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 DJ Cola, Chris Daniels, Thom Jackson Angela Kerr, Coleman Prapp Norm Provizer, Leah Parker Charlie Sullivan, Tim Wenger Torch PHOTOGRAPHY Jordan Altergott, Miles Chrisinger Ted Davis, Jenn Cohen Ray Tollison, Torch
ACCOUNT REPRESENTATIVES Angela Kerr - 720-849-9697 AKerr@ColoradoMusicBuzz.com EVENT AND MAGAZINE MARKETING Chris Murphy 720-429-8717 CMurphy@ColoradoMusicBuzz.com WEB ADVERTISING Keith Schneider 303-870-7376 Keith@ColoradoMusicBuzz.com LEGAL Stephen Replin - 303-322-7919 SReplin@ReplinRhoades.com INTERNSHIP Maddie Norton Ryan Hughes Abby Kaeser
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.
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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.
Letter From The Editor
The End of Festival Season 2014 Looking up from my post near the beer stand, I saw a silver balloon taking flight over the crowd of punks, drunks, and other general well-doers that had gathered to watch the Bouncing Souls perform at Sports Authority Field at Mile High for the final day at Denver’s edition of Riot Fest. It rose from up near the stage, high over the crowd, coming to an apex about halfway back and seemed to hold its position for a moment, enjoying the high point of the ride. A gust of wind took it back towards me, through a couple whirlwind loops and circles, slowly losing steam and altitude. Finally, the balloon came to rest on the right foot of the oblivious man standing directly in front of me. He sipped his beer without taking any notice, looking off toward the orange sun sinking over the mountains to the west. As the balloon’s course came to an end, so has 2014’s summer festival season in Colorado. I have spent most of the summer, or so it seems, traveling around the state to hit festivals large and small- covering them, working them, falling into the vibes and trying to figure out how to best translate those feelings into pictures and words. A scroll through coloradomusicbuzz.com holds the result of our staff’s efforts, in both forms. As the balloons fall and the sun sets on another season of parties that ran from the streets of Denver to the hills of mountain country, I personally am ready to watch the season change- giving us new vibes, and moving us indoors to see what musical and cultural bliss the Autumn and Winter will bring to our fair state. A collection of photos are available on the website documenting the best (and, often the weirdest) during our travels this season. 2015, you’ve got a lot to live up too. Tim Wenger
October 2014 | ColoradoMusicBuzz.com
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SpokesBUZZ Homecoming Rocks Denver, Fort Collins
by Tim Wenger
SpokesBUZZ, Fort Collins’ finest music-oriented non-profit, is hosting its Homecoming Week for their flagship BandSwap program October 1-5. The program sends Colorado bands to perform a wellorchestrated show out of state, while pairing them with a band local to that city, and then bringing both bands to Colorado to perform an equally well-orchestrated gig here. Sarah Slaton, the organization’s Director of Artist Development, filled us in on how the program works, who is involved, and what you can do to catch the action that will be hitting Fort Collins and Denver starting next week. CMB: You’ve got a solid list of cities participating this year. Are you hoping to keep growing, or are you happy with where it’s at? SS: There’s certainly room for growth with the BandSwap program. Next year we’ll have returning cities and new markets joining in the movement. Our first priority is to focus on quality, not quantity, so the main concern is executing the events with maximum impact. The visibility and interest in the program grows exponentially each year. In my opinion the sky’s the limit. CMB: How was the Homecoming Week put together, and how did the organization come into contact with the out of town bands? SS: Homecoming week is the final chapter of BandSwap. After each Colorado band selected heads to their designated outbound city, we then bring their partner bands back to Colorado for a week of showcases,
