12 minute read
BISON BONE
The Lost Weekend EP
Dan England
BandWagon Magazine
Bison Bone’s frontman, Courtney Whitehead, writes the band’s latest - The Lost Weekend EP from the perspective of a character who “is tired from all the things we are all tired from,” and honestly, the music sounds like it.
Though soft-spoken leading male vocals can work, Whitehead sings with a voice that resembles someone who’s either hungover or just woke up from a nap. The music sounds like what you’d find on Bruce Springsteen’s rejected demo tapes - which, for hardcore fans, could be gems, though here, the songs lack the kind of catchy choruses which might win over new listeners.
“What I’ve Found” is the band’s best on this EP, but it also makes the other tracks feel empty by comparison. In the past, Whitehead has proven capable of wielding songwriting talent, so one wonders why he couldn’t find that spark for the other three tracks. The EP’s closer, “Wasting Time,” is so lethargic that Whitehead may have even used it to put himself to sleep before he recorded these tracks.
On other Bison Bone recordings, Whitehead’s voice is a strength, but on this EP, it feels as if he’s experimenting with too much vibe or character - a low, monotone crackle that would cause nightmares for those running sound systems at his gigs. Without more power and energy, he threatens to drag his talented cast, and his own potential, down to the depths of The Lost Weekend EP’s tuneless vocal delivery.
We know Bison Bone is capable of better, so the next time Whitehead wants to sing and write from the perspective of a tired character, he should just sleep it off.
The Lost Weekend EP is out
November 19. For more, visit bisonbone.com
Featured ARTIST
OF THE MONTH
Cuchito – "is a song about a cat. It’s kind of about my cat,” Christopher Castillo Bowers says. “Or maybe a version of my cat that lives on the street, or at least fantasizes about living on the street while he sits at the window.”
Bowers is the Chilean-American singersongwriter and primary force behind Kiltro, one of Colorado’s most exciting, unique and likeable bands. Their sense of fantasy and the exotic somehow make music which was originally conceived in the lively, bohemian port city of Valparaiso, Chile, sound like home to Coloradans. Though admittedly inspired by, yes, a cat, “Cuchito,” the band’s most recent single, holds more layers than the obvious, much like the band’s spry, feline-esque sound: an intricate mix of acoustic instruments, warbling vocal and polished dance grooves brought to life by Bowers, William Parkhill and Michael Divencenzi.
“It’s also about longing for things,” Bowers says of the tune, “and how you can sometimes find empowerment in that longing.” Finding empowerment in unlikely places is certainly a valuable skill in a world decommissioned by a pandemic, and Kilto are old pros at the craft, finding their way as effortlessly as a cat sees in the dark. Drawing thematic energy from LatinAmerican folk artists, yet working with engineers whose credits include Washed Out and Animal Collective, the trio keep things fresh, mysterious and fun. – Kevin Johnston
KILTRO
DON’T MISS KILTRO LIVE AT TACAW (THE ARTS CAMPUS AT WILLITS) IN BASALT, COLORADO ON FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 19. FOR TICKETS AND MORE, VISIT KILTROMUSIC.COM
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
BY GABE ALLEN
When The Velveteers members Demi Demitro, Baby Pottersmith and Jonny Fig pulled up to El Club, a hip, all-ages venue in downtown Detroit, they didn’t expect anyone to recognize them. They were there for soundcheck at the first show of a national tour supporting Des Rocs. While the three singles that had been released from their upcoming debut album had generated some buzz in the press, none of it felt real yet.
“Most of the last two years we’ve just been doing the same thing we always do, which is the three of us practicing music alone in a tiny garage,” Pottersmith tells BandWagon. “It seemed like people were kind of interested. I couldn’t really process it beyond that, because we were still so isolated.”
As soon as they stepped out of the tour van that day, the illusion of isolation was shattered. Maybe shattered is the wrong word. A fan, sporting Adidas flip flops, a Johnny Cash t-shirt and playing air guitar on a squash racket, was
14 14
pacing outside of the venue and screaming the lyrics to their lead single “Charmer And The Snake.”
Less than two weeks later, the band dropped the rest of Nightmare Daydream, a sprawling 12-song LP that they recorded during the pandemic with producer Dan Auerbach of the Black Keys. The album sees the band mostly sticking to their unconventional approach — two drummers (Pottersmith and Fig) with Demitro on baritone electric guitar and vocals. While layers of synth and
synth bass permeate the new tracks, their use is sparse and heavy hitting. “Having the three of us as the only members of the band really pushes us to get creative,” Demitro said.
The result is a deliciously sinister hard rock album that is reminiscent of work from The Dead Weather or All Them Witches, without sounding too much like either of them. Demitro’s clear, powerful voice soars over heavy grooves, Pottersmith delivers understated beats that often take a melodic turn and Fig amplifies each song with a rotating cast of rhythm instruments and percussion.
Though The Velveteers have been writing and releasing music DIY-style for years, none of the band’s former material made it onto the album.
“I didn’t really feel like any of the older stuff that I had written was representative of what I wanted the future to be for the band. I didn’t feel like I had reached the point of writing something I thought we should release,” Demitro explained with characteristic humility.
Yet the seed for Nightmare Daydream was planted early. In 2018, Demitro wrote the title track and played it on acoustic guitar for Pottersmith, as she puts it: “in some field.”
“She told me, ‘I really think our first album should come from the same vibe as this song.’ When I heard it, I knew exactly what she was talking about,” Pottersmith said.
Over the next two years, Demitro, as always, wrote voraciously. But only a select few tunes fit the tone that was set by the song “Nightmare Daydream.” Then, as fate would have it, in the midst of the pandemic, Dan Auerbach watched one of the band’s YouTube videos and fell in love.
