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MUSIC reviews
BandWagon Magazine
This Broken Beat PG. 4 MAGPIE THE BAND PG. 6 Single Reviews PG. 9
BandWagMag BandWagMag
BANDWAGMAG.COM Publisher
ELY CORLISS
Editor
PG.11
PG.24
UPLIFT: FoCo New Generation on the Rise
KEVIN JOHNSTON
art director
CARTER KERNS
CONTRIBUTORS
GABE ALLEN DAN ENGLAND VALERIE VAMPOLA
BANDS AND MUSICIANS Submit your MUSIC for review: BANDWAGON MAGAZINE 802 9TH ST. GREELEY, CO 80631
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PG.16
BandWagon
Expands PG.26
NEW YEARS EVE 2021 SHOWS B ANDWAGON' S TOP PIC KS
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PG.12
Okey Dokey hits The Coast
bandwagmag@gmail.com BandWagon Magazine © 2021 The Crew Presents Inc.
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This Broken Beat Far From Home
Kevin Johnston
BandWagon Magazine
Julio Perez, lead singer of This Broken Beat has the kind of poprock cross-over voice that would make Adam Levine turn his chair around. Perez’ tenor shows clear Ed Sheeran influences, and with such an asset at the heart of their sound, it’s no wonder This Broken Beat shot for the stars on Far From Home. Opening track “Fever” throws the audience every pumped-upkick, dubstep bass-wub and emo guitar stab imaginable. It’s a lot,
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but the band maintains dynamic sensibilities amongst the thick production, breaking things down to the intimate amidst the chaos. “Static Motion Molly” lets us take a breath with balladry similar to A Great Big World, but adds - you guessed it - broken beats to the down tempo track to keep things moving. There are emo moments akin to Death Cab For Cutie throughout, partly due to “post hardcore” drummer Annie Richardson who’s excllent playing drives the bus all album long. “The Hills” offers hook-laden, shiny pop with touches of 8-bit synth, and “Locked Away” brings an epic sentimentality akin to the rock drama of contemporaries Silver & Gold. Closer “Wildfire” is a cruiser, somehow like the first beachy, pop tracks Sugar Ray released after relinquishing their (awesome) hard rock sound. “Warm” goes full RnB slow jam complete with nylon string guitar, grind-worthy beat and a
hook fit for the kings of big radio. Perez’ voice feels super at home in this genre, and we wouldn’t be surprised if he, like Sugar Ray did, soon takes the full-on plunge into pop. With the full-force of every bell and whistle behind Far From Home, the production (notably also by Perez) is impressive. There are a million different tones, sounds and effects, making for a record that’s anything but boring. Perez is no
doubt a talent, both as a singer and especially as a producer. Though there is something yet to be learned in the songwriting craft, and yet to be found in terms of identity, Perez, Richardson and Dillon Thomas are a young group showing a ton of promise that’s anything but broken.
Far From Home is out now. This Broken Beat performs at the Parade Of Lights in Denver (at 6th & Arapahoe) from 6 - 7pm on Saturday, December 18.
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MAGPIE THE BAND Under the Maple Tree
Valerie Vampola
BandWagon Magazine
Folk trio Magpie the Band emerges into the Northern Colorado scene with their debut album Under The Maple Tree, which is rich with Celtic and bluegrass traditions. The album brings comforting feelings, making the listener yearn for simple times. The bluegrass folk sound of Magpie the Band is a different flavor, featuring more Celtic and Eastern European sounds than the western Americana commonly heard in the Colorado music scene. Their music uses a vast amount of texture for slow cowboy ballads like the title track “Under The Maple Tree” or fun instrumental reels like “Birch Bark.” They tap into the Eastern European sound with a cover of “Trayb Di Khvalyes Tifer Taykh,” which vocalist and violinist Chloe Resler sings in Yiddish. Balancing the amount of slow, introspective songs with
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bouncy foot-stompers, the album plays like an intimate house concert put on by close friends. Throughout, little creaks of a chair and the warm strumming of guitar are heard, placing the listener on the couch across the living room while sipping a hot chocolate, not worrying about being blasted by any percussion – at least until the last song “Cluck Ol Hen” breaks out the rhythm bones: hand percussion which drives its old time sound. Resler’s casual and conversational singing style allows listeners to relate when she tells a story about emotional brittleness in “Old Bones.” Resler met guitarist Liam Hughes and singer, mandolin, bass and banjo player Jim Eads while studying music at the University of Northern Colorado in recent years, so one begs the question “why an album full of folk songs?” They wanted to make an album that was fun after their years creating music in an academic environment. By this criteria, Under The Maple Tree makes the grade. Under The Maple Tree is out now - Magpie The Band performs Friday, December 17 at 477 Distilling in downtown Greeley, Colorado.
