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Haunted Fest Announces Aggie Theatre Sold To Cervantes, Will Help With 2015 Lineup And Texas, Colorado Expansions Routing by Tim Wenger
The crew from Cervantes Masterpiece Ballroom closed a deal in August securing ownership of Fort Collins’ Aggie Theatre. The ownership allows the Denver-based company that also currently runs Cervantes Other Side to increase their impact in the market and up their visibility to touring artists. We spoke with co-owner Scott Merill about the deal and what it means for the company as well as the artists that they work with. CMB: Will we start seeing a lot of Cervantes’ shows routed to FoCo as well as Denver? SM: Yes that is the plan. Often times it makes sense to give a band another date in Fort Collins before or after they play Denver so we plan to do that accordingly. CMB: Do you plan on keeping the existing staff on board at the Aggie? SM: Yes, there will of course be some additions and changes but no one is losing their job unless they deserve to lose it. CMB: What interested Cervantes most in investing in Fort Collins? SM: We really love the town up here and think there is a lot of potential in the music scene. It also allows us to be able to offer bands multiple dates in different markets. Online: cervantesmasterpiece.com
Levitt Pavilion Selects Construction Contractor September 1, 2015—Following an eight-month review process, studiotrope Design Collective has been selected as the architectural firm to build Levitt Pavilion Denver, a new, stateof-the art outdoor music venue in Ruby Hill Park that will bring Denverites of all ages and backgrounds together through 50 free concerts every summer beginning in 2017. Denver was selected by the Mortimer & Mimi Levitt Foundation, a private family foundation based in Los Angeles, as the seventh city to join the national Levitt network of outdoor music venues. Influencing factors included the City of Denver’s bold vision for revitalizing Ruby Hill Park, an expansive yet underused public park located in the southwest area of the city, just minutes from downtown. The park’s accessible location to a range of diverse socio-economic groups aligns with Levitt’s mission to bring people together of all ages and background through the power of free, live music. In addition, the City had previously developed a Master Plan for Ruby Hill Park that called for the creation of an outdoor music venue, reflecting its long-term planning efforts to integrate arts and culture into its green spaces. The Levitt project gained the support of community leaders and local residents,
The Yawpers Dropping Bloodshot Records Debute, Stringing Together Tour Dates
(Columbus, OH) – Prime Social Group is pleased to announce the lineup for Haunted Fest Columbus and its expansions into the Dallas, Texas and Boulder, Colorado markets. After a wildly successful first year in Ohio, PSG is taking Haunted Fest on the road for a fantastic nationwide Halloween celebration. On Friday October 30th all 3 sister cities of the event will host some of the hottest artists touring the country today. Big bad wolves, scary monsters and nice sprites--they will have everything you need to start your spooky night off right. Haunted Fest Columbus will usher in a stellar line up for its second year and welcome for the first time in Ohio one of the world’s most popular producers, Martin Garrix. Cash Cash, SNAILS, NGHTMRE, and more will also rock the stage of Columbus’ Lausche Building in the Ohio Expo Center. Watch the recap video featuring Zeds Dead, A-Trak, Arty, and Audien to relive last year’s mayhem at hauntedfest. com. Haunted Fest Dallas boasts a fierce lineup featuring last year’s headliner Zeds Dead. Morgan Page, 4B, Cazzette and more artists will continue to be announced. This show will be co-produced with Live Nation and held at The South Side Ballroom. Haunted Fest Boulder will take place at The University of Colorado’s Balch Fieldhouse. Artist announcements for this event will begin to unfold at the end of the month. “The success of the first-ever Haunted Fest last year allowed us to bring the concept to two additional cities, as well as provide each city a diverse lineup that we feel will live up to the Haunted Fest name,” says Jordan Canada, Social Media Director for Prime Social Group. Tickets and information for each event can be found at hauntedfest.com. spurred by the Levitt Foundation’s commitment to provide $400K in seed funding for the capital campaign as well as ongoing annual operating support and resources for Friends of Levitt Pavilion Denver, the nonprofit charged with managing and programming the 50 free concerts every year. Recognizing the project’s potential to create positive social and economic impact in this area of Denver, the City committed $2 million from the Better Denver Bond Program for the construction of Levitt Pavilion Denver, an investment that will make high quality live music accessible to tens of thousands of Denverites each summer.
Denver, CO trio The Yawpers will release their Bloodshot Records debut American Man on October 30th. This is the band’s second fulllength album and third overall release. The album is available for pre-order via Bloodshot Records’ website, with album artwork and additional tour dates being added as they become available.
Four Corners Region Musicians to be Honored at Taos Mesa Brewing On October 11, local musicians from Colorado, New Mexico, and Arizona will be honored at the Independent Music Awards, taking place at Taos Mesa Brewing in El Prado, New Mexico. The event will feature live performances as well as an awards ceremony. This will be the ceremony’s third year, with over 200 artists from around the region being nominated. Last year, over 200 people attended the event and that number is expected to grow this time around.
Pavilion Denver,” said Zacher. “We are confident that studiotrope will create a beautiful, innovative and eye-catching design that will elevate the performing arts in the city for years to come.” “We’re honored to have been selected for this project,” said Joseph Montalbano, principal architect of studiotrope, a Denver-based firm. “We’ve been inspired by Levitt’s mission ever since learning about it several years ago and hope to translate this inspiration into a place of enrichment unlike anything Denver currently has to offer.
The design selection committee included representatives from Denver Public Works; Denver Parks and Recreation; and Denver City Council District 7. As Levitt Denver is a public/private partnership, Chris Zacher, executive director and ceo of Friends of Levitt Pavilion Denver; and Troy Gladwell, founder and principal of Medici Communities, a local real estate developer, also served on the committee.
Thesitebeckonsapoeticarchitecturalresponse, one that is as distinctive and diverse as the numerous artists who will perform on its stage.” The official opening of Levitt Pavilion Denver will occur during the summer of 2017, when 50+ free concerts featuring acclaimed, emerging artists to seasoned, award-winning talent in a wide range of music genres will bring joy to over 100,000 people each summer, becoming a citywide destination for the community to come together.
