Colorado Music Buzz Magazine Nov 13

MANAGING PUBLISHERS Keith Schneider Keith@ColoradoMusicBuzz.com Christopher Murphy CMurphy@ColoradoMusicBuzz.com MANAGING EDITOR Tim Wenger 303-725-9359 TWenger@ColoradoMusicBuzz.com WEBSITE EDITOR Tim Wenger TWenger@ColoradoMusicBuzz.com WEBMASTER SwamiSez Web Design Swami@ColoradoMusicBuzz.com SENIOR WRITERS Corey Blecha, Tru Blue, John Christen, Chris Daniels, Ryan Edwards, Daniel Gallagher Angela Kerr, Peace Love, The Swami Tim Wenger PHOTOGRAPHY Miles Chrisinger, Kristen Cohen, Ted Davis Daniel Gallagher, Alex Geller, Ray Tollison INTERNSHIP Peter Munteanu SALES AND MARKETING DIRECTOR Angela Kerr - 720-849-9697 AKerr@ColoradoMusicBuzz.com EVENT MARKETING Chris Murphy 720-429-8717 CMurphy@ColoradoMusicBuzz.com WEB INFORMATION Keith Schneider 303-870-7376 Keith@ColoradoMusicBuzz.com GENERAL INQUIRIES Info@ColoradoMusicBuzz.com SPONSORSHIPS / OTHER Please email us a written request proposal for all inquires to Editor@ColoradoMusicBuzz.com

CMB Submissions and Advertising Policy Colorado Music Buzz welcomes submissions, advertisements and sponsorships from those connected to every musical genre and style, as well as the general public. Due to our publication’s community focus, article content and advertisements containing nudity, drug references, profane words/visuals, or sexually exploitative material will not be accepted. Please feel free to voice any concerns you may have and collaborate with us to adapt what you would like to present in a way that respects both our all-ages audience and your artistic integrity. We are here for the music, and we are here for you.

Artists may submit press kits/CDs for review by mail. Please email requests for coverage directly to the editor and copy the writer of your choice in your musical style.

Colorado Music Buzz Magazine, LLC P.O. Box 2739, Littleton, CO 80161

Colorado Music Buzz Magazine is published monthly by Colorado Music Buzz Magazine LLC (Publisher) and distributed to over 650 locations throughout greater Denver, Boulder, Colorado Springs, and surrounding areas.

Reproduction in any manner in whole or in part without express written consent of the Publisher is strictly prohibited. Views expressed herein do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the publisher or its staff. Colorado Music Buzz Magazine LLC does not limit or discriminate based on ethnicity, gender, age, disability status, spiritual beliefs, familial status, or national origin, and does not accept editorial content or advertisements that do.

performing in the final round at the Whiskey A-Go-Go on November 19 after taking first place in the regional semi-finals in St. Louis.

Dead For Denver Head to Los Angeles for Sumerian Records Battle Finale

by Tim Wenger

TWenger@ColoradoMusicBuzz.com

Dead For Denver have been representing the Mile High City throughout the Sumerian Records Battle of the Bands and will be

two in St. Louis.

The band saw an ad for the battle and contacted Soda Jerk Presents for more information about entering. Round one took place at the Marquis Theatre, and Dead For Denver took the first place prize and advanced to the round

Fans of Dead For Denver have become accustomed to their wild stage performances, and the guys feel that their presence on stage had as much to do with their success in the competition thus far as the music itself. “We put most of our concentration into, is being able to play our music as tight and precisely as possible while still putting on a good show,” says bassist Isaac Archuleta.

“I think a lot of it too is originality,” keyboardist/ sequencer Tristan Lucerne adds. Where many metal bands place a heavy emphasis on screaming, Dead For Denver uses it only when the band feels it will add more character to a song. “Our music is really heavy, but we still have singing vocals. We scream where it’s needed.”

Front man Jason Lebaron started writing music for Dead For Denver over six years ago, but the current lineup has been together since mid-2012 with Archuleta being the most recent addition. “Once Isaac joined the band, that was when we started getting more shows and pushing the band out as a band and not just a project,” says Lucerne. They have been hard at work ever since, making a strong name in Denver and are proud to carry that name around the country. “Every show has gotten better than the last. We’re honored to play the shows that we play, that’s for sure.”

The band, a group of studio musicians from Nashville, put the music down for the record on the first day of recording. White was connected with the group through a contact in Nashville who made contact through ReverbNation. “She shops songs to publishing labels and stuff like that,” says White. “We looked at them for a long time before we made any decisions.”

teenager. She released her debut full-length album in October, following recording sessions for the tracks down in Nashville. She shared the story of making of the record with us.

TWenger@ColoradoMusicBuzz.com

“I came in completely not knowing what I was getting myself into,” says White. “From the time we got off the plane it was work, work, work.

We went first to the production meeting, which

by Tim Wenger

Berthoud, Colorado singer-songwriter Madi White is generating quite the musical story for

Surviving April Strike Back with New Lineup

by Tim Wenger

TWenger@ ColoradoMusicBuzz. com

Pop-punk band Surviving April is striking back with a new lineup and fresh tunes, hoping to increase their mark on Denver’s music scene. There are two new members.

“I moved here about four years ago and always wanted to play in a band,” says new drummer Justin Garcia.” Garcia found the band on Craigslist, hit them up, and proved himself worthy for the job.

Fresh lead guitarist Brad Anderson met the two ‘surviving’ members, guitarist vocalist Brian Blaney and bassist/vocalist Brian Christofferson, a while back. “I knew them

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They are certain that they have as good of a shot as anybody to take the whole thing. “I feel really confident going into it,” says Lucerne. “I think the judges see our confidence on stage.”

“The stage is nowhere to be timid,” says Archuleta. “We’re picking songs that we can play really well, and that can showcase the level of open mindedness that we have as far as music writing. We want to show them that we can cover many different genres.”

Online: deadfordenver.com

Following their opening spot at Dissonance in Design’s cd release party November 1, the band is keeping their schedule open until the results are in from the competition in LA. This final round will be performed for the owners of Sumerian Records (Asking Alexandria, I was fantastic and scary. We got all the songs the way we wanted to give them to the band.”

Singer-Songwriter Madi White Drops NashvilleRecorded Debut Album

See Stars), with the winner being signed by the label with support for an album. Each band will perform three songs. This would, as it would for any independent band, be a huge kick for Dead For Denver, allowing them to not only record a top-level record but hopefully have some support to tour on the album as well. “To have label support, that’s a game changer right there,” says Archuleta.

“We decided we were going to go ahead and record the album,” says White. “(The couple) knew the band members, and so they asked them to come in and be the studio musicians.”

White was very happy with the group, and despite some natural initial nervousness, the recording was completed quickly. “The band was great,” says White. “They talked me through some stuff and helped me out. Once I started getting more comfortable, I was able to start putting my own ideas into the production of it.”

The first five songs were recorded in April, and White headed back down to Nashville again in June to complete the record. The album, which came out October 19, is available at madiwhitemusic.com and reverbnation.com/ madiwhite.

White received a piano at age four from her grandmother. “My parents decided that I could take lessons because I was very persistent in begging them,” says White. “I was four years old and started my piano lessons. I started performing when I was five, just performing piano.” She wrote her first song at age nine.

“I was at my Aunt’s house doing chores, and it just went from there.”

Following the release of the album, White will be working on booking some small tours and more local gigs.

Online: madiwhitemusic.com

mutually through friends of friends, and we just started talking about music and it went from there,” says Anderson. Anderson has a metal background but is excited to play a new genre.

“I knew that if I was going to play in a band again it was going to be pop-punk. It’s definitely a change of pace.”

Surviving April’s last show was in May, and they have been silently putting together a new lineup and tunes over the course of the summer and fall. The band was without a drummer for a bit. “We were like, we’re going to be done for a while,” says Blaney. “So we stopped playing.

Now, we’re about two months in with the new lineup.”

“We have about four new songs that we’re going to be playing,” says Blaney. “We’re probably going to hit the studio in February if everything goes right. It’s kind of weird having four people in the band now, but everybody gets along.”

Their first show with the new lineup is confirmed for December 14 at Trailside Saloon through Swinging Noose Productions.

Online: facebook.com/survivingapril

Best of the West Kicks Off at Herman’s November 8 editor@ColoradoMusicBuzz.com

Herman’s Hideaway will be hosting the fifth installment of its’annual its prize battle, Best of the West, starting this month with the preliminary rounds going through February 2014. The three-round, nearly five month long contest sends one winner to an opening slot at Red Rocks Amphitheatre to open for Film on the Rocks, plus a cash prize and a slew of other hook-ups.

Featuring a plethora of bands from the front range, including many who have participated

November 2013 | ColoradoMusicBuzz.com

for multiple years, Herman’s Hideaway as well as the bands are excited to get underway.

“Contests like Best of the West are a great opportunity to play for new crowds and get to know other bands and see what they bring to the table,” says Chris Michaels of Portobello Road, who are taking part in the event. “We’ve been a part of BOTW before and one of the best things is the bands aren’t really competitive.

They cheer each other on, which is really good to see.”

Winners are decided by fan draw, a panel of judges, and crowd noise, with one winner from each night advancing to the next round.

Online: hermanshideaway.com

Megan Burtt Creates Collaboration Album To Benefit Love Hope Strength

by Tru Blue

editor@ColoradoMusicBuzz.com

Ambitious? Genius? Crazy?

In Good Company, can be described as all of the above. Denver-local artist, Megan Burtt has gathered some of Colorado’s best to make an 11-song collaboration album; all proceeds benefiting Colorado NGO, Love Hope Strength. The album features cowritten songs by Megan Burtt and Bop Skizzum, Chimney Choir, Chris Daniels, Chris Heckman of the Epilogues, Covenhoven, John Magnie of The Subdudes, Rachel & The Kings, Reed Foehl, SHEL, The Congress and Tyler Despres. It was recorded at Immersive Studios in Boulder, CO and will be released at the Soiled Dove on Friday November 15th. Get your tickets now before it sells out! http://www. tavernhg.com/soiled-dove/shows CMB: When did you originally come up with the In Good Company concept and what was your motivation?

MB: In Good Company was a concept I came up with years ago. Because I travel a lot to perform and have friends all over the country I wanted to find a unique way to make music and perform with them while I was in their hometown. In In Good Company’s infancy I would meet with a friend, we’d write a song, learn one of each others, learn a cover all in one day and perform them on Stageit.com that evening. When I had enough sessions I would make an album and donate the proceeds to charity. It has since evolved. I realized I wanted volume one of In Good Company to be with Colorado artists since my roots are here. I started co-writing with people in June removing the pressure of finishing it in a day, and here we are almost six month later releasing Vol. 1!