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SINGLE REVIEWS VALERIE VAMPOLA
POINCIANA
elektric animals
EMMA GRIFFIN
Poinciana’s new single "Focus" features a different side to the Fort Collins four-piece rock band and its typical electric and polished sound. The track features tender vocals by lead singer Sawyer Davis and a steady bass drum by Josh Caroll in between beautiful acoustic guitar picking and a full-band bass and guitar climax via Sam McLaughlin and Eli Hubbard. They don’t abandon the high-energy rock that dominated their last album released in February, but “Focus” sounds more like early Switchfoot than the Strokes, with more dynamics and balance.
Elektrik Animals dish up their beloved alternative rock on the new single, “Cheers.” The bright and upbeat sound (compared to the singles released earlier this year) features a singable lead guitar riff and a beat made for clapping. This energy matches the theme of appreciating all the fluctuations of life and how thankful they are to experience the emotions that come with them. Upbeat feelings without superficial optimism makes “Cheers” easy to relate to and enjoy, with an energy most audiences can hold onto as the year comes to an end.
Emma Griffin’s new single, “Sell My Soul” mixes her signature dark pop sound with western blues. Longtime fans of the Broomfield artist will be surprised by the intro’s gentle strumming of acoustic guitars, while newer listeners will wonder why she hasn’t exploited this more because it fits so well. When the beats drop 30 seconds in, she teeters the balance between the acoustic guitar and electronic beats. “Sell My Soul” is a breakthrough for Griffin, allowing her to keep the Lorde and Billie Eilish sound she’s established while introducing a blues touch which gives her a unique style she’s lacked in the past.
"Focus"
"Cheers"
"Sell My Soul"
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Featured ARTIST
OF THE MONTH
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os Mocochetes, Denver’s award-winning latin funk band, springs from a group of highschool friends and acquaintances from the music and poetry scene. The raw, “la famiglia” vibe is potent both on stage and in their new, multi-lingual, socially conscious EP Mucho Gusto. Los Mocochetes are here to party for the right to fight.
LOS MOCOCHETES
“At some point in 2014 we decided to unify and create together,” vocalist Jozer Guerrero tells BandWagon. “At the time we were all hungry and ready to take over the world. Today we have matured quite a bit. We don’t just see this as a group of friends jamming, we see this as a career – an opportunity to spread our message – but also a brotherhood. A family, always there to hold each other accountable and make each other better humans.” The group released the punk-leaning, latin party EP Mucho Gusto October 23, frankly because Los Mocochetes love throwing parties and most of the members are scorpios with birthdays at that time. Plus, they were ready to release and celebrate these tunes and get started working on the next project. That work will no doubt be a blend of social consciousness, community engagement and super fun shows, the likes of which have earned the group many accolades over the years. “It’s a blessing to get recognized by our community,” bassist Eli Montoya says. “As a band we never discussed winning awards or sought after it. It just all kind of happens in due time. I feel like when we’re out there doing work for the community, the community sees our message and makes sure to show up and support us,” he says. “It just feels like all of our hard work is paying off.” – Kevin Johnston
HEAR SONGS OFF THE MUCHO GUSTO EP BY LOS MOCOCHETES ON 105.5 THE COLORADO SOUND PHOTO BY ANTHONY MAZE
REASONS TO LISTEN TO THE COLORADO SOUND • MORE COLORADO ARTISTS • KNOWLEDGEABLE DJS WHO LIVE HERE • NO COMMERCIALS • • UNIQUE PROGRAMMING YOU DON’T GET ANYWHERE ELSE FROM BEASTIE BOYS TO BILLIE HOLIDAY •
105.5FM & ONLINE AT COLORADOSOUND.ORG 11
Break it
to Make it Okey Dokey hits The Coast BY KEVIN JOHNSTON
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t’s 1 am in San Antonio, Texas and Aaron Martin wants to give you a hug.
