Peter Morgan, Frost/Nixon.

In terms of casting, Hemsworth, Bruhl, Wilde, and Lara definitely look the part. As far as their acting goes, they’ve knocked it out of the park. Hemsworth is a charming bastard. Despite his arrogance as Hunt, you still root for the guy. Bruhl is the star, though. His portrayal of Lauda is awesome, and while he does seem almost robotic at first, over time you come to see his soft side, particularly when he’s romancing Lara’s Marlene in his own technical way. Wilde and Lara as the film’s leading ladies are awesome and hold their own throughout the film.

For gearheads and film fans alike, Rush is an excellent, exciting tale of pushing boundaries: physical, emotional and mental. It’s the tale of two men who started as rivals and became compatriots in one of the most dangerous sports in the world.

BandWagon Magazine northern colorado’s arts & entertainment magazine november 2013

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BandWagon Magazine northern colorado’s arts & entertainment magazine november 2013

Cameron Barker

Local artist profile:

Kendra Hamman BandWagon Magazine Cameron Barker’s talent for recording the female figure in all it’s beauty and intensity is a unique one. While capturing the muse’s inner workings that take form in mysterious abstracted ribbons that lusciously wrap around the figure, the figures are drawn on wood. These nonobjective marks are usually done in black gesso, resembling one of this inspirations, Robert Motherwell. he tells the viewer an intricate and meaningful story about the muse.

The Art Education major will be graduating from the University of Northern Colorado in May after he completes his student teaching. When asked what ages he would like to teach he simply replies, “any.” He is going to be student teaching in the Boulder/Longmont area and simply enjoys school, learning, and gleaning from others.

“Deriving inspiration from others, that’s what art is about—sharing the world with the world.” He loves teaching and has already been teaching middle schools at his synagogue in Boulder for

quite sometime. This theory supports his upcoming show at the Moxi Theater, “One Word Answers,” which will depict his reactions to the events going on in the world around him on a personal and global level.

Religion is an important factor in Barker’s life. It is not something that should define a person but rather guide a person in his/her everyday life. That being said, religion is a heavy influencer for his artwork. Barkers mother is also an artist and doing art together is a positive child hood memory for him. Beginning his love for drawing very early, his high school teacher taught him how to hone his skill and make it into a meaningful piece that could not only be “pretty” to look at but also tell a story. Barker has specific inspirations and connections to his pieces but does not make those influences obvious in the work. The audience needs to connect on his or her own.

After all, no one likes art that tell him or her how to think.

The show will consist of six pieces, three of them large scale and will be featured at the Moxi at their first ever art show on First Friday.

Don’t miss out on these truly inspiration figural pieces, and check out Greeley’s new venue for some drinks, art and music.

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BandWagon Magazine northern colorado’s arts & entertainment magazine november 2013

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BandWagon Magazine northern colorado’s arts & entertainment magazine november 2013

THE NERD STORE

Local business profile:

Jay Wallace BandWagon Magazine

“I’ve been a nerd all my life, and I’ve kind of ADD about it,” said Travis Parry, the 30 year old owner of The Nerd Store. “I hop around from interest to interest, and I just needed a place that had all of them in one.”

On October 5, just down the street from Mariposa Plants and Flowers, Parry opened shop on 8th Street. The Nerd Store is a comic book shop, gaming store and a place to set up your own Dungeons & Dragons campaign. It’s not the first business Parry has run.

“I was a BFA with a business minor, and I started an art studio,” Parry said. “I really enjoyed the marketing and working with customers and being my own boss.

Not the paperwork so much. When that closed down, I kind of know I was going to open up something again, and so one night me and my wife were talking and was talking about moving on from one obsession to a new one and she’s kind of like, ‘you just need one store that has everything.’”

Already the store has begun to attract attention from locals who share Parry’s obsessions. Nathaniel McCauley, 15, Christopher Timothy, 15, Cameron McRae, 22, and Josh Sampson, 18, have already set up a Dungeons & Dragons campaign at the store. McCauley’s father, who got him into the game, found out about the store and told him about it.

“What lead me into getting into [D&D] was my father was really into Dungeons & Dragons when he was in high school,” McCauley said, “and he decided to pass the torch in a sorta way, and then I did take it up, and I started enjoying it.”

The group, only a few weeks old, was set up as McCauley and Timothy were creating characters for a new campaign. McCauley said they came across McRae “by luck,” while Sampson, who moved from Oregon to go to UNC, found out about the campaign via Facebook. All four said they liked the store.

Of course, The Nerd Store is not the only place in town like this; there’s also Digital Dungeon on West 10th. Parry has gone there to play and the owner/manager of Digital Dungeon has visited The Nerd Store.

“He’s got a different group of people that show up there, and he’s

very heavily into the miniatures, and I think that obviously we’re going to go head-to-head on Magic: The Gathering and stuff like that,” Parry said. “But my idea has never been to put him out of business or to take his customers.

“I want to introduce new people to it, and I want to bring in a whole different crowd of people that either don’t know about his store or are more interested in things on a different level or just in different products. So we got a lot more board games, none of the miniatures.

[Ex.: 40K, Warhammer] The comics and the action figures that [Digital Dungeon] doesn’t carry and really trying to make it a different store than what he’s got.”

Right now, there are a couple of weekly events set up at the store, with plans to do bigger events on Saturdays. Some of the events set up include a free family night, a Heroclix night, Magic: The Gathering tournaments, and even a Board Game night. Parry said he’ll be launching “Star Wars Nights” on the first Tuesday of November, with plans for the regional chapter of the 501st (Stormtrooper cosplayers) to be there.