Heart & Soul Radio- Thieves
by Tim Wenger
Pop-punk never dies. It just gets older, reforms into a super-group of Warped Tour veterans, and keeps cranking out music. Heart & Soul Radio is proof of this, as the group (made up of former members of D.O.R.K. and Animo) prepares to drop their new record Thieves October 4 at the Oriental Theatre. Front man Schuyler Ankele is almost too good of a singer to be in a punk band. His songs, eloquently transcribed over Brian Johannsen’s pop-heavy guitar lines, appear as letters. Whether to a past or future version of himself, or someone in his life, they are easily relatable. H&S takes their typical “we’re really talented and have been doing this for a long time” flair and step it up a notch- the album actually shows growth. Well played, guys. Online: heartandsoulradio.org
panels, and industry mixers. The SpokesBUZZ team secures venues and coordinates all elements of Homecoming events. It’s been six months of hard work and planning, but Homecoming Week is the fruition of our labor. We work with municipalities, industry gatekeepers, and professionals in the outbound cities to help select participating bands from outside Colorado. Each city handles their selection process differently through submissions or contests. Bands selected must have a strong following in their home market since the entire idea is based around swapping fans and making connections in new cities. PARTIPATING CO BANDS & THEIR PARTNERS The Yawpers (Boulder) with Jordan Igoe (Charleston) - Hi Dive 10/1 Eldren (Denver) with k i d s (Athens) - Hi Dive 10/1 Winchester Holiday (Fort Collins) with Phin (Nashville) - Galvanize 10/2 Maxwell Hughes (Fort Collins) with Amanda Broadway (Nashville) - Galvanize 10/2 The Gasoline Lollipops (Boulder) with Bonsoir, Catin (Lafayette) - Walnut Room 10/3 The Deadwood Saints (Fort Collins) with Lewi Longmire & The Left Coast Roasters - Walnut Room 10/3 Shatterproof (Fort Collins) with The Lolo’s (Chico,CA) - Hodi’s Halfnote 10/3 Winchester Holiday (Fort Collins) with Phin (Nashville) - Hodi’s Halfnote 10/3 Stella Luce (Fort Collins) with Lords of The Trident (Madison) - Hodi’s Halfnote 10/4 (support from Izcalli and Post Paradise) Open Jam (w/ all participating bands) - Avogadro’s Number 10/5
Indie Acoustic Project Accepting Submissions
NPR’s Mountain Stage Radio Show hosts an annual songwriting and performing artist competition internationally, and this year two of Denver and Boulder’s own are among the ranks. Of ten Southwest Regional Finalists chosen, Denver’s Katey Laurel and Boulder’s Kyle James Hauser are two. One songwriter will be chosen from each region for a total of 12 finalist to compete at New York City’s Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts November 15, 2014 for the grand prize, an EP produced by Wilco’s Pat Sansone in Asheville, NC, a performance on NPR’s Mountain Stage and a performance at Sundance Film Festival. Voting for the People’s Choice award is now open and results will be tallied by October 6. \ Online: newsong-music.com/contest/ southwest
Indie Acoustic Project 570 Union Avenue Boulder, Colorado 80304 USA
The Indie Acoustic Project is now accepting submissions for our Best CDs of 2014 Awards. How to submit: Send a CD of each title you want considered, along with an email contact address to:
No other material is necessary, although a brief bio sheet may be included. You may submit as many titles as you wish, but only one copy per title is required. There is no charge of any kind for any aspect of these awards. What qualifies: Any full-length CD that: (1) has at least some acoustic instrumentation, and (2) has been (or will have been) released for sale to the public during 2014 by any entity other than a major US label. Recordings released by a non-major but distributed by a major label do qualify for consideration, as do recordings that feature electric or electronic instrumentation in addition to acoustic instrumentation. We will send out a follow-up reminder in early December. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us at jon@indieacoustic. com.
