BandWagon Magazine - June 2023 - Milquetoast & Co.

The Burroughs Honey Imastar

Funk Odyssey and Traveling Without Moving by Jamiroquai while retaining that ParliamentFunkadelic sound they’ve been leaning into since 2020. “Automatic Systematic” has a lo-fi introduction into disco, and “New Walk” and “Harder to Believe” uses psychedelic synths and theatrical vocal styles. They even do a sonic call-back in “Don’t Fight The Groove,” drawing on Sly & The Family Stone, a big part of their 2018 album, Got To Feel.

Even with attention spans reduced to 15-second blurbs on TikTok and indie artists spacing out their music releases to one single at a time, The Burroughs had a story to tell.

The result is The Burrough’s groovy new album, Honey Imastar. The full-length record follows a cinematic story of new adventure, conflict and hope through the lens of a space alien on Earth. The band kicks off with “Run,” describing our main character, Honey, and her mission. She faces loneliness in tracks such as “Alone” and emotional defeat in “Childhood Dreams” but eventually finds comfort and hope in “Open Up” and “Aurora (Good Morning).”

The entire concept and musical flow is similar to spaceinfluenced albums such as A

The Burroughs still find ways to be musically curious and try on new sounds. They incorporate a more romantic ‘70s sound that is very Barry White or Silk Sonic, coupling the horns with strings and woodwinds featured in “Don’t Fight the Groove” and “Out of Your Mind.”

Maybe audience attention spans are spacey, but the journey of Honey Imastar is a story worth experiencing in full.

The band was happy to expound on the album’s concept in their own words. As saxophonist Briana Harris explains, “The stories woven into this album encompass so many massive changes we’ve weathered together over the past several years as individuals and as friends IIn many ways it’s our most vulnerable work we’ve ever made.”

Lead singer Johnny Burroughs adds, “Honey Imastar is a grandiose experiment for us as a band, but in reality it couldn’t be a more personal story. Many of the songs had been written during the first few months of my newborn daughter's life. The story, songs and vision for the album were growing in parallel with my daughter experiencing the first year of her life. But equally as influential as my daughter’s growing up, was my own experience growing older and losing that childish spark that made life feel wondrous."

Valerie Vampola BandWagon Magazine

NATHANIEL RILEY CAN’T HOLD BACK

THE BLOSSOMING NORTHERN COLORADO SINGER-SONGWRITER WEARS HIS HEART ON HIS SLEEVE ON

THE LUSCIOUSLY ARRANGED BIRD SONGS

BY GABE ALLEN

Rootsy Fort Collins singer-songwriter

Nathaniel Riley can’t help but pour his emotional life into music. To him, songwriting isn’t just art, “storytelling” or entertainment, it’s a way to sort things out and heal old wounds.

“It’s about washing my hands clean,” Riley tells BandWagon. “It’s really an intentional approach to having a good heart. That matters to me.”

It’s no surprise, then, Riley’s new album, Bird Songs, is heartbreaking from front to back. The LP will be released on July 14 but two singles, “May” and “Another New Year,” are out now. Riley will also open for Josh Meloy at the Aggie Theatre in Fort Collins on June 2, and chances are he’ll give the audience a sneak preview.

When Riley came on to the Northern Colorado folk scene a few years ago, he made a habit of playing his sorrowful tunes in the style of Townes Van Zandt at monthly “Folkways” hosted by Wolverine Farms Publick House in Fort Collins. From there, he quickly befriended like-minded artists and musicians. Today, he’s become a beloved fixture of the scene.

As Riley’s community has evolved, so has the sound of his music. Unlike his 2020 bedroom-crafted EP Trio, Bird Songs isn’t a solo effort. It’s full of lush folky arrangements primarily thanks to Elephant Revival drummer Darren Garvey, who produced Bird Songs. In the early days of the pandemic, Riley sat down on Garvey’s porch and played him the songs that would end up on the album. It was a vulnerable moment, but the duo hit it off and immediately began bouncing ideas off each other. Soon, Garvey brought in other players to flesh out the album’s sound.

“When I brought them to him, they were pretty bare bones,” Riley notes. “It was cool, it

became this very collaborative thing.”

Eventually, two other Elephant Revival members—fiddle player Bridget Law and multi-instrumentalist Charlie Rose—added parts to the mix. Riley also brought on banjo player Steve Varney, who plays with Gregory Alan Isakov. The result is an album that’s as hooky and expansive as it is mournful. Riley’s voice and lyrics are elevated by a soundscape of grooves and countermelodies. “I built the house and they painted the walls,” he said.

Though the instrumentation brings energy and vibrance to the record, it doesn’t under mine the weight of Riley’s songwriting. Over the course of 11 tracks, Riley revisits some of his most difficult experiences with character istic vulnerability.