He’s the singer and co-founder of Okey Dokey and why wouldn’t he give you a squeeze? You are, after all, a part of Okey Dokey too. “It’s everything you’d want after two years of, you know, the absence,” Martin tells BandWagon after the gig at Paper Tiger in San Antonio. During the recent string of shows, he’s been excited to finally practice Okey Dokey’s mission statement with the people who make the live music experience what it is to him: pretty much everyone who’s not in the band.
“A New Direction…” reads Okey Dokey’s website, “... started as a passion project between two friends … frustrated with the distance between themselves and their listeners … the band decided to remove the separation and become something new. One community with one pulse ...” Martin and crew have taken this idea as far as including audio from fans on their records, mixing albums with half a dozen different engineers, and using fan videos as promo. “It’s kind of funny because that mission statement came out right before the pandemic,” Martin says. “And it’s still consistent – more important afterwards, because people are easing into shows again, being comfortable around one another. And the whole statement is kind of anti-separation. Bands aren’t just a band. It’s everyone involved from management to the people who show up to the show and bartenders who work the show.”
PHOTO - LIZZY OAKLEY
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As a seasoned performer finally back on the road, Martin embraces this mantra and the live show experience. Literally.
“Tonight I gave hugs to like 35, 40 people,” Martin says. “and I do that – all the time. I think it’s important. I love interacting with the people who come out. I always engage with the crowd. Music is only 20% of the gig, the other 80% is giving a shit about them. That’s a total gift opportunity.” And the tactile realness, the raw, even flawed inconsistency is sometimes what makes shows memorable - or even good. Musicians often judge a performance based on musical execution, fans base it on energy. “I’m fully aware of the range of emotions people could go through at a show,” Martin says. “People say ‘man, I didn’t expect that,’ or ‘I’d never heard you guys before, Damn!’” Though imperfections resonate too. “‘The way you broke your guitar string was cool,’ or ‘the part when the microphone came unplugged was sick,’” Martin retells with a laugh. But it’s more important to remind people that they can start a band or do whatever they want, he says. “I think that’s kind of the point. To inspire people to that. That was the mission statement and now it’s an active reminder of just how to kinda be.”
in the band’s music. Currently releasing singles culminating in a covers album, Martin, co-founder Johny Fisher and keyboardist Jeremy Clark each picked songs to re-do for the album; no vetos allowed. “Each of us picked three songs,” Martin says. “Which was really fun because we didn't have a terrible amount of collaboration on what the record would be, we just worked it out together. ‘California Dreaming’ we kinda did because we made a joke of like, what's one of those songs that’s been covered way too much?” So the band finds newness in breaking apart classics. And as fun as breaking the mold, crossing boundaries and smashing originals (with love) can be, some things are too precious to shatter.
“The one [cover] that felt the most sacred to me is ‘See You Again’ by Tyler, The Creator,” Martin says, “only because I was intimidated by how much I love the song. That one is definitely the favorite.” You can hear the reverence in their version, and that Martin, Fisher and Clark clearly love music, and definitely not just their own. They want nothing more than the extended Okey Dokey family (that’s you) to go out there and embrace, literally, all the realness; broken, reinterpreted or pure. “Please go to other shows. Not ours, but others as well,” Martin says. “Go to shows in general. Enjoy looking around at each other – the natural way. And give hugs. It’s cool. Let's bring ‘em back.”