Online: spokesbuzz.org
Vetta StarPleased To Meet You
by Coleman Trapp
Vetta Star’s EP Pleased to Meet You has an aesthetic reminiscent of bands like Third Eye Blind, Toad The Wet Sprocket, and The Wallflowers. They’re doing what feels good, and what feels good is usually what was on the radio when you were a kid. The EP starts with “Cannonball,” the poppyist of the bunch. On first listen, the incredibly clean production and predictable instrumentation taste of vanilla, but these aspects are simply the canvas on which a well written song rests. Track 2, “Perfect Painful Dream,” is a sonic left turn. Unlike “Cannonball” the snare is thick and the vocals are spread across the aural space. Another good hook here. It could be edgier, but Vetta Star doesn’t want to shock you, they want to entertain you. Online: facebook.com/vettastar
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Local Songwriters Katey Laurel and Kyle James Hauser Are Southwest Regional Finalists in 2014 NPR Mountain Stage NewSong Contest
Dimmer Switch
by Tim Wenger
Just about when we were thinking it would never happen, Dimmer Switch is giving us a new album. The group has stylistically evolved since their debut ep. This record draws more from the late-nineties style punk sound and less from a hard-rock standpoint. w Letting the driving punk rock guitars guide the direction of the music, Dimmer Switch seems to have found their “sound” with this new record. The vocals also stand tall. Front man and bassist Everett Wolfe, whose vocals I can only compare to long-defunct pop-punk group Ten Times A Day, does a great job of conveying the emotions in his lyrics, with the instrumentation following in suit. A good record to drive to, Dimmer Switch has made the wait worth it with this self-titled record. Online: dimmerswitchband.com
October 2014 | ColoradoMusicBuzz.com
Andy PalmerSingles
by Tim Wenger
Andy Palmer recently blessed us with a collection of live recordings from a performance at the Boulder Theatre, and he is quick to deliver another pleasing folk-rock punch with a small collection of singles (“Storm” and “The Hill.”) If you are not familiar with Palmer’s sound, think of a modern-day Bob Dylan doused with smokey New York City night club folk, topped off with a soothing dose of Rocky Mountain hipster. His sound is unlike anything I’ve ever heard, and it does a lot more than “work” for him. “Storm” utilizes some harmonica on top of Palmer’s thick, scratchy vocals, while “The Hill” lets his voice do all the talking. Both are enjoyable tunes that suck the listener in fill the mind with vivid imagery and abruptly obvious emotion, leaving us anxiously awaiting the next round with a wide open ear. Online: andypalmermusic.com
Preneur of the Month Robert Podrasky Launches New Radio Studio
is ready to re-launch a community driven website thescoop303.com and recording studio – Studio Zoo Productions –located at 2103 S. Wadsworth Boulevard in Lakewood, CO.
Who ever said being an entrepreneur was easy? I always marvel at the discipline and stick-to-it-iveness required to even embark upon an independent venture – especially for those fearless folk who bootstrap their business ideas without the help of investors.
The Scoop 303 is structured as a website where community members can post activities and content which highlights community events and activities. Podrasky is opening the website to quality content which is informative and collaborative in nature. He sees himself as giving the direction, but allowing the community members to direct content to his audience.
by Angela Kerr
So many books have been written on the subject –The E-Myth Revisited by Michael Gerber states in the introductionthatover a million businesses are started each year in the United States with 40% failing in the first year and 80% of those who survive the first five years failing in the second five. Staggering stats right? Many of these small business owners are technicians or specialists that are heavily skilled in their passion but have not yet developed business management skills. These skills are acquired many times in the school of hard knocks. Some entrepreneurs give up on their dream of self-employment and go back to working for others. Some of them keep chipping away at their ideas while still employed – weekend warriors or after work warriors who never give up. Such is the entrepreneur highlighted this month – Robert Podrasky, Owner of The Scoop 303 and The Studio Zoo. Podrasky sports 20 years of work experience as a printer for The Rocky Mountain News and The Denver Post where he has been responsible for preprint layout and press operations ensuring quality production. During his tenure, he has also developed skills in his entrepreneurial passions including website design, graphics artistry, photography, videography and live sound and studio recording and engineering. According to Podrasky he has been perfecting his business model over the past ten years and