With Auerbach on board, it was finally time to pull the trigger on the project. But making this album would also mean the end of an era. When Demitro and Pottersmith started The Velveteers as young teens, they spent hours a day locked in Demitro’s grandmother’s garage, writing and practicing. A couple of years later, they added Jonny to the mix and started practicing in his parent’s garage. The band had always enjoyed an insular constellation and complete creative control over everything they made.
“We really know what we want and how we want things to sound,” Demitro said. “We were a little cautious of letting a producer into our world and handing over our trust.”
Nonetheless, they packed up their instruments and headed to Auerbach’s Easy Eye Sound recording studio in Nashville. Once they got there, any fears evaporated. Auerbach was warm and welcoming. He wanted to help get the band’s unique energy into the recording, just the same as they did. “We’ve learned over the past year that collaborating is such a useful tool,” Demitro said. “It helps you grow and might lead you to a place you might not have gone otherwise.”
As The Velveteers continue to tour the nation on Nightmare Daydream, building a fan-base as unique and even unexpected as their music, the one place they can definitely expect to go is far. The trio will return home to Colorado for a show at the Gothic Theatre this month – perhaps the last chance to see them “before they were big,” though by the look of things, it might already be too late.
The Velveteers play The Gothic Theater in Englewood, CO on Friday, November 26 with Dreadnought and Dry Ice. Visit thevelveteers.com for more info.
Trash Cat Trash Cat Trash Cat
AND THE ABSURDITY OF THE HUMAN EXPERIENCE
BY GABE ALLEN
One night, a few years ago, Hayden Farr, saxophonist for The Burroughs, was out drinking with his bandmates at Patrick’s Irish Pub in Greeley. At the end of the night, they made the well-worn trek back to Farr’s house. But somewhere along the way, a stranger fell into step behind them. It was a scruffy stray cat that looked like he had crawled out of a dumpster. The cat was not to be deterred. That night it had chosen this cohort of local funk musicians to be his new family.
“Trash cat,” somebody dubbed the mangy feline.
On a Saturday morning not too long after, Farr sat in front of the TV Cartoon Network’s Steven Universe with his roommates Mary and Brian Claxton, drummer and bassist for The Burroughs respectively.
“I really want to write a song about Connie from the show,” he mentioned to no one in particular. “Let’s do it,” Mary Claxton replied.
A few weeks later, when it came time to name the new band, the answer was obvious: Trash Cat.
Thus, Greeley’s greatest-of-all-time cartoon-inspired indie funk rock band was formed. The power trio features Mary Claxton on lead vocals and electric ukulele, Farr on baritone sax and Brian Claxton on drum kit. Though all three members hold down day jobs and tour with The Burroughs, they have clearly carved out plenty of time for their “side project.” Their live performances are exceedingly danceable, and their recordings are meticulously produced.
On December 3, Trash Cat will set the mood during rounds of cosmic bowling at Chippers Lanes in Fort Collins as part of the “Live on the Lanes” series. Attendees will witness the first ever live performance of the band’s sophomore album, The Tide, also set to be released in December.
Like on their previous LP, the band used cartoons and pop culture as narrative fodder for their new material. Track names on The Tide reference shows like Adventure Time, Steven Universe and even Forever, the Prime Video drama with Fred Armisten and Maya Rudolph. In a time where indie artists are often praised for unyielding vulnerability, Trash Cat has discarded personal storytelling in favor of fantasy.
Mary Claxton’s propensity for fictional narratives was first sparked by her day job. When the band formed, she was teaching a “modern band program” for middle school and high school students at Polaris Expeditionary Learning School in Fort Collins.
“THE CONCEPT OF CHAR-
ACTER WRITING SORT
OF CO-DEVELOPED WITH
TRASH CAT AND MY
TEACHING,” SHE TELLS BANDWAGON. “IMAGINE YOU'RE 13 YEARS OLD AND YOU’RE TRYING TO WRITE ABOUT YOUR INNERMOST
FEELINGS. IT’S A LOT TO
SHARE. ON SOME LEV-
EL I FELT THE SAME WAY ABOUT MYSELF.”
Claxton and her bandmates found that they were more unrestrained and creative when they distanced themselves from the narrative. Writing about someone else allowed the band to have fun and not take themselves too seriously. Of course, like any good fiction, bits of the author’s perspective eventually leak through.
At the core of the Trash Cat ethos is a beautiful irreverence — an acceptance of the joy, pain, pleasure and sorrow of life and a commitment to poking fun at all of it. After all, there’s only so much that can be communicated through earnestness.
There is no better example of this than the band’s latest single, “The Only Person I Like” (check out the excellent music video on YouTube). In the hooky, radio-ready single, Mary Claxton manages to simultaneously deliver a relatable story about love during the pandemic and tie the whole thing into the Ghostbusters universe.
She gave the song to her husband as a Valentine’s Day present, but it was too good to keep to themselves. As soon as they got it into the studio to work on The Tide, Brian laid down a straight-forward rock beat and Farr wrote a groovy, melodic baseline on his bari, the two following Mary’s lead with the undeterred confidence of the stray tabby who inspired the band’s name. As it turns out, following those kinds of impulses makes for pure, trash-y gold.
TRASH CAT WILL RELEASE THE TIDE DECEMBER 2. CATCH THEM “LIVE ON THE LANES” AT 830 NORTH IN FORT COLLINS SATURDAY, DECEMBER 4TH, PRESENTED BY THE MISHAWAKA AND 105.5 THE COLORADO SOUND. MORE AT FACEBOOK.COM/ TRASHCATTUNES
PHOTO: JUAN GONZALEZ
BANDWAGON PHOTOS OF THE MONTH