“Denver takes great pride in having one of the best urban park systems in America, and partnering with the Mortimer & Mimi Levitt Foundation in creating Denver’s next great concert venue is one of the best investments we can make,” said Scott Gilmore, Interim Executive Director of Denver Parks and Recreation. “studiotrope Design Collective is an artistic, cutting edge, out of the box architectural firm who we’re extremely excited to work with on Levitt
Performers will represent a range of local, national and international talent. In addition to the anchor programming of 50 free concerts, nonprofit groups across the metro area will use the state-of-the-art outdoor venue to bring additional programming to the community each year. To whet the community’s appetite for the 2017 opening, Zacher and his team will present a preview season of five free Levitt concerts during the summer of 2016 while the pavilion is under
Consequence of Sound is premiering the album’s first track, “Deacon Brody,” saying about the forthcoming album: “The result is as sweaty as it is smokey, a raucous collection of tracks that is certain to start some shit.” The Yawpers will be touring all over the place following their October 30th release date. Below is a link to and list of current dates, with many, many more to be added soon. TOUR DATES: Sept. 5- Mammoth Lakes, CA Sept. 6- Carson City, NV Nov. 6- Flagstaff, AZ Nov. 10- San Francisco, CA Nov. 11- Medford, OR Nov. 15- Seattle, WA Nov. 19- Salt Lake City, UT Nov. 20- Fort Collins, CO Nov. 21- Denver, CO
construction, at a location to be determined. “We appreciate the dedication of the committee in selecting a design firm that will capture the energy of the Levitt mission, creating an environment where all feel welcome,” said Liz Levitt Hirsch, president of the Mortimer & Mimi Levitt Foundation. Added Montalbano, “At this location, under the large Colorado sky, as part of a larger master plan, Levitt Denver can become more than performances on a stage. It has the potential to invigorate, stimulate, and strengthen a community, both locally and regionally. We are honored to be a part of such an endeavor.” Learn more about Levitt Pavilion Denver at http://levittdenver.org and the Mortimer & Mimi Levitt Foundation at http://levitt.org
UP-TO-THE-MINUTE NEWS AT COLORADOMUSICBUZZ.COM
SEPTEMBER 2015 | ColoradoMusicBuzz.com
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The Dirt Underneath Mike Cooley of the Drive By Truckers photos and words by Luca Montana
Nearly 30 years ago within the city lines of Muscle Shoals, two close friends from the great state of Alabama, Patterson Hood and Mike Cooley formed a band called “Adam’s House Cat”. Ambitious yet very young their tenor with Adam’s House Cat was short lived and Hood and Cooley went their separate ways only to revisit with each other 10 years later to form a new band – “The Drive By Truckers”. With age came wisdom and the birth of the Drive By Truckers yielded an emergence of a great southern rock n roll band for the ages. Nearly two decades have past since the band formed, and within that time The Drive By Truckers have released a dozen studio albums, remained dedicated to constant touring and will be celebrating their 20th Anniversary in 2016. Currently the Truckers are on their “Dirt Underneath Tour” with a theme to present their songs with acoustic instruments. Every day the Truckers are moving from one city to the next and recently one of the founding fathers of the DBT takes time out for an interview with an old acquaintance from Alabama, Luca Montana, who digs to get the dirt…underneath…Mike Cooley. Luca Montana: Hi Mike – it’s great to see you after so many years. Mike Cooley: reconnect!
Yea.
Great
to
Luca: Mike since 1996 you have recorded nearly 40 songs with the Drive By Truckers that you wrote and with the most amount of songs being released through your 7th album “BRIGHTER THAN CREATIONS DARK”. However, in 2006 you released 2 songs on the record before the “BRIGHTER” album – can you give us a little background in how an album is structured with the D-B-T? Did you and Patterson agree to bring in songs to the table at an agreed time or was there a quota system that you both would try to reach with respect to writing and recording songs for each upcoming album? Mike Cooley: No, we usually at some point will both have several songs written. We send them back and forth to each other and then when we decide its right we book studio time. I mean it’s really very informal…very simple…there is no deadlines for making records or anything like that. LucaMontana:TheDriveByTruckers have been consistently consistent in releasing new material, on average every 2 years or so. Is this consistency done independently as a band or is there a little push and nudge by your record label? Mike Cooley: In the past, your contracts would require an album in so many years or whatever but we don’t have that anymore that’s not really the case. Right now we are going longer than 2 years in between records we are
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not really in any hurry to churn another one out just yet. Luca Montana: Is there more pressure with being with the powerhouse label ATO to output more DBT magic in producing songs with adding more layers? For example: your song about billiards “SHIT SHOT COUNTS” has a brass section and the sound and tone of the song has captured a sense of being timeless. Was this song – for example – more weighted with direction coming from ATO or the labels producer? Mike Cooley: No not at all. The songs are our things… completely us. Luca Montana: Mike, back when we first met in 1994, you and I were playing music and you actually taught me the importance of always recording a jam and even practice s e s s i o n s because you said “It’s always important to record because there’s always a few seconds somewhere in the tape that has gold and those few seconds can help to better develop and create songs.” Do you still do these raw recordings when sitting down with your guitar to hash out new songs? Mike Cooley: I use iphones now or ipad. I use simple stuff like that. Yea, I do. If something is sounding good to me I make a little quick tape of it and I go back through and archive that stuff. Write down a line when it pops into my head. So there is a running inventory of little stuff…bits and pieces that may or may not make it into a song. Most wont (laughing).
recorded three nights at the Fillmore at the end of last year and its got live versions of a few songs from every album. It’s a good history of the band. It’s like a lotta the live favorites; things that have taken on new lives of their own over the years as we have played them live. Things that are a lot better now than when we recorded them. So yea that’s gonna be about a 5 record set, maybe 3 CD’s. It’s pretty big – we have a lotta material in there. Luca Montana: This tour you are on “The Dirt Underneath” – it’s theme is more stripped down, grass roots playing Drive By Trucker songs that would be considered in the old days “B Sides” or songs that have NOT really been played too often – pulling The Stones into the mix; for example; they did not play “Dear Doctor” too much but for die-hard fans it’s a rare song that is really appreciated when it’s played. Can you list the top 5 songs that’s been “The Dirt Underneath” the Drive By Truckers? Mike Cooley: A lot of these songs don’t always work in the electric show, that’s really the thing some are a little quieter. Some of the more folk sounding stuff, some of the stuff that’s more acoustic base to begin with for instance with my stuff would be the songs: “Pulaski”, “Check Out Time in Vegas” and “Loaded Gun In the Closet” and then some of Patterson’s would be maybe songs like
“Little Bonnie” and things like that you don’t really hear and that I’d have to go back with and relearn….It’s great to go Google your own lyrics…(laughs out loud)…I do it a lot. Luca Montana: I’m going to throw you a curve ball now and ask you if you and Patterson follow the business side to The Drive By Truckers in terms of knowing which states and markets have been the most supportive to the Drive By Truckers? I asked this question to a member of the Allman Brothers Band years ago and he said that BOSTON was their largest market. So I’m just curious. Mike Cooley: That wouldn’t be ours (laughs). We would play Boston. Actually, we have always done better in the cities. New York, Chicago, Minneapolis and out here on the West Coast, the northwest is a little better than Southern California. We do really well in San Francisco, Portland and Seattle. But yea; both coasts it’s the bigger cities, the bigger markets. Luca Montana: You have an interesting piece of Mike Cooley merchandise that I’d seen with the Dali Lama – Can you tell me the story about that? Mike Cooley: (Laughs) – You know how many stories that start out with ‘…I was drink’n and came up with this idea…’? (laughs). We were on the road and the Dali Lama came to Birmingham and this theatre company my son is in, they were supposed to sing there and I couldn’t go. I wanted to be there and I started just joking around about doing the fan boy – ‘Let me take a picture with you man’ thing with the Dali Lama, you know. And it grew into ‘Hey let’s make it!’ (laughs). My wife found a picture of the Dali Lama and I just did a pose in a hotel room you know like fan boys would do with me or Rick Flair or whoever they are meeting for the first time and we just photo-shopped it. Great shirt (laughs)!