“When I write music, I’m not really think ing about what other people will think about those lyrics,” he says. “It’s really about learn ing about myself.”

One of these songs has been in Riley’s cat alog for some time now. Riley released “By and By” on Trio. Now, it’s been rearranged and reimagined for and By.” On the track, Riley mulls over one of the hardest times in his life. When he was in his late teens, three of his grandparents got cancer within a year of each other. While his family was still mourning the death of his grandmother, his mother was diagnosed with cancer as well. This came just after Ri ley had left the small South Dakota town he grew up in to make it on his own.

“I was away when it happened, and when I came back—my first time seeing her—he al ready had no hair,” he remembers.

Over a slow shuffle driven by drums and banjo, Riley takes the listen er into his emotional experi

ence. “All your hair fell out when you stepped in the sun/I couldn’t see myself,” he sings.

It’s just one of many moments that find Riley reflective and somber on Bird Songs. He can’t help it. It’s who he is as an artist. And, perhaps, who he is as a person, too.

“I’m a super sensitive person,” he admits. “I could see a bird get hit by a car and I'd be like, ‘Shit, they can’t coexist with humans.’ And that’ll bug me. When I’m thinking about that bigger picture perspective and trying to make sense of it, I’ll start to write songs.”

A NEW VOICE ON AN OLD TUNE

RENDITIONS A TIMELESS CLASSIC ON “NIGHTS IN WHITE SATIN”

BY LANDON UNGERMAN

Frontman

"We come out here and just swing at things we don't understand. And that's life."

McAndrew, Zangari and the rest of their eclectic band recently took a bold swing at a timeless classic with their rendition of the Moody Blues' 1967 classic, ”Nights in White Satin," a tale of a yearning, one-sided love.

A track that’s often considered untouchable by many found its way into the instruments and voices of Milquetoast & Co., and even McAndrew had his doubts at first: "I

was almost embarrassed to bring it to the guys because it's so well-known. I was waiting for an eye roll or two."

Despite the reluctance, as the band sat down with the song, worked through the chord progressions and became comfortable with the sound, a spark turned into a flame, and the room was in agreement: ”It just felt good, so we said, 'Let's keep it!'"

Beyond having a feel-good session with the song, McAndrews explains the original Moody Blues track has held a special place for him since childhood. He notes, “As a kid, it was all about how dramatic and epic it felt."

The charged, symphonic energy of the original tells a passionate story of a child who can feel without fully understanding, and the challenge Milquetoast & Co. faced

James McAndrew and bassist Dan Zangari from the Denver-based sextet Milquetoast & Co. were out on the golf course when they spoke with BandWagon about their nostalgic new single, "Nights in White Satin."

was preserving that essence with their rendition. "There has to be a tip of the hat to the original, but we also have to add a little something,” McAndrews says.

A listen to Milquetoast & Co.'s rendition of the song reveals a reverent balance between innovation and respect, resulting in a track just distinct enough from its origins. He explains, "We wanted to emphasize what was already there.”

Whether it's the slightly more intricate string portion, reimagined by Sam Oats, or the more gradual build to heightened desperation in the third chorus, or even the altered instrumentation with additions like the French horn and oboe, it appears Milquetoast's rendition of the track moves with more audacity than the original. As McAndrew points out, "And although subtle, every change was intentional."

That being said, a new voice singing an old tune is still a new tune, and there were plenty of voices in the session for Milquetoast & Co.'s "Nights in White Satin."

Collaboration played an integral role in the production of the band's latest tracks, and this cover song is no exception. The sextet went as far as flying to California last summer to record the track and nine others with engineer Kevin Ratterman and mastering engineer Nathan James. During their visit, a plethora of musical voices emerged, culminating in what we are now hearing from Milquetoast & Co., and, more importantly, what we'll hear on their album, Runt Rant Rave, set to release in October.

"Notably, we had The Section Quartet in the session with us, recording our album,” McAndrews explains. “They’re pretty heavy hitters. They're one of the best studio string quartets in the business, for sure."

The Section Quartet is renowned for collaborating with high-profile artists such as Beck and The

Foo Fighters. However, for McAndrew, it's not about the names he works with; rather, it's about allowing room for musical conversation.

As each track came together, one thing was undeniable. Everything still sounded, well, "Milquetoasty." Every new voice, sound and thought funneled through the spirit of Milquetoast & Co., resulting in a flavor that’s as nuanced as it is controlled.

Although "Nights in White Satin" is a cover, the band is not leaving this release behind them. "We don't do a lot of covers, but I'll pick songs that have an impact somehow."

This track left a profound impact on McAndrew's wife more than anyone else, who ultimately decided it should be on the album.

"It's her favorite song,” he says. “I couldn't not put that on the album. She made the decision!"