“I really wanted to build a family friendly place,” Parry said, “not to say that his store isn’t, but someplace where you can play casually with your friends, or you can get into one of the more advanced games like Magic. So it opens up at the entry level more.”

Parry said that he does plan to expand into all things hobby, including electronics and robotics.

“There are issues of time and money that I don’t have that need to go into those things,” Parry said, “so that’s a long term plan at this point, but certainly something I’m hoping to do.”

For more information, you can visit www.facebook.com/ TheNerdSstore.

BandWagon Magazine northern colorado’s arts & entertainment magazine november 2013

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Interview by Jerry Hunt Hellogoodbye just released their third studio album, Everything is Debatable, off Old Friends Records on Oct. 29th. They are currently on Paramore’s North American Self-Titled Tour along with Emily Haines’ band, Metric. In support of the new record, the band will be visiting Northern Colorado on November 30th when they headline the Moxi Theater in Greeley.

Q A

: Can you tell us a little about your new album, Everything is Debatable, and how it compares to previous albums?

: Honestly, the way I look at it is, we started making music on a laptop. It was visual and it was modular, working with midis. This record we were basically able to expand on the live, honest recording approach. We didn’t necessarily grow up or start over, I just brought in things I was uncomfortable with before. And then we explored the form, instead of relearning it.

Q A

: Are there any specific themes you guys addressed in this album?

: Yeah. There’s a lot about self-doubt and finding yourself being wrong here and there. And being open to that possibility that you could be wrong and to have an open mind about it. There’s a lot of that on the record. And a lot of it is about how complicated the world is. How there’s a lot of information and things to know and we live in an insane age where there are more things to know that any one person can know in their brain.

Q A

: The themes seem to be a little bit more serious and introspective than some of your earlier records. Would you say that’s the case? : Yeah, I wouldn’t disagree. When I was a teenager, I couldn’t imagine I’d write a song that wasn’t a love song. I still don’t know that I have. Every song is kind of a love song, at least there is some angle to it that has to with love, I’m sure. But I think maybe I kind of have, just songs about everything, not just love of a specific person.

Q A

: Going back to the being wrong about things thing, what’s something you’ve been wrong about recently?

: My wife told me about an ad for a phone with a 41-megapixel camera in it. I was like, “My professional camera only has 18 megapixels. Maybe you mean 14, which would be very impressive for a phone. I’m sure you got it wrong.” And she was like, “No, I think it was 41.” “No I don’t think so.” Then I saw the commercial and I was like, “Oh. Jesus Christ.”

So yeah, it was surprising, I couldn’t believe it.

It’s just having humility about things like that.

Q A Q

: What would you say your spirit animal is?

: As a kid, I always loved meerkats.

They seem very sweet. That or otters, but otters are very sweet. I don’t think I can compete with how sweet they are.

: How has the response been for you being on tour again? I have certainly been a huge fan since your first album, but I haven’t heard much from you guys in a few years.

A

: We always kind of drop out, which I think is probably good and healthy.

I always like to take my time making music, so it’s usually a couple years that we don’t make too much noise. We have been touring around with Warped Tour and with Paramore headlining and this and that. So we’ve been active, but not making much noise.

Q A Q A

: How is touring with Paramore?

: It’s wild. It’s the biggest tour we’ve ever been on in all of our 11 years. It’s crazy to be at a point that still feels new and scary. : You’re going to be playing at The Moxi in Greeley on Nov. 30th, have you ever been in the Northern Colorado region before? : No, not at all. Just Denver really. I imagine it’s probably very pretty. ...

We’re excited to get to Greeley to check it out.

Q A

: I know there has been some shifting over the years, what do you think about the band’s current lineup?

: There’s always shifting. I’m lucky now to have our drummer, Andy, he’s a great guy. This is his first tour. It’s always great, fresh and exciting. All of these guys have been around for a while, kind of solidifying.

But it’s kind of nice to keep not so hardlined, it’s more freedom for everyone. : Would you say it’s as poppy and bouncy We all definitely get each other musically, more than I think any of us as previous records? get anyone else outside of the band, : Yeah, there’s definitely some poppy musically.

Q A

stuff on there. But it’s also very rhythmic and focused on just the feel of things, kind of getting away from leftbrained, complex ideas. It’s more of a natural approach.

Q A

: Can you give us a bit of a preview of what we can expect when we go to your show?

: This is the first tour that we’re doing any kind of real production for. We’ve stepped it up a notch. We’ve got some cool lights that we’re spending our off-time programming. It’s pretty crazy, you can program it very specifically. So we’re just sitting around, basically making a light show. It’s a lot of fun.

Q A

: Moving forward, what are you going looking forward to?

: Well we’ll be touring all year.

Hopefully we’ll be visiting other countries as well. I’m excited to do all that. And I’m excited to see where the record takes us. You never know and you can never really put your hopes anywhere.

You just have to get a feel for different things like that. It’s an exciting time for us.

Q A

: Is there any new music coming out that you find inspiring?

: You know, I definitely have always been into things that are from last year, two years ago, five years ago, 20 years ago. A lot of times I don’t really know when stuff has just come out. ... I really dig the Holy Ghost! record that came out this year. The new Arcade Fire single, I like that one for sure. I just started listening to Usher’s “Confessions,” but that’s from 99 or something, so...

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BandWagon Magazine northern colorado’s arts & entertainment magazine november 2013

An Ode to Ft. Collins Jay Wallace BandWagon Magazine A stumbling documentarian comes across a cassette tape in a thrift store, sending him on a quest to track down a one-of-a-kind bicycle and the girl who came with the bike, possibly from the future.