Luca Montana: Since you have your 20th Anniversary coming up with the band and next year will be the 2 year marker after the release of ENGLISH OCEANS – can you share any news with fans on if there is talk of a boxed set being released or a new album in the works? Mike Cooley: We are going to release a live record later this year. Probably early fall, something like that. We
September 2015 | ColoradoMusicBuzz.com
Luca Montana: Do you follow SEC (college) Football? Mike Cooley: Not so much…not so much anymore. Luca Montana: Okay but if you could name your 2nd favorite SEC team who would it be? Mike Cooley: It kind of bugged me that Missouri was in the SEC because I’ve seen a map. When I first heard the headline: ‘First openly gay…college football player’ and I’m going ‘Please let it be Alabama. Please! Please let it be Alabama’. I don’t care. I just wanted to listen to Sports Talk Radio every day for a week if it were Alabama or Auburn. Either one would be great but it was Missouri so now that the first openly gay football player was actually from the SEC I don’t have a problem with Missouri being in the SEC. Luca Montana: Let’s talk trucks here…are you a Ford or Chevy kind of guy? Mike Cooley: I drive imports man…I piss everybody off (laughs) Luca Montana: What’s your favorite place to hang out in Birmingham? Mike Cooley: Birmingham is getting really cool like the Avondale area is really popping up. There is a new place opening up called “Saturn”. Patterson’s got a solo show coming up there pretty soon. That will be the first time I’ll check this place out. There’s a lot of good stuff happening there. Luca Montana: I don’t know if you know but when we were at Auburn (Alabama) we had a place called “The War Eagle Super Club” which is now closing down at the end of this year. Mike Cooley: Really? Wow?
Luca Montana: I was curious if you are going to play a show there before it closes? Mike Cooley: Probably not. Patterson and I did a show there. It was supposed to be out in Waverly (AL) at Standard Deluxe but it was a couple of summers ago and it rained every day for the entire summer and it got moved to The Super Club so I did play there fairly recently. Luca Montana: What’s your #1 Axe (guitar) you use when you are recording? Mike Cooley: The ones I use mostly are made by Scott Baxendale and he’s based in Athens (Georgia) and I got to know him when he was in Denver. My main electric is one that he built that is a takeoff of a telecaster body.
behind some of their songs. The Drive By Truckers will be on tour for the remainder of 2015 showcasing acoustic sets with their “Dirt Underneath Tour”. About Luca Montana Luca Montana is a singer songwriter from Jacksonville, Florida who has lived in Alabama and Georgia and moved out west to pursue a career in music and entertainment. Luca has contributed photography and features on Southern Rock and Folk Rock artists and performers such as The Allman Brothers Band, The Black Crowes, Dave Matthews, Colonel Bruce Hampton and many other acts. Social: https://plus.google.com/ +LucaMontana7/posts Links:
Luca Montana: I read about him. I didn’t know you use all guitars that are made by him.
Drive By Truckers: http://www. drivebytruckers.com/ Mike Cooley & Dali Lama T-Shirts: https://
Mike Cooley: Pretty much. I have a couple I have for fun but on this tour I have 2 acoustics that were built by him.
www.facebook.com/cooleymusic
Luca Montana: Before you got into the custom guitars between Taylor and Martin – just for fans out there – which guitar would you be more leaning towards if you were to use one – a Taylor or a Martin? Mike Cooley: Probably a Martin. Luca Montana: That’s all the time I have Mike – great to see you after so many moons and thanks for your time! Mike Cooley: You too. No problem. The Drive By Truckers keep packing and growing their audience and fan base with a unique style of switch hitting singers between Mike Cooley and Patterson Hood. Their songs are southern rock based however, very unique in terms of how elaborate some stories are
September 2015 | ColoradoMusicBuzz.com
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Drabkin Releasing Second Live Album, Drops Video
right outside the Bluebird Theater in Denver.
Rob Drabkin just dropped a video for his new track “Hope In A Hopeless World.” In the video, a small sickly cloud seeks out a little girl who discovers music is the only way to help it heal and return to the sky. To explain it in more depth, here’s the man himself-
RD: Live, Vol II is just days away from the release! This is our second live album of what hopes to be a long series to come. These recordings turned out fantastic! It was so much fun to hear the band’s chemistry develop and take the songs to new places. The album has 15 songs consisting of new and unheard to a few oldies and a few covers as well. We’ll line up the release to coincide w/ tour dates of course and radio visits around the country.
CMB: What are your fall plans?
CMB: Tell us about the process of making the video. RD: We needed a character with a smile to light up a room. The old man in the video ‘Wayne Alm’ is a friend of the video director, Xiren, (based in Huntington Beach/ Los Angeles area). Wayne was just the perfect character and transitioned from melancholy to overwhelming happiness perfectly. His smile at the end is just so expressive and contagious. The director and I mulled over ideas and landed on the discovery a childhood relic / time capsule. The chorus “I’ve seen good times turn into bad times” felt more believable coming from someone wise and experienced. An old man felt perfect. The video was shot around Huntington Beach, CA at an old victorian house and a private beach in the area. We bribed a bus driver to drive around without picking up any other passengers and there is one second scene (my only appearance in the video) that was shot in Colfax
SoundAwake Will Keep You Wide Awake by Charlie Sullivan
Heavy metal gurus SoundAwake have been jamming on the local circuit for the past 4 years. The last year has seen some significant personnel shake-ups within the bands ranks and all and all for the better. Chris Bartch (guitar, vocals) and Chris Lycan (drums) are the lone hold outs from the original line-up. About a year ago they lost their lead guitarist and bass player and they were soon joined by Kirk Baumgard (lead guitar) and Jason Yoder (bass, vocals, this guy works his ass off). With the new line-up set the band started taking things a little more seriously and started working on some original material. The crew suddenly found themselves in dire straits when their vocalist bailed and found themselves in the grim position of auditioning vocalists. In walked Kirk Young (vocals) former front man for Pressure Point and the auditions stopped. “We knew Kirk was a great fit the moment we heard him,” says Lycan.
