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MUSIC reviews Augustus PG. 4 Covenhoven PG. 6 Crooked Rugs PG. 8
BandWagon Magazine BandWagMag BandWagMag
BANDWAGMAG.COM
PG.11
Publisher
ELY CORLISS
Editor
KEVIN JOHNSTON
art director
CARTER KERNS
CONTRIBUTORS
DAN ENGLAND VALERIE VAMPOLA GABE ALLEN
Wreckno
PG.18
B-QUEEN DROPS IT LIKE A BOSS
BANDS AND MUSICIANS Submit your MUSIC for review:
PG.14
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TECH N9NE NEW TORMENTS IN A FASTER WORLD
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bandwagmag@gmail.com BandWagon Magazine © 2021 The Crew Presents Inc.
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Augustus
Ragtime World Valerie Vampola
BandWagon Magazine
Ragtime World, the new album from Boulder, CO’s Augustus mixes their psychedelic rock sound with classic rock vibes and folk, giving listeners no expectation of what will come next. The classic rock feel is a new aesthetic, which opens the record via “Leave the Light On.” Augustus have favored the use of organ in the past, but give it more prominence on this record, reminiscent of classic groups like The Animals or Kansas. The
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track “Daisies” could pass for a Fleetwood Mac cut with its soft, cool groove and tasteful guitar licks. But then, just when you think they’re a classic rock band, vocalist Colin Kelly sings with their trademark psychedelic feel bringing to mind modern groups such as Tame Impala. After the first few tracks, Ragtime World shows flashes of different genres and influences. Here, Augustus insert softer, folky songs like those incorporated into so many americana and coffeeshop-singer-songwriter acts. The title track, in fact, features only vocals with minimalist effects and finger-picked guitar, an intimate feel for the delivery of the song chosen to represent the whole album. “Diana” also features a light ensemble, with the band barely there in the background. Still, on other tracks, they show off their traditional indie-rock side with tracks like “Madonna” and “Carried all the Weight.” As Augustus are solid songwriters in their established rock sound, they’re still trying to figure out how to incorporate
other influences and ideas. Some of the tracks may not even sound as if they’re from the same band, but the same can be said of many of the greats. After releasing several full-length records, with
Ragtime World Augustus can take pride in keeping their music fresh. Ragtime World is out October 1st. For more on Augustus visit www.augustus.live
OCTOber 30, 2021 | 7:30 PM
OC OCTOber TOber 30, 30, 2021 2021 || 7:30 7:30 PM PM This ThisDenver-based Denver-basedhip-hop hip-hopband bandisison onaamission mission
This Denver-based hip-hop band is on a mission
totostart startconversations conversationsand andcreate createchange changethrough through
to start conversations and create change through
the thepower powerofoftheir theirunique, unique,genre-blending genre-blendingmusic. music.
City City ofof Greeley Greeley
the power of their unique, genre-blending music.
Tickets Ticketsavailable availableat:at: UCSTARS.COM UCSTARS.COM| |970.356.5000 970.356.5000| |70170110th 10thAve., Ave.,Greeley, Greeley,Colorado Colorado
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COVENHOVEN IV
Kevin Johnston
BandWagon Magazine
For Coloradans, the name Covenhoven has become synonymous with intimate, heartfelt yet cinematic and powerful folk music. Over the course of three previous full length albums, Joel Van Horne, the stalwart man behind the timidly convicted voice around which the music of Covenhoven swirls, has unflappably delivered expertly crafted, immersive music which seems to speak directly from his heart into our ears. Van Horne’s latest fulllength effort, IV, stays the moody course for Covenhoven fans, but will no doubt thrill newcomers too. His consistency in delivering emotionally charged heartbreakers through little more than a fireside, baritone murmur is remarkable, yet the 12 track epic (which he co-produced) also carries listeners to the precipice of cinematic crescendos. He paints pictures of preacher’s daughters and river waters with powerful acoustic piano and guitar, climaxing to fully layered choral, orchestral massiveness worthy of cathedrals.