A billionaire bike maker, who came across the same bike as a kid, is also looking for the mystery bike too, enlisting his goofball friends in his search to find this magical bike.

This is the story of Whensday, the first film produced by The Lyric Cinema Café, and it wears its love of Fort Collins on it’s sleeve.

Whensday was put together by four directors, all of whom call Fort Collins home: Doug Usher, 31, Andrew Schneider, 29, (a Wyoming native) Ben Mozer, 34 (owner of The Lyric) and Tomas Herrera, 35, who played documentarian Abe Benjamin in the film. The idea for the film was initially kicked around in the lobby of the theater amongst the four over beers.

“Well, I think what really started it was that Ben wanted to find a way to provide more content at The Lyric than just bringing in movies from outside,” Usher said. “He wanted more local sustainability

of films, because it’s so expensive for him to bring in other movies, so he, I think, sort of said to different people, ‘Hey do you want to make a movie?’

“And then we kind of started meeting here and hanging out over beers and brainstorming, and we knew we wanted it to be about Fort Collins. That was key: finding the audience of Fort Collins and really telling a story that would make sense for this town.”

Before there was even an idea for a movie, Ben Mozer said there was sort of an acknowledgement that independent filmmakers and independent cinema auteurs and cinema owners had a lot of common struggles in a marketplace where there are incredible innovators who’ve built an industry up to what it is that is now starting to stamp out independent voices.

“We saw a way to return to a page of history where filmmakers were just hobby enthusiasts, creating art in their own communities,” Mozer said.

“We saw an opportunity to band together — Colorado cinemas, who right now are going through a lot of hardship in trying to convert

to digital — and find content that, for them, that their audiences will come and see that speaks directly to them without going through a Hollywood machine where you have distributors telling you what movies you can get and show and when.

“So we tried to introduce some options for cinema makers by creating a local distribution model, and Whensday the movie was what we all got together and sort of workshopped in a sense to create the story.”

Mozer said the characters were based a lot on who was available to shoot with them on the weekends, who had production experience and talent and wanted to come work with them on the film. The film took more than a year to make.

“We had a rough treatment for the movie, but we never had a script,” Schneider said. “The entire movie was improvised. I shouldn’t say we didn’t have a script, we didn’t have any dialog written really. It was really just sort of a rough treatment of the story of what we knew had to happen.

We had scenes that we knew we wanted to do.”

Mozer said there are plans for a re-release of the film, including a DVD release, in the springtime after the group takes a break.

“The major goal with this movie is to connect all the independent theaters in Colorado into one distribution circuit,” Mozer said.

“So when we make a film or we buy a film from producers, or if anybody else wants to release and distribute a film inside Colorado, they’ll have this pre-established circuit that they can run through.”

Schneider said the group is already crewing up for their next project, with a 2014 fall release date for the film, and they’re looking for filmmakers and writers ready to help. For those who want to contribute to their next film, and for those interested in more information on Whensday, visit NoCoastArtists.com and WhensdayMovie.com.

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BandWagon Magazine northern colorado’s arts & entertainment magazine november 2013 ur

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BandWagon Magazine northern colorado’s arts & entertainment magazine november 2013

COLORaDO CONCERT CALENDAR

Friday November 1st

The Ori Naftaly Band @ The Moxi Theater, Greeley - 5pm w/ Austin Young

King Los @ The Moxi Theater, Greeley - 9pm w/ DJ Macy Paradise

The Motet @ Aggie Theatre, Fort Collins - 8pm

twenty one pilots @ Bluebird Theater, Denver - 8pm w/ Robert DeLong and Sirah

Ab-Soul and Joey Bada$$ & ProEra @ Cervantes’ Masterpiece Ballroom, Denver - 8pm w/ THe Underachiever, Chevy Woods and Delasean & Russell Grande

This Must Be the Band (Tribute to The Talking Heads) @ Cervantes’ Other Side, Denver - 8pm w/ Jerry Garcia Band Cover Band and Sweet Knievel

Bonobo @ The Fillmore Auditorium, Denver - 7:30pm

Hooper Album Release Party @ The Hi-Dive, Denver - 9pm w/ Friends of Cesar Romero, Antirobot, Rebel Steele

Widow’s Bane Halloween Show @ Hodi’s Half Note, Fort Collins - 8pm

Reno Divorce @ Larimer Lounge, Denver - 8pm w/ Wiredogs, Trade Ins, Dead Ringer

Zach Deputy @ Mishawaka Amphitheatre, Bellvue - 8pm w/ Rob Drabkin

The Devil Makes Three @ The Ogden Theatre, Denver - 9pm w/ Shakey Graves

Bleeding Through @ Summit Music Hall, Denver - 6pm w/ Winds of Plague, Oceano

Blue October @ The Ogden Theater on 10/3/13 in Denver

Gaelic Storm @ The Gothic Theatre, Denver - 7:30pm

DeadPhish Orchestra @ Hodi’s Half Note, Fort Collins - 8pm

Greeley El Teatro @ Union Colony Civic Center, Greeley - 6pm

The Motet presents MIXTAPE 1980 @ The Ogden Theatre, Denver - 9pm

Dissonance in Design @ The Marquis Theatre, 7pm w/ Dead for Denver, Ghosts of Glaciers, Rome Incarnate

saturday November 2nd Tribe Sidisan: Belly Hallow VI @ Moxi Theater, Greeley - 6pm