CMB: What are your favorite gigs to play? I know you do a lot of private party stuff, indie rado tours, and a lot more in addition to bar and club gigs, but what really gets you pumped up? RD: Honestly, just about everything gets me pumped up in the music business. It really does! I’ve learned to love and cope with what feels like every aspect of music, including the business. There really is no better feeling than finishing a new song. That hasn’t changed a bit. Finishing a song just feels so good! Possibilities are endless after that. CMB: Where can we find your music online? RD: robdrabkin.com was different, he sings, you can understand everything he’s saying, people can pick up on the lyrics,” says Lycan. I sat in on a recent rehearsal and was blown away at how good these guys sound; straight ahead good old loud heavy metal and they rock the hell of it! The quality of the music the band is writing is stunning. At no time during the brief set I sat in on did the music become monotonous; the sound just kept getting more powerful as they started to find their groove. Baumgard lays down some killer lead runs on all of the songs while Bartch keeps the licks rolling and Yoder and Lycan carry a pounding rhythm that drives the sound. The lads are tight and their dedication to their craft shows on all of the pieces.
Head Injures Living The Tour Life by Tim Wenger
Fort Collins punk rockers Head Injuries recently released their second full-length album Bail, recorded at legendary The Blasting Room in their hometown. Since then, the four piece has spent as much time as possible touring the hell out of the record, and will be returning to the west coast this fall. We caught up with the group to pick their brains on touring, skating, and what they add to the mix to keep their music fresh. CMB: How was the writing and recording process different on this record than on your previous two efforts? HI: With Bail, we really tried stretching our limits and seeing what we could say and do with simple Punk Rock songs. CMB: Pop-punk is a genre that has been stretched many different ways over the last twenty years. In your opinion, what are you guys doing to add your own flavor to the mix? HI: We believe that we stay true to our roots by keeping both genres Pop and Punk very prominent in our writing, while always trying to create unique structures to our music. CMB: You guys are heading west this fall for tour, are you playing a lot of new markets? Are the tours getting easier to book and orchestrate now that you have some under your belt or is the planning process still a material from becoming a frenzy of noise. From the pop/metal laced “Tic Toc” to the heavy grinding sonic guitar assault of “Gotchyu” the lads keep pouring killer contemporary metal on the listeners. Young’s lyrics are poetry in motion the man just calls it like it is. The crew also laid down a metalized version of The Cars “Moving In Stereo” that they flat out owned. The band is also turning heads with national acts having had the opportunity to open for Dokken a few weeks back and Lizzie Borden to name a few. They’ll also be opening for Riot on September 25 at the
HI: We have had a resources and ability this year to play many new markets, which is huge for a band of our stature you always have to be playing to new people and keeping the one’s you’ve stoked, always stoked. And, I guess you get out what you put in. I don’t think that will ever change with planning tours. There’s always a crazy amount of things we have to get prepared, but you’re doing it for something you love so it doesn’t really feel like work. CMB: Any plans for music videos off this record? HI: We are in the works for a couple things of that nature right now, yes. Once we get a second from touring we will be getting those cameras rolling. CMB: Do you guys hit a lot of skateparks on the road? HI: If there’s an extra hour and a skate park nearby, we’re there. Favorites so far would have to be, Skatopia, Washington Street, and Burnside. CMB: What have you found is the best number of shows to play in your hometown of Fort Collins each year without burning out your base? HI: It’s tough to say, but if you do one every 4 months or so, anticipation stays up. CMB: Have you felt pressure at all to move to Denver or another larger city? HI: Nah. CMB: Best place to grab the new record? Headinjuries.bandcamp.com Buffalo Rose. After the shows fans want to know when the bands next show is, they’re digging these guys. SoundAwake plays it hard and heavy and you’re going to want to catch them locally before they become a staple on the national circuit; they’re that good. “Heavy metal and mullets it’s how we were raised. Maiden and Priest were the gods that we praised.”
“I’ve liked all the guys I’ve jammed with over the years,” says Young, “But this band is special, we’re playing some great, great music and everyone is keeping it cool.”
“There was something about his attitude, the way he carried himself, he was serious about the music,” adds Bartch.
During the interview the band let it be known that their already laying down some tracks in the studio and hope to have some of the music available after the first of the year. “We have Kurt Murphy with DOA Entertainment helping us out with some of the recordings,” says Young, “We have twelve originals in the works.”
“Our last vocalist was a screamer, but Kirk
The band has an innate ability to keep the
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headache?