Catch Okey Dokey live, Friday, December 17 at The Coast in Fort Collins, co-headlining with Dante Elephante and One Flew West as support. Get Tickets at bandwagonpresents.com
Okey Dokey will perform at The Coast in Fort Collins on Friday, December 17, co-headlining with Dante Elephante. Martin is excited to return to Colorado, fondly recalling a visit to Denver’s Botanic Gardens, which feature enormous, elaborate, yet fragile glass sculptures by Dale Chihuly. “I have a friend that has a Chihuly piece,” Martin says. “It’s not one that they bought, it’s one that was broken. If anything gets chipped, or if anything is flawed, they just smash ‘em,” he says of imperfect Chihulys being installed. “My friend was helping on an install and they [had to] smash ‘em all. And she went back to the dumpster in the middle of the night and got some Chihuly glass. She’s never been an installer since,” Martin laughed. One man’s trash is another man’s treasure, and for Okey Dokey, the process of breaking established expectations, or breaking the fourth wall is where the real gems can be found. “I do kind of like the image of things being broken in some sort of ceremonial way,” Martin says, and you can hear it, subtly,
PHOTO - LIZZY OAKLEY
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10% O FF ANY ITEM
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BandWagon
Expands Tony Mason Hops On as Booking Stretches from Colorado Springs to sheridan, Wyoming BY DAN ENGLAND
T
ony Mason went down to Dallas to hunt for an apartment and thought he was lucky to get one. He never spent a night in it. The coronavirus hit then, and as flights were being canceled (Mason says he was lucky to get back to Denver), the economy shut down and a new world emerged. After leaving his job as the lead talent buyer managing Lost Lake, Larimer Lounge and Globe Hall in Denver, Mason saw a new position booking for the famed Gas Monkey Bar N’ Grill and Gas Monkey Live in Dallas turn into a depressing slog of cancelling shows remotely from Denver. When he was furloughed three months later, he began working with his contacts in Denver to carve out a living for himself by relaunching his old independent concert booking & promotions company, Tone Dynamix. Mason now will put his contacts to use to work for an expanded BandWagon enterprise which, in addition to producing BandWagon Magazine into its 11th year, will offer a full-on, regional concert promotions and event production entity. The booking and production wing includes Mason who resides in Denver, Hamilton Byrd of Cheyenne, Wyoming, and Ely Corliss, owner of the Moxi Theater in downtown Greeley. Corliss forged a partnership with Byrd in 2020 to bring shows to Wyoming and the Terry Bison Ranch, an outdoor venue that proved vital during the pandemic because of its
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less rigid restrictions on live shows. They hired Mason last month to bring in his experience with venues in Colorado Springs and Denver, meaning that BandWagon can offer venues from Colorado Springs to the Denver metro area, through Northern Colorado and well north into Wyoming. BandWagon Presents now has more than a dozen different venues across those areas. Corliss and Mason were friends too — they went snowboarding together a couple months before the pandemic hit — and Corliss couldn’t be more thrilled to have Mason’s connections with Denver on the Bandwagon. Corliss says he’s always admired Mason’s clout in pulling in impressive acts, frankly quipping: “I was jealous of the shows he was working on,” with characteristic humor. Talent buyers, in case you didn’t know, find, book and negotiate bands for venues. It’s a tricky business, as they have to pay bands to play at fair rates on a belief that they will bring in crowds. If they pay a band too much, a venue could lose money without a packed house. If they pay too little, a band may go elsewhere to play and wind up packing another place. Talent buyers, therefore, have to straddle a thin line. Bands are also wary of booking with just anyone, so people such as Mason with good, creditable reputations can book more, and higher-level talent, than unknowns without connections to good venues and the industry. Bands may even call bookers cold when they’re ready to go back on tour. Corliss said that’s why he hired Mason.
“Experience is invaluable,” Mason said, “and not many have the experience I have. This will create more opportunities for all three of us.”
CASPER, WY
SHERIDAN, WY
The trio’s partnership allows BandWagon to book acts into tougher places, such as Greeley, because of the opportunity for offering deals and multiple days in different cities, Corliss said, although they can also book single nights in any city where they have connections to a venue.
CHEYENNE, WY
“We are growing our office in a lot of different ways,” Corliss said. “This is a big merger. We want to book bands in different areas and build these markets and the region.”