ECID w/ Mike Mictlan @ Moxi Theater, Greeley - 8pm w/ Dockman, Epoch When, Type One, The Quotes, Dj Dominic Deadbeat, DJ Dabble

Club Dubtronic (Live DJ Set) @ (Campus) Roma, Greeley - 9pm Bonobo @ Aggie Theatre, Fort Collins - 8pm w/ Chet Faker Mountain Standard Time and Oakhurst @ Bluebird Theater, Denver - 9pm Doka Jovi @ Key Largo, Greeley - 9pm

The Hollyfelds @ The Hi-Dive, Denver - 8:30pm w/ Marty Jones

Real Magic @ Larimer Lounge, Denver - 8pm w/ Men in Burka, Kitty Crimes

Periphery @ Summit Music Hall, Denver - 6pm w/ Born of Osiris, Dead Letter Circus, Twelve Foot Ninja

The Motet @ Aggie Theatre on 12/1/13 in Denver Kanye West @ The Pepsi Center, Denver - 7pm w/ Kendrick Lamar of Montreal @ The Marquis Theatre, 8pm w/ La Luz

MercyMe @ Union Colony Civic Center, Greeley - 6:30pm

Monday November 4th

As Freedom Fades @ The Gothic Theatre, Denver - 8pm w/ American Blackout, Dimmer Switch, Kongtoss

Comedy @ Hodi’s Half Note, Fort Collins - 7pm

Foreigner @ Union Colony Civic Center, Greeley - 7:30pm

Kingsfoil @ The Marquis Theatre, 7pm

Nonpoint @ The Marquis Theatre, 7pm w/ My Ticket Home, Digital Collapse, Red Tide Rising

sunday November 3rd Sera Cahoone @ The Hi-Dive, Denver - 8pm w/ Jen Korte, Halden Wofford Victor Barnes & Evergreen @ Hodi’s Half Note Fort Collins - 8pm w/ Tallgrass

The Funk Jam @ Hodi’s Half Note, Fort Collins - 10pm Mayday Parade @ Summit Music Hall, Denver - 6pm w/ Man Overboard, Cartel

UNC Faculty Recital: William Wilson, voice @ Union Colony Civic Center, Greeley - 8pm

tuesday November 5th Stubbby Shillelaghs @ Patirck’s Pub, Greeley - 9pm

Cold Wars Kids @ Aggie Theatre, Fort Collins - 8pm

A$AP Ferg @ Bluebird Theater, Denver - 8pm w/ A$AP Mob, Joey Fatts & Aston Matthews, 100s A Tribe Called Red @ Cervantes’ Other Side, Denver - 8pm w/ Alex Sin

The Magician & A Tribe Called Red @ Cervantes’ and The Other Side, Denver- 8pmw/ Fun Factory Lamb of God & Killswitch Engage @ The Fillmore Auditorium, Denver - 8pm w/ Testament & Huntress

Quasi @ The Hi-Dive, Denver - 8pm w/ Blues Control Brothers Keeper Ft. John Popper @ Hodi’s Half Note Fort Collins - 8pm

Little Boots @ Larimer Lounge, Denver - 8pm

Gov’t Mule @ The Ogden Theatre, Denver - 8pm w/ Vintage Trouble I See Stars @ Summit Music Hall, Denver - 6pm

The Browning @ The Marquis Theatre, 6pm w/ This or the Apocalypse, honour Crest, Tear Out the Heart, Myka UNC Vocal Jazz @ Union Colony Civic Center, Greeley - 7:30pm

wednesday November 6th Reckless Kelly @ Aggie Theatre, Fort Collins - 8pm w/ Matt Skinner Band Stephen Kellogg @ Bluebird Theater, Denver - 8pm w/ The Saint Johns

Mad Professor @ Cervantes’ Other Side, Denver - 8pm w/ SoundKLASH Clouds and Mountains @ The Hi-Dive, Denver - 8:30pm w/ Decker, The Lonelyhearts The Malai Llama @ Hodi’s Half Note, Fort Collins - 8pm

Bernhoft @ Larimer Lounge, Denver - 8pm w/ Sivert Hoyem

Toro y Moi @ The Ogden Theatre, Denver - 8pm w/ Classixx

The Story So Far @ Summit Music Hall, Denver - 6pm w/ Stick To Your Guns, Such Gold Tori Kelly @ The Gothic Theatre, Denver - 8:30pm

Close Your Eyes @ The Marquis Theatre, 6pm w/ City In the Sea, Altars, Islander

thursday November 7th Euforquestra & Mountain Standard Time @ Aggie Theatre, Fort Collins - 8pm Aaron Carter @ Bluebird Theater, Denver - 8pm w/ Carson Allen, Ashtree

BandWagon Magazine northern colorado’s arts & entertainment magazine november 2013 Jay Brannan @ Larimer Lounge

Good Gravy! and Evergreen Grass Band @ Cervantes’ Other Side, Denver - 8pm Salva, Nadastrom & Sinden @ Cervantes’ Masterpiece Ballroom, Denver - 8pm

Pink Floyd Laser Spectacular @ The Fillmore Auditorium, Denver - 7pm

David Dondero @ The Hi-Dive, Denver - 8:30pm DJ Vadim @ Hodi’s Half Note, Fort Collins - 8pm w/ GoldyLoxx

UNC Orchestra @ Union Colony Civic Center, Greeley - 7:30pm

Friday November 8th Aaron Carter @ Aggie Theatre, Fort Collins - 8pm w/ Matty James and Sampson Mason Jennings @ Bluebird Theater, Denver - 9pm

The West Coast Horns @ Cervantes’ Masterpiece Ballroom, Denver - 8pm Krooked Thunder @ Cervantes’ Other Side, Denver - 8pM Lee Brice @ The Fillmore Auditorium, Denver - 7pm

Mark Mallman @ The Hi-Dive, Denver - 8:30pm w/ Distant Correspondent, Talk All Night Mark Palke’s Farewell Show @ Hodi’s Half Note, Fort Collins - 8pm w/ Futaba, PRISM & B.A.C.