In terms of Studio Zoo Productions, an affiliateofTheScoop 303, he has created a professional recording studio equipped with producer station, interviewer station and four guest stations. Podrasky’s intent is to provide recording and podcast opportunities to community members who may not have production experience or the finances to build their own studio. His personal goals include “Take 20,” a 20 minute radio show covering the local creative scene, and a food and beverage show entitled “The Acquired Taste,” which will focus on the Denver scene with a preference for healthy eating habits. He plans on soliciting local colleges and universities whose students have interest in writing, photography, videography and radio to provide intern opportunities to complement majors in film, photography, radio and journalism where an internship must be completed as part of their educational requirement. Podrasky will also be supporting local advertisers who wish to get the word out about their offerings and business models. A community win/win. Podrasky plans an open house at the Studio Zoo location in November 2014. Anyone interested in these opportunities may contact him at: info@ thescoop303.com
New Members, New Album, New Vision For The Bunny Gang
by Tim Wenger
Nathen Maxwell’s group The Bunny Gang dropped their new album Thrive at midnight on September 23 at Beauty Bar in Denver, with a party hosted by Denver Vintage Reggae Society. In CMB’s August 2014 issue, we called the album “ the best album we’ve heard this year, and high on our list for best record out of Colorado, ever.” Not bad, considering Maxwell is best known as the bassist for Los Angeles-based Celtic punk rock band Flogging Molly. Having a gig like he does with Flogging Molly often puts a damper on what The Bunny Gang is able to do, but Maxwell hopes that now that this record is out this project will have the ability to gain more local steam. “First and foremost, we want to start playing Denver. “I’m just so excited to get it out there so people can listen to it,” Maxwell says. “That’s a big part of it. “We’ve reformed so that it is all Denver-based musicians,” Maxwell says. “They’re all part of the Denver music scene. They all have been, and are in, other Denver bands. Original guitarist Nat Lort Nelson remains in the group, and Maxwell has brought in Joshua Taylor formerly of The Photo Atlas on drums, Levi Smith of Lama Live on keyboards and Synthetic Element’s Kyle Hernandez to play bass. Hernandez, a long-time friend of Maxwell’s, recently joined the group following the recording of the new album. “Nate hit me up several months ago,” says Hernandez. “They’ve been rearranging because people are growing different directions. Some guys had to move along, so he asked me if I would do it. I’m stoked.” “It’s an incredible album,” says Hernandez. “I’ve
dedicated my full focus on The Bunny Gang, knowing that it’s going to be going forward and touring. I’m 100% focused. (Nate) is a brilliant mind, and the feeling is great.” As far as Flogging Molly’s often hectic tour schedule and Maxwell’s vision for The Bunny Gang, “They just co-exist,” he says. “That’s the way it’s got to be, hopefully forever. That’s kind of the message of The Bunny Gang- coexist.” The other guys in the band, because of their experience, aren’t holding any hard feelings about Mawell’s often unpredictable work schedule with Flogging Molly. “We all understand where Nate comes from,” says Hernandez. “This summer, Nate was over in Europe, and we were going forward and learning the stuff so we could be ready for him.” Lyrically, along with coexistence, the album speaks much about peaceful revolution (check out the songs “Sirens Through The City” and the title track “Thrive”) and basic human rights. Maxwell is not afraid to talk social issues and politics. “I’m singing about my perspective and how I see the world, and my place in it,” he says. “And all of our place in it. Since we’ve been adults, it’s been a constant state of, America’s at war. That’s a big concern, and a theme of my thinking, and that comes out in the music. It’s unfortunate.” He wants listeners to know, however, that his music is not intending to preach. The music is art, and is up for interpretation. “I don’t think there’s really much right versus wrong in the music,” says Maxwell. “It’s just perspective. The best I can with putting music together that I like. The music that I like always spoke to me in a certain way, and I just felt intrigued to write this kind of music right now. It’s just for people to have a deeper conversation and to be careful when they polarize themselves. Communicate beyond MSNBC and Fox News.” “It’s relaxing in some ways because it’s just enjoyably to play the music,” says Maxwell. “Music is about communication, in different ways. Sometimes, I prefer to just dance.” The group hopes to continue lining up gigs around Denver- stay posted at thebunnygang.com.
