BandWagon Magazine - September 2021 - Graham Good & The Painters by BandWagon Magazine

MUSIC reviews

BandWagon Magazine

The Cuddies PG. 4 DIEZ DE LEóN PG. 6 Griffith James PG. 8 Silver & Gold PG. 8 Eli Rey PG. 8 WE ARE WILLIAM PG.10

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DAN ENGLAND VALERIE VAMPOLA DIEGO FELIX LAURA GIAGOS

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HANNAH & THE CUDDIES Fix It Myself

Kevin Johnston

BandWagon Magazine

to female-fronted bands like Letters to Cleo or the Cardigans, the Cuddies cleverly twist the unexpected into four-on-thefloor fun. Track three, “Obvious,” lays back, featuring horn flourishes atop Elton John-like pomp as Rodriguez cutely laments the day-to-day trials of romance. She plays the cute card throughout, and frankly, it works. But it’s worth noting she is the band’s songwriter, arranger, pianist, guitarist and bassist, an impressive and rare combo.

Greeley’s jazz-leaning Hannah & The Cuddies put on a rock show, but shine in moments of intimacy on their full-length debut Fix It Myself, a gloss-rock review via theatrical means. With only Ben-Folds-de-lafemme piano, clean vocal, and tambourine, opener “Spotlight” is pure and likeable; a quiet vignette before we’re launched into syncopated, full-band disco rock. On “Paranoid,” the band flexes arrangement chops, offering tricky rhythms in the vocal. Akin

“Fix It Myself” delves into more daring, albeit unnecessary vocal production, skipping along until the breakdown where we catch the upper limits of Rodriguez’ vocal range. Guitarist Adam Astrup throws down a proper solo here too, bridging the tune’s fullon musical theater arc. The bare piano balladry and melodic intervals of “Coal” are a real success. Great horn arrangements and a nimble time signature shift into dream-like waltz bring out the band’s diverse sensibilities.

Fan favorite “I Believed” packs a bluesy punch (complete with an f-bomb at the horn-stabbed climax), but while fun and memorable, without the beers and cheers live, it’s inferior to the more authentic ballads, such as the delicate and dark “Premonitions.” “Premonitions,” which could be the album’s closer, brings out Rodriguez’ inner Minnie Riperton and features the most compelling songwriting on the album. With only a daring, linear melody and her own beautiful acoustic guitar

arrangement, The Cuddies’ front woman shows her true, intimate colors. As The Cuddies come from theatrical stock, or the UNC Jazz program anyway, they choose to close the album with a crowd pleaser: a minor key twist on Grease’s “You Are The One That I Want,” and it does the trick to give fans their fix. Fix It Myself is out September 4. Catch Hannah & The Cuddies live at The Block Party in Downtown Greeley on Friday, September 10.

DIEZ DE LEóN

Death of a Martyr, Birth of a Phoenx Diego Felix

BandWagon Magazine

finesse today’s

that’s refreshing in musical landscape.

Throughout the album, Diez De León covers myriad themes, giving listeners introspective looks into mental health, love, heartbreak, and overcoming adversity.

There’s a certain duality that comes into play when creating music. An artist is tasked with balancing artistic integrity and the listener’s expectations; telling a story without going too deep or not going deep enough.

The album kicks off with the infectious “Help-1-1 (ft. James Not Jim),” a tune with a hook so catchy that it takes a few listen-throughs to realize it’s a call for help. “Stop Selling Me Drugz,” on the surface, is a song about overcoming addictions, but deeper down serves as an examination of the complex inner push-and-pull that accompanies most things in life. Diez De León touches on both sides of love too, with the breakup anthem “Goodnite Txt (ft. Izzy Luc)” and late night cuts “Timeless,” “Vices (ft. Grimm Tha Kid)” and “Break U Off.”

What’s impressive about Death of a Martyr, Birth of a Phoenix from Diez De León is that the album occupies two worlds simultaneously. It’s thoughtful, introspective and authentic, and effortlessly pairs it with the best qualities of modern hip-hop: catchy hooks, head-nodding grooves, and addressing the all-important question, “but does it slap?”

The production (provided by Grim tha Kidd and Skipdogg tha Soulja) on Death of a Martyr, Birth of a Phoenix impressively toes the line between soulful musicality and subwoofer-friendly trunk music. On the whole, the album doesn’t sell-out, and by no means does it sell itself short.