Dax Riggs @ Larimer Lounge, Denver - 8pm w/ Terraplane Sun, Prettymouth Elephant Revival @ The Ogden Theatre, Denver - 9pm w/ Aoife O’Donovan

Kreator & Overkill @ The Gothic Theatre, Denver - 9pm w/ Warbringer Larry and His Flask @ The Marquis Theatre, 8pm w/ Onward, etc., A Tom Collins, Champagne Charlie

Saturday November 9th Brown Boy w/ El Dreamer @ Moxi Theater, Greeley - 8pm

Club Dubtronic (Live DJ Set) @ (Campus) Roma, Greeley - 9pm

Good Gravy @ Aggie Theatre, Fort Collins - 8pm Dada @ Bluebird Theater, Denver - 9pm

The Polish Ambassador @ Cervantes’ Masterpiece Ballroom, Denver - 8pm w/ DJ Vadim, Wildlight and T.Wilde Inner Oceans @ The Hi-Dive, Denver - 8:30pm w/ Lake Mary

Adrian Vigil’s “A Road to Victory” @ Hodi’s Half Note, Fort Collins - 8pm w/ Shatterproof & more

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(Walnut Room), Denver - 8pm w/ Chela Negro

Sour Boy, Bitter Girl @ Mishawaka Amphitheatre, Bellvue - 8pm w/ The Lonelyhearts and Ark Life

Blackberry Smoke @ The Ogden Theatre, Denver - 8pm w/ Ryan Chrys And The Rough Cuts Rihanna @ The Pepsi Center, Denver - 8pm

Roger Clyne and the Peacemakers @ The Gothic Theatre, Denver - 8pm w/ Railbenders, Fifth On the Floor Screaming Females @ The Marquis Theatre, 8pm w/ Mega Gem

Western States Honor Orchestra Festival @ Union Colony Civic Center, Greeley - 4pm

sunday November 10th Deerhoof @ The Hi-Dive, Denver - 8pm w/ Wheelchair Sports Champ

Mazzy Star @ The Ogden Theatre, Denver - 8pm w/ The Entrance Band

Tonight Alive @ The Marquis Theatre, 6pm w/ The Downtown Fiction, For the Foxes, Echosmith 101st Army Band @ Union Colony Civic Center, Greeley - 2pm

monday November 11th Jazz2Kool @ Cervantes’ Other Side, Denver - 8pm w/ HA$H, Ny’ko and Mike Rich, Oritz, Just Josh & Koi Aesthetics

Comedy @ Hodi’s Half Note, Fort Collins - 7pm

The Funk Jam @ Hodi’s Half Note, Fort Collins - 10pm

65daysofstatic @ The Marquis Theatre, 7pm w/ Caspian Spotlight On Youth Choir Concert @ Union Colony Civic Center, Greeley - 6:30pm

tuesday November 12th Stubbby Shillelaghs @ Patirck’s Pub, Greeley - 9pm

Toro y Moi @ The Ogden Theatre on 11/6/13 in Denver Anthony Green @ Bluebird Theater, Denver - 7:30pm w/ Dave Davison (Maps & Atlases), Brick + Mortar Ishe Vs. Subliminal @ Cervantes’ Other Side, Denver - 8pm w/ Grymetyme, Amagama, CO2, Madhatta and Excelsior Ezra Furman @ The Hi-Dive, Denver - 8:30pm

Jessie Ware @ Larimer Lounge, Denver - 7pm Steve Aoki @ The Ogden Theatre, Denver - 7:30pm w/ Borgore, Waka Flocka Flame Jessie Ware @ The Gothic Theatre, Denver - 8pm w/ The Invisible

Scale the Summit @ The Marquis Theatre, 7pm UNC Bands @ Union Colony Civic Center, Greeley - 7pm

wednesday November 13th Giant Angry Bugs @ Moxi Theater, Greeley - 8pm w/ Rhyme Progression, Dred, Johnny EZ, Doe Dolla Da Great, P-Rose & Aid-US

Yo Mama’s Big Fat Booy Band @ Cervantes’ Other Side, Denver - 8pm w/ Tracorum and Special Guests

EXTRA! EXTRA! The busiest Bar in Greeley is looking for a new promoter BE: MUST

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Holy Grail @ The Marquis Theatre, 8pm w/ Cellador, Iconocaust

Ballroom, Denver - 8pm w/ Shwayze and Kimie

BandWagon Battle of the Bands @ Moxi Theater, Greeley - 8pm

The Royal @ The Hi-Dive, Denver - 8:30pm w/ Nova Albion, The Foreign Resort

thursday November 14th The Sword @ Aggie Theatre, Fort Collins - 8pm Thomas Dolby presents The Invisible Lighthouse @ Bluebird Theater, Denver - 8pm The Green @ Cervantes’ Masterpiece

Ragged Union @ Cervantes’ Other Side, Denver - 8pm

Kind Dub @ Hodi’s Half Note, Fort Collins - 8pm w/ Qbala & DJ Dominic Deadbeat, Glitta Kings CD Release, Thin Air C I The Mighty @ The Marquis Theatre, 7pm w/ Lil Thunder