Is The ‘Musicians’ Section on Craigslist Legit? Our Readers Say Yes
The “Musicians” section on Craigslist is one of the more interesting music-centric pages to troll on the web. Whether you are looking to start a band, replace a member, make a music video, get a gig, or offer a service- you can likely find a connection. The experiences, much like the posts themselves, cover the gamut- from a cello player joining The Lumineers and achieving rock star status to cracked-out hobos showing up at your band practice, you can find it all on Craigslist. Here are a few stories from the Denver edition. “After my last band broke up, I decided to put an ad on CL to see if anyone was looking to start a band or needed a singer. I kept it anonymous and said, basically, “Here’s what I’m into and looking to do, hit me up if you’re interested.” Fred (guitar) responded and said, “I think I know who this is. Allout Helter is looking for a singer, you should hit me up.” So, for me, Craigslist totally worked out. Here we are 4 years later, playing at Riot Fest Denver. On occasion, I make solid decisions and joining Allout Helter was one of the best ever.” -Ross Hostage “I found my bass player on there and we became best friends. Now we play in our band together and work at Violet Recording together. Nonetheless, before I met him, there were about 20 people I turned down who came and jammed. Now on Oct 30th we are headlining the Bluebird Theater.” -Caleb Kronen “Most are pretty good..You can usually get a vibe while talking on the phone first..” -David Ketelaar “The Hits originally formed all through the workings of craigslist and we still have 3 out of 4 original members!! lol we recently got a new singer and added another guitar player in which we hinted again through CL and we did have some very interesting people show up for auditions!” -Kristen O’Conner “I posted in there in 2012 asking local musicians to submit their music to my radio broadcast and had a lot of success with it. However, the email I used still gets an insane amount of spam to this day because of it. I imagine it got collected by a few email brokers.” -Stan Price
October 2014 | ColoradoMusicBuzz.com
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Rapper Shamanix Mixes Shaman Work, Hip Hop
by Tim Wenger
Shamanix is hip hop with a truly deep meaning. After spending time with Shamans in Peru, Matt Toussaint integrated their teachings and his experiences into the music he creates in Denver. CMB caught up with Toussaint to get the lowdown. CMB: Tell us about Peru. That must have been a crazy experience. S: That’s quite a story, and yes, a totally crazy experience. It really began long before actually going to Peru. In my late teens I had a very powerful awakening to spirit that changed my life substantially. Coincidentally, it was right around this time that I was introduced to a style of hip hop music that also completely blew my mind. And so I began this parallel spiritual and artistic journey, not knowing that I was being guided the whole time. In late 2007, I had a vision in which a spirit showed me that I needed to go to Peru, find a shaman and participate in ceremony. Six months later I was in the jungle town of Iquitos. This was the first time I had ever traveled outside the country. I was 23, naïve and scared. But once in ceremony, things began to make rapid sense. The spirits showed me that I was going to apprentice with the shaman leading the ceremony, and they also
showed me an incredible fusion of music and shamanism. If you had told me then that this vision was going to manifest in the way that it is now, I wouldn’t have believed you. But over the years, piece by piece, everything lined up and now here we are. CMB: Do you have plans to go back there? S: Yes definitely. I am heading back later this year. I have been back and forth quite a bit since my first visit, at least 2-3 times per year. I work withanAmazonian shamanic center outside of Iquitos that runs workshops with travelers and people looking for healing and transformation through Amazonian plant spirit medicine. My shaman teacher founded his center Blue Morpho Tours in 2001, the same year I began my journey. As part of my shamanic training, I continue to work within the Amazonian tradition along with the practices we do up here in the US.
with your path through your own experience. In the Amazonian traditions, there are periods of time in training where you are under heavy restrictions. You follow a very limited and bland diet, while also refraining from ingesting any drugs or alcohol, as well as being abstinent from all sexual activity. These restrictions help to support and provide an optimum environment – physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually – to receive the teachings. Because my training is a hybrid of traditional and Modern Shamanism, I am learning how to navigate shamanic reality in Western culture. This puts me in a position where I have to discern what limitations work best for my environment. The fusion with hip hop music, for me, is an ideal way to express this. CMB: What else influences your music? S: I just love the craft. I have found something in hip hop – and shamanism – that allows me to express myself in a way that no other medium has been able to contain. It is all driven from the need to create and express experiences that are so unique. Everyone has unique experiences. Life itself is the biggest influence. I want to tell my story and share my spirit. This allows me to do it in a way that has meaning.
