Spencer Zweifel
Spencer
Zweifel
Danny Bishop BandWagon Magazine
and The Life or Death Situation
Hecker? Was that a metal riff on the track “Medusa”?
Zweifel. German for “Doubt.” From the root word zwei — meaning “two.” Or, when really straining the poetics of Middle High German for the purposes of this clumsy metaphor… Zwei — meaning “dopple.”
As in “doppelganger.” A supernatural double which reflects our inner self.
Contradictions — like confronting our distorted mirror image — arise when listening to Spencer Zweifel and the Life or Death Situation. Life or death? Light or dark? Jazz or postrock? The acute technique of Dave Holland or the broad texture of Tim
The seemingly disparate puzzle pieces start to inch closer as the first sax solo of “Here’s the Situation” rumbles everything together. But don’t get comfortable! The table has flipped over from the noise, and there’s a new puzzle to solve on the floor. This one reminds us of a scifi movie from the 70’s… And then a crescendoing gust from the trumpet blows it all away before anything is solved.
Funded by a Weld County grant, and recorded at Mighty Fine Studios in Denver, Zweifel assembled an eclectic 8-piece instrumental outfit of jazz and rock specialists to make sense out of all this chaos — coalesced through a trumpet-alto-tenor frontline and a massive 5-person rhythm section. Out of the wreckage of their studio sessions comes intuitive melodies, grounded jazz harmonies, and dense soundscapes which provoke an appropriately impassioned internal argument in the listener.
Take, for example, the second track: “The Sound and the Fury”. Like the soliloquy from which the track derives its name, we finally take a breath inside our kingdom as the
music settles to a trumpet and piano duet. And then, suddenly, a symbol crash at the castle gate. Macduff is knocking on the walls, and Lady Macbeth can’t wash the blood off of her hands. We look into our reflection and opine our status to our own doppelganger, “Life’s but a walking shadow… Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury. Signifying nothing.”
Walking shadow? Sound and fury — signifying nothing? More contradictions. Another thesis statement bound in oxymoron. Zweifel explains his unique approach to composition, and why these discrepancies are best confronted in cacophony:
“I like records where the background noise has a lot to say,” Zweifel said. “The atmosphere becomes its own character. And I wanted to capture that feeling on something deeply personal.”
The approach is beautiful, technical, and evocative. Regicide
striking in perfect, metronomic time. This passion project blends technique from the classroom and execution from the heart. You could say it’s jazz for rock fans. Or rock for jazz fans. Blah, blah, blah.
No such boundaries exist on tracks like “The Zone”. Rattled from our sepia monotony, the puzzle becomes irradiated from a catastrophic meltdown inside the guitar amp. The listener blinked inside the storm of ambient particles, and the electrons disappeared in an erratic sine wave. We observed the puzzle’s contents, and another contradiction emerged… is the next track about life, death, or both at the same time?
This is all to say: There is no doubt — kein Zweifel — that jazz, rock, and fusion fans alike will appreciate the virtuosity and emotionality of Spencer Zweifel and the Life or Death Situation. And I hope to meet the twin stranger of Colorado’s most-skilled contradiction again soon.
PHOTO: GII ASTORGA
Many people, even fellow artists, told Armando Silva he’d have to leave Greeley to be successful. Instead, he found his own success with projects such as the Einstein mural in downtown Greeley. The mural not only boosted his career but also helped usher in a vibrant art scene. Nowadays, it’s hard to walk around downtown without being in eyeshot of at least one colorful piece splashed across a wall.
Now, Silva and Briana Harris, his longtime manager and solo musician who is also a member of The Burroughs, hope to create new opportunities for artists with the first WeldWalls Mural Festival. The event will feature seven artist teams working on new murals on the WeldWerks brewery campus throughout the week of Sept. 17, culminating on the 21st with a flourish, including the unveiling of the works.
Many other cities celebrate their art scenes through public art festivals, including the well-known Denver Walls Festival in the RiNo Arts District. Silva and Harris wanted to showcase Greeley’s vibrant outdoor artwork, which compares favorably not only within Colorado but across the country.
“We've both spent over a decade here, and we wanted to create something to add value back to the city,” Harris said. “I have always felt that Greeley is a great canvas to try new things.”
As proof, the city gave Harris a grant through available ARPA funds, making the event possible along with WeldWerks’ support as the site host.
The mural scene initially had growing pains, Silva said, as artists found ways to
BY DAN ENGLAND
adjust to working outside all day, including what paints to use, the best way to climb tall buildings, and the sheer physicality of being in Colorado’s intense weather, something Silva compared to roofing.
“It’s its own unique discipline,” Silva said.
But it now continues to enjoy a boom that’s lasted nearly a decade. He admits his Einstein mural “provided a spark” in Greeley, along with some of his other work, but other artists made a huge impact, such as Betony Coons. The steady growth of Greely’s art scene over the past decade was made possible by investments from key groups in the community, including the City of Greeley's public art program and the Downtown Development Authority.