Formerly known as B.B.T.U.C. of Colorado rap trio Soul Brothers, Diez De León showcases a high level of artistic maturity on his debut album. Death of a Martyr, Birth of a Phoenix displays a degree of lyrical

Death of a Martyr, Birth of a Phoenix is due out September 2. Diez De León will make a guest appearance with Jay/R and Dyrty D Gun at The GT GARZA show Sept 17th at the Moxi Theater in Greeley.

SINGLE REVIEWS LAURA GIAGOS

Market and Black Griffith James feat. Tennis

Former Denver artist, now Los Angeles resident Griffith James made a name for himself particularly in Colorado with his previous project Inner Oceans, where his exploration of different sonic soundscapes set him apart from the run-of-the-mill Colorado indie rock bands. Now living in L.A., James has released

Saving Face Silver & Gold

BandWagon Magazine’s favorite band Silver & Gold are at it again, and instead of going home, they went big. Over their steadily growing body of work, there was always a common thread of a band struggling to find the middle ground between being heavy

his most noteworthy song yet, “Market and Black,” which features Colorado legends Tennis on backup vocals. This folky groove, with James’s almost Simon and Garfunkel vocal, feels removed from the modern era in an off putting yet infectious way. Like his work with Inner Oceans, the production plays a big part in how compelling his music is, showing an ability to be subtly unique in an oversaturated world of unique sounding artists. Look for James’ fulllength release Comfortably High on September 17. and being soulful. With “Saving Face,” dare we say, they’ve found it. Blasting through this three minute and twenty-two second track, Silver & Gold dialed in a beautifully raucous sound where everything is cranked to eleven, yet vocalists Devon Hildebrandt and Claire Jensen’s voices soar over the top. It’s almost as if they’ve stopped giving a shit, and it’s a great look for these former Greeley indie rockers.

That Kinda Feelin Eli Rey

where Greeley sits. But in true Greeley fashion, when something won’t come to Greeley, Greeley just does it themselves and that’s what Eli Rey has done with his earnestly deivered single “That Kinda Feelin.”

At its heart, Greeley has always been a country kind of town. But because of its proximity to the Grizzly Rose in Denver, most major country acts sign a radius clause saying they can’t perform within a certain distance of the Grizzly Rose and well, that’s

With slick, red dirt rock production and a starryeyed demeanor, Rey elevates the local country scene to a radio-ready level with that down home kind of feeling. Look for more from Eli Rey later thsi fall upon his return to Colorado from a Texas radio tour.

WE ARE WILLIAM We Are William

Dan England

BandWagon Magazine

Listening to Fort Collinsbased We Are William gives a refreshing perspective on just how difficult it is to play progressive metal, and the band deserves props. Fans of heavy bands are spoiled by the musicianship, songwriting and talent on the best recordings by the best artists. System of a Down, Coheed and Cambria and Symphony X are full of amazing musicians who have all made remarkable music. And though

We Are William may not have reached the peak of “metal Everest” on their self-titled, first full-length album, the effort is admirable and the band shows a lot of potential. The band’s vocalist Sebastian Lawrence is a good growler, an underrated skill, and flashes of greatness can be heard on “Purging” and especially on the complex and crunchy “Oceanic,” the band’s first video and single. It’s clear why the band uses him (again, his growling is terrific) though his vocal prowess is like a climber getting stronger in order to reach the aforementioned Everest summit. Think of this record as a journey, not the finish. Snippets of really good songwriting appear in “Oceanic,” and on tracks like “Bring Me Flowers” and “SunEater,” which starts with a keyboard and builds into a melodic thrasher. Catchy choruses are hard to find amid all the noise, as progressive music often doesn’t follow a

traditional songwriting style, though at times the songs feel unfocused instead of avant-garde or experimental. But the band has talent, works hard and has the chops to play this demanding style of music. Successful full band recordings seem to be as much of a money issue as they are a talent issue, and We Are William indeed self-produced their debut. Given a label and producer for songwriting

help and ample time in the studio, We Are William will certainly be a Colorado metal band to watch as they climb towards their full potential. We Are William celebrate the release of their debut album September 10 at the Aggie Theater with Ancient Colossal, Liontortoise and The Leshen. For tickets go to theaggietheater.com

SPOTLIGHT ARTIST OF THE MONTH

n September 10, Fort Collins indie-pop quartet Lady Denim release Loosely Held Hands with plans to rock the block at Downtown Greeley’s Block Party festival. With the new EP, Lady Denim garnered a specific sound by highlighting their growth as a musical unit, namely due to the position they were put in during lock down.