CMB: How did you choose the artists that you would write and record with and what did they say when you asked them for their expertise?

MB: I really had just a couple requirements. I picked artists that I deeply respect and admire and artists that I hadn’t had a chance to work with yet. I didn’t care about genre or who was already connected with who. In fact, I think part of the magic of this record is that all the songs sound very different; it sounds like a mix tape :). Everyone has been incredibly gracious and generous with their time and talents. It’s very humbling.

CMB: Did you write all the songs with your partner artists and how did that process work?

MB: Yes, I co-wrote all the songs with someone from each band. Most of the songs took 2 sessions. Some just one, some a few. Myself or whomever I was writing typically had a little song seed and together we’d breath some life into it. It was important for me to maintain the essence of each artists particular sound. This album isn’t really about me, it’s about the process of collaborating and building community

for a greater cause, in this case Love Hope Strength. I really think we accomplished that.

CMB: What’s the hardest thing about putting a project like In Good Company together?

MB: Really just the coordination of everyone, booking the studio time, lining up schedules. Almost 50 people are involved in this album.

CMB: Did anyone tell you that you were crazy to try?

MB: Yes, I told myself this many times! But we all pulled it off. I guess that’s just testament to what can happen when people are willing and dedicated.

ReverbNation Featured Artists of the Month give five independent artists who have not previously been featured in Colorado Music Buzz the opportunity to not only get their bio in the magazine, but also get their tracks on Music Buzz LIVE Radio (Wednesdays from 6-9 pm on callywoodradio.com) and get on our radar with what they have upcoming. Each month we select a varied group of musicians to showcase based on submissions through their ReverbNation profiles.

POM PÔM (Plotting On Music) Ryan Bass born May 19th 1988 in Los Angeles California, known for his distinct style and determination, his lyrics reach the hearts of many. Spoken from life experiences, almost anyone can relate to one song or another. His name speaks for its self, Plotting On Music is one thing that this individual is dedicated to day in and day out.

CMB: What will your November 15th performance at the Soiled Dove entail?

MB: November 15 will be a night to remember I have no doubt. Almost all of the artists involved on the album will be there, plus a few other great musicians. We will be performing the songs on the album as well as showcasing each artist’s original music. Laurie Maves will be live painting, Love Hope Strength will be there collection swabs for the bone marrow registry. A few other surprises...

CMB: Is this the just the first or will this be the last In Good Company project we’ll see from you?

MB: Definitely the first. This album has completely surpassed my expectations, mostly due to the sponsorship of Immersive Studios and having that incredible space to work in. So, I’m a little worried about trying to top Vol.1 :), but I have a lot of ideas for infinite volumes. This is a side project for me. This is a chance to exercise my love for songwriting in different genres totally different than my solo project. It’s a way for me to not only showcase artists I love, but intimately work with them while encouraging music communities and fans to support across many genres. It’s also a great opportunity to do ongoing philanthropic work. I hope it will continue through my career.

CMB: Where can people find the songs from In Good Company?

MB: We are making 1000 limited edition copies that will be sold on 11/15. After those are gone, people will be able to buy digital copies of the albumonlineatingoodcompanymusic.comorCD Baby.

Reverbnation.com/pom Discount Cinema Discount Cinema started when guitarist, Kevin Dallis, was drunk and asked Jordan Niteman to sing in his band. It has evolved over the years from an electropop act into it’s current, dark rock incarnation with Steven Zimmerman on drums and Ian Gray on bass.

Discount Cinema isn’t here to save the world. We’re just here to rock. If we were going to change the world, though, we’d probably paint it black.

Reverbnation.com/discountcinema The Tyler Walker Band The Tyler Walker Band blends the best of current country hits with high energy, melodic original country music. The result is a rockin’ country experience that would be the highlight of any event or festival. Winners of 97.9’s “Big Country’s Got Talent” competition at the 2012 Greeley Stampede, The Tyler Walker Band has headlined clubs, events and festivals all over Metro Denver and throughout the region.

Reverbnation.com/thetylerwalkerband Dear Marsha With over 1000 performances under their belt, Dear Marsha is a well-oiled rock & roll machine. They play upbeat, energetic rock tunes, and have become known as “the band that has too much fun!”They play all over Colorado, other regional states, in addition to shows in Europe and Scandinavia. They have developed a major following and love their fans (Marshans)with as much passion as their fans love them. Getting to know this band will have you saying things like “Who’s your daddy?” and “hot, sticky, and wet!”

“Dear Marsha has become one of Colorado’s hottest local bands. Hard work is their recipe for success. With quite an impressive cover song list and original material just as catchy, Dear Marsha attracts and keeps the attention of ANY crowd!

Reverbnation.com/dearmarsha PEZ

Greetings! My name is PEZ and I come from Englewood CO I have dual personalities when it comes to music: folk and dance I love both dearly Almost as much as I love you

Reverbnation.com/pezismyname

November 2013 | ColoradoMusicBuzz.com

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Introducing the Lyric

by Angela Kerr photo credit Ralston Photo

akerr@coloradomusicbuzz.com

Highlighting Vices I Admire - …go the spoils Growing up in a musical family, the ebb and flow of sound, vibration and its communication and messaging was and has always been a significant part of my life. My mother taught me the essence of being the music. My father played tenor sax, my oldest brother also played tenor, my middle brother played alto sax who also is a mean guitarist and songwriter and my youngest brother the drums and the flute. I experimented with clarinet, drums and guitar over my lifetime, but what stuck was voice, lyric and composition….hence my fixation with “the lyric.”

In the morning as we awoke, music was a part of our routine. To this day, if it is possible, I start out with music – usually in my car as I face the day. Yes, I am one of those commuters rocking out, singing at the top of lung capacity that everyone stares at as they pass by. Music is a pulse of life, like blood running through veins - and I for one have no difficulty with that realization!

Prior to the advent of technology which created advancement in our field, people actually wrote lyrics and published them within an album. A person could get lost for hours with the insert, each songs messaging, and an inside look at who the band was. Now we watch a video and marketing is pointed. What we had then – yes old school - was the sound, the words, a few pictures and our imagination. I’m not saying both options don’t have their place – I am suggesting that something has gotten lost. What are you the musicians and song writers trying to tell us? What is this generation of communicators focused on and why? What was happening in their lives that made it so important for them to take the time to get out pen and paper, write down a thought and then write music to accompany it? When you think about the amazing process that must transpire….what evokes the emotion and willingness to make a song happen and then record and publish it? It is no simple task and not everyone does it. So what motivates an artist to create? That’s what I want to attempt to find out. I hope you will join me on this monthly journey – right here – in the Colorado music scene.

So this is how I see it. I am going to be out there. I would like to hear from you. If you have a song that has messaging that you want people to understand - we need to talk. That means – I want the lyric sheet.

It means I need to sit down and hear the song – preferably in the venue that you plan on performing it in…there is nothing like a live performance to experience the creation. I need advance warning so I can get performance dates on my schedule. It means I need some time to talk to you and your band about why this song? Why this lyric? What led up to it? How did your band create the end result? How did you originally get together? What does your company look like? How many times do you get together each week to perfect your craft? What are your goals? What action steps are you taking to get there? What venues are you choosing to perform in and why? Music is art and music is a business. Let’s explore all we can….together…and share that experience with our community. There are thousands of bands in Colorado so of course I can make no guarantee that your band will be covered – but as with anything motivation and action counts!! Here’s how it works: An email will be sent to me once you have completed the Lyric Submission Sheet which can be found online at ColoradoMusicBuzz.com. That will start the process. I will respond back and we will see where it takes us!

“Your episodic aphorisms plague me like the poor decision to play the disinterested listener. I’m like the old child that’s grown an earache- full of manipulated tones, tired pragmatics that practice splitting verbs at their perfect prisoner. And you navigate that skill with an aristocratic arm, yeah, you brew your toxic fantasy with predatory charm, you are an atheatric amateur who drools over every word but can’t memorize one single part. And you’ll get what can’t be got, ain’t gonna never be received. If you turn your back, boy, then you’ll never leave.

You are a product of my ministry, you are crushed on open arms, you will drown in open air prepared to heal your anemic heart. Old vulture, gnarled nemesis, old cavity re-tooled I want to drive a nail through your eyes so I can get a better view. A part of me won’t seek. Carry me home, you improbably ghost, I would rot by your flesh, I will gnaw on your bones- are you calling out my name? Elutriate and evanesce. I would gorge myself on praise if you praise this.

How do you smile? You are a mystery to me. You taught me by moving slow, you do not so quickly proceed. Still you’re warm and gray, a quilted memory, you market yourself by the faded company you keep. And you were already here- a shadow on my tongue- yeah, you were already here and all alone like me. You are a blister from too much sweet, you’re an ulcer from too much wine. You are dead, I know that you’re dead, were you ever really alive?”

Discography:

Plan B (2005) Politics of Apathy (2010) Venom & Pride (2011) Fables (2013) Upcoming Events: NOV-DEC In Studio to Record Follow UP Album (Album Title TBA)

This month we start with Vices I Admire. The leader of the band, Dave Curtis, submitted lyrics for …go the spoils. Vices, has transitioned in membership over the past several years and through that process has grown. Dave Curtis on guitar who also owns and operates his own graphics design business (Dave Does Design) has a serious yet extremely fun outlook on the music business. He is focused on process, discipline, determination and drive. Dave gets mad respect from all members of Vices for his song writing capabilities. His fellow band members include Dan Battenhouse on bass and back up vocals, an original member of The Fray, who holds the premiere role for sound engineering for the band. Next up, Alex Simpson on Drums also represents Rupp’s Drums, a top notch company supporting drummers in Colorado. Scott Uhl on guitar instructs at the Colorado Music Institute. This well balanced group of guys are powering through their next release- a quick follow up of their album Fables released in May of 2013. They pride themselves in keeping fans participating through personal interaction and feel the quality of their music is also a draw. I have seen Vices perform on more than one occasion, most recently at Metropolitan State’s Center for Innovation at CREATE MSU’s OWN IT event (createmsudenver.com). The camaraderie of both band members and fans is a significant element for success – connection with audience is mandatory.