September 2015 | ColoradoMusicBuzz.com
Buried Realm Debut New Video editor@coloradomusicbuzz.com
Rachel & The Ruckus Drop New Single, Look Towards Touring
by Tim Wenger
Rachel and The Ruckus is name gaining ever more familiarity around the Denver scene. With a catchy blend of bluesy rock and an emotionally stimulating soul feel, the band has watched one live performance lead to another over the last four years and look to spend a good amount of time on the road in 2016. The group’s new single, “Bounce,” is currently being promoted off their recent self-titled release. CMB caught up with singer Rachel Alena to get the lowdown on the single and how t CMB: Let’s hear about the new single “Bounce.” RA: “Bounce” was written about twelve years ago by my drummer (Kyle Comerford) and guitar player (Alec Sims). They wrote it and then it just kind of sat in their archives. We have been playing it at our shows for the last four years and everywhere we play, where it’s a country place or a blues place, people are dancing. So we thought, people love that song, we should probably do something with it. They really wrote it about how, especially in the music industry, people always tell you you’re going to fail. Even if they don’t say it to your face, that’s just what people think because it’s such a hard industry. So they wrote it about how you’ve just got to bounce back and be resilient. CMB: How did you come to be as you are with your current lineup? RA: I was singing in a front range band called Girls On Top and I met Alec Sims. I gave him a cd of some originals of mine and told him I wanted to start a band. He was like ‘I’m game’ so he became my partner. But he said ‘If we’re going to have a band, then we have to meet up with this guy Kyle (Cumerford)’ who was a drummer friend of his that he had been playing with forever. So we brought him in. Then we started looking for bass players and we went through a couple before we found Vinny Carmellini, who is from Cleveland. CMB: So when you guys are looking for gigs, what is the ideal situation for your band? RA: Well, right now, we have actually been picked to go showcase at the Rocky Mountain Association of Fairs in Utah. What that is is its buyers from twelve states plus two provinces in
Canada and they look at the bands and look to see where they are going to place you as far as doing festivals and touring and opening for some larger acts. We’re super excited about that. It’s on November 13. So that has sort of changed the game a little bit for us and we’re kind of looking towards doing some touring. CMB: Let’s talk about you a little bit. Are you a native? RA: I’ve lived here for fifteen years. I’m from Los Angeles originally. My dad was a guitar player so I grew up with music and my parents were in a band my whole life. I was a session singer in Los Angeles and then went on the road and met my husband, and he’s from here, so that’s how I wound up here. CMB: Did you ever think about going a different direction? Kind of get away from what the parents were doing? RA: I knew this was what I wanted to do from when I was young, and my first session singing job was when I was 14. So I was heading this direction very young, but then I went on the road and I quit for about twelve years. I just wanted to get an education, I went and got a Business degree, went and got jobs and had kids and wanted to see what it was like to be normal and not be a musician. I did that for a period of time and then I woke up one day and I was like, ‘ I miss myself.’ That’s who I was from the time I was small. I was hiking with a girlfriend of mine, this was year’s ago, and I was telling her, ‘I just feel lonely for myself’ and she’s like ‘you’re a singer, you’re a musician, that’s who you are and if you don’t do that than you’re not doing what you’re supposed to do.’ CMB: What else do people need to know about Rachel and the Ruckus? RA: We’re a team. We’ve all been playing forever. We love fans, we love connecting, that’s really what we’re interested in. We want to connect with people and help them to have a good time and maybe to feel an emotion that they haven’t felt in a while. Online: rachelandtheruckus.com
Colorado Springs oneman super show Buried Realm just dropped a new video for his track “Through These Darkened Halls,” with plans for an upcoming EP and additional song releases along the way. CMB caught up with the man of the hour Joshua Dummer to get the latest. CMB: Tell us about the process of making the video. JD: I wanted to display the artwork designed by Daniel McBride. The video was created by Scott Rudd of SR.Film. He’s done several videos for other projects of mine making it easy to work with him. CMB: What are your fall plans?
the EP and releasing another track in October. CMB: What is your place in the Colorado music scene? JD: I started out playing guitar in a band called Frozen Eternity in 2007. Played across the state for many years and was fortunate to have shared the stage with Static X, In This Moment, Mushroom Head, Protest The Hero, Revocation… I’ve met a lot of people/ musicians by doing so. Colorado is full of talent. CMB: Where can we find your music online? JD: buriedrealm.bandcamp.com The EP ‘The Ichor Carcinoma’ will be available through iTunes and Amazon early next year.
JD: Wrapping up the final stages of
Divide Zero’s Ty Lord Breaks Into Solo Career by Tim Wenger
Divide Zero was a band very similar to Jack Flash: Here in an instant, garnering attention, stealing looks from the ladies, and kicking some major ass- then poof, vanished, leaving the starry-eyed masses to wonder when (and even if) they’ll make their next heart-wrenching appearance. The band’s pop-punk fury crashed head-on with hard rock guitar licks and the effervescent on-stage personality of front man Ty Lord, who at age 19 has already amassed the accomplishments of many musicians years beyond his age. Now, with the band standing back in the shadows, Lord has re-emerged as an acoustic powerhouse seeking to prove himself worthy of the same instantaneous respect. His acoustic style is punk-ish- think that old Saves The Day acoustic record mixed with even more pop- the big difference being that it is actually good. In effort to capture the moment, I forcefully secluded Lord and his father in an office deep in the depths of Herman’s Hideaway prior to his first solo gig to get the kid’s thoughts on where this all might lead. CMB: No Divide Zero right now huh? Let’s get the back story on your solo music and how it evolved. TL: April of 2014, so April of last year, I started playing acoustic just because I kinda wanted to try something different. As time went on, I kind of did that a little bit more, Divide Zero is on a little bit of a hiatus right now, so it was like everyone’s doing their own thing and I didn’t really want to do anything else. The cool thing about it is that some of the songs I play are Divide Zero songs and some of the songs I play are new stuff I wrote on the fly. I play some old stuff and some new stuff to please the people that were here for Divide Zero but I also play stuff for me, that was never played in the band. CMB: Have you been doing gigs
for a while? How have they been going? TL: It’s weird because I was playing acoustic with another guy as a duo last summer, until about October, and then he was like ‘I want to go do my own thing’ so I’ve just worked really hard on my own stuff. Worked really hard to be good and present. CMB: You’ve got a long career ahead of you, right? TL: Haha, yeah, we’re hoping. Father: He’s got a few years behind him! CMB: What’s pops role in all this? Were you pushing him to play guitar back in the day? Father: Yeah. TL: When I was growing up, music was the big thing in the household. My mom listened to a lot of pop and my dad listened to a lot of metal, so I kind of combined the two and made the punk thing All my life, he’s like ‘You’ve got the best fingers, you’ve got super long fingers, you could totally play guitar.’ I started playing bass because everyone plays guitar, then I started playing guitar a little more. Once you learn to play bass, I think you kind of learn to play guitar soon after. CMB: So what’s the plan then? Are you going to try and record? Or just keep playing gigs and see what happens? TL: Right now the goal is to play what I get offered and get my name out there more. People know who I am because of Divide Zero but I need to get my name out there more, so my goal is to play acoustically and I’m working on an EP right now. I just recorded my first demo yesterday. The thing is, no one knows who you are until you really put yourself out there.
September 2015 | ColoradoMusicBuzz.com
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Kerry Pastine & The Crime SceneLet’s Do This Thing
by Thom Jackson
You’d be hardpressed to find a genre of music who’s culture is more of a cornucopia than rockabilly. The style draws both fans and influence from everything from punk rockers to honky-tonkin’ cowboys, and while the traditional style has been around the block for over a half-century now, there are bands still like Kerry Pastine & The Crime Scene reaching into every crevasse to bring out new and exciting takes on the music. Let’s Do This Thing, the new record from The Crime Scene and their second is as many years, is a collection of danceable numbers that takes listeners through smoky saloon halls and motorcycle rides on an emotional, heart-wrenching journey. Thirteen songs touch heavily on love, the album clocks in a bit uptempo from the most traditional rockabilly- a good thing if you ask me, because I like to dance.