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Lyrically, Van Horne delivers greatness in the simplest and seemingly most obvious of ways, imperceptibly connected directly to his muse. On “Monterey,” for example, the inspiration seems to have just rained down on him, making fellow songwriters ask “why didn’t I think of that?” And though the results seem pure and effortless, the countless hours of work both alone and in collaboration, are clear. Van Horne is a master of both storytelling and dynamics, but IV shows his progressive side too. “Tall Buildings” is a highlight with a 7/4 pulse, introducing subtle math-rock touches later heard in “Gone With The Wind,” the album’s closer and most rockedout offering. “In Cursive” is a true gem, boasting Van Horne’s most beautiful and delicate melody to date. It reaches into chamber pop territory and reveals a wider vocal range. His falsetto, sheltered by a gorgeous, rich string and piano accompaniment, whisks us above the campfire folk to the glorious heights of sacred spaces. Compared to his last, understandably saddest fulllength (A Kind Of Revelation, written after the passing of his brother), IV is still heavy, but maintains a positive lilt - a fleck of sun glistening on the ripples of Covenhoven’s deep waters. Though it never loses its gravity, IV looks forward, and that fleck of light reflecting off the darkness is the promise of hope. IV by Covenhoven is available everywhere October 15. For more, visit covenhoven.com
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crooked rugs THAT!
Gabe Allen
BandWagon Magazine
and familiar at the same time. In their follow up to January’s IT!, the band draws from every era of psychedelic rock, further refining their sound. Most albums these days are constructed haphazardly — a collection of songs to be chopped up and repackaged into Spotify playlists. THAT!, though, seems to have an intentional structure, starting out intense and frenetic, then pensive and thoughtful before devolving into chaos on “Slugface,” the final song.
There is a cultural, dadinherited fondness for flipping through AM radio channels while driving late at night. Among the usual mix of sports and religious radio, you’ll sometimes get a signal that bounces down from far away bringing a magical moment (before you lose it) of good music from who knows where. The Crooked Rugs’ new LP, THAT! is what you’ve been searching for on that AM dial all of these years – something that manages to sound otherworldly
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Tracks like “Brain Squash” and “Big Groove” are dominated by crunchy guitars, heavy bass and distorted vocals, reminiscent of modern psych-garage rock acts like King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard, Ty Segall and Osees. "Everything You See,” the first song to surface after the torrential grooves of the first few tracks, is propelled by interweaving electric piano and rock organ. Whether consciously or not, the band channels first-wave psychedelic rock — somewhere between Jefferson Airplane and the Doors.
Though definitely more jammy and less math-y than IT!, there are still a few tracks that showcase the bands’ musicianship. “Say It Again” sounds like a Dave Brubeck and the Moody Blues collaboration, and “Jams To Fall Asleep To” is a post-rock diversion with babbling synths and reverby guitars. In the end, THAT! isn’t quite as focused as the Crooked Rugs previous effort, but that’s the beauty of it. Er, that. THAT! sounds like you just happened to
walk in off the street to witness a group of excellent musicians on an inspired, peyote-infused 40-minute session. The band clearly can’t stop making music, and we clearly can’t stop tuning in through the static. THAT! By the Crooked Rugs is out now. Catch them in Fort Collins October 8 at Surfside (supporting Hoveriii) and October 23 The Emporium. Visit thecrookedrugs.com for more.
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Featured ARTIST
OF THE MONTH
C
lassically defined, a motet is a medieval piece of music in several parts. Today, we might simply call that a jam, and maybe that’s what drummer Dave Watts was thinking in 1998 when he founded what would become one of Colorado’s most well-loved live acts.
THE MOTET
With a cast of inspired instrumentalists and vocalists over 20+ years, The Motet maintain those ancient polyphonic concepts, though always layering a fresh coat of funk, rock, and soul on top. Known for surprising their die-hard audiences with top-tier special guests, they have other tricks and treats up their sleeves too. Every October since 2000, the worldtraveling entourage return to their native Colorado, offering the highlight of their touring season: their legendary Halloween shows. Since the onset, the affairs were full-on interpretations of acts from The Beatles to Prince. As of 2013, they've taken an even more “polyphonic” approach to the Halloween concept, covering an evening’s-worth of hits from a particular year’s Billboard top 100 chart. So while Colorado audiences may not know exactly what to expect from this year’s Motet Halloween, one thing's for sure: the band delivers a killer show with musical chops so good it’s scary. – Kevin Johnston
THE COLORADO SOUND PRESENTS THE MOTET AT WASHINGTON’S IN FORT COLLINS FRIDAY, OCTOBER 29;
TICKETS AT WASHINGONSFOCO.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 11
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TECH N9NE NEW TORMENTS IN A FASTER WORLD He got his pseudonym from the rapper Black Walt in tribute to his unusually ven when he’s in bed, trying to calm quick, choppy style, which Walt thought his crazy mind so he can sleep, Tech resembled the TEC-9 semi-automatic N9ne keeps his phone within reach. handgun. At the time he usually painted He never knows when the next lyric will his face in ways that made him look, well, come, and when it does, he wants to be scary. But he refused to play into gangsta sure he gets it down. rap trends despite his name. He wanted “I hate to lose my ideas,” Tech N9ne said to play the game his way. in a phone interview with BandWagon. When a millionaire, Travis O’Guin, My mind races. I have that kind of liked his style and said he would put up torment. I can see things behind my money to form a label with him back in eyelids. 1999, Tech jumped at the chance and That’s the kind of devotion you’d expect called it, appropriately enough, Strange from a rapper who’s recorded 14 albums Music. Founded in 2000, the two remain (with one on the way) and has, as his new 50/50 business partners today. single says, "Been Thru A Lot." But it’s also “I didn’t know I would be pushed into the kind of work he has to put in (even as he’s turning 50) for his record label that,” Yates said, “but I was a black man with a red face and record labels didn’t Strange Music. Tech N9ne, otherwise known by his know what to do with me.” DAN ENGLAND
E “
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birth name Aaron Yates, just wanted to be a rapper when he began in 1985. He joined several groups in addition to his own act and signed three record deals. But none of them worked out, and he admits that he had as much to do with that as the fickle nature of the actual music business itself.