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BandWagon Magazine northern colorado’s arts & entertainment magazine november 2013

Friday November 15th In The Whale Album Release @ Moxi Theater, Greeley - 8pm w/ Wiredogs, Viretta, Mike Ring

Grieves @ Aggie Theatre, Fort Collins - 8pm w/ Sweatshop Union and Def Rhymes Divine Blitzen Trapper @ Bluebird Theater, Denver - 9pm w/ Alialujah Choir Mos Def @ Cervantes’ and The Other Side, Denver - 7pm w/ Dillon Cooper, Sol, The ReMINDers, Abstract Collective

Hi-Dive’s One and Ten Year Anniversary @ The Hi-Dive, Denver - 7pm w/ Monofog, Machine Gun Blues, Red Cloud, Horace Van Vaughan, Rittz, Jarren Benton & Snow Tha Product @ Hodi’s Half Note, Fort Collins - 7:30pm w/ Liquid Assassin The Black Crowes @ The Ogden Theatre, Denver - 9pm

Rob Garza @ Summit Music Hall, Denver - 8:30pm w/ The Juan MacLean

Greensky Bluegrass @ The Gothic Theatre, Denver - 9pm w/ Fruition Natty Vibes @ The Marquis Theatre, 8pm w/ Drop Switch

saturday November 16th The Oak Creek Band @ Bluebird Theater, Denver - 8pm w/ Eldren, Petals of Spain, Robert Harrison & The Outsiders

John Kadlecik, Sunshine Garcia Becker, Dan Lebowitz, Steve Molitz, Allen Aucoin, Bridget Law @ Cervantes’ Masterpiece Ballroom, Denver - 8pm Michael Menert @ The Fillmore Auditorium, Denver - 8pm

Hi-Dive’s One and Ten Year Anniversary @ The Hi-Dive, Denver - 7pm w/ Zebroids, The Photo Atlas, Empty Palace, Warhawk, Git Some

Inner Oceans CD Release Party @ Hodi’s Half Note, Fort Collins - 8pm w/ Confluence & The Echo Chamber

Dead Confederate @ Larimer Lounge, Denver - 8pm w/ Strange Americans, Mosey West The Black Crowes @ The Ogden Theatre, Denver - 9pm

Journey’s Noise Tour feat. 3OH!3 @ Summit Music Hall, Denver - 7pm w/ The Summer Set, Wallpaper, New Beat Fund Arkona @ The Marquis Theatre, 7pm w/ Oak, Ash and Thorn, Dreadnought, Wayfarer

CPO Connoisseur Concert #3 @ Union Colony Civic Center, Greeley - 7:30pm

sunday November 17th Skylar Grey @ Bluebird Theater, Denver - 8pm

Hi-Dive’s One and Ten Year Anniversary @ The Hi-Dive, Denver - 7pm w/ Bad Luck City, Red Orange Yellow, The Royal, Joe Sampson She Keeps Bees, Hillary Hand & Last Good Tooth @ Larimer Lounge, Denver - 7pm

Trans-Siberian Orchestra @ The Pepsi Center, Denver - 3pm Trans-Siberian Orchestra @ The Pepsi Center, Denver - 7:30pm

A Great Big World @ The Marquis Theatre, 7pm

monday November 18th Comedy @ Hodi’s Half Note, Fort Collins - 7pm

The Funk Jam @ Hodi’s Half Note, Fort Collins - 10pm

Turquoise Jeep @ Larimer Lounge, Denver - 8pm Polar Bear Club @ The Marquis Theatre, 7pm w/ Citizen, Diamond Youth, Sainthood Reps

UNC Faculty Recital: Gal Faganel, cello and Caleb Harris, piano @ Union Colony Civic Center, Greeley - 8pm

tuesday November 19th Dir En Grey @ Bluebird Theater, Denver - 8pm w/ Dagoba

w/ The Attack, Straight Outta Luck, Plan B Rejects

thursday November 21st BandWagon Battle of the Bands @ Moxi Theater, Greeley - 8pm

Kimjata @ Bluebird Theater, Denver - 9pm w/ The Main Squeeze, Technicolor Tone Factory

Whiskey Tango @ Cervantes’ Other Side, Denver - 8pm w/ The Quick & Easy Boys

R.A the Rugged Man & Potluck @ Hodi’s Half Note, Fort Collins - 8pm w/ Whitney Peyton & Black Pegas Active Child & JMSN @ Larimer Lounge, Denver - 8pm

Less Than jake: Fat Tour 2013 @ Summit Music Hall, Denver - 7pm w/ Anti-Flag, Masked Intruder, Vanessa Carlton @ The Gothic Theatre, Denver - 8pm Places (Last Show) @ The Marquis Theatre, 7pm

saturday November 22nd Realifeactual @ The Moxi Theater, Greeley - 8pm w/ Genetics, Electric Stair Child Club Dubtronic (Live DJ Set) @ (Campus) Roma, Greeley - 9pm

Yelawolf & Hopsin @ The Ogden Theatre, Denver - 8pm

Fear Factory @ Summit Music Hall, Denver - 7pm Arkaik @ The Marquis Theatre, Denver - 7pm

friday November 22nd Hopsin & Yelawolf @ Aggie Theatre, Fort Collins - 8pm Morbid Angel Performs “Covenant” @ Bluebird Theater, Denver - 9pm Jimkata & ReaLifeActual @ Hodi’s Half Note, Fort Collins - 8pm In the Whale (Album Release) @ Larimer Lounge, Denver - 8pm