S: Yes and no. The shamanic training is not rule based, it is experience based. So you have to learn how to understand in a very deep way what is and isn’t in alignment
Also check out the Blue Morpho Club, which Watch for future mastermind sessions on this topic is where I do my shamanic work here in in 2015 when Katey and Michael will drill into a detailed step-by-step journey of licensing and Colorado- bluemorphoclub.com publishing music.
The Living Deads
As a band, ALTERITY is adapting this ideology to morph old school Delta Blues with elements of traditional heavy metal and psychedelic desert rock creating a mid tempo groove laden bass sound featuring heavily distorted and fuzzed guitars, melodic vocals, droning synthesizers and retro production techniques.
Hillbilly Hellcats Drummer! Jealous boyfriend!! Guns!!! Stolen truck! Plane ticket! New Bass player!
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Rave reviews poured in after the Licensing and Publishing 101 with Katey Laurel of One Way Music Services and Michael St. James of St. James Media exited their Own It presentation on September 9th.
CMB: Does anything you learned there, or by using the name Shamanix, prevent you from doing anything or acting a certain way? Is it at all restrictive?
Alterity
Online: reverbnation.com/ therealalterity
by Angela Kerr
Katey and Michael shared their immense knowledge of the field by discussing a basic introduction of license basics (master/publisher sync), tiers of licensing, budgets, exclusive vs. nonexclusive deals, how to find opportunities for your songs, formatting and technical requirements and CMB: Where are you on the web? the significance of metadata. Katey also provided S: Bandcamp- shamanixofficial.bandcamp. hand-outs with process flows and detailed review of all of the above subject matter. com
ReverbNation Featured Artists of the Month give independent acts that have not previously been featured in Colorado Music Buzz the opportunity to get on our radar, get their bio in the magazine, and get their tracks played on Music Buzz LIVE Radio on Wednesday evenings. The artists are selected through submissions made via their ReverbNation pages.
Alterity originated as 2 piece band, guitar/vocals(Wyatt Leonard) and drums(Flip Longley). The two founding members met at the Denver School of Rock in 2011, become friends, sharing very similar tastes in music and quickly decided to start their own project, Alterity. Their major influences would be Black Sabbath, Jack White, Led Zeppelin, Queens of the Stone Age, Son House, Sleep, Robert Johnson, Junior Kimbrough, Om, North Mississippi Allstars and several other old timer Delta Blues and Heavy Metal artists.