LADY DENIM

“We were desperately trying to stay optimistic,” lead vocalist Nick Lundeen tells BandWagon, “which - to be honest, was a lot easier said than done. For us, Loosely Held Hands is about holding on to something during tough circumstances. We became a lot more dependent on one another for emotional support and because of that, the songwriting became more fluid.” That bond is a sign of the self-trust young bands need to navigate the uncertain waters of the music industry - especially during this era. “It has become a lot more about commitment,” Lundeen says. “At the earlier stages, it was just cool to jam out and tell friends you're in a band. What some may not see are the countless efforts all of us put in while the curtains are closed, but none of us would trade that for anything.” As for the Block Party, fans should expect music from Loosely Held Hands, but songs set for release even further afield too. “After we finished the EP back in April we quickly began dialing in more music,” Lundeen says. “So... expect tons from our next, next project and be ready to rock!

Listen to Lady Denim on 105.5 The Colorado Sound and catch them live at Block Party in downtown Greeley on Friday, September 10.

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GRAHAM GOOD & THE PAINTERS BRING THE OPTIMISM

“

LAURA GIAGOS

eep believing in yourself. Keep believing in your dreams and the value you bring to the world,” Graham Good tells BandWagon. Good is the frontman of the Northern Colorado pop folk-rock outfit Graham Good & the Painters, and he delivers that statement with the well known blanket optimism he has towards life. This optimism has become a staple in his music and he sees spreading that positivity a part of his musical journey. “Just know there’s so much good you have to offer

every second of the day,” Good says. “To spend that time thinking you’re not good enough, you’re underdelivering on what you’re capable of providing.” The winner of the 2021 BandWagon Battle of the Bands, Good says he’s honored to have won the $1,000 grand prize and is putting the money away to buy a tour van. But he also acknowledges the difficult circumstances of having a Battle of the Bands during the covid pandemic. “It was such a great night of music. Everyone

brought their A game,” says Good of the March, 2021 event. “It was funny because the first round happened over a year ago and we had a completely different line up. But we put a lot of work into our set so it was seamless in transitions and full of action.” It’s true, the first round of the 2020/2021 Battle of the Bands happened almost a full year prior to the final round. In that time The Painters went through an almost complete line-up change as well as carefully watching the music

changes before landing the current line up which includes students of the prestigious University of Northern Colorado music program. “I feel so lucky and blessed to have each one of The Painters be a part of my musical vision,” says Good. “I got into it as a self taught musician with a marketing degree, playing with people who are miles ahead of me. But what I’m able to do is the branding and the vision and the hustle. It’s a very symbiotic relationship because I take care of the business side. My job is to put their otherworldly talents in front of as many people as I can.”

placing unrealistic expectations on himself and the album. Suddenly, his infectious positivity couldn’t keep up with his own anxiety. “You can’t have expectations; you have to let the music do the work it’s going to do. My brother was telling me, ‘Graham, you’re the good vibes believing-in-goodthings-coming guy, and you’re telling me right now that you’re afraid to fail? You tell everyone else in your life to not be afraid to fail, so I think you need to take a bit of your own medicine,’” says Good. This proved to be the motivation he needed to embrace what the universe was telling him.

Good credits attending an O.A.R. show at Red Rocks during his senior year of high school for inspiring him to take up music and form a band. “I started off playing acoustic guitar and I’ve always liked moving fast. I have restless leg syndrome so I’m always moving. How can I keep the ball rolling? That energy manifests itself into my music,” says Good.

With their live set locked down, the band’s new focus is the release of their first full length album, something Good admits is long overdue. "Getting good at being a recording artist is a whole different level. Our first EP was a big trial that I feel we overpaid for and our second EP we selfproduced. For our full-length record we met in the middle: we did some of the work ourselves and worked with a producer out in Minnesota,” says Good.