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He knew he wouldn’t have the labels’ marketing machines behind him, so he’d have to win over fans one show at a time.
“If you want to be the hip-hop president, you have to politick,” he said, “and how we politick is on tour. We constantly had music in the market; constant touring and constant albums, and we grew a base.” Tech N9ne will appear at The Lincoln in Cheyenne, Wyoming, on October 24 as a part of that constant touring. The tours truly never seem to stop and the hard work has paid off. He’s since sold more than two million albums, with some gold records, and has the respect of the entire rap community, both for his music and his business. In 2015, Eminem appeared on his album Special Effects – for free – as long as he agreed to return the favor. Tech admits the move left him “flabbergasted.” “I was in my own world, painting my face and doing my thing, and you don’t know if people are paying attention,” he said. “But I know I push people to go harder now.” Indeed, many of today’s true rap technicians have collaborated with Tech pro bono. He formed his own style after Slick Rick and Ice Cube, a different era when rap was rap, not the blended, autotuned, genre-fluid hip-hop it is today.
And Yates doesn’t say this derisively. He loves some of the “vibe” music, and he knows eras fade and styles change; he’s persevered through them himself. There are still pure lyricists out there — Kendrick Lamar won a Pulitzer, for instance — and personally, Tech believes he’s still relevant.
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If my style wasn’t still in the times, I wouldn’t be on tour, he said. I wouldn’t be selling. There is something out there for everyone.
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Tech plans to keep touring at 50 and pushing the edges, even if no one would blame him for slowing down. Yates is seven months sober, he said, and despite wanting a drink “bad,” it’s helped make him better as a performer. "I’m getting faster,” he said. “The youngsters still want me on their records. I’m getting more crisp and precise. It’s crazy.”
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After decades in the biz, he’s made it work even while eschewing many of the standard moves of other rappers. He’s made his hometown, Kansas City, his home base after spending some time in New York and L.A. He still spends weeks at a time in those places to work, but he comes home to his three kids and makes it clear where his heart lies: In 2019 he released “Red Kingdom,” a tribute to the Kansas City Chiefs, which turned out to be one of his biggest, all time chart-toppers on Billboard. “Kansas City is my comfort zone,” he said. “That’s where my family is, my uncles, my aunts, the love of my life.”
“Everyone is singing now,” he said. “Back in our day, we prided ourselves on lyrics. [Today] they pride themselves on vibe.”