Stubbby Shillelaghs @ Patirck’s Pub, Greeley - 9pm

Plantrae and Future Simple Project @ Cervantes’ Other Side, Denver 8pm Thundercat @ Larimer Lounge, Denver - 8pm

August Burns Red @ Summit Music Hall, Denver - 7pm w/ Blessthefall, Defeater, Beartooth

Monster Magnet @ The Marquis Theatre, 7pm w/ Royal Thunder, Zodiac, Git Some

wednesday November 20th Danny Tremel Band (FREE SHOW) @ Moxi Theater, Greeley - 8pm Cults @ Bluebird Theater, Denver - 8pm w/ SACCO, Mood Rings Jonathan Scales Fourchestra @ Cervantes’ Other Side - 8pm w/ Special Guest

The Lovely Bad Things @ The Hi-Dive, Denver - 8:30pm w/ postal holiday

Destroyer (Solo)@ Larimer Lounge, Denver - 8pm w/ Porlolo Michael Buble @ The Pepsi Center, Denver - 8pm Misfits @ Summit Music Hall, Denver - 7pm

© CALIFORNIA DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC HEALTH

Less Than Jakes @ Aggie Theatre, Fort Collins - 8pm w/ Anti-Flag,

Big Freedia @ Bluebird Theater, Denver - 9pm Paul Barrere & Fred Tackett @ Cervantes’ Other Side, Denver - 8pm w/ Polytoxic’s Last Show Ever

Free Range Pickens @ Hodi’s Half Note, Fort Collins - 8pm w/ Whiskey Tango Swearin @ Larimer Lounge, Denver - 8pm w/ The Manxx Groundation @ The Ogden Theatre, Denver - 9pm w/ Paula Fuga + Mike Love Trio

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BandWagon Magazine northern colorado’s arts & entertainment magazine november 2013

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BandWagon Magazine northern colorado’s arts & entertainment magazine november 2013

R.A the Rugged Man @ Hodi’s Half Note on 11/21/13 in Ft. Collins Balkan Beat Box @ Summit Music Hall, Denver - 8pm The Casualties @ The Marquis Theatre, 7pm w/ Negative Approach, MDC

Michael Martin Murphey’s Cowboy Christmas Ball @ Union Colony Civic Center, Greeley - 7:30pm

sunday November 23rd

Lupe Fiasco @ The Ogden Theatre, Denver - 8pm

Relient K & Motion City Soundtrack @ Summit Music Hall, Denver 6pm w/ Driver Friendly

tuesday November 25th

Black Joe Lewis @ Bluebird Theater, Denver - 8pm w/ Radkey, Think No Think ReaLifeActual @ Cervantes’ Other Side, Denver - 8pm w/ Vine Street Vibes

Comedy @ Hodi’s Half Note, Fort Collins - 7pm

The Funk Jam @ Hodi’s Half Note, Fort Collins - 10pm

wednesday November 26th Ben Pu & Crew (FREE SHOW) @ Moxi Theater, Greeley - 8pm

Polica @ Bluebird Theater, Denver - 8pm w/ Marijuana Deathsquads Ill Mannered and kLL sMTH @ Cervantes’ Masterpiece Ballroom, Denver - 8pm w/ Bruschotti, Proper

Nightmares on Wax @ Cervantes’ and the Other Side, Denver - 8pm w/ JK Soul, Mikey Thinder, CurlyOnE & More Josh Berwanger Band (of the anniversary) @ The Hi-Dive, Denver - 8:30pm w/ Bell Gardens Norma Jean @ The Marquis Theatre, 6pm w/ Exotic Animal Petting Zoo

thursday November 27th

Saturday November 30th

Tennis @ Bluebird Theater, Denver - 9pm

Hellogoodbye @ Moxi Theater, Greeley - 8pm w/ The Wild After, Silver & Gold

Barrington Levy @ Cervantes’ Masterpiece Ballroom, Denver - 8pm w/ DJ Uplifter

Rusko @ The Fillmore Auditorium, Denver - 8pm The Last Waltz Revisited @ The Ogden Theatre, Denver - 8:30pm

Protest the Hero @ Summit Music Hall, Denver - 7pm w/ Architects

Friday November 29th

Freestyle Friday @ Moxi Theater, Greeley - 8pm *Hip Hop Open Mic and Freestyle Black Lamb @ The Hi-Dive, Denver - 8:30pm w/ Crash Endings, Malamadre, Randall Conrad Olinger Figure & Crizzly @ The Ogden Theatre, Denver - 9pm Nathaniel Rateliff and The Night Sweats @ The Gothic Theatre, Denver - 9pm w/ Landlines

Kill Paradise @ The Marquis Theatre, 7pm

Club Dubtronic (Live DJ Set) @ (Campus) Roma, Greeley - 9pm

Flinntroll @ Bluebird Theater, Denver - 9pm w/ Blackguard Roksonix & Brown and Gammon @ Cervantes’ Masterpiece Ballroom, Denver - 8pm w/ Jantsen, Midnight Tyrannosaurus & Tyro Sam Holt Band @ Cervantes’ Other Side, Denver - 8pm w/ The Robby Wicks Band

The Wild Feathers @ Larimer Lounge, Denver - 8pm w/ Tomahawk Fox Flosstradamus @ The Ogden Theatre, Denver - 9pm

Wish We Were Floyd @ Summit Music Hall, Denver - 8pm The Mowgli’s @ The Gothic Theatre, Denver - 9pm w/ Blondfire, Hunter Hunted

Thy Art is Murder @ The Marquis Theatre, 6pm w/ I Declare War, Fit For An Autopsy, The Last Ten Seconds of Life, Kublai Khan

BandWagon Magazine northern colorado’s arts & entertainment magazine november 2013

23

Gift Musonda and the Bike A Creative Story by Saraiya Ruano

A

t seven years old Gift Musonda learned to ride a bike. He was already a very tall boy, and this wasn’t just any bike. It was the bike that saved his life. Let me explain to you, because he was my best friend and nobody knows better than I do how this story goes. You see, Gift was born deaf. The doctors said there was no way he could understand us, he couldn’t hear a single thing!