I met Vices at “House of Vice,” the bands studio in Denver. The conversation reminded me of hanging out with old friends…multiple conversations going on at once. The band quickly updates each other on the happenings for the upcoming Halloween show at Herman’s and coordinates details for their 10/26 GlowMe party at LoDo’s where they will play with Coral Thief, Attic Attack and Midwest Rebellion. Meanwhile, Alex sticks in hand makes good use of his drum pad to warm up while we talk. The guys are chiding one another, talking about the “marriage” that exists when you are a member of a band and Scott Uhl thanks the guys for letting him “sleep around.”

They are all quick witted and go to the deep easily. Yes, we got into a discussion about Psychological disorders and the release of the DSM5 (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual for Mental Disorders). Battenhouse touches on his beliefs regarding the chemical differential between men and women as it relates to the functioning of the corpus collosum and the interaction between the two hemispheres of the brain. What a night. They handed me earphones and performed the song twice for my listening pleasure.

When I ask each member about the song, I find that Curtis penned the lyrics and the vocal melody around the same time he made a move to Denver from Ft. Collins (2006), but they were not finalized until late 2008 – early 2009. The song was recorded in April 2009 and released as part of The Politics of Apathy on January 1, 2010.

According to Curtis, in the past, he suffered from a dissociative disorder – where real life experiences have a dream like quality. He explains that experiencing dissociative disorders can be very upsetting – like being aware the world he was living in was real – but nothing felt solid or concrete for him. He describes his lyrics as venomous and spiteful – “a letter to, and ultimately a conversation with my former self, a person I will never be again.”

Curtis states: the old me is “warm and gray, a quilted memory,” layers upon layers of a muted existence being kept alive “the faded company you keep.” The “improbable ghost is the ‘me’ that once was…like feeling divorced from who you are.” Curtis continues “and it feels like insanity, so I long to feel whole again, to feel as myself and at the same time, to feel as I once was,” referencing “carry me home…rot by your flesh…gnaw on your bones.”

As he describes each section of the lyric to me, I feel his passion, anger and rage and experience a man fighting with himself – old and new. He finishes with relating to the anxiety itself, describing it as “that gnawing fear of just being alive – having to live in a world I no longer understand.” To hear his description of the lyrical content is like being catapulted into a frenzied mind, searching for any semblance of understanding.

Allowing his words to envelop me, reading them over and over and listening to the song late into the evening - I feel he is not alone. People all over the world are feeling separate from “being” and are desperately seeking a peace they feel is outside of their grasp. I believe people do sense they are living in a world they cannot begin to understand. The Power of NOW by Eckhart Tolle comes to my mind….it is what hits me personally…my interpretation of the “feel” of the lyrics.

Approaching the subject of lyrics from the perspective of the other members, I found each had a very specific reaction about the song and related to it on different levels. Battenhouse (joined in 2009) related to the line “you are dead; I know that you’re dead, were you ever really alive?” He explains, “We live in a world full of zombies who live life like a form of consumption.” He explains “it is why friendships and relationships fail.” Although not in the case of the Curtis lyrical compositions, Battenhouse suggests that in his experience” lyrics can often be influenced by the bass and the drums.”

Simpson (joined in March 2012) chimes in and says “I don’t connect with lyrics at all.” He suggests he doesn’t even know what the lyrics are to the song …so I offer him a copy of them. As he reads them he states: “I have massive respect for Dave’s music and lyrics”, emphasizing that he feels the phonetics and the passion of Dave’s performance, which in the end is what influences him. He doesn’t need to read or understand the lyrics – he bases his drum composition on the “feel” of the music.

Uhl (a member since September 2013) seconds that motion communicating he does not focus on lyrics as he believes they “belong to the singer.” He states that “it is the singer that needs to connect with the lyrics.” He then speaks to the subject of people who try to give singers lyrics to consider and how uncomfortable that can be. Uhl then states that he did relate to the line in the song “I want to drive a nail through your eyes so I can get a better view,” suggesting that he connected with that expression the most. I have to admit, that line penetrated me as well – demonstrative and chilling – the visual stops you in your tracks. In speaking to Curtis about this expression, he suggests it is meant to convey his willingness to “see through his eyes again (his former self) so he might discover how he arrived here.”

I also must admit I was intrigued by the line: Elutriate and evanesce which according to dictionary.com is defined as: Elutriate – to purify by washing; to separate the light and heavy particles by washing and evanesce – to disappear gradually, vanish, fade away. What can I say? Incredible….bearing ones soul. Welcome to the Lyric.

Check out Vices I Admire at: vicesIadmire.com

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November 2013 | ColoradoMusicBuzz.com

Covergeist- One More Night

BMBC- Tenacious Patience

Dissonance in DesignSentient

TWenger@ ColoradoMusicBuzz. com

editor@ ColoradoMusicBuzz. com

TWenger@ ColoradoMusicBuzz. com

by Peace Love

by Tim Wenger

Covergeist has got the intoxicating, sweat-fueled lusting and passion of the “rock-n-rolla” thing down solid, and his long-time-coming new full length One More Night is the time capsule of the audio masterpiece that gritty rock music can be. The team at Cherry Sound Studios (Chris Guillot and Gus Hoffman) have produced what just might be the most honest rock and roll record Denver has seen in years.

Covergeist is the attitude of George Thorogood mixed with the image of The Misfits, and the sound of early hard rock scratching from the record player mixed with modern studio production. The album is heavy on guitar and hard hitting vocals. From the catchy intro of the album’s opening track “I Saw Her Standing There” right through a phenomenal full album with lyrics depicting his love of metal, playing in a rock band, and the culture of drugs, women and the musicians life, Covergeist is Denver’s current representation of real rock music, unhinged by uncertainties and unafraid to showcase a fearless attitude. Get this record, turn it up loud, and nod your head to a record that deserves as much attention from the listening public as it got from its creators during the gestation period.

Online: facebook.com/covergeist Oak Creek Band- XI

by Tim Wenger

TWenger@ ColoradoMusicBuzz. com

The Oak Creek Band has roots not only in Denver but Arizona and Nashville, TN and they display these roots on their debut album “XI.” A solid compilation of female-and male-fronted rock music with strong elements of Americana and folk, the music is highly danceable and lighthearted.

The guitar work stands out throughout the disc, providing solid lead and rhythm parts and serving as the backbone of the band’s music.

“Same Old Story” stood out as a strong single for the record, funky and upbeat with solid leads provided by the vocal and instrumentals. Jenna and Daniel Watters share vocal duties and provide a good back-and-forth rhythm to the album. The songs are very diverse and make for an easy listen- something rare in modern music. The band will headline the Bluebird Theatre November 16.

Online: oakcreekband.com The Stubby SillelaghsCeltic American

by Tim Wenger

TWenger@ ColoradoMusicBuzz. com

It’s good to hear some solid, pure Celtic rock come out of Colorado, and The Stubby Shillelaghs have filled my craving. Their record Celtic American features multiple vocals on a whiskey-fueled, positive trip through the minds and stories of just what the title suggests- Celtic Americans.

by Tim Wenger

As I sit here and listen to Tenacious Patience I cannot help but notice how innovative the group is. The unique style of the beats seem to hypnotize and give off positive vibes and along with the intricate lyrics from Bobby Macavelli and BC sound a blind man can see that these two are definitely about to make some noise for the Midwest and I will go out on a limb to say they will be one of the faces of Colorado music.

The group has a lot of swagger and honestly it’s easy to listen to the EP from start to finish (which is very rare for me) although each song delivers dope beats, creativity, lyrics, and flow of course I found one song that I have to pick as my favorite that song being “Summertime Coolin”, I have been looking for a nice chill song for the summer since “Summertime” from The Fresh Price, so thank you BMBC. You heard it from me first, look out for BMBC! Peace, Love

“Between Space and Time,” the second track on the album, is the stand-out song, showcasing possibly the most solid metal-style guitar playing coming out of the Denver metal scene right now. The record, as a whole, is a solid listen and a good mark of progression for metal in the Mile High City.

Online: facebook.com/bmbcpoet

Online: dissonanceindesign.com

Smashy Claw- Former Spine

Head For The HillsBlue Ruin

JChristen@ ColoradoMusicBuzz. com

TWenger@ ColoradoMusicBuzz. com

by John Christen

Ever wonder about the dead beat decimal brother of π (3.014610)? Smashy Claw’s debut album, Former Spine, seeks to answer this and other mind boggling questions in 16 comically twisted songs. The experimental rock band sounds as if Green Day and “Weird Al” Yankovic crossed genes and produced a mellower Offspring.

Additionally, some of the songs have a Fun pop rock feel to them. The musically gifted threepiece band incorporates many instrumental elements that morph into an enticing unique style.

Highly entertaining the Denver-based band’s pleasing melodies are catchy and supremely witty, “My friends say I’m in denial but I’ve never been to Egypt.” Songs such as, “Cardiac Probe” and “Collecting Dust” explore concepts ranging from friendship and tolerance to life as an igneous rock living on a shelf. Smashy Claw is more than just bizarre lyrics and alluring choruses.

Online: smashyclaw.com

The sixteen tracks on the record are danceable but remain tranquil when needed. Leaving out the angry vigor but retaining the working class fury of much of America’s celtic music, the album incorporates a good amount of humor and sarcasm and even includes a tribute to the legendary Johnny Cash.

The Shillelaghs hold the listeners’ attention with funny and brawny Celtic tunes, something very original in Colorado’s music scene and the perfect soundtrack for a post work drink (or four).

Online: thestubbies.net

Dissonance in Design hit harder than ever before with their new record Sentient. The record begins with a trippily seductive prelude into the opening track “The Gateway.” The track is a prime example of what we love about this band- they have an ability to take all things metal and crash them together, hitting the listener from all angles at once. Intricate lead guitar work fits perfectly in time with rapid fire drumming and intense, hedonistic vocals- each song on the record flows very well together.

by Tim Wenger

Head For The Hills has dropped a new album, Blue Ruin, that ups the ante on Colorado bluegrass. This Fort Collins four piece takes solid fiddle lines and puts them right up front with strong vocals and harmonies, with solid guitar to boot.

“Never Does” is the strongest song on the record, an emotional, tale-telling number that branches out from traditional bluegrass or “newgrass” sounds with an emphatic country twang and strong backing vocals and guitar.

The group does a good job of mixing upbeat dance tunes with mellower, toned down story tellers, all of which portray strong emotion and paint a vivid picture of what the lyrics talk about in the mind of the listener. A solid record.