FORT COLLINS, CO GREELEY, CO
The partnership gives the trio the chance to produce even bigger events, like festivals which could be held in area venues. Corliss, for example, brought Block Party to Greeley, an event that featured more than two dozen bands in one night. The hope is, with the partnership, even bigger events will soon be on the books for BandWagon
DENVER, CO
COLORADO SPRINGS, CO
“We are working on a lot of exciting things for 2022,” Corliss said.
The Colorado/Wyoming “Pipeline” BandWagon is working to route national touring acts through Wyoming and Colorado in 2022
WYO Theater
The Coast
ALL AGES, FULLY SEATED EVENTS IN A HISTORIC PERFORMING ARTS CENTER AND VENUE LOCATED IN NORTHERN WYOMING.
FORMERLY KNOWN AS THE DOWNTOWN ARTERY, THIS ALL AGES VENUE IN FORT COLLINS IS NOW UNDER NEW OWNERSHIP AND BANDWAGON IS HELPING TO FILL THE CALENDAR.
483 CAP INDOOR ROOM IN DOWNTOWN SHERIDAN, WY
200 CAP INDOOR ROOM IN FORT COLLINS, CO
Ford Wyoming Center
Moxi Theater
ALL AGES WITH SEVERAL SEATING AND CAPACITY ARRANGEMENTS.
ALL AGES VENUE IN DOWNTOWN GREELEY, COLORADO. THE MOXI IS HOME TO BANDWAGON’S PRIMARY OFFICE.
(8,000 CAP EVENTS CENTER IN CASPER, WY)
The Beacon Club
600 CAP INDOOR ROOM IN MILLS, WY
LOCATED IN CENTRAL WYOMING, JUST OUTSIDE OF CASPER. THE BEACON IS A 21+ COUNTRY MUSIC CLUB WITH A NICE STAGE.
The Lincoln Theatre 1,250 CAP INDOOR ROOM IN CHEYENNE, WY
ALL AGES EVENTS IN CHEYENNE'S HISTORIC AND NEWLY RENOVATED THEATRE.
360 CAP INDOOR ROOM IN GREELEY, CO
The Oriental Theater 600-850 CAP INDOOR ROOM IN DENVER, CO
ALL AGES EVENTS IN A HISTORIC THEATER LOCATED IN THE POPULAR TENNYSON ARTS DISTRICT JUST MINUTES AWAY FROM DOWNTOWN.
HQ
400 CAP INDOOR ROOM IN DENVER, CO
The Outlaw
FORMERLY KNOWN AS 3 KINGS TAVERN, RENOVATED DURING THE PANDEMIC, TURNED OVER TO THE SAME OWNERS AS ORIENTAL THEATER. THIS 21+ VENUE IS LOCATED IN THE HISTORIC BAKER NEIGHBORHOOD.
21+ EVENTS IN THE LARGEST BAR & COUNTRY CLUB IN THE STATE OF WYOMING.
Oskar Blues Black Buzzard
1,250 CAP INDOOR ROOM / 2,500-5,000 CAP OUTDOOR SPACE IN CHEYENNE, WY
The Chinook at Terry Bison Ranch 5,000 CAP OUTDOOR SPACE IN CHEYENNE, WY
ALL AGES EVENTS AT THE TERRY BISON RANCH CONVENIENTLY LOCATED ON THE WYOMING/COLORADO BORDER JUST OFF I-25. THE RANCH ALSO OFFERS UP TO 400 TENT CAMPING SITES AND SPACES FOR RV'S.
The Terry Bison Ranch (500 CAP INDOOR SPACE IN CHEYENNE, WY)
ALL AGES COUNTRY CLUB ON THE BISON RANCH. THE COAST
280 CAP INDOOR ROOM IN DENVER, CO
18+ EVENTS IN THE DOWNSTAIRS LEVEL OF A MUSIC-THEMED RESTAURANT RIGHT ON THE 16TH ST. MALL IN DOWNTOWN DENVER.