Even so, Mrs. Chunga would bark at him in elementary school, and Miss Siwale the matron would shout to him his bedtime story. We were born orphans, and knew nothing but the orphanage and our many aunties who took care of us. All the children and the aunties, they were always shouting at him, and I could see the laughter in his eyes. He didn’t hear anything, but he watched them shout and gesture like monkeys.

Other children said Gift was strange. One boy even compared him to the sick wildebeest; the kind that hangs out behind the herd and in the end gets eaten by the lion. But I could see it in Gift’s eyes, always the laughter, like he knew something we did not. I wondered about him and always hung around him.

We could never talk, but just followed each other around the bush. Sometimes we would see bush pigs and try to catch the piglets, or try to catch a guinea fowl to take home to Miss Siwale. She said with just one guinea fowl hen she could make us a delicious dinner, the whole house of us.

Some children would throw stones at Gift and I would tell them to get along, to go home to their aunties. “You should help your aunties at home! Clean the floor, wash the clothes, do something useful, eh?” They would laugh, and I knew they were nervous because I was a strong, muscular boy. They knew I was the Big Man at the orphanage even if I was only eight years old. If I wanted, I could twist my auntie’s arm to make her let me stay up past bedtime. If I wanted, I could wink at the cook and he would give me an extra leg of chicken.

I always shared my books and toys with Gift. He didn’t have much because the aunties

thought a deaf boy might not need the same things. But Gift still liked a good game of soccer. He still liked to look at the pictures in the storybooks.

So you see, Gift and I got along real well.

One day we went out to the road. Sometimes we would do that, sit out there and watch ladies walk by in their bright chitenge, carrying wood on their heads. Sometimes I would whistle and shout out things, and point out to Gift the best dressed of the ladies. He always nodded, so I knew he was reading my mind. He knew what I was thinking, even if he couldn’t hear what I was saying. I was saying something like, “Ai! That one, she has the big hips!” or, “That one is rich, her chitenge is waxed!”

Soon he started to point out different ladies too.

As we sat there underneath a guava tree, a big stone flew out from a bush and hit Gift in the back. He made a sound like a piglet and jumped up.

Then I saw where the stone came from. There were three older boys, all dressed up in their green school uniforms, trying to hide behind a bush.

They pushed each other and laughed, trying to stay hidden.

They were from the secondary school.

“I see you,” I shouted. The tallest boy stopped laughing and stepped out. His two friends followed.

“We’ve heard about you!

You’re Gift, the other little orphans told us about you.”

They were talking to Gift as if he could hear them. Gift wasn’t even looking at them. He was watching a hornbill perched in the tree above us.

“How do you hear from the orphans? You don’t live around here,” I said.

“We walk everyday past here, you don’t see us? This is my besty Gordon, and my second besty Kachenya.”

“And you?”

“You can call me The Big Man.” “Well I’m the Big Man too, so I guess you had better leave,” I told him.

Gift was paying attention now. The older boys had stepped a little closer. They were going to beat up Gift.

They had all their stones ready.

I bet Gift was wishing to be that hornbill so he could get up and just fly away.

“He’s not like you,” The Big Man told me, “He’s not even human, he’s got no language!”

His friends laughed and they came a little closer. Gift flinched and I put a hand on his shoulder. There was no laughter in his eyes, but only a cold fear, like an impala that knows the alligator has calculated exactly how to kill it at the watering hole.

And just as my hand touched his shoulder he bolted. There sat the bike on the side of the road, just a bike that someone had left by magic. He had never ridden a bike before, but he had watched many people pass on bikes when we sat on the roadside. He sped away so fast.

The boys threw all their stones but Gift was gone, and he kept going too.

I thought he would return for dinner. But he didn’t. He missed breakfast also, and then I knew he had run away for good. All the aunties thought he was dead, because the world is no place for a deaf kid. If he made it to Lusaka without getting pummeled by stones or kidnapped and put to work, then he got ran over in the big city. They said he wouldn’t have been able to handle all the busy cars and people, or the bad side of town with people who will take the clothes off your back.

I know he’s still out there.

He understood more then they gave him credit for. We orphans all grew up and went our ways, but sometimes we still see each other. Some of the others claim they ran into Gift, buying a ticket at the bus station, or selling souvenirs by one of the parks. Some said he became an excellent wood carver of elephants and sold them to Americans outside of Victoria Falls.

I don’t try to imagine what happened to him in the end, but I still can remember the way he sped off on that bike.

Can you imagine? He had never ridden a bike before that day.

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BandWagon Magazine northern colorado’s arts & entertainment magazine november 2013

GAMES

SUDOKU © 2013 Knight Features. Reprinted with permission of Universal Uclick. All rights reserved.

WORD ROUNDUP by David L. Hoyt and Jeff Knurek © 2012 Reprinted with permission of Universal Uclick. All rights reserved.

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OCTOBER SuDOKU SOLUTION

photos by KENDRA HAMMAN and jaime davis