Online: headforthehillsmusic.com Thomas Hine- Forgive My Future

by John Christen

JChristen@ ColoradoMusicBuzz. com

Forgive My Future, the fourth album released by Goldenbased folk singer/songwriter Thomas Hine, is a fine polished emerald. Serene, cautionary, insightful, and foreboding, Thomas Hine’s tales are reminiscent of Neil Young, Bob Dylan, or Woody Guthrie. The album is strong poetic motion from start to finish. Realistically satirical yet humbly optimistic, Forgive My Future is full of gems, which will keep the listener coming back for more.

Skyfox- Counter Counter Culture

by Tim Wenger

TWenger@ ColoradoMusicBuzz. com

Denver pop-punk has finally been progressed. Instead of trying to be Blink-182, Skyfox has put out a record that is as modern as any record Denver has put out this year and as cool as the hippest coffee shop on Broadway. Front man Johnny Hill dives deep into his emotions and experiences in a record that is straight forward and brutally honest. Not a single song on Counter Counter Culture beats around the bush.

They incorporate elements of nearly all type of modern rock and presents it from a wide range of attitudes - “Drug in Me” is a mellow, almost ballad-like, internal reflection. The title track, “Counter Counter Culture,” throws out witty social commentary. Musically, solid lead guitar and guest instrumentals provide a solid edge and proves that pop-punk and alternative rock are not even close to worn out. A solid record, and one that should make not only the band but the team at Blasting Room proud.

Online: skyfoxmusic.com Rossonian- You Are Your Own Dentist

by Tim Wenger

TWenger@ ColoradoMusicBuzz. com

Rossonian takes its name from the hotel bearing the same in Denver’s five points neighborhood, and like the hotel itself, the band’s EP You Are Your Own Dentist is full of culture.

With vocals channeling the style of pop stars young and old backed by a cast of musicians bringing a diverse stylistic blend to the table.

Mellow indie rock, upstroke reggae guitar, and a collection of keys and loops create a sound uniquely their own. If it had to be classified, I would put it in the indie rock category, with an astericks noting the pushing of the envelope in numerous directions.

Online: rossonianmusic.com Sarah and the Meanies- Slam Pam Suno

by the Swami

Swami@ ColoradoMusicBuzz. com

Sarah and the Meanies, a sorta super group, covers the sonic soundscape with a very nice mix of influences. Sarah Angela’s voice soars, showcasing her stylistic pushes from the likes of Sarah McLachlan (“Craving You”) to Gwen Stefani (“Slam Pam Suno”), and Sheryl Crow (“Busted”).

Keep an eye out for Hine. His style is resonating with listeners across the globe; having received airplay on BBC Radio Scotland’s Ian Anderson Show.

Hats off to Joel Scanlon (drums, engineering) for recording a very fine national level product.

Kim O’Hara (bass) and Paul Seiz(keys, bass) fill out the project very nicely. If you are an acoustic/blues/indie fan, this is a great addition and will please the eardrums immensely.

Online: facebook.com/thomashinepage

Online: sarahangelamusic.com

November 2013 | ColoradoMusicBuzz.com

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On The Road With The Yawpers

A First Hand Account of the Tragedies, Experiences, and Possibilities of the Musician’s Life

by Tim Wenger

TWenger@ColoradoMusicBuzz.com

concert photography by Christopher McKee cover/studio photography Kristen Cohen

******************You are probably in a band. Or you were in a band. You probably have a rock and roll haircut. Or you used to have a rock and roll haircut. You dreamed of touring, after-parties and royalty checks coming in the mail just in time for rent, and another month sliding by on the heels of mediocre musical success. Every day you felt it coming a little closer, step by step: the day when you could tell the restaurant manager you quit, as the avocado you just hucked across the kitchen smashes into the wall, because your band just got offered an opening slot on the upcoming national theatre tour that you’d worked your asses off to get on by working up the totem poll of the local promotion company’s ladder opening up for smaller shows first, bringing a crowd and securing a modest fan base, then the 8:00 slot with a mid-level national, to finally headlining the theatre across the street from the Major League Baseball stadium to a nearpacked crowd on a Saturday night.

The only problem was, with each step you took, that dream seemed two steps further awaysome small self-funded tours and weekend jaunts across the state were the time of your life and gave you a feel for the road, a feel for what it took to be a “professional musician” that doesn’t need to depend on his girlfriend to pay all of the bills- only some. You had seen your band’s bumper sticker on the back of a random car on the highway and almost gotten into a wreck trying to take a picture of it so you could prove to your band mates that the hard work, late nights and no money were finally starting to pay off. But the car whizzed by too quickly for you to get a firm handle on your phone in time and you watched the opportunity fly by your outstretched arm.

Time continued to go by. Some more gigs opening for bands you grew up listening to, even a compliment from their new bass player about your show and the song you closed with. Immediate gratification, however, was helping less and less because each member of the band was slowly beginning to realize the pipe dream of their situation. Was touring full-time a realistic thing? ‘I’d love to quit my job, I hate it, but I love consistent paydays and paid bills. I also love my girlfriend and don’t know if either one of us could handle that much time apart.’

After talking to a couple bands that were slightly more progressed than yours on the touring circuit, you came to learn that the perma-smile appearing in their hazardly fun-looking Facebook photos and eye-catching album sleeves is backed by a constant stress of not only barely scraping by financially, but also sacrificing the common comfort of a normal home life for six months a year strapped in a Ford Econoline van heading toward the sunset and another random town that would provide three hours of emotional security and productiveness for 21 hours of weirdness and lonely, homesick vibes. It’s not all fun and games, parties and ego.

pain in the ass.

But the last glimpse of hope is provided by the proven fact that hundreds, if not thousands, of bands have made it by, sanity at least somewhat intact, as musicians- touring, recording, promoting, living their music and keeping the dream alive for the next up-and-coming act. Where, though, does the answer come from? Where is the key to this hidden chest of musical triumph?

More time goes by and you are still unable to make this now seemingly forever distant dream come to fruition. As the tension grows between your band members, you begin to wonder how these guys who have done it repeatedly stand each other after being stuck in a van for weeks on end? Are they still friends, or is the stage presence the only glue keeping them together? You’ve heard stories of bands that hate each other and also of bands that are best friends 20 years down the line. Does yours have what it takes to pull that off, or will you stumble, fall, and implode due to unforeseen differences while on the other side of the country?

There are countless stories and countless experiences from both sides of the spectrum when it comes to independent bands being on tour, everything from breaking up on the road to band members that meet “the one” in Kansas City and bail, opting instead to pursue love at first sight; to bands that achieve moderate success and significant emotional gratification. No matter what happens, though, touring, and band life in general, is always an interesting story and truly a spectacle to behold.

As for myself, I’ve spent time on tour, I’ve spent even more time watching bands from the outside looking in- interviewing them, watching their shows, trying to figure out what it is that makes them tick, what it takes to “make it” or “break it” in the band world, and how to make dreams a reality and separate the bull from the shit. After a few years of asking the same questions and watching shows at the same venues, I had reached the glass ceiling. I could no longer sit gazingly in venue bars or typing in my apartment trying to find an answer to that question or the new angle in music journalism. It was time to hit the road once again. This time, though, I was not heading out as the fanatic lush on guitar and backup vocals. I was going to be the ‘fly on the wall,’ the proverbial ENEMY, the one looking through the glass into the soul of a touring act while they are in the middle of what they do. The time had come, and I was ready to answer the call as the ultimate documentarian, the on-scene correspondent, there with a band as they flashed their genius to unsuspecting audiences far from home, watching them step up to the plate and swing away.

Not to mention that the task of self-booking and self-promoting even a small tour is a complete

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November 2013 | ColoradoMusicBuzz.com

*******************To North Carolina. It was the perfect time to get out of Denver for a jaunt on the road. It was time to push the envelope past the laissez ffaire smile-and-handshake piss-stained yellow journalists that make up the so-called “music press” and put to rest the common hipster-douche opinion that ‘You can’t criticize art, bro. It’s art.’

It was this attitude that had, in our May 2013 issue, led Yawpers front man Nate Cook and fellow Denver musical celebrity Josh Lee to compile the most honest and straight forward piece of writing that the magazine had ever seen. They called out venues and musicians alike for their lack of inspiration and constructive criticism- and now my sole mission for this trip was to regain my own journalistic integrity by bounding over the smiling face of forged critique and step into the shoes of the maestro himself.

I was not out to necessarily criticize anyone, but to lend myself to finding this elusive key to long term success and a solidify a reason why so many bands collapse just as they are approaching the breaking point. The goal was to dive into the heart of one of Colorado’s most promising young acts, The Yawpers, as they are in the middle of a three week tour that stretched all the way to the Outerbanks of North Carolina and back again.

Yawpers are the perfect band to observe and interview if you want a good, honest take on what band life is really like. Their music is upbeat and danceable but dirtily seductive- Cook paints images through his lyrics that transcend emotional barricades and societal boundaries of decency. He talks about oral sex. He talks about Jesus reincarnated as a ’57 Chevy. And he never censors himself from the thoughts racing through his head when he puts pen to paper.

The three players currently writing their story, Cook on vocals and guitar, Jesse Parmet on guitar and harmonies, and James Hale on drums, are about as different from each other as three guys creating the same music together can be. I learned this my first night on tour with them. But the music they create is as honest as your mother on the day you were born and they deliver it with a classic “I don’t give a shit what you think” attitude that emphasizes the true rock and roll approach they take to their band.

Their song writing structure goes like this: While Cook does the lyric writing, the melodies come from both him and Parmet, with Hale adding his own twist to what they present. “We’re very deliberate about all of our arrangements,” said Cook. “Everything is really put into place and is specifically arranged and orchestrated.”

Their message is no longer delivered boozily through spat and stutter, either. “If you would have come on tour with us a year ago, we partied a lot harder,” Cook said.

“What I like about this band is that when we get a new song, we don’t actually play it from beginning to end until the song is done,” says Hale. “We’ll take thirty seconds at a time, and then we’ll stop because the 35 th second will suck and then we’ll work on the 35 th second until it’s awesome. By the end of the song it’ll be done. In a bunch of other bands you preconceive the form before the song is even done. I think that helps our songs gel really well that we think about it measure by measure.”

“We seem to have a lot of patience when it comes to arranging songs,” says Parmet. “We spend hours just going through it over and over again.”

Their next album of original material will be laid down analogue style on tape, and is being recorded at the legendary Blasting Room in Fort Collins. “(It) has been a dream of ours forever,” says Cook. They hope to press vinyl out of it and will not be releasing it until at least next spring so that they have time to shop it around and get it the promotion, financing and attention they feel it deserves.