After Good earned a marketing degree from Colorado State University, The Painters went through some member

Leading up to the release, Good says he found himself struggling with an unhealthy dose of imposter syndrome and was

Looking ahead, Good’s positive outlook is back on top and he’s ready for things to return to normal including their show at the Ogden Theater in Denver, CO on October 9, although he’s aware of how quickly things can change. “I have to be cautious and forward-thinking about how it’s going to affect the game plan, but I’m also confident that we’re a force that’s going to keep doing what we do – and that’s light people up.”

industry struggle to adapt to life during a pandemic. But unlike so many bands during the pandemic, Graham Good & the Painters still found a way to stay busy. “Fortunately during the first shutdown we still stayed active somehow. We had a lot of opportunities for live streaming events and outdoor, socially distant shows. We even played Red Rocks, back to back, sold-out limited capacity nights,” says Good. “There were a couple of months where we were dead in the water. But eventually we knew we were keeping our circle closed and we were in each other’s circles so when rehearsals started again we were like cool, we trust each other.”

AHAM GOOD & THE GR M O FR M BU AL H GT EN -L THE SELF-TITLED FULL RDAY, OCTOBER 9 TU SA N O VE LI D N BA E TH H PAINTERS IS OUT NOW. CATC NATIONWIDE TOUR A R FO K O LO D AN R VE EN D AT THE OGDEN THEATER IN USIC.COM M D O GO AM AH GR AT E R O M ANNOUNCEMENT AND 15

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THE BIRTH OF THE BAND: DELVON LAMARR STEPS OUT FROM THE BACKGROUND AND INTO THE SPOTLIGHT Dolly Parton and original compositions. The way Lamarr shreds across the keys elvon Lamarr was always the hired and seamlessly grooves the organ gun, and that was OK because he pedals with his feet, you’d think he had could make music out of anything. been doing this his whole life. But this is But his wife Amy Novo knew he could be more of a reflection of Lamarr’s natural much more than just the “side-guy.” ability with any instrument he touches. After his trio had only just been put His only exposure to the organ were the together, Novo booked them an eight- hymns he heard in church. He didn’t even month residency at the Royal Room in touch one until his early 20s. Seattle. She believed in Lamarr’s talents. Lamarr was an established trumpet It was time he did too – regardless of the player and drummer in the Seattle area fact that Lamarr had formed an organ when he got a call to play drums with trio, an unconventional group by anyone’s organist Joe Doria. They played every standards. Wednesday at the Art Bar in Seattle, “When you believe in something, you where he watched Doria navigate the don’t have to sell it,” Lamarr said in a keys with ease and grace. Lamarr was phone interview with BandWagon. “All playing one night when another drummer Amy did was work her magic.” came in and sat in his chair. That’s when The Delvon Lamarr Organ Trio, aka the Lamarr decided to take Doria’s chair, and DLO3, were playing festivals before they as soon as his fingers touched those had recordings, jamming through AC/DC, keys, it was like he had been playing his whole life.

VALERIE VAMPOLA

The DLO3 feels like a trio of friends who grew up together, though it was established in 2015, and members have shuffled around. As their rapid success

and commitments grew, Lamarr was faced with finding the right musicians to follow him. The first key was finding his guitar player Jimmy James. Lamarr first met James when he walked into a Seattle club with his guitar while Lamarr was drumming on stage. Lamarr thought James was a kid, invited him on stage and was blown away by his playing. About 10 years later, they got called to play on the same gig, and about six years after that, Lamarr invited him to play in the DLO3. James was hesitant because he didn’t know any of the songs and was more of a soul guy where Lamarr was more of a jazz guy. Lamarr was not worried about that — those two gigs together over the course of 15 years were enough to sell him. “Jimmy’s style made the music different, as soon as we started,” Lamarr said. “The combination felt unique and connected.”

NOVO PHOTOGRAPHY

But the DLO3 puzzle wasn’t quite complete. Their long-time drummer David McGraw was stepping down, and while they had Grant Schroff of the Polyrhythmics substituting on their European tour, they were still riding an ever-progressing momentum of popularity with an album on the horizon. As they sat on the train in Europe, sifting through over 160 videos looking for their next drummer, Dan Weiss’s email fell into Lamarr’s inbox. Lamarr was ecstatic at the idea of having Weiss, the drummer of the Sextones, in his group. When Lamarr and James walked into the studio to produce I Told You So, they had only a handful of incomplete thoughts and ideas they’d started with Schoff during soundchecks on tour. Lamarr knew Weiss was the guy they needed to finish those thoughts. Longtime fans of the DLO3 were skeptical of adding a

new guy, afraid the music would drastically change the dynamic of the sound. But Lamarr was so confident in adding Weiss he basically named the album after him. I Told You So, which came out in January of 2021, retains that same high-energy funky soul with a heavy jazz influence. “I tell people no one person makes the band, but what puts it in perspective is all of us,” Lamarr said. “It’s gonna be different, it can still be different, and still be good. So that's why I called it I Told You So.” Taking Weiss’ inclusion a step even further, the band’s latest single is titled “Cold As Weiss.” Just as Lamarr was fit for the organ, and James and Weiss were fit to fully realize the vision for the band, The Delvon Lamarr Trio found themselves fit for the stage. As the world returns to live music, DLO3 can continue to climb the ladder of success that Novo saw in her husband more than six years ago.