Bloodstrike- In Death We Rot
Kind Dub- Weed The People
by Tim Wenger
Kind Dub might be the most versatile group around. Under their umbrella, they have a clothing line, snowboards, skateboards, music, and moreand their new record Weed The People (how Colorado appropriate) is truly upping the bar as far as electronic hip-hop in Colorado. The music is trancy but remains relatable even to those not accustomed to the electronic style. Their lyrics reflect positive progression and a party-friendly lifestyle- and I’m not gonna lie, I’d be disappointed if it didn’t given how hard these guys push Colorado in their image. The group does a good job of sourcing unique and diverse beats- each song I have heard from these guys is very different but when the lyrics kick in, the Kind Dub trademark stamp is added. A solid listen that has me in the mood to light a blunt and kick back.
by Thom Jackson Not every day does the Denver scene get a good take on death metal. It often seems too diluted. Not this time. Bloodstrike put out their debut record In Death We Rot in August and it is sure to have even non-metalheads grooving. Rapid-fire drum beats, ripping guitar lines and demonic vocals dominate a record that never gives its listeners a chance to come up for air- which is a good thing when listening to metal. The guitar work caught my attention- instead of just throwing show-off leads every which way, Bloodstrike moves through their songs as a cohesive unit, which definitely comes off as more professional. The album is a solid listen. Online: bloodstrikemetal.com
Online: facebook.com/KindDub
Online: thecrimescene.bandcamp.com Megan Burtt- The Bargain
by Tim Wenger
Megan Burtt just keeps on pushing the envelope. In 2013, she dropped a record that showcased her style coerced with that of many of Colorado’s top artists, and now in 2015, her new album The Bargain demonstrates her ability to not only focus on, but evolve and grow, her own style. The record is an easy-listening classic – filled with catchy pop hooks and the soothing, soulfilled voice. She demonstrates beyond any doubt her ability to bring together genres from across the pop spectrum and couple the music with heartfelt, honest lyricism. After listening to her last two releases over and over, we are very excited to follow Burtt’s journey as she continues to grow on a national level. -The Bargain drops on August 25. Online: meganburtt.com Izcalli- Izcalli III
by Tim Wenger
Let’s put it bluntly here- Izcalli is the freshest thing to happen in Denver’s indie rock scene in the last two years. I’ve been working on my Spanish lately, and the group’s new record Izcalli III is now to going to be on repeat in my car while I memorize the lyrics and jam to the album’s Latin-tinged Altrock riffage. Showcasing some of the scene’s strongest lead guitar work and hard hitting power chord-heavy chorus hooks, Izcalli has with this release stamped their style hard into Denver’s musical patchwork. I even pulled out some ska-punk influence on the track “esa forma de vivir,” which as all who know me know, is right up my alley.
System of a Down, Tenacious D Play Rare Sets at Riot Fest & Rodeo in Denver Aug 28-30 Both Bands Put on Unforgettable Show For Longtime Fans
by Tim Wenger
by Tim Wenger
For a few moments there, I thought we had all been duped. Were they really going to be that boring? That predictable? Jack Black and Kyle Gass, along with their backup musicians, took the stage as the notorious comedy rockers Tenacious D on the final night of Riot Fest and opened up with what is possibly their most well-known song, “Tribute.” They segued into a few more songs, leaving me wondering when we’d get to see the theatrics and quirky one liners that Black has made the band famous for.
I didn’t realize that I know the words to just about every System of a Down song. I never really considered myself much of a fan, they were always just a band that my quasi-metal/grunge stoner friends listened to in the car back in high school and college, that I respected because of the conscious lyrics that fit with the anti-Bush rhetoric of that time, (and because it was better than most of the other stuff they listened to). But holy crap. That was hands down, far and away the best live performance I have ever seen in my entire life. There is more talent in that band than the rest of Riot Fest put together. They needed no stage props, no gimmicks, no jokes, no calls for the crowd to liven up.
It came, though, and hit as hard as expected. After announcing that the band had fulfilled it’s ‘contractual obligations’ by playing older material (such as Tribute), Black led the show into a solid three to five minutes of smooth jazz, claiming that the band had grown past their old work and that this was their focus now. The crowd erupted in laughter. I did find myself thinking that I wouldn’t be surprised if Black kept this going for about 45 minutes and then walked off the stage. The irony would just be too much. That didn’t happen, though, and as the mile high pot smoke clouded the view of the stage, the band continued blasting through their wellknown comedic classicsand finished the set with “Fuck Her Gently” as the crowd sang along, at a whisper when necessary, enjoying what for most will be a once in a lifetime opportunity.
I looked around me at one point during the set and saw multiple people on the brink of tears, some had clearly already passed that point. Whatever people paid for a ticket to Riot Fest, that set alone was worth it. If you missed last night, what you missed was a life experience. The guy that was standing behind us was screaming so loud that I could could almost pick out the moment when he started losing his voice. He obviously had, like thousands of other people there, been waiting for years to see that band. I imagine the only comparable live experience would be Rage Against The Machine. I’ve never been compelled to wake up and write a show review on Facebook before but that was really something special, must have meant so much to their longtime fans.