I took three flights the day I left Denver to meet up with the guys in Wilmington, North Carolina, and had to follow my air time with a two-hour shuffle south towards the coast, rolling into town at what would by most standards be considered a late arrival, but right on time for the awakening of the bar scene on a Wednesday evening.

I walked into Orton’s in downtown Wilmington and immediately saw Cook sitting alone at a hi-top table, can of National Bohemian Beer to his right and eyes buried into his phone. He did not notice me until I was breathing down his neck, “Hello Mr. Cook.”

The rest of the band was, at the moment, nowhere to be found, although Hale soon approached and led us all outside for a pre-show smoke. As for Parmet, it had been a while since the other two had seen him. “We don’t know where he goes” says Cook. Apparently, he disappears, for whatever reason, be it spiritual, sexual or any other type of deviant behavior, before every show for an unspecified amount of time. “(Earlier in the tour) we were in Durham.

He self-admittedly was in a bookstore for six hours and only read half a chapter” said Cook.

The same may have been true today. “We got into town about 1, haven’t seen him since,” said Hale.

He reappeared in plenty of time to take the stage and the three stepped up and blew away the small crowd that had gathered, their performance not seeming to take notice of the lack of attendance. A couple people who had noticed me hanging out with the band before the show asked if I was with them and if I could sell them a cd, which I obliged.

There is absolutely a feeling of gritty pleasure that boils through your body as you watch a band, that you know without a doubt is going to destroy the room, sound check to a crowd of pool players and spouse evaders on a Wednesday night in a foreign town. They don’t know, and don’t yet care, about what they are witnessing. There is peace in this ignorance, like the mellow calm that precedes a great storm, and I tried to keep from yelling my pre-emptive approval after their first song.

The show continues with the band members appearing to completely lose themselves more and more with each song. At one point during the set, and I noticed this happen each night I was with them, Cook’s left hand begins to shake like a freshly stricken harp as he breaks from strumming the guitar, closes his eyes, and focuses fully on his vocal. Both arms in the air, with the left shaking fervently as though possessed by some evil demon, he positions his lips in front of the mic and opens his eyes with a gaze fit for a bastard child aimed down at his guitar- it is as if an exorcism is happening onstage at Wilmington’s underground pool and music dive as he expressively shanks out his self-described ‘loud, straightforward, and American’ blend of rebel rock music.

The Yawpers finish their set with each person in the room arising from their bar stool or turning from the pool table to clap and scream in admittance of fan-hood. The band, however, looks somewhere between bashful and discouraged as they break down their gear and load it out the back door of the venue. They were not very happy with the show- small crowd, lousy venue, and they felt their performance could have been better. I agreed, although noting that the only time I had seen them prior to this was at a packed show at the Hi-Dive back in Denver, and any musician will tell you that it is much easier to put on a top level performance in front of a full venue as opposed to an empty one. The guys remain confident that the next night’s gig will be a step up from all angles.

After the show, I approach Parmet determined to figure out where he disappears to before each gig. “I went to a coffee shop for a while,” he said. “Then went to a music shop, then went to find a Laundromat.” Reasonable enough, I suppose. But I was dying to know how these three guys came together in the first place, and how they were able to progress their sound to such a professional level in only two years. We head to the house of a member of the opening band and I crash out on the floor in the living room between a drum set and a half stack guitar amp, while Cook sleeps on the couch next to me.

Continued on page 18

photo by George Blosser

November 2013 | ColoradoMusicBuzz.com

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them in a small minivan with all of their gear taking on the world, with no room for personal space, problems, or girlfriends. Or a good restroom, for that matter. Truck stop and gas station restrooms are hit or miss and after a string of degrading defecatory events keeping a roll of toilet paper in the van for a quick pull-off at a park or grassy knoll begins to sound like a good idea.

Every person of the adult persuasion deals with relationships, both their own and their friends’, everyone deals with paying bills, doing laundry, and maintaining equilibrium in their social circlesbut musicians deal with all of these issues while simultaneously attempting to maintain sanity while on the road for weeks on end, hanging out in bars every night in front of a rotating cast of players, maneuvering through it all like a free-wheeling game of chess with no ultimate victory or end in sight, just a new town and a new crowd of pawns to mold into an army of adoring fans.

As far as dealing with spouses and girlfriends, that can often be the toughest part of being gone so frequently. Cook is married and Parmet is also in a long-term relationship. Hale on the other hand is, at the moment, a free man. “That’s a really hard one, I don’t know if there’s a good answer for that,” said Cook. “I get a lot of emotional calls from my wife, she’s lonely and scared and pissed off that I’m on the road so much. It’s not easy.” *******************The band came together out of the ashes of Parmet and Cook’s previous “It’s hard to be in a relationship and find someone that is understanding of that lifestyle,” said Parmet. musical attempt, and originally was going to be a mellow folk-rock duo with no drums “It’s only going to get more intense as far as the amount of time that we have to spend present. “We were in a band called Ego Vs Id, Nate and I and one other guy,” said away from home.”

Parmet. “The band broke up, after several months of regrouping, Nate and I started playing together. Just acoustic guitars, keeping it simple, writing They are, however, in the process of finding, financing, and acquiring together, doing some open mics together. I don’t know what style you’d a larger tour vehicle. “The nice thing about that, hopefully they can call it, maybe country-folk.” come with us,” said Cook. “We’re in an awkward stage where we’re not making enough money to really justify it to our women, but we After some time as a two-piece guitar project, a drummer forced still have to do it if we’re going to get to that point. It’s fucked up his way into the fold. The addition of the new instrument and hard.” helped increase the appeal of Parmet and Cook’s music to a wider audience. “We heard how powerful it could be with “It’s more like, worrying about the future,” said Parmet. “’Is two guitars and drums,” said Parmet. “Things went pretty this what you’re planning to do with your quickly from there. We played out and got a much better life, you’re going to be on the road half the year?’ You have response than we ever had with Ego Vs Id.” to stop and reflect on that if it does seem ridiculous.”

Things between the three ended in a non-pleasant Both Cook and Parmet met their significant others at a manner, however, and the group’s original drummer show, which gives them an edge. “That’s the only reason departed, opening a wide hole in the band that needed to that they can probably cope with it at all, part of what be filled. They found Hale through mutual acquaintances attracted them to us is that we’re musicians.” and he began practicing with the group, bringing the effect of their sound to a new level. “I wasn’t going to stick “In the long run, though that won’t make much of a around with this band if we kept at the same volume,” difference,” says Cook. said Hale. He brought a more raw, uncut rock edge to The Yawpers that in turn brought to the table a whole new way The members of The Yawpers have also undergone of presenting themselves. “We got way, way louder and problems on the job front, as virtually no employers more distorted.” (understandably, I suppose) are okay with their employees taking off for three to six weeks at a time, multiple times a year, “That was something we were starting to do anyway,” said while also working around the band’s home life when they are Cook. “But it definitely picked up.” not on the road. As can be imagined, that can add more stress to relationships. “The job front is probably the biggest pain in the ass, “We started out wanting the drums to be overly simple,” said Parmet. also in my relationship another big stress.”

“No high hat or anything. When James jumped in, he gradually made us realize that there is room for some more interesting drum parts.”

“It’s really impossible to find a job,” said Hale, who is currently the only semiemployed member of the band. “I always tell people it’s like that John C. Radley What really struck home to me the more time I spent with these guys were the scene out of Step Brothers where they’re interviewing in the tuxedos and they figure similarity in the daily struggles that seem to plague so many young musicians, such as those out that they have vacation time for three weeks and they’re like ‘Allright can we start in three weeks I had experienced myself. It doesn’t matter the genre, the ultimate goal is the same. Bands then?’” break up and reform as new acts in an extremely incestuous music community. Each artist is frantically scampering in what they can only hope is the right direction with nothing but past experiences and intuition to light the path. The vision is there, and so is the motivation- the only problem is sifting through the bad offers, pay to play schemes, and shady promoters to establish a solid base of who you want to continue working with. It takes trial and error in addition to an unwavering ability to stick up for yourself and your band. A bit of luck never hurts either.

“We signed with this place called Adventure Records early on and they gave us some money,” said Cook. “We’ve had a couple lucky breaks really early on that put us ahead of a lot of other bands that were just starting. I feel pretty lucky about that.”

The Yawpers have been a traveling band since just after their inception, always knowing that they wanted to pursue that angle of spreading their music and seeing how far they could push themselves in as many directions as possible. Their first self-booked tour was in the fall of 2011. They signed with Dain at Vinefield Agency quickly afterward and continued establishing themselves locally. “He just showed up to a show that we were playing,” said Cook. “He just happened to be there and they liked what they saw and signed us. We got really lucky.”

Being on the Vinefield team immediately opened doors for the band, increasing their ability to hit new markets and have the professional booking and promotion necessary to execute successful band travel on a small budget. The Yawpers started spending more time on the road, finding their appeal expanding into other states and having moderate success on multiple southern tours, including their most recent, and frequent regional trips to Kansas, Texas and other states near to Colorado.

While Vinefield has helped with booking, when they actually hit the road, it is just the three of

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photo by TIm Wenger ********************Another night, another rock club. The Yawpers rip through the roar of honky tonk rock and roll filled with punk fury while maintaining the raw talent of a manicured, school trained rock outfit. They trim the excessiveness for Cook to let out a heart wrenching squeal leading to a verse of lyrics that remain spiritual through pure honesty, touching at the listener’s emotions as his voice penetrates their ears.

This was a notable evening, taking place at The Calico Room on Wilmington’s Front Street, a huge step up from the underground digs of the previous night. A larger and much more lively crowd followed suit with the better room and a booze-fueled dance party ensued during the set while four or five key players rotated the role of lead hoodwink, doing their thing and then shuffling off to the side as the next dancer stepped into the light.

I had my own sort of rotation going- split lopsidedly between the floor in front of the stage and right near the bar, where I drank like a true Coloradoan- guzzling beer native to the region one after another, simultaneously telling anyone who would listen that the Centennial State produces more, and therefore better, beer than North Carolina, and that the Amber Ale I was had in my hand paled in comparison to the taste of a cold Fat Tire.

This night turned out to be much more of a party than the previous.

After the show, The Yawpers and I headed to their friend Shaun’s house, who was the keyboard player in one of the opening bands and someone they had met a couple times prior, but instead of crashing out right away we stayed up talking shop, passing a pipe around and slamming shots from a dusty old bottle of Disarrono.