“Really, it comes down to individual people putting in the work for a long time,”
Harris said.
The festival will showcase longtime local muralists such as Coons and the Al Frente Youth Collective, but will also feature outof-town guests and newer talents like Alonzo Harrison. Harrison graduated from Union Colony in 2013 and has worked as an artist for two years. He just finished his first mural for Sushi One on 10th Street, Greeley in July.
Harrison focused on fine art in acrylics, digital, and graphite before trying his first mural, learning a lot from watching YouTube videos from Denver muralists. Now, he’s eager to do more. Mural art is now big enough that it’s like nearly all other disciplines: you have to pay your dues.
“It’s tougher to find an avenue to break into it,” Harrison said. “You have to network and start in places you didn’t imagine you’d be in.
Harrison hopes to paint a design that reflects the dreams of individuals like himself. He even has guiding hands, pulling you in what he hopes is the right direction. It’s a direction Silva compares to Greeley’s own mural scene that he helped start. The point, he said, is to showcase what’s special about Greeley’s public art scene that he has remained dedicated to all this time.
“We want to bring in some friends,” Silva said, “treat them really well, and celebrate some wins.”
WELDWALLS MURAL FESTIVAL DETAILS
WeldWalls Mural Festival has announced a schedule of programming and community art activations, but it's primarily designed to create a range of accessible ways for attendees to engage with public art. The festival's main attraction will be the seven artist teams working throughout the week on their pieces, and the moments that inevitably crop up as a result. Attendees might have a chance to catch the artists at work as they sip a beer or stroll the festival grounds.
The vibe is intentional, said Briana Harris, who is co-producing the festival with muralist Armando Silva. It’s not supposed to be an art gallery, a place that can intimidate those who aren’t familiar with an art scene.
“We hope it feels more accessible,” Harris said, “especially to those who haven’t walked into a gallery before.”
While there are a variety of ways for attendees to engage with the festival - from artist talks to community mural paintingSilva says the best way to support the festival is to show up, give the artists a nod as they work, and add some life to the event.”
“Just be present,” he said.
SILVERADA
HAS THE ‘HOTTEST 90 MINUTES IN COUNTRY MUSIC’
MIKE AND THE MOONPIES HAVE REBRANDED, AND THEY’RE AT THE TOP OF THEIR
GAME
BY GABE ALLEN
After 17 years as a band, Silverada, formerly known as Mike and the Moonpies, still love the game. They’re playing dates all over the country this summer and fall. By now, the theater and dancehall circuit is a well-worn track. They know the crowds, they know the songs that will get them riled up, the songs that will bring it back down and they know what bars to party at after the encore.
“We do the hottest 90 minutes in country music,” frontman Mike Harmeier chuckled during a call with Bandwagon.
Earlier this year, the band changed its name and released a new album as Silverada. The 10-track LP may be the band’s most ambitious project yet. It draws from divergent lineages of Americana, in one moment invoking the Allman Brothers and, in the next, outlaw country.
At this point the band has a hit list of fan favorites to run through at shows. Yet, they regularly find themselves bumping old tunes out to make room for the tracks on Silverada. And people love it.
“We do pretty much every song on the record in the show now,” Harmeier said. “We have a rabid, kind of cultish, fan base. No matter what, they just like us as a band. It gives us the freedom to explore.”
This month, Silverada will return to Denver, a city they’ve been gigging at for more than a decade. Once upon a time, they were regulars at the Hi-Dive. Now, they’ve moved on to bigger rooms — they will play the Oriental Theater on Sep. 22.
Harmeier never knew he was going to be a rock star, but he always knew he was going to try. He dedicated himself to music at 10 years old and never wavered.
“I’ve done odd jobs, but I’ve never really had a real job other than this,” he told Bandwagon. “It started as a kid for me. I was just infatuated with music, and I’ve been chasing the lifestyle ever since.”
His earliest influences came to him over the airwaves of late ‘80s/ early ‘90s Texas country radio — George Strait, Clint Black and Randy Travis. As he gained skill on the guitar, he found himself gravitating toward classic rock and blues. That rich vein carried him into his early 20s, when he found work as a session player for blues bands in Austin.
In 2007, Harmeier got the itch to make an album. A collection of country ballads had been living in his head for years, and he needed
to get them out. He gathered friends and acquaintances to back him in the studio — a group that went on to become the Moonpies and now Silverada.
In addition to Harmeier, Silverada includes drummer Taylor Englert, guitarist Catlin Rutherford, bassist Omar Oyoque and steel guitarist Zachary Moulton. The quintet has been together for so long, they’re family. And, even after 17 years, they’re not tired of each other. After a long stretch of tour dates, they’ll vacation together — usually a big, families-included trip to a lake house.