The Black Sheep
500 CAP INDOOR ROOM IN COLORADO SPRINGS, CO
ALL AGES EVENTS LOCATED IN THE HEART OF COLORADO SPRINGS IN THE HISTORIC KNOBB HILL DISTRICT.
VISIT BANDWAGONPRESENTS.COM FOR A COMPLETE LIST OF CURRENT EVENTS
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@NOSHNOCO
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GETS REAL ON VANISHING POINT BY GABE ALLEN
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s soon as they arrived in the U.K. for their 14-date fall tour, INTHEWHALE bandmates Eric Riley and Nate Valdez started getting mistaken for a vacationing couple. During one recent hotel check-in, the duo was presented with two twin beds that had been pushed together to make a king-size, and a room key with a glass heart hanging from it.
“DRAW YOUR OWN CONCLUSIONS I GUESS, I DON’T KNOW WHAT THE FUCK TO SAY,” RILEY TELLS BANDWAGON. Maybe it’s the fact that the two-piece band travel sideby-side, argue over where to eat, and sleep in the same room every night while on the road. More likely, though, it’s the first thing you notice when you meet them — a level of trust that’s formed over more than a decade of friendship and musical collaboration. “I tell his wife all the time that I’ve known him longer than she has,” Riley says. The motley pair might fein grumpiness at the site of their beds smushed together, but really they're happy for the opportunity to make fun of themselves. They’re known for self-deprecation (their website is inthewhale-
Catch INTHEWHALE live Dec. 10 at The Marquis Theater in Denver, Dec. 11 at Washington’s in Fort Collins, and Dec 12 at The Mesa Theater in Grand Junc tion. Plus, watch BandWagonPresents.com this month for an exciting INTHEWHALE announcement and visit inthewhalesucks.com for more. 20 20
sucks.com and their instagram features vikings on the toilet) but they’re heavy too, in both the musical sense and in their accomplishments, so let’s get to the business. After six years of putting out singles and EPs, INTHEWHALE has finally released its debut LP, Vanishing Point. On the weekend of December 10, they will play a string of Colorado shows to celebrate the release in their home state. They will be joined by SNWBLL from PPL MVR (a band of mythical yeti-like creatures that you should definitely Google after reading this) but, while it’s definitely fun and games, the duo’s antics are a sharp contrast to the seriousness of their music.
Vanishing Point is INTHEWHALE’s most devastating effort yet, both musically and emotionally. Each song is dynamic, sometimes building with a slow crescendo and sometimes exploding into cacophony unexpectedly. Riffs are heavy, catchy and moshable. Valdez delivers earnest, aggressive vocals, and Riley enters with guttural screams from behind the drums during climactic moments. What sets Riley and Valdez apart from other heavy acts isn’t their musicianship
(though it is excellent) but their ability to translate unflinchingly raw moments into music. Starting with INTHEWHALE’s last EP, Dopamine, the band’s tone shifted from the sophomoric humor of their earlier releases to brutally honest explorations of the darker moments of life. These explorations continue on Vanishing Point. The band wrestles with pharmaceutical addiction, suicidal ideation and gentrification. The pain and anger is palpable.
One particularly brutal moment on the new album is “Smoke Break,” an anthemic dirge which openly addresses suicide. “God’s out getting smokes and left us all alone,” goes the refrain. Valdez isn’t afraid to admit that the lyrics are drawn from his own battle to get healthy.
“When we started out, it was ‘party, party, party, everything’s good,’” Valdez tells BandWagon.
When writers of any medium delve into painful subject matter, there is a tendency to look for a happy ending — some indication that there is a light at the end of the tunnel. But, when Valdez brought “Smoke Break” to Riley, he knew they had to resist the urge.
“ON DOPAMINE, IN THE SONG ‘DEEP END,’ I TALKED ABOUT GETTING BULLIED AND BEING HELD UNDERWATER BY KIDS. I FELT LIKE IT WAS WELL-RECEIVED AND WE THOUGHT, ‘WHY NOT KEEP USING THIS PLATFORM TO TALK ABOUT REAL ISSUES THAT WE MIGHT HAVE SHIED AWAY FROM EARLY ON.”