I think a lot of musicians (and possibly journalists by chance), The Yawpers included, subconsciously find a sense of peace in their habits of missing the “routine”- the odd hours, the late nights and the awkward conversations with fans and local barflies all start to blend into one great big beautiful mess of a lifestyle. That being said there are times when, upon waking up at noon after another nearall-nighter started off in a faceless rock club, you feel as though the train of mainstream life has left the station without you, and you wander outside of the random living room you caught a few sloppy hours of sleep in and gaze out into the abyss, wondering what the fuck you doing here in this unknown town. It can be hectic.

Being in a van with the same people for weeks on end is never an easy task for anyone, but The Yawpers are constantly working on finding that balance between home and road life, dealing with each other, and maintaining their personal intimate relationships. “Everyone has their own way of doing it,” says Parmet.

“For the most part, we keep it pretty simple,” says Cook. “We give each other space when we need it, hang out when we need it.” Parmet, as explained earlier, is known to become unlocatable for a while before show time, while Cook and Hale hang around the bar or interact with fans. All three of the guys, despite Parmet’s tendency to wane, like to maintain a friendly demeanor and accessibility to people watching their show after they get off stage. In my time on the road with them I frequently saw them sharing drinks and stories with random people in the club.

Cook, Parmet and Hale seem to have developed an ability to hold their personal feelings in check when a confrontational situation among members arises. This has not always been the case, they admitted to having had large arguments in the past, but while I was with them on the road they maintained that unspoken feeling of brotherhood that slowly grows between members of successful bands as they progress and experience more together.

They way the three interact with each other, make decisions about where to eat or sleep, or what to do during the downtime that encompasses so much of tour life, showed me a deep level of connection between them. They seem to view The Yawpers as one unit and everything else as another unit, like they are somehow different and must figure out how to proceed through the world while also being able to sit back and laugh at it. It is an interesting thing to observe because

they are all very different people, but I think that is what keeps them so close together- they have the developed the ability to rub off each other without hard feelings or pent up aggression.

“I think a lot of other bands have it worse than we do in some ways,” says Parmet. “We definitely have our blowouts from time to time, but our personalities are different enough that we just escape.”

Making a band work is hard but if these guys can keep it going they are destined for great things.

They have the talent and ambition to succeed and the personalities to dodge both internal and external bullets. They view music as their career path, and are content to take on the low points in order to reach the high ones, something that tears apart many bands.

My last night with The Yawpers started with myself and Hale sitting on the beach a few minutes walk from the venue in Wrightsville Beach, NC. The conversation fluctuated from general band life topics to travel, back to band life, and on eventually to the happenings back on the home front. Hale is the only member of the band currently employed outside of music, having found a kitchen that does not seem to mind his frequent touring. “Lucky,” I said.

We carry on talking for an hour or so, the conversation doing nothing short of solidifying my outlook on the commonalities of a musician’s challenges.

So many things he says hit so close to home with not only my personal experiences but with what so many people I have talked to over the last several years have expressed. The experience of putting your band first in your life, of doing whatever is necessary to make it work despite knowing that the odds are stacked against you, is a huge part of the reason that there is such a large feeling of community among bands in the music scene.

Heading out on the road with no confirmed places to sleep, guaranteed income, or assurance that the van won’t break down at the most inopportune time, sounds at first so nerve-racking that it might turn off the casual hobbyist. A serious touring band knows, at least, that there are people like them in so many towns around America that know the struggle first hand and are willing to open their living room and possibly even their refrigerator not just to help out but to make new friends and connections. The music world really is all about who you know, and underneath the tattooed arms and traveling circus-like madhouses are some of the most honest people in the world, willing to do anything to help keep the dream alive not just for themselves, but for the entire world of independent music. ‘We’re all in this together’ is not just a saying in this nation-wide community, it’s a way of life. Cook, Parmet and Hale are eager to return the favor and open their homes to the people who have thrown them a bone during their time on the road. Anything less would be unacceptable.

The Yawpers take the stage in front of a packed house at The Palm Room, about a football field’s length away from the beach, and right next door to an oyster house that doesn’t sell oysters.

They immediately catch the attention of their audience, many of whom were not roped in by the previous band. Watching these guys for another night in a row, knowing it was my last for the trip, I reflected on what I’d seen and learned about The Yawpers. For a band to have longevity in this tumultuous way of life, they have to look at ups and downs as a unifying experience and let those experiences bring them closer together. These guys have that down. They have more raw talent than almost any band I’ve ever seen, and the confidence in that talent necessary to take it to the next level. They have overcome many of the hurdles that strike at young bands and seem poised for the bigger ones ahead. Three personalities that probably would not have come together without music have formed one hell of a unit that presents itself as professional, ready, and eager for more. As Cook gazes out into the crowd just before concluding their final song of the set, I catch his smile for a moment and it seems to say, full of self-belief, ‘Bring it on, we got this.’

Back on the road in the middle of the night, following the countless white lines of I-40 north to Raleigh, the train rolls on. And I roam.

Online: theyawpers.com -Tim Wenger is the Managing Editor and vagrant journalist in residence at Colorado Music Buzz.

Reach him at TWenger@ColoradoMusicBuzz.com

November 2013 | ColoradoMusicBuzz.com

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Maxwellvison to Host Month-Long Art Exhibit on Sante Fe

by Tim Wenger

TWenger@ColoradoMusicBuzz.com

Maxwell, or Maxwellvision as he is better known in the art world, is not your typical artist.

Although I have been acquainted with him for about six months or so, each time he calls me and asks me to come down to the Sante Fe Arts District I know I am in for a treat. I have been fortunate enough to have the opportunity to listen to his band The Bunny Gang in their practice studio (also a part of Maxwell’s home) up above Sante Fe, hashing out a brand new cover of Rancid’s “International Coverup” for the latter’s tribute album. The Bunny Gang have also graced me with their presence on my radio program Music Buzz LIVE Radio, and, upon the most recent of said phone calls, I met with Maxwell at a coffee shop near his studio to hear about his latest endeavor- a month-long art exhibit titled Hand of Spirit, featuring art from himself, Jared David Paul and Laurie Maves. The show runs throughout November inside Skylite Station at 910 Sante Fe Drive.

The opening party for the 30 day celebration will be a night of live music, interpretive dance, art, and chef-inspired cuisine on Thursday November 7 from 6-10 pm. “It’s going to be an eclectic night of celebration in the arts,” says Maxwell. The evening will feature avant garde performers and the debut presentation of a section of Maxwell’s extended piano piece, The Birth of the New Heart.

Thomas Dolby Brings Unique Live Music/Film Experience to Bluebird November 14

by Tim Wenger

TWenger@ColoradoMusicBuzz.com

If you happen to be a fan of old-school MTV or electronic music from the 1980’s, you may have know name Thomas Dolby, the Grammynominated English musician and producer who was an early enthusiast of the synthesizer and finding new ways to match technology with music. Dolby has struck again with his current project, a combination of film and live musical performance dubbed “The Invisible Lighthouse.” The event comes to Denver on November 14 at the Bluebird Theatre.

Dolby filmed the 45-minute project entirely by himself, in eastern England near where he grew up and now lives and owns a home-made ship-based recording studio. It documents the closure of a close by lighthouse that lies on a military island off the coast by his home, analyzes a UFO investigation that happened nearby, and gives detail on the decline of the region both militarily and naturally. “The lighthouse isn’t really used for navigation anymore. I just wanted to document the end

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When informed of this as we sat across from each other with our organic fair trade coffee, I pictured in my head many years of sweat and laborious composition that he must have put into this piece. I learned that I was dead wrong, however, as Maxwell hadn’t so much as touched a piano until this last winter. “It was a long, cold, dark winter for me,” he says. “This phenomenal thing happened. I was reading Paramahansa Yogananda and he says, ‘To strengthen ones’ spiritual practice, learn something you’ve always wanted to learn and learn it well.’ The next day I went out and bought a piano. I’d never played the piano before.

I just got the piano and started touching it.” He struggled a bit at first, feeling as though his fingers were tied together with rubber bands, but after constant practice and study of the instrument he began not only feeling comfortable with the piano, but putting together what would become his first organized material on the instrument.

What began developing was an idea for what Maxwell thought would be multiple musical pieces, feeling the vibration of the notes on his piano and connecting them in what he felt was a healing manner. “I got these melodies in my head and I wanted to make them tangible,” he says. “I started finding the notes. Theory was irrelevant, there was no analyzing. It was all about ‘How does it feel. If I played this note and then I layered on top this note, how does it vibrate?’” of the lighthouse and I found some amazing stories and secrets.”

This is Dolby’s first attempt at a film (outside of music videos) and he is very excited to be touring American promoting his work. “I love the fact that the equipment and the software has become cheap enough and good enough that a maverick filmmaker can do a project like this,” he says.

The entire film takes place in Eastern England, with Dolby discussing not only the decline in US military presence in the area, but also the slow decay of the regio geographically.”Due to a combination of erosion, global warming, and the geology of Britain, our coast is very lowlying and is basically doomed,” says Dolby.

One of the central focuses of the film is a claimed UFO sighting by a few members of

He began waking up in the middle of the night with a melody in mind and heading to the piano to turn it into a physical vibration. “I didn’t sleep for months,” he says. “I would go to that piano and stack different vibrations. I started creating these melodies which I thought were going to be individual songs but they became something bigger. They all started stringing themselves together into one piece.”

Maxwell began composing a long-form piece of minimalist classical music through these smaller individual melodies he was creating one at a time. “As I was composing, my goal was, ‘You know, I want to perform, live, on the piano,” he says. “As a non-pianist, I want to have the freedom to walk up to a piano and play without the pressure of being critiqued or judged as a musician. I want to play the piano as an artist.”

Freed by his newfound approach to composing, he has been putting together a full theatre piece and will be performing 25 minutes of it at the opening party on the 7th. He has put together a full production complete with modern interpretive dance, video projections and sound treatments on electric guitar provided by William Murphy.

Maxwell is beyond excited about this new venture putting his passions for music and art together as one. “I dig rock and roll, I’ve been rock and rolling my whole life,” he says. “But now I’m in a position to merge the visual and the US military near the lighthouse, what critics have to say about the claim, and whether or not the claim is exaggerated or has evolved over time and what relation the lighthouse has or may have had on the incident. “That story has sort of grown over the years,” says Dolby. “Skeptics say it is just a way of increasing their value on the lecture circuit. In reality our memories are very unreliable in criminal cases. I think our own chance at memory is also unreliable. My film sort of becomes an investigation of that- how much of my memory is real, how real are they, and how has the change and evolution of those memories affected the songs that I write and the work that I do.”