Online: izcallirock.com
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September 2015 | ColoradoMusicBuzz.com
The Manager’s Corner by Chris Daniels
I’ve managed my own band for 31 years and I’m in the Colorado Music Hall of Fame. All that’s nice - but today’s music business is changing at light-speed and you have to be more engaged in the ‘biz’ than ever. Some things have not changed, careers are built on some tried and true elements: great music, performance and timing. But today’s artists must work harder than ever to succeed. The good news is that we have new tools to help young musicians grow their fan base. The book I wrote for the course I teach at CU Denver on artist management is called “DIY: You’re Not in it Alone.” While you are ultimately responsible for your own career, these days it’s essential to make the most of all the outlets and good people that you encounter along the way. So, you get to the gig and you are managing your own band. You are starting to make a little money but not enough to have a sound person with you all the time. And it becomes clear that the sound person at the gig doesn’t give a shit. There are a lot of telltale signs for this. First is the attitude…the “I’ve seen it all” attitude that greets your simple questions with either condescension or contempt. It can get worse and often does. The engineer sets up a bad mix and then leaves the sound booth or they just sit there – missing the solos, burying the vocals and often times completely misunderstanding the music and ruining the sound for the fans. And the worst part of this scenario is that you can often see this train wreck coming. Now, most sound engineers are energetic, kind and committed individuals who love their work. They are as important as any member of your band. But when they suck you are in for a rough night and your fans will let you know how bad it sounded. Here are some tips to lower the odds of having this situation happen to you and your fans. DIY artists often don’t have a lot of power in these situations. You are literally at the mercy of a sound person’s indifference, their lack of knowledge about the kind of music you play and how your particular act needs to be mixed. But there are things that can mitigate the problem. They boil down to preparation; having a sound-check “designated driver” in the band; and having your fans help in limited ways. Most important of all – “Kill em with kindness.” A lot of talented sound people have a difficult reality – mixing up to 20 bands per week. And it’s pretty easy to get jaded. And they deal with some real asshole musicians too. So if you can adopt that “kill em with kindness” attitude towards sound people, it can help. Here are some additional tips that might help. Preparation: Hard as it is to believe – I’ve heard from sound people in venues in the US and Europe that young bands don’t have a stage plot and input list. This is the essential basic. You don’t need a fancy graphics program and can literally create the basics in a word program. But it’s best to do it in an application that’s designed for the job. There are free and low cost programs that make this easy. Some examples are at stageplot.com and bosstweedbackline.com. Additional information: add tips that help the sound person and stage crew do their job. If your drummer plays left-handed the stage crew
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needs to know ahead of time. If you only need vocals in your monitors you can speed things along by putting that in your stage plot notes. Any specific “style” mix tips you can put in are really helpful. If you have a musical reference – put that in the notes. “We sound like “Tower of Power” so please don’t bury the horn section – they should be out front.” Or something like “our vocals are the most important part of our sound.” And I also always ask the sound person at a multiple band show to “please zero the board” because it is a helpful reminder that the last band’s settings, with the bass guitar blasting through everybody’s wedge, is not going to work for you. It can piss off some sound people when you say it…but it really will help the sound check go faster. Good sound people will appreciate any info they can get about your act - and the “I don’t give a shit” sound person will not have even read it – but you can reference it as you deal with that SOB. ADVANCE THE SHOW: That means at least a week before the show you should contact the sound person to make sure he/she got your stage plot and if they have any questions. Advancing the show will let you know if there are backline situations that should be solved before you get to the gig, find out when they want your band there plus you make that important contact that helps move you past the “I don’t give a shit” attitude stumbling block. SIMPLIFY YOUR GEAR! I have watched bands bring a 12-piece double-kick drum set to a show with four bands on the bill where each act gets 30 minutes max for their set with a 10-minute change over. That is insanity. You are not Mick flippin Fleetwood!!!
“classroom mode” for sound check. “Raise your hand if your want snare in your monitor.” That works – but not very well. If you have a sound person with that as their template – try and eliminate the things nobody wants first. The designated driver says, “Hey, I hope this is helpful but none of us need trumpet in our wedge except the trumpet player.” Your designated driver should know enough about sound and mixing to advance the show with the venue or the sound people and to be able to detect a “classroom” model and work with it. Fans (social media can help): This is tricky and controversial. Sound people, as a general rule, tend to think of the guy (it’s usually a guy) who says, “hey man turn up the fuckin’ lead guitar” - as the enemy. Giving mix suggestions must be done in a way that (a) engages your fans and (b) doesn’t totally piss off every venue you play – it is a very fine line. So here is how you do it. First you ask your fans about their skill and knowledge about live sound engineering. (Note the “live” in that sentence – this is not the lovable nerd in the basement with his Ableton program – this is a question to find qualified folks who know live mixing.) Second, you invite them – get them a free ticket and a beer – whatever – to the show. If you trust them, you need to personally introduce them to the sound person BEFORE the evening starts. There is often a lot of chaos and so you’ll need to find a quiet moment to say something like, “This is
Indigenous Robot Offer Advice on Touring by Tim Wenger
IN-EAR SYSTEMS. If you are bringing in an in-ear system to interface with the house PA and you have never done it before in that particular room – YOU HAVE TO ADVANCE THE SHOW!! Most good sound people can accommodate this new trend but they need to know ahead of time. They need to explain their system to you. They need to find out what your system is. And the two of you have to figure out how the interface is going to work before you hit the 10-minute change over. Preparation is the key element.
Denver psych-rockers Indigenous Robot have done quite a bit for an independent band. They have been to Japan, as well as around this country and are constantly working to engage their audience and increase their reach. The group’s latest effort is a video for the song “In A Dream,” which the band explains below as well as sharing some insight on how they pull it all together to hit road and why, contrary to what the Canadian philosophical mastermind Avril Lavigne has publicly wondered, it doesn’t have to be so complicated.
DESIGNATE A DRIVER. Sound check and the eventual show mix are not a committee function. You need to establish a “go-to” person on stage who will run the sound check for the band. That does not mean that each band member will not have a say. It means that the sound person knows who to direct their questions to - so things can move fast. Some sound engineers are really aggressive about the way they run sound check. Some will insist on spending all 10 minutes of the sound check on the drum set…sad but true. And some don’t give a shit and no matter how nicely you ask that you not have screaming lead guitar in your drum-mix – you will have to deal with it all flippin night. But there are rules: (1) simplify your monitor mix requirements. If you can get it so that what you need in your wedge is simple (just my voice) – and it can be written on your stage plot – and you can get that info to the sound person – you’ll have a good night every time you play. Think about it – you are standing on stage with a snare drum that is 110db without a mic. Do you really need that blasting through your wedge too? OK, maybe if you are the bass player – but do you need that if you are the fiddle player? If you have a designated driver – the whole process goes faster because the sound tech knows who to talk to.
CMB: Tell us about the process of making the video.