“It’s just a non-stressful way to keep hanging out,” Harmeier said.
From the beginning, Harmeier found bandmates with his same, unique attitude. Music was never a side hustle, nor was it a pipe dream. It was everything.
“We’re all lifers,” he said. “There’s nowhere else to go. This is what we’re doing.”
It’s this attitude that has carried them through nearly two decades of breakneck touring (and partying) together. And it’s paying off. Silverada, the album, showcases a band with a deep mastery over the country form. The songs are earworms that touch on familiar sounds and themes with an added layer of unbridled creativity.
“I hate the way I play the blues. One four five with a minor two,” Harmeier sings on the opening track “Radio Wave.” It’s how I learned to tie my shoes and color inside the lines.”
"Radio Wave" is a perfect country anthem about wandering around the rural American west. It’s sure to please a crowd, but before the listener gets too comfortable, Silverada follows it up by coloring outside the lines — just a bit. “Anywhere but Here” covers some of the same material thematically, but it takes a left turn into a wild Allman Brothers-esque jam. It’s a chance for the band to show its formidable chops — built from nearly two decades on the road.
When Harmeier sings “I’m still livin’ on a two-lane road that takes me anywhere I want to go,” he means it.
They might have kids and a lake house, but the members of Silverada will always be a hard-touring band at heart. The kind of band that can’t resist an encore. The type of band that invites a fan onto the tour bus if they’re feeling friendly and they’ve got a bottle of liquor. The type of band that makes a home wherever they go.
NATALIE CUOMO & DAN LAMORTE MAKE WORK COUPLES LOOK GOOD
BY LANDON UNGERMAN & JARED CHANDLER
In the world of stand-up comedy, where timing is everything, Natalie Cuomo and Dan LaMorte have found the perfect rhythm— not just on stage, but in life. Fresh off their recent marriage, this dynamic duo has merged their comedic talents and personal lives, embarking on a journey that’s as unpredictable as their punchlines. As they take their newlywed status on the road with the aptly named FunnyMoon tour, Natalie and Dan are discovering that the real joke is on anyone who thinks comedy and marriage don’t mix.
Their love story is unconventional, but clearly it’s a good one. Meeting at The Stand, a renowned comedy club in New York City, Natalie and Dan quickly bonded over their shared experiences in the industry. “We both push each other to be the best versions of ourselves,” Natalie reflects, highlighting the unique dynamic they’ve cultivated both on and off the stage. Their relationship has grown stronger, not in spite of their shared career but because of it. “The road can be super lonely,” Natalie admits, “so having each other is fun because we get to explore together.” This exploration has taken them from one city to the next, where they’ve not only built their careers but also deepened their connection, leading to their recent marriage just a few months ago.
As they continue to navigate their careers as a married couple, Natalie and Dan have found that their partnership has added new layers to their comedy. The FunnyMoon Tour is a testament to their evolving relationship. The tour structure includes two long individual sets, followed by a dual, improvised segment if the crowd is “cool,” as Dan puts it. This final segment, born from the comfort and trust they’ve developed on the road together, offers something truly special to audiences. “It’s a way of making every show unique,” Dan explains. The spontaneity and realness of this shared stage time have become a highlight for their fans, who often tell them that their dynamic reminds them of their own relationships. “People will tell us that it reminds them of when they and the person they came with that night started dating, and that is really special to us,” Natalie adds.
Behind the laughs, however, lies a layer of vulnerability and support. Natalie speaks candidly about the challenges of pushing each other to be better comics, noting how discussing their sets and writing can be “very vulnerable,” but has also allowed the two to blossom on their own path in comedy. Dan speaks on the often-discouraged idea of comedians dating one another: “People always say that comics shouldn’t date each other, but when you have two people that are kind of moving in the same direction, it is productive. It’s nice to build something with your partner,” he shares. The key, they agree, is putting ego aside and supporting each other through every high and low.
The couple’s upcoming Colorado date at The Moxi Theater in Greeley on September 27th, will be nothing short of unforgettable. Natalie provides, “I’m really excited for this upcoming tour because there’s
a lot of opportunity to grow our dual set and solidify it as a one-ofa-kind set in comedy. It’s not something you really understand until you experience it, so I’m excited to share it with the world,” she says. And yes, Dan and Natalie are performers, but they understand that more than ever, crowds are searching for authenticity on stage. “People see what’s honest and what isn’t,” Dan says, “and I think it’s very important to not let the artist overshadow the human at the end of the day because the human drives the vehicle.”
With their unique blend of humor, love, and authenticity, Natalie Cuomo and Dan LaMorte are not just two comedians on tour—they are in love and redefining what it means to share both a life and a stage. As they prepare to take the stage at The Moxi Theater, fans can expect a night of laughter, spontaneity, and perhaps a glimpse into the genuine connection that drives their comedy.