Dolby wanted to further inspect not only the UFO claim but the lighthouse and island it sits on but was met with haste by authorities, so he boarded a Rigid Inflatable Boat and covertly invaded the island, documenting the closure of the lighthouse using a drone and well-placed

November 2013 | ColoradoMusicBuzz.com

the musical together in a more peaceful way, I think. A more calming way.”

The primary dancer is Mila Popovich. Carol Meyer is designing the dress. Richard Elipteo will be doing video projection. Connor Black and William Murphy will be creating sound treatments from Maxwell’s piano. The evening will feature a handful of other sort performances.

Gourmet food will be provided by a local chef.

Nat Lort Nelson of The Bunny Gang will be doing ambient music throughout the night between sets. The enchanting Xitlali will dance to live drummers Being the true visionary that he is, Maxwell hopes to take the finished piece, upon completion, to larger theatre production and make grow his name is the theatre community. “What I want to bring to Denver is another contemporary vision that is internationally viable,” says Maxwell.

As we conclude our meeting, Maxwell hands me a piece of handmade art for my wall (after making sure that I have a wall to hang it on and am not residing in my car) and a big hug. We talked briefly about how welcoming the music and arts communities in Denver are, and he is, through and through, more proof of that. His art is, I must say, something to behold.

-Stop by the gallery at 910 Sante Fe Drive November 1-30 to check out and purchase some of Maxwell’s art. A closing party will be announced shortly. Visit facebook.com/ bunnygangband to keep up on the happenings. of Maxwell’s group of conscious rebel rockers.

Tune in to Music Buzz LIVE Radio Wednesday’s from 6-9 pm on callywoodradio.com. hidden cameras.

The film is accompanied by a live stage performance featuring ambient sound effects and the score of the film, and followed by some of Dolby’s classic hits from the eighties.

“It’s quite a complicated performance from a technical standpoint,” says Dolby. “On stage I have myself and another performer, Blake Leyh, and between us we do the score, the songs, the sound effects. The timing is very precise. We also have programmed lights, as we simulate the flying saucer and the lighthouse beam. It’s quite a theatrical performance.”

During the middle of the film, there will be a break featuring a Q+A with unannounced special guests. “The tone of (the interviews) is a bit like “Inside The Actor’s Studio,” says Dolby. “It’s not a late night chat show on TV, this is more about one artist to another talking about creativity, writer’s block, what makes you tick. Sometimes they ask me questions about my film, sometimes I ask them questions about what they do. Sometimes they jam with us.” The special guest for the Bluebird Theatre performance has yet to be announced.

If you are unable to make the live performance, or would like a preview of what to expect, there is a sample of the film on YouTube- youtube. com/watch?v=uG51WwR9d80.

YoungBlood Brass Band on Teaching Workshops, Tour Life

by Tim Wenger

TWenger@ColoradoMusicBuzz.com

YoungBlood Brass Band have been bringing fresh hip-hop infused jazz around the country since 1998 and they stopped in Denver for the first time in quite a while on October 16. In addition to their music, they run a label and do workshops for students. Here’s the lowdown:

Progresh Now Open in Thornton

by Tim Wenger

TWenger@ColoradoMusicBuzz.com

Progresh, which recently opened at 94.99 N. Washington Street in Thornton, is Denver’s newest action-sports training facility, offereing camps, classes, events, and the opportunity to just drop in and hone your skills before hitting the mountain, skate park, or wherever you go to get your shred on. Colorado Music Buzz caught up with co-founder/co-owner Questor Sapnu and got the inside scoop on how, why, and what the hell is going down in this megacenter of excitement.

CMB: Let’s get the story on how Progresh got started, and what your role in the big picture is.

QS: Progresh was first conceptualized in 2011 after a few trips to Woodward. We love to snowboard and we grew up skateboarding, being able to do it year round was great, except for the drive. We asked ourselves many times how much cooler this would be if it were only closer...and that’s when the wheels started turning. I’m a Co-founder,Co-owner and Operator of Progresh. Me and my other partners, we all share different strengths. I’m in charge of marketing, advertising, event development , event coordination and all media. Those are the main areas of focus for myself. As you could imagine though, being a local startup company we are doing A TON of the work ourselves from sales, coaching and construction to name just a few. We all wear a lot of hats around here haha.

CMB: We know the many-hat wearing feeling all too well here at CMB. How did you secure the location?

QS: We found a great spot in the Pinnacle Playground Complex at 9499 N. Washington St in Thornton. We chose this spot as it’s centrally located in between some other ‘active recreational facilities’. Next door is Mid Air Adventures which is indoor zip lines, Extreme Adventures which is kid/adult american gladiators, Rock N Jammin’ which is an indoor rock climbing gym that’s been there over 16yrs. So as you see, we’re in this fun little play area already. The kid traffic in the summer is insane with buses lined up in the parking lot everyday of the week! It was a no brainer , then the fact that it was easily accessible from Boulder (30min drive), Fort Collins (35mins), Denver (15mins). We’re within an hour from most front range , denver metro and surrounding cities. It all just made sense.

CMB: Any events/opening parties/stuff worth mentioning coming up this summer?

QS: We just finished having our Grand Opening party that went off really really well. We had

some wonderful sponsors on board from Never Summer, Icelantic, Vail Resorts, Company Brand, Family Shred, Decks, Public Eye Skateboards, K2 , Lib Tech, Coden, InkMonstr and many others! Last week we did a winter kick off party where we had a ton of great giveaways with the 3 main prizes being 2 EPIC Passes and a Burton Snowboard. Now that that’s over we are developing other events and working with multiple other companies on different things. Let’s just say we have some great events that we are planning for the upcoming season!!

CMB: Talk about how you got into snowboarding/skating/surfing.

QS: Ive always been into sports whether team or individual in school or out of school. I grew up on the south side of Chicago and skating was big then. I’m 39 so when I started skating the kickflip was just being invented. We would build launch ramps, put them on skates and wheel them around different parking lots (because it was only a matter of time before we were kicked out ) and have mini little skate jams. Or we would skate in one of our driveways to the Dead Kennedy’s or the Circle Jerks and have these “skate jams” doing hand plants, ho-ho’s and a bunch of other old school tricks haha Things could’ve been a lot different had times been like they are now with all the amazing free skate parks to go to. But it was fun street skating, sometimes getting chased by cops was fun too. Then snowboarding happened and opened up a whole new world to me. I remember snowboarding in my Sorels. I was hooked from day 1. Surfing later came in my college days. I lived in Arizona but a lot of the weekends we would go out to San Diego and Huntington with our Cali friends. I had a love for board sports already but even when I was in Chicago growing up I’ve always had a passion to surf. So surfing naturally came into the picture. We do yearly surf trips now to Nicaragua. We surf and do things for and within the community each time we go down. We’ve set up sports fields, inter-cambio’s and more with the kids there. The people and the waves are sooo amazing and I swear it’s been my demise because everyday that’s all I jones for when I wake up. Not to sound all cliche but surfing is such a soulful thing to me. Being out in the water, sitting on your boards with your friends at sunset...you can’t beat that. As much as I LOVE Progresh and the kids there and everything about it, when Progresh get’s to a point where everything’s comfortable and running smoothly I think that’s where people will be able to find me from then on....in the water.

Progresh will host music, parties, and other special events from time to time, so be sure to hit up their website and stay up to date on all of the happenings.

Online: progresh.com

CMB: Give us the lowdown on the workshops you guys are doing at high schools and colleges.

DHS: We typically offer a performance/lecture that starts with a YBB song, then backs up 150 years and goes through the history of New Orleans music, the jazz funeral tradition, the mardi gras indians, the birth of R&B, the incorporation of Afro-Caribbean music, the influence of funk/soul/hip-hop, and eventually kind of gets us back to what Youngblood does. We intersperse musical examples with explanations of the evolution of the music.

We also usually make a point to impress upon them that we started the band in high school, as teenagers, and we do a lot of encouraging them to find what moves them and then follow it as hard as possible. If it’s university-level musicians, we get more into the specifics of what’s going on with the instruments stylistically, or improvisation-wise.

CMB: Do you notice a big difference in the reaction you get from crowds at different types of festivals and shows? Does a hip hop crowd seem to react differently than a more contemporary jazz festival?

DHS: The crowds are different in every single city... it’s wild how completely different they can

Venue of the Month: Tony P’s

by Ryan Edwards

REdwards@ColoradoMusicBuzz.com

I’ve come to the realization that there is always enough room for another good music venue, despite the crowded live music scene in the downtown Denver area. Within the last few months I believe I have found an awesome establishment that has already set itself apart.

Tony P’s is located on 17th in the up-andcoming uptown neighborhood.

On a random couple of nights after driving

by Tony P’s multiple times over the last few months, I decided to check out the music scene that this new bar has to offer. Rod Buckner plays with many other patrons in a jazz band and has been trying to promote the venue the last few months. Night-in and night-out Buckner’s group Buckner Funkenjazz has been representing the music scene and therefore, I felt obligated to talk to him about his thoughts on the audience, the stage, the drink specials, the staff and his thoughts on this newly established hotspot.

While I was sitting there listening to Buckner’s

November 2013 | ColoradoMusicBuzz.com

be town to town, festival to festival. Our typical demographics range from older jazz heads to young indie hip-hop kids and trombone-playing band geeks (a term I use endearingly, not disparagingly) and politically-motivated punks.

But whatever ‘type’ of crowd we play to, the reaction tends to be the same. It’s usually quite animated and physical and visceral. At least, that’s the ideal. We sweat, they sweat.

CMB: What’s going on with your selfstarted label/studio project Layered Music?

Anything big happening?

DHS: Nothing I would call ‘big’, but it’s a labor of love. We release music from artists between Madison and NYC, and we keep it eclectic, and we do what we can. The label is basically, like, me.

I’m the label. And I obviously don’t have a ton of time or resources to invest, being on tour with YBB, or my other band Cougar, or teaching the high school drumline program that I direct when home. We have records from avant-aggro-jazzers The Inbetweens coming out, some alt-country from Madison, some electronic stuff from NYC, et cetera... we just try to keep it moving.

CMB: What are some of your favorite pastimes on the road?

DHS: Honestly, there’s no time for pastimes.

Especially in America, a day goes like this: Drive 8 hours. Sound check. Find something to eat. Set up merch. Play gig. Sell merch.

Pack up. Load out. Try to get at least 5 hours of sleep. Repeat 30 times... We go hard.

CMB: How does Denver compare to other markets?

DHS: No idea actually... it’s been a few years since we’ve been here. It’s, uh, higher?