CLASSROOM MODE FOR SOUND CHECK (2) These days a lot of sound people use the
IR: Last summer we wrote “In a Dream” right before going in to record Revolting. We tracked it in one take and since then it’s kind of taken on a life of its own. We decided to piece together all of this random footage from our Revolting Tour into a crazy dreamlike sequence, showing so much random stuff happen and not really being able to explain or remember it all. Its a jumble. We love the randomness of tour and I guess that came through in the final video. CMB: What are your fall plans? IR: We are on our final leg of the Revolting Tour, heading to the East Coast in September. After that we plan on recording a new album. CMB: You guys tour a lot. How do you make it all happen? What ways have you found to best finance and support yourselves while on the road and back at home and what advice do you have for other bands looking to hit the road more? IR: We are completely DIY, meaning that if the 4 of us want to go somewhere,
our pal Jill and she’s mixed us before. If it is OK with you Mr/Ms sound person can she stop by the booth during our set and let you know how the mix is going for our fans?” Notice the “kill em with kindness” attitude. Most sound people will go, “sure, and hell of you want to mix – come on in once I get the basics going you can mix the band.” DANGER Will Robinson! Now you are in some interesting water. This could be a good thing if Jill knows her shit. But if she is not a pro, it could be bad…so you really want to know Jill and what she is capable of doing. If she actually HAS mixed your band before that is OK. But if not – stick with her making some helpful suggestions and then going away and not bothering the sound person again. She can hang with her friends and drink the beer you bought her. This is a dance. If your partner doesn’t respect you and worse doesn’t give a shit, there will be a lot of toes that get stepped on. If you have done everything you can to make the sound person’s job easier and you have killed them with kindness, chances are pretty good that you will have a better show for your fans. And that is the point. A real asshole sound person can really screw up a show for the band’s fans. And YOU can screw up the sound for your fans by being an asshole to the sound person. So learn the dance – especially during the days when you don’t have the money for a professional sound person traveling with the band. we make plans and go. It doesn’t have to be complicated, it just takes a common goal, dedication, hard work and a love for music. We constantly seek out sponsorships from people who love what we do. Our upcoming East Coast Tour is sponsored by Denver based Dream Books Company. Revolting Tour has also been sponsored by Humble Monster screen printing, DEFY Clothing, Ink Lounge, and Fireball Whisky. CMB: You have some East Coast dates coming up, have you been out there before? How does the East Coast compare to other places you’ve been as far as the quality of the shows and the music community in the different cities? IR: After going to the West Coast and SXSW several times, we really wanted to expand our reach by going East. We are all from CO/the West Coast, so traveling in the other direction is a new experience for us. We’re excited to go and see what we find. CMB: What is your place in the Colorado music scene? IR: With Revolting Tour we have been a lot of different places, a lot of people ask us about the new ways of life here. It is really awesome to be able to represent Denver and tell everyone to come visit our state and experience the new progression first hand! CMB: Where can we find your music online? IR: IndigenousRobot.com Youtube: youtube.com/user/Indigenoustrobot Facebook: facebook.com/Indigenousrobot Twitter: twitter.com/IndigenousRobot Instagram: instagram.com/indigenousrobot Press: reverbnation.com/indigenousrobot/ press
September 2015 | ColoradoMusicBuzz.com
Colorado Native MIchael Grimm Returning for Performance at Casselman’s October 3 editor@coloradomusicbuzz.com
Colorado-born and nationally rasied, Michael Grimm is one of the hottest performers on the pop music circuit right now. In anticipation of his October 3 performance at Casselman’s Bar and Venue here in Denver, CMB caught up with Grimm to get the word on his career, upbringing, and how connected he feels to the state of his birth. From his bio: “With his soulful voice and earthy, Southern manner, Michael Grimm charmed millions of viewers as a contestant on Season Five of NBC’s popular “America’s Got Talent.” Parlaying his substantial singer-songwriter appealintoafirst-placefinish,Michaeltookhome the $1 million prize and headlined the first-ever national “America’s Got Talent Tour.” Following that, he toured with the legendary Stevie Nicks and Heart, playing to arenas of 20,000. In the spring of 2011, Michael debuted his first major label release, the self-titled “Michael Grimm.” Working with Grammy-award winning producer Don Was (The Rolling Stones, Elton John, B.B.King), Michael released an album that had his fans purchasing it in droves. “Oh, it’s swampy,” he says. “It’s Michael Grimm leaving his hat on. This is me. It’s the way I’ve always been since I was a teenager, wearing hats and singing the music that I love to sing.” Following his win and the release of his debut major label CD, Michael turned to the business of live shows, giving back to his fans what they had given to him. Throughout 2011 and into 2012, he played venues across America, from California to New York. Among many others, he headlined the Jimmy Rodgers Festival in Meridian, Mississippi, and became the first-ever resident headliner at the popular Ovation Showroom at Green Valley Ranch Resort in Las Vegas. In June 2012, in response to fans wanting more recorded music, Michael self-released a fun, summer CD entitled “Gumbo.” In August 2012, After more touring, Free Roll Records released Michael Grimm - “Moment In Time,” which includes his single “Livin’ on Faith”, a delayed release from his youth. 2013, Michael spent touring the world, including first time performances in Costa Rica, St. Martin
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Grimm performs at at Casselman’s Bar and Venue, October 3, presented by Bands 4 Bands Entertainment. Doors at 7:00, with an opening set by the Tim Huston Project. Following the performance, Grimm will conduct a short meet and greet at 11:30 following show.
show “The Osborns,” but I would have never thought that I would get to meet his wife Sharon, or that they would end up betting on me and Jackie Evancho for the win. I thought that Ozzy was going to loose the bet but he ended up winning it! It’s very cool to know Ozzy is a fan!
CMB: Talk about funding the new home for your grandparents, and why you decided to use your AGT prize money for that cause.
CMB: You’ve lived all over the place. How connected do you feel to Colorado, given that you were born here?
MG: My grandparents raised me and my sister. We were very poor. My grandfather worked on the off-shore oil rigs, while my grandmother tended to the children. I always promised her that if I ever succeeded in life, I would get her out of the small mobile home we all lived in and into a real house. I knew that if I won the show and and the money, nothing would mean more to me than using that money to keep my childhood promise to her.
MG: I was born in Colorado Springs on Fort Carson Military base when my father was stationed there in 1978. I was young and we were not there long for me to develop childhood memories there, but I do have very precise photographic memories of the gorgeous mountains that scraped the sky. However I take great pride in being born there and it is definitely part of who I am. I love being able to come back to any part of this beautiful state and perform, it’s like coming back to a childhood home.
and Shanghai, China.”
CMB: What were some of the hardest things about performing in Vegas casinos for so many years?
CMB: Are you doing anything on this upcoming tour that you haven’t done before? MG: This upcoming tour won’t be typical tour. We are of course promoting the new album, Grimm 824, which released on June 15th of this year, but more importantly we want this to be a more intimate tour. The fans funded this album and we want the fans to get the most out of the live rendition of the album. We will be hitting as many states as possible mainly throughout 2016 and sticking to smaller venues to keep the feel intimate, while following each show with a meet and greet. Looking forward to reconnecting with all the fans nationwide! CMB: What is the best place to check out your music online? MG: The new album is available on iTunes, Amazon and of course my website michaelgrimmmusic.com
MG: I move to Las Vegas in 2001 not knowing what to expect. Fifteen years later, I am still here! I’ve had no problems performing in Las Vegas - I love what I do for a living, it’s not a job to me. Las Vegas has been very good to me and I am grateful for that! CMB: Anybody that you’ve met over the years that has turned out to be an amazing inspiration? MG: My biggest inspiration and mentor in my life is the legendary Bill Medley! His voice inspired me as a child and like a father, he has been a great mentor to me guiding me along the way. I am blessed to know him and his wonderful family. My soul and inspiration. CMB: How did it feel to know that Ozzy was rooting for you on America’s Got Talent? MG: Of course I grew up listening to Ozzy’s music and watching their TV
September 2015 | ColoradoMusicBuzz.com