“I was not in a good place. I was writing suicide notes,” Valdez said. “I was not able to really verbalize my emotions, so I started writing music.”
“When he showed me that song I said, ‘we can’t resolve this.’ There can’t be a bridge that says, like, everything is going to be okay,” Riley said. “Sometimes you go through shit for a long fucking time. That story needs to be heard too, not just ‘it’s bad now but it’s going to be okay.’” If there is one thing that Vanishing Point makes clear, it’s that the band is the same way with their audience as they are with each other — honest and unedited. After all, those relationships are almost equally as long. “People have tattoos of our lyrics on them, which is always a bad idea because we’re just a shit band,” Valdez chided. The album may have been born from pain, but it is a thing of beauty. On songs like “Drug Dealer” and “Antlion,” the duo seems to expand into a rage-fueled wall of sound. The result is, invariably, catharsis and headbanging, whether you’re plugged into your headphones or moshing in the front row.
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UPLIFT: FoCo New Generation on the Rise BY DAN ENGLAND
S
tarting the Uplift: FoCo festival two years ago gave Andy Whilden more personal satisfaction than he expected. He’d already volunteered for the Matthews House in Larimer County, a place for underserved youth, including those in the foster care system, and loved the connections he made with the kids. The festival was another way to give back. Now he’s doing it as a part of his job. Whilden joined The Matthews House this year as his first “big boy” job after spending 11 years on the road as a musician, starting from age 19. He’s as excited to get back to Uplift after taking a pandemic-related year off as he is about his new responsibilities. “My thinking was, ‘Yeah, get me off this bus,’” Whilden said of his decision to leave touring for the job.
The festival, just like the first year, will feature acts that are “acoustically driven,” as Whilden said. The concert features local songwriters backed by a house band. He doesn’t want to say much else: The first year he called the acts “bluegrassy,” which wasn’t exactly right. The three featured acts, Liz Barnez, Mary Claxton and Julia Kirkwood, are diverse and fun, each great in their own way. “They can play any genre,” Whilden said of the house band, which includes top flight professional musicians from the area, most of whom played the previous event, though the 2021 installment will also deliver something new, and, well, a little less tenured. Uplift’s new wrinkle has more to do with his new job at The Matthews House. Whilden started a music program, and he will host a kids talent show the week before Uplift: FoCo. The co-winners of the talent show will get to play at the Uplift event, on-stage at the Aggie, backed by a band from School of Rock. Whilden began the program after
teaching informal guitar lessons at the house for fun – now it’s driven by volunteer professional musicians who have given 250 lessons this year.
“The whole goal of this program is to give kids an outlet so their voice is heard,” Whilden said, “and allow them to express themselves and cope with all the terrible things going on
Uplift's 2021 featured artists: Liz Barnez, Mary Claxton & opener Julia Kirkwood
Uplift: FoCo takes place at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, December 7 (Colorado Gives Day) at the Aggie Theater in Fort Collins. Go to upliftfoco.com for more information and a link to buy tickets. Proceeds benefit The Matthews House youth music program.
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with their world. Songwriting and playing are a part of those tools.” Whilden also uses the outdoors as a way to reach and teach the kids, but the music is a big part of it, and he believes using his own connections and experience in his new career-level job will help Uplift be better than ever – with the kids’ help, of course. “If I wasn’t working here, I wouldn’t be able to make those connections week after week,” he said. “Uplift is the synthesis of all that.”
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NEW YEARS EVE 2021 SHOWS BA N DWAG ON'S TOP P I C K S BY GABE ALLEN
DANCE 2021 INTO OBLIVION WITH THE BEST SHOWS IN GREELEY, FOCO, DENVER, AND BOULDER.
Not too long ago, warm temperatures and plummeting infection rates brought an early-summer wave of optimism to the live music scene. With coronavirus cases rising again, those days are gone, but that doesn’t mean you can’t dance your face off this New Years Eve. Depending on where you live, you may need proof of vaccination or a negative COVID test to gain entrance to a venue, but the show must go on. So, get your booster shot or bedazzle your mask, but definitely pop that bubbly, and we’ll see you out on the dancefloor.