THE AMAZING DELVON LAMARR TRIO WILL MAKE FIVE TOUR STOPS IN COLORADO THIS MONTH, WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 29 AT THE AGGIE THEATER IN FORT COLLINS BEING THEIR LAST SHOW IN THE STATE. ALL TOUR DATES AT DELVONLAMARRORGANTRIO.COM TICKETS FOR THE 29TH AT THEAGGIETHEATRE.COM

IF YOU BUILD IT THAT 1 GUY ON MAKING AN INSTRUMENT AND SETTING SONGS FREE

DAN ENGLAND

ike Silverman knew what it would take to make it. He knew his band had a great live show, and he also knew they weren’t going to write the next “Welcome to the Jungle.” So they needed to jump into a van and live in it for a few years to build an audience. Only the guys weren’t willing to live that hard life. So he did it himself. He gave himself a name, That 1 Guy, something clever that would emphasize his solo act, and began playing gigs as a jazz bass player. Silverman had the chops for it — he began playing bass professionally when he was 16 — but he didn’t like how those first gigs sounded. As a killer musician, he had high standards, and on his own he wasn’t meeting them. Let’s face it: bass players generally don’t make a name for themselves, unless they’re Geddy Lee, Victor Wooten or Les Claypool. Moreover, playing the bass as a solo act, even if he also sang, was, he admits, “super weird.” “I was working so hard to fill this cosmic space,” Silverman tells BandWagon, “and I was playing on this thing that wasn’t meant to do that.” That’s how That 1 Guy found himself wandering down Home Depot’s aisles for a couple months, looking for the pieces to build an instrument that would help him create a big sound. He knew, sort of, what he wanted, but when he went to a professional instrument builder, he discovered he couldn’t spell it out. He would have to be the one to bring it out of his head. “It was very hard,” he said. “Some instrument builders study their whole lives to do this.” He played “10 nights a week” in San Francisco to pay bills, and as he did, he built something using mostly pipes, which he used because he had no previous building skills. It was sort of a cheat; more like putting together a puzzle than

building something from scratch. He built it over the course of a year, leading up to a gig on his birthday, which he purposely booked so as to force himself to finish it. He cleared his schedule for the last two weeks of that year and stayed up all night in order to finish construction on time. He called it, fittingly enough, The Magic Pipe. Surprisingly, it worked. “I barely remember that first gig,” Silverman said. “I played another gig two weeks later, and that one I remember well. It went a lot better.” That’s because he simply had to iron out the small details. He talks about songwriting, even to this day, the same way. His experimental recordings, including 2020’s Set the Controls for the Heart of the Buttnoggin, are an excuse to finish his ideas. Ideas he then plays with during his performances. One recent example of this is “Whale Race,” off his 2014 album Poseidon’s Deep Water Adventure Friends, inspired by the ocean. The song follows a structure, and then he improvises for 10 minutes or so in the middle of it. When fans ask him the name of the track (because it’s usually a hit live) he has to warn them that the in-concert song doesn’t really resemble the one he recorded.

“IT FEELS LIKE THE SONG, TO ME, COMES TOGETHER ABOUT A YEAR AFTER BEING OUT ON THE ROAD,” HE SAID. “YOU DISCOVER THINGS ABOUT IT.” In concert, Silverman uses some looping, but nearly all of what he plays is live on his instrument. It, and the others he created, the Magic Boot and the Magic Saw, create the orchestral sound he craved as he started out as a solo act. He loves being solo, working solo and playing solo. But the pandemic taught him something that we all may now know about ourselves. “I discovered that I like being with people more than I thought I did,” he said.

THAT 1 GUY COMES TO THE PEOPLE OF COLORADO THIS MONTH, KICKING-OFF THE COLORADO LEG OF HIS TOUR AT THE AGGIE THEATER IN FORT COLLINS ON TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 7. TICKETS AT THEAGGIETHEATER.COM, FULL TOUR DATES AND MORE AT THAT1GUY.COM 22