BLUE PIG PRESENTS TECH N9NE LIVE SUNDAY, OCTOBER 24 WITH RITTZ AT THE LINCOLN IN CHEYENNE, WY AS PART OF THE "STRANGE NEW WORLD TOUR.” SPECIAL GUESTS INCLUDE KING ISO, MAEZ 301 AND JEHRY ROBINSON. TICKETS AT THELINCOLNCHEYENNE.COM MORE ON TECH N9NE AT STRANGEMUSICINC.COM 15
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Wreckno B-QUEEN DROPS IT LIKE A BOSS GABE ALLEN
Over the past year, an unlikely icon has burst onto the EDM scene. Brandon Wisniski, known eponymously as Wreckno, creates earth-shaking bass drops, raps about pulling up on your dad and refers to himself as a “FULL TIME BUSSY BOPPER” on Twitter. He may be the biggest, loudest, gayest producer the bass scene has ever seen, and he’s just getting started. “Medusa,” Wreckno’s breakout collaboration with GRiZ, served as an anthem at pride celebrations across the country in June of 2020. In June of 2021, the young emcee followed it up with PANSY, a six-song EP that reclaims a word long used to oppress queer boys and men. Now, Wisniski is touring hard alongside CloZee and Dirt Monkey. He will make a stop through NoCo to play the Aggie Theater along with fellow DJ and vocalist Megan Hamilton on October 23. Wisniski’s music melds together the aggression of old-school gangster rap with the manic energy of bass music and the glamour of a drag show. It’s a perfect fit, but it has never really been done before. While there are queer bass producers, like GRiZ, and queer rappers, like the excellent Cakes Da Killa, no one has merged the two genres with the devotion and mastery that Wreckno has. Like most good artists, though, it took a long time for Wisniski to find his voice. In 2012, Wisniski was a Lady Gaga-obsessed 16-year old in Northern Michigan. Creative expression was important to him already — he learned dance routines from pop music videos step-for-step and tinkered on music production software with his brother, Dakota. That summer, he bought a ticket to Electric Forest, an earthy EDM festival in Rothbury, Michigan. The experience changed the course of his life. “I didn’t have anybody to be with, but this group of people from Colorado took me in. They could tell I was too young to be there
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alone,” Wisniski tells BandWagon. “It Before too long, though, the neverwas my first festival experience, and ending EDM circuit took its toll. At 23, afterwards I was like ‘I need to fit this Wisniski wasn’t getting anywhere with his music, and he had developed an into the rest of my life somehow.” all-consuming stimulant addiction. It would still be many years, though, He couldn’t afford rehab, so he moved before Wreckno graced festival stages. in with his conservative father and Wisniski soon dropped out of high stepmother. When he relapsed soon school and spent his late teens and early after, they kicked him out of the house. twenties “wooking it — being a fucking His grandparents were the last people wook.” He moved in with friends at 17, left to take him in. got deeply into hula hooping and made “In my head I was like ‘if you don’t just enough money to pay rent and get make this work you’re going to be one of tickets to the next big show. those people that is just the problem all “WE WERE JUST HAVING the time,’” he said.
A REALLY GREAT TIME WITH NO REAL DIRECTION,” HE SAID. “IT’S CRAZY, BECAUSE IT LED TO HALF OF THE CONNECTIONS I HAVE TODAY IN THE INDUSTRY.”
In order to stay occupied, Wisniski poured all of his energy into music. Six months after kicking his habit, he was booking shows. Now, two years out, he’s at the top of his game. If you want proof, go watch the double video for “Honey Drip” and “Hieroglyphs,” two of the opening tracks from PANSY. It features Wreckno in chest-length pigtails, black lipstick and a yellow, puffy, gangsta bumblebee suit, seated atop a glamorous floral bouquet, with
dancers from the Detroit Pistons cheer squad and excessive quantities of, yes, honey.
“I TOLD THEM I WANTED SOME FLOWERS,” WISNISKI SAID. “THEY WERE LIKE, ‘HOW ABOUT A FLOWER THRONE?’” But as exciting as Wreckno’s singles, EPs and videos as are, there’s nothing like the real thing. Wreckno’s live show is immersive — goofy, frenetic visuals that sometimes read “error: bussy overload,” stacks of amps and subwoofers and the engaging, enigmatic man himself at the helm. Wisniski dominates the stage with the unmistakable energy of a born performer, making his bussy, buzzing fans flock like bees to their queen.
DON’T MISS WRECKNO LIVE, OCTOBER 23 AT THE AGGIE THEATER WITH MEGAN HAMILTON, THE FINAL SHOW OF HIS COLORADO RUN, INCLUDING 10.21 IN DENVER AND 10.22 IN BOULDER. TICKETS AT AGGIETHEATER. COM FOR EVERYTHING ELSE WRECKNO, VISIT LINKTR.EE/WRECKNO 19
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oct. 23 oct. 23
The The Burroughs Burroughs with with the
greeley the greeley philharmonic philharmonic orchestra orchestra The Burroughs bring
a modern twist to The Burroughs bring classic soul music, a modern twist teaming up withtothe classic music, Greeleysoul Philharmonic teaming upfor with Orchestra onethe truly Greeley Philharmonic unique performance. Orchestra for one truly unique performance.
NOV. 6 NOV. 6
The The Silhouettes Silhouettes America’s premier
shadow-dance America’s premier company uses light, shadow-dance color, video, dance, company light, acting anduses more to tell color, video, dance, beautiful, intriguing acting more to tell stories and on stage. beautiful, intriguing stories on stage.
See Colorado’s Best Artists See Colorado’s Best Artists Live in Greeley Live in Greeley
Tickets available at: UCSTARS.COM | 970.356.5000 | 701 10th Ave., Greeley, Colorado Tickets 22 available at: UCSTARS.COM | 970.356.5000 | 701 10th Ave., Greeley, Colorado
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