HERE ARE OUR TOP PICKS (BY FRONT RANGE CITY) OF MUSICAL CELEBRATIONS TO RING IN 2022.
GREELEY
THE BURROUGHS
MOXI THEATER - FRIDAY, DECEMBER 31 DOORS AT 8 P.M., $25-$220 MOXITHEATER.COM It’s impossible to sit still at a Burroughs concert. The 9-piece self-described “sweaty soul” band plays a manic blend of funk, psychedelic rock and blues that never fails to get the dance floor riled up. Frontman and former pastor, Johnny Burroughs, will trade vocals with hard-hitting drummer Mary Claxton (of Trash Cat) throughout the night. TBA special guests are on the ticket too.
RUNNER UP
The Yawpers play The Beatles “Live on the Lanes” at 2454 West - *Thursday, Dec 30 NoCo’s favorite noise makers will pay tribute to the (arguably) greatest pop band of all time for an epic night of cosmic bowling.
FORT COLLINS
DOUBLE TROUBLE: THE LYRIC NEW YEARS EVE PARTY
THE LYRIC CINEMA - FRIDAY, DECEMBER 31 6 P.M., $25-$30, FULL VACCINATION OR NEGATIVE COVID TEST REQUIRED • THELYRICCINEMA.COM Only at the Lyric would one event combine a costume party, fire dancers, ska and deep house. Performances will include DJ Jimeni, Two Scoops, Boulder-based ska band The Fists of the Proletariat and circus troupe Cirqular. According to the event’s cryptic promotional materials, you should “come dressed as a twin for the apocalypse.” If the world ends at midnight and you want to see how far the rabbit hole of human experience goes before you die, this is the show to attend.
RUNNER UP
Head for the Hills with Woodbelly at the Aggie Theater - Friday, December 31 Fort Collins swing veterans will be joined by the Horsetooth Horns for a raucous night of swing dancing in true western tradition.
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BOULDER
CRUMB'S NEW YEAR'S EVE BOULDER BASH WITH RAMAKHANDRA BOULDER THEATER - FRIDAY, DECEMBER 31 DOORS AT 7 P.M., $35-$39.50, FULL VACCINATION REQUIRED • AXS.COM
If the Burroughs are the coffee of 2021 front range New Year’s shows, Crumb is the kava. The Boston-born psych band plays tightly-arranged introspective music that provides an excellent soundtrack for swaying in the wind, ruminating on existential questions or generally spacing out. Crumb’s Boulder Bash, including the super unique, harp-based psych soul band Ramakhandra is sure to be a disorienting musical odyssey for the adventurous concert goer.
RUNNER UP
The Crystal Method with GODLAZER at Fox Theatre - Friday, Dec 31 This show might be just as trippy as Crumb, but the energy level will be cranked up past manic abandon.
DENVER
MY MORNING JACKET
MISSION BALLROOM - DEC 29 (W/ NEAL FRANCIS), DEC 30 (W/ AND DEC 31 (WITH SHANNON & THE CLAMS) DOORS AT 8 P.M., $90.50-$139.50, FULL VACCINATION REQUIRED • MISSIONBALLROOM.COM
FLOCK OF DIMES)
When you say you’ve shared visions of the cosmos arm-in-arm with hundreds of people, you’re generally referring to one of two things. Either you’ve made a sacred pilgrimage to a holy site, or you’ve seen My Morning Jacket play “One Big Holiday” at the end of a set. The crusty psychedelic Americana band fronted by Jim James has been around for more than two decades, but they are off to a fresh start after reuniting and releasing a self-titled album this year. $1 from each ticket will support Conscious Alliance, an organization that is committed to providing food to vulnerable populations across America.
RUNNER UP
De La Soul at Cervantes’ Ballroom - Friday, December 31 We know, we know. It’s sacrilegious to put De La Soul down as a runner up for anything. The legendary emcees will hook up with Cervantes’ and KGNU for a celebration to keep you 3 feet high and rising.
THE BURROUGHS
CRUMB
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THE BURROUGHS
BANDWAGON PHOTO OF THE MONTH 28
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