So yes, "Nights in White Satin" will make its way back around this October, but for now, it’s available on all DSPs. The fingerprints Milquetoast & Co. left on such an enduring piece demonstrate the Colorado band's ability to be who they are: nothing and everything at the same time. McAndrew concludes, ”In all that we do, we end up with a Milquetoast & Co. song, whatever the hell that is."

"The Section Quartet was so amenable to doing what we wanted them to do, but at the same time, they were really appreciative of us giving them a little bit of room,” he says. “Why ask a musician to make music with you if they can't play what they want to play too?"

ELECTRIFIED

MONONEON IS BRINGING HIS BASS MAGIC TO THE AGGIE

BY KYLE EUSTICE

Memphis native Dwayne Johnson Jr., who plays under the pseudonym MonoNeon, is an otherworldly talent. A prodigious bass player, the 32-year-old musician began playing guitar at just four years old—but not exactly in the traditional sense. Despite being right-handed, MonoNeon plays left-handed on a right-handed instrument, allowing him to use heavy string bending on the upper strings. His style is so unique, it’s earned high praise from fellow bass impresarios like Flea of the Red Hot Chili Peppers, who once called him “the greatest fucking electric bass player” ever. His slapping technique proved to be in high demand and he’s worked with a laundry list of notable artists, including Mavis Staples, George Clinton, Pete Rock, Ne-Yo, Mac Miller, Georgia Anne Muldrow and Nas.

“My dad gave me my first guitar when I was 4 years old, and I naturally flipped it over, playing the guitar left-handed upside down,” he tells BandWagon. “My dad moved to Europe when I was pretty young, so I didn’t learn anything from him one-on-one, but he was around long enough for me to realize I want to be like him with this music shit. I’m self-taught but learned the most about playing bass in church from the organ and piano players. I’m not sure why I started playing left-handed upside down. I just did it. No one told me to.”

Raised on Southern soul and blues, MonoNeon gravitated toward artists such as Denise LaSalle, Tyrone Davis, ZZ Hill, Johnnie Taylor and Little Milton, which he calls “the sound of my childhood and foundation in my playing.” Following a brief stint at the Berklee College of Music in Boston (he admittedly left because he “didn’t want to be there anymore”), he returned to Memphis where he began playing under the PolyNeon/MonoNeon umbrella. He released his debut solo album, Polyneon, in 2010.

As his career began to take off, MonoNeon found himself playing alongside Prince and his protégé, Judith Hill, in 2015. Mere months later, Tidal released an instrumental track called “Ruff Enuff” by MonoNeon, which boasts Prince as both producer and keyboardist. The track was eventually replaced with a vocal version featuring lead vocals on vocoder by Adrian Crutchfield. When Prince wasn't

playing his solo piano shows, he was breaking in his new band at Paisley Park with MonoNeon as his bassist. The partnership continued until Prince’s untimely death in April 2016.

That wasn’t the only loss he’s experienced over the last few years. Six months before Mac Miller’s death in September 2018, MonoNeon received a text from Miller asking if he’d lay bass on something he was working on. MonoNeon was thrilled and quickly agreed to the collaboration. It ended up being the song “Complicated,” which appeared on Miller’s posthumous album, Circles, in 2020.

“This is super special for me mane!!!” MonoNeon shared on Instagram at the time. “Mac Miller messaged me on Instagram out of the blue March 1st of 2018 asking to record bass on a song that would be entitled, ‘Complicated.’ When he emailed the track for me to work on the next day, I didn’t think much of it ever being released. I was just excited to collab with Mac in some way. I was so excited that I ran into my mom’s room, jumping around and told her, ‘Mac Miller wants me to record bass on his song, hell yea! not knowing it would be one of his last recordings. Unfortunately, me and Mac didn’t get a chance to meet in person but Mac showed me love and I’m grateful for that!”

In 2020, MonoNeon won a Grammy Award for his contribution’s to the Nas album, King’s Disease. In fact, he’s lent his skills to several Hip-Hop projects, although he doesn’t approach those albums any differently than he’d approach a funk or soul album.

“I REALLY DON’T LOOK AT IT AS A DIFFERENT THING, YOU KNOW, LIKE I GOTTA’ PLAY A CERTAIN WAY IN THIS PARTICULAR MUSICAL REALM,” HE EXPLAINS. “I DON’T LIKE THINKING THAT WAY. IT’S MORE SO LISTENING AND FEELING SHIT. IF THE WAY I PLAY WORKS THAT’S COOL AND IF NOT, THAT’S COOL TOO.”

As for MonoNeon’s more current work, he recently joined forces with Jack White’s longtime drummer Daru Jones and rapper/producer Bumpy Knuckles for the PHUNKINTRYBE project. The trio is readying their debut project, Interludes, which is expected to arrive before the end of the year. Jones and MonoNeon, who both live in Memphis, connected instantaneously.