Online: facebook.com/youngbloodbrassband band jam, I was able to look around and observe a very happy, energetic crowd filling the booths around me. Buckner happens to agree about what I saw. “The crowd is very eclectic and the vibe has a very urban feel; with the décor of Tony P’s I feel that the general consensus is a very enjoyable and happening place to be,” he says. Along with décor that gives Tony P’s its character, is the stage that’s present. While most stages sit higher than the surrounding bar, Tony P’s does not, which gives off a personal vibe. “The stage at Tony P’s is functional and we enjoy playing there because it is an intimate setting and we can really work with the audience and get to know them on a personal basis; by talking to them and cracking fun at each other while we are playing.”

Also while I was sitting there I had a chance to speak to the staff and got a laid-back and personal first impression from them. After speaking with Buckner, I found out that Tony P’s takes care of their musicians as far as drink and food specials go and are appreciative of the music culture that they are trying to bring to Tony P’s.

As for Buckner’s final thoughts on the venue, “The buzz will happen for Tony P’s and I believe Tony P’s will grow into a great place for funk, blues and jazz to flourish.” …I believe it will too.

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The Manager’s Corner

by Chris Daniels

CDaniels@ ColoradoMusicBuzz. com I’ve managed my own band since the 1980s and despite the amazing changes in technology, success in the music business is built around some tried and true elements: great music & performance, really hard work and timing (often mistaken for luck). The book I wrote for my UCD class on artist management is called “DIY: You’re Not in it Alone” and that is exactly what you need to understand … you have partners out there willing to help…and you should count on them.

Vinyl. For some this is like getting excited about old Playboy magazines in your Dad’s garage.

Yeah, they’re interesting, fun to look at, but they don’t even compare to the 80 zillion digital porn sites on the internet. Yes, some folks love the feel of that old paper that folds out, but is there any comparison to endless hours of computer heavy petting?

According to the Mirror in London, UK sales of vinyl are up 100% from last year with some 15,000 albums being sold every week. While they still only make up about 1% of the sales, for the UK they will sell almost 20 million dollars in vinyl in 2013. About 90% are bought by men and almost 5% of those who buy vinyl don’t even own a record player! In the States the figures are similar with the sales of vinyl up almost 40% over last year.

But what makes it worth it for an up-and-coming act in Colorado to risk the expense and extra work needed to bring your recording to this 65 year old medium? It’s pretty simple: if you have the fan base to support this kind of technology it’s worth it.

Does that mean if you have 5,000 likes on your Facebook fan-page you should press vinyl? … no. What it means is that if you perform enough shows to move enough merch to cover the cost of doing the vinyl, you might be wise to do it IF and only if your audience will support it.

The fact is vinyl IS a valid medium and, in point of fact, some of the hottest moving merch and retail sales items an artist can have in his or her tool kit – provided – and this is important – your niche audience actually likes the medium and will support it.

So here is how you build it. (A) You need to ask your Facebook, Twitter and any other fans how many would buy a vinyl album if you released it. (B) You need to discount that figure by about 30% to cover the number of people who say they will do something and don’t …like your friend with a truck who says “anytime you need

Between The Covers: Grit to Glamour Green Rooms

a back stage wonderland! At the top, definitely Lil Wayne, and Two Chainz. They traveled with more high end tour busses than any tour of the summer, they had busses for their “posses”, there was a “ho” bus, a support talent buss “skateboarder’s and dancers” they had their own barber, massage therapists, top of the line fashion on hot band babes dripping in gorgeous glamour, and boys with loads of metal in their mouths. It was amazing! Each artist on the tour did a quick meet and greet for the fans willing to pay hundreds to stand next to them for their FB shot. There was no further mingling of the traveling city of Oz; the reality of the fans fast return to the seats. Security is tight! Most high dollar acts have expensive catering, and then depending on the act the desired amenities usually included in their rider they will travel with the equipment for: aromatherapy rooms, work out rooms, game rooms, big screen TVs incase some special “game” happened to be going on during set up or the warm up acts, and of course more massage therapy. There are of course the luxurious accommodations of venues that host events such at the Grammy’s, five stars all the way.

by Torch

Torch@ ColoradoMusicBuzz. com

When you buy your ticket you just bought the magic dust of wonderful daydreams. Where will you be sitting in relation to your favorite act? Who will be partying with you? What are you going to do after the show, maybe hang out with the band?

What will you wear, what would you say to your beloved stars?

Fans want to go backstage, hang out with the bands and of course get a pic of you and “famous face” to post on your Facebook page.

It happens on all levels of success in music.

The infamous Green rooms of Herman’s, now coveted with a secret code, definitely fall into the “grit” category. Giggling band guys have openly recalled various sexual conquests in the basement of the bar, down the old stairs, walls signed by … everyone, into the rooms of low ceilings, sagging couches, and the beginning of legends. Decades of bands have hung out in those rooms that can best be described as seedy, and sticky. Many beers have been spilled, shared and toasted to a loud rowdy night of conquering the crowd in those dark spaces filled with . The beginning of living like a rock star!

Most small festivals reserve a tent for the talent, not so discrete but usually a festival will provide food and drinks in the form of bags of chips, snack food, waters, and generally some beers.

The “Green Room” tent is a perfect gathering place, as multiple bands then to hang out together, tell war stories and take their turns on stage. They will however venture out into the crowd and buy a burrito, or fry bread.

Glamor rides with the big-ticket bands. This is

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It is not however the dream world you would envision of all smiles and parties. Kelly Clarkson was on stage, and Maroon 5 was out back taking lessons from a golf pro trying to perfect their swings, after the show they spent a few minutes with family and then they were back on the bus for the next gig. Lil Wayne had to get on the bus without his infant son, and left heartbroken, a small truth in the world of touring.

Fame and photos create the super star image, but no matter how famous the face, they are just a persondoing a job, and they have a lot of people depending on them to go out there on stage and perform for the agreed upon time, after which they are hot, tired and sweaty. The biggest party bands are the baby bands and they are the easiest to access, so if you want to know what it is like back stage, start there, egos aren’t as big and they love and need to attention then you both have your magic dreams. Just be sure to wipe your seat.

a hand” and then he doesn’t show up when you need him. (C) Now take that figure and run a quick formula on it.

The formula is a standard break-even formula (BE = FC/P-VC) This means the number of vinyl albums you need to sell in order to cover your costs will be equal to the Fixed Cost (FC) like your studio costs, cost of mastering for vinyl, album art and the cost of pressing the vinyl divided by the price you get at your shows (LPs get an average of $15 and up) MINUS your per-unit expense (variable cost like shipping). So if you spent $5,000 recording, pressing, and on artwork and you are getting $15 an LP AND it costs you a prorated cost of $1 per album to ship them to you – your formula is $5,000 divided by $15 - $1 ($14) = 357 albums must be sold before you cover your costs.

In this example - if you are playing enough gigs to be assured of selling a minimum of 357 albums, then it is worth it. Notice I did not include retail stores. And the fact is that great folks like Paul at Twist & Shout and Andy at Albums on The Hill in Boulder love good selling vinyl…so if you are doing a lot of shows around the Front Range, then they will most likely like having your record in their store.

Musician 101 – Round 5 What to do to take it to the next level by the Swami

Swami@ColoradoMusicBuzz.com Back in the 90’s when I had a developmental deal with Sony, I was privileged to have several great mentors.

Then the labels still had A/R departments and would look for talented artists to sign and then “train” to be a pro. For me, I was lucky enough to have such encounters. Here in this monthly column I will share with you not only the things I learned from “the big boys” but really from the school of hard knocks and the other school of figuring out what not to do.

Each month I will pick a different topic that I think truly makes the difference between amateur and professional.

Be media savvy...or get looked over!

Being in the media industry for several years as the Publisher of Colorado Music Buzz magazine, I am often surprised at how many bands aren’t prepared to present themselves as a business and garner attention through easy-tofind marketing materials.

Below are what we consider “standards,” and a few other things to think about.

1 - Your website: Is your site updated regularly?

Do you have your phone and email easily available? Are your next few shows listed? Do you have a “press” area that contains the items below?

Photo: Make sure you have a hi-resolution photo for download - preferably one live and one studio. Hi resolution standards in the media industry are 300dpi (dots per inch). Hire a good photographer, don’t have your friend or band mate do it! Presentation to the masses is at stake! Represent!! Less photos is better for the media - just be selective about what you

November 2013 | ColoradoMusicBuzz.com

The first resource to consider is mastering.

Mastering for LPs is a totally different thing then sitting down with your buddies and your computer to master your album. Mastering for vinyl involves lots of technology and a great understanding of things like “inner groove distortion” and two-side sequencing and much more. In Colorado, Aardvark Mastering is pretty darn good and they can help you with info on pressing and setting up the art, etc. Check them out at aardvarkmastering.com/ These things will get you started. Companies like CD Baby will take LPs for sale. And one final thought. Remember that 5% who bought the LP without owning anything to play it on?? … my guess is that figure is closer to 15%. And for that reason, and because even people who bought the album will want to listen to it on their iPod as they head to class (or whatever), I encourage you to put a free “download” card in the LP packaging because you will increase the traffic driven to your music at sites like iTunes if you do. You can get them from CD Baby and other aggregators like TuneCore for as little as 50 cents per card … and it will really make the person who buys your LP happy! If your music, act or band is at the point where vinyl makes sense, spend the time to do some research into what it would take and how it would work for you, and especially what your fan base interest might be…it all starts there. want us to use.

Bio: Make sure it is relevant. Don’t go into some extended “I was born in” - we wan’t to know about your career as a musician and where you are headed and what your goals are. Keep it precise - again, we are using this information to represent you.

News: Is there something compelling going on in your camp? Better shout it out on your website! Got a new EP you are working on? A new video? Broadcast it or we just won’t know about it!

Logo: Make your logo readily available as a hi-resolution download. Hire a graphic designer to do it if you don’ t have one. This is your trademark so be selective as it will not only represent the band, but the style as well.

2 - Social Media: Make sure you are continually updating your pages with current info. Don’t be silly about your posts, be wise. Make us want to find out more about you. And then make sure you back it up with information. Be on point with your contact info, bio and photos. We use Facebook a lot.

3 - Reply back quickly: Nothing makes us not want to present you to the masses if you can’t communicate in a timely manner. Seriously, set up an email that you check daily and respond ASAP. We move on if people don’t respond.

Need a great reference for a photographer or graphic designer? Hit me up Swami@ ColoradoMusicBuzz.com - I am here to help!