“Maybe it’s because of the childlike character and certain level of intuitiveness in our shit,” he says of their connection. “I love playing music with Daru. His use of space is super inspiring.”

Jones adds, “He was Prince’s last bassist before he departed so that should speak for itself. We’ll be here for days and hours if I’d mentioned all the established and legendary artists MonoNeon worked with in a decade. He’s my Leo and musical galaxy brother from another mother that I’ve performed and worked with since 2016.”

MonoNeon is also working on another solo album called Quilted Stereo, with features by Mavis Staples and George Clinton. Otherwise, he says he mostly “chills at home” and “hangs with his mom, grandma and nem.” He’ll be performing at the Aggie Theater in Fort Collins on June 28, which he says he’s “looking forward to, especially since I get to play my own music.” Find more information on www.mononeon.com.

WILL NEVER QUIT STAND-UP

LIFE ON THE ROAD

WHY DAVID CROSS THE COMEDIAN, WRITER & ACTOR TALKS PARENTING &

BY GABE ALLEN

David Cross is perhaps best known from his role as the naive and tumultuous psychiatrist Tobias Futge on FOX’s Arrested Development. His voice is also recognizable from the 2007 film reboot of Alvin and the Chipmunks. And comedy nerds have probably seen Cross and Bob Odenkirk’s groundbreaking late ‘90s alt-comedy sketch show, Mr. Show.

Over the past three decades, Cross has made a name for himself as an actor, writer and showrunner for film and television. But if he had to choose one lane for the rest of his career, he’d leave it all behind. His first and only true love is stand-up comedy.

“IF I COULD NEVER DO STANDUP AGAIN, I’D PROBABLY GO INSANE,” HE TELLS BANDWAGON. “IT’S COMPLETE AUTONOMY. I’M NOT GETTING NOTES FROM ANYONE ELSE.”

On June 3, Cross will bring his latest special, "Worst Daddy in the World", to the Aggie Theater in Fort Collins. Cross doesn’t actually consider himself the “worst daddy in the world,” but some people do. Namely, according to Cross, evangelical christians and his daughter “if I won’t give her a second ice cream.”

The show, like much of Cross’ standup, is polemical and sardonic while drawing from enough truth to be both unsettling and hilarious. In a clip released last year, he talks about trying to impart anti-capitalist values on his now kindergarten-aged daughter by whispering to her as she falls asleep.

Cross says his actual parenting efforts aren’t overtly ideological. Instead, he tries to explain the world as he sees it without talking down to her. Even here, he can’t resist cracking a joke.“When she asks me a question about, you know, ‘why is that guy sleeping on the street and why is he asking for money,’ I tell her,” Cross said. “Yeah, I say, ‘it’s because of Jesus.’”

In actuality, the show covers much more than parenting. As usual, Cross dives into politics with a mix of dry wit and black humor. It’s a comedic disposition that has earned him a culty core of die-hard fans in addition to the many more casual fans that know him

through his roles in film and television.

According to Cross, these super fans are not too hard to spot. Just look for “a little bit of Asperger’s and a profound specific knowledge of me that’s a little disturbing,” he said. “They’re great.”

All joking aside, connecting with new people is one of Cross’ favorite parts of being on tour—casual attendees and superfans alike.

“THE BEST THING IS JUST GETTING OUT THERE AND GETTING AWAY FROM THE BUBBLE THAT I LIVE IN IN NEW YORK,” HE SAID. “I LOVE GETTING TO TRAVEL AND GO INTO ALL OF THESE DIFFERENT PLACES AND MEETING ALL OF THESE NEW PEOPLE. I’VE BEEN DOING IT FOR DECADES.”

After years of airport days, hotel beds and backstage green rooms, Cross has his travel routine dialed in. He’s seen it all, and he’s prepared for the worst. In the event of a long flight delay, he offers this advice: “If a flight is delayed by more than an hour, then add it up and it’s probably worth it to pay for the one-day admission to an airport lounge and drinking for free rather than killing two hours drinking at an airport bar.”

Cross’s wisdom doesn’t end with urban travel, either. In 2020, he portrayed real-life American outdoorsman, biologist and nature writer Robert Michael Pyle in the biopic The Dark Divide

“IT’S GOOD AND IT’S ALSO FUCKING BEAUTIFUL, SO DON’T WATCH IT ON A LAPTOP,” CROSS SAID OF THE FILM. The production, directed by documentarian Tom Putnam, was staunchly authentic. Cross weathered thunderstorms, scorching desert heat and perilous stream crossings on camera. Along the way, he learned a thing or two about wilderness survival.

Unfortunately, he refused to share any tips with Bandwagon and, instead, offered another joke: “Have an assault rifle, a full mag, tactical gear, maybe a kitted out SWAT tank and just lay on top of a million dollars.”

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