Own It Music Mastermind Series Covering Legal, Touring
The Living Deads take DoIt-Yourself to a new level. From living full time in their RV, designing and printing their own t-shirts, to booking their own tours, this band takes it all upon themselves and they are still ready for more……… With Randee McKnight on drums/vocals and Symphony Tidwell on upright bass/vocals, they have made a name for themselves across the U.S. and Canada by “Kidnapping” various guitar players after their guitar player quit on them at 3 am as they were leaving town for their tour. Online: reverbnation.com/ thelivingdeads
Lee Simms & The Platte River Band Country Music has a refined taste for artists with powerful, resonate, baritone voices; as such, Country Music Fans around the world have overwhelmingly embraced Lee Sims as their down-home superstar. Always “keeping it Country,” Lee Simms exhibits a world0class presence, on stage and in the recording studio, that draws purists and contemporary fans together. As a result, Lee has become a Colorado Country Music icon and topped independent International Charts with his 2005 CD, Back Tackin’, and most recently with the 2014 release of Deep in the Heart of Me. The band has a video they would love for you to check out at leesimms.com
Coupstick “Coupstick” //Koo/stick- An all original, no bells and whistles, 5 man rock and roll band out of Denver Colorado: Both in the Studio and on stage, Coupstick brings a performance featuring strong vocals, well written lyrics, sensational guitar solos, and heavy toms with a hint of Native American sound. “We’re building a Place for us to belong in”: Honoring traditional ways with new ones. Powerfully deliverd, this music cuts deep and sticks to the skin, instill a ringing in the ears, and a rush of new ideas. Count or Be Counted. Online: reverbnation.com/ coupstick
Online: reverbnation.com/ leesimmsandtheplatteriverband
October 2014 | ColoradoMusicBuzz.com
Additional attendees included members of local performing bands: Stephanie Bettman and Luke Halpin of Bettman & Halpin, The Driftin’ Suns, AMZY, ATP, Chris LaFata, Facing West, Dead End Drivers, Jason Vigil, and Chasing May. In addition, everyone enjoyed a knock out unplugged set performed by WoolEye from Fort Collins. On October 14, we will welcome Michael Haskins from Haskins Law Group who will lead a discussion on Building your L.I.F.T. Team (Legal, Insurance, Finance and Tax). Be prepared for a dynamic speaker who has defined his law firm in the entertainment field. Our unplugged set at the IPie in the Tivoli after the presentation will feature WRYWOOD. On November 11, the long awaited panel discussion on DIY Touring will feature Tim Wenger of Colorado Music Buzz with featured guests and an unplugged set by AMZY. The Mastermind sessions are held at Metropolitan State University of Denver’s CREATE MSU Denver Showroom at 890 Auraria Parkway, Suite 120, Denver, and is broken into two segments. 7:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. – Videotaped Panel Discussion and Audience Interaction; Registration Required (CREATEmsudenver.com) 8:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. – Networking Session at IPie in the Tivoli Student Union; which is open to the public. The panel discussion is nearly full, so make sure to register for the Mastermind series at createmsudenver.com. The Own It Music Mastermind series is sponsored by CREATE MSU Denver, Colorado Music Buzz Media, Guitar Center, Drum City Guitarland, IPie, Immersive Studios, Aureus Audio, Far More Band Videos, and Passion Fruit Networking Group.
Allout Helter Rep Denver Punk Scene at Riot Fest
by Tim Wenger photo credit Rhonda Roberts,
Allout Helter has been creating a nice wave in the Denver punk scene lately. They represented our scene at Riot Fest Denver this year, following gigs alongside bands like Propagandhi, Pennywise and handfuls of touring acts that cover the full spectrum on punk. On December 30, they will be sharing the stage with the Bouncing Souls and PEARS at the Bluebird Theatre, closing out what could be considered their best year to date. CMB caught up with vocalist Ross Hostage and guitarist Fred Bear after their set at Riot Fest to capture the feelings of the moment and pry from their souls the “business” techniques that have put Allout Helter near the top tier of Rocky Mountain punk bands. CMB: How were coming offstage?
the
emotions
RH: It was great! I think we played really well. The crowd was super fun. We couldn’t have asked for a better experience for our first time at Riot Fest. CMB: How does Riot Fest compare to some other stuff you’ve done? How does this compare to playing with Propagandhi or Pennywise? FB: It seems like lately everything we’ve done have been really fun. We’re playing with some really cool bands. Whether it’s big bands or small bands, I just love doing this. A lot of people just saw us do that. I don’t think we’ve hit the top of the mountain yet. We’re having a great time with it and playing with a lot of bands that we really respect. RH: Yeah. Strung Out just played right after us. The fact that people could back bounce and forth after seeing us play that technical style of punk rock, then see Strung Out who were doing this years before us. We don’t look at it too much in terms of ‘This is going to be a big show for us to sell a lot of merch, or there’s lots of people there’ it’s more that we keep getting to play with these bands on the underground regional touring circuit. We’re hard
workers at what we do and we do our best to put forward as tight of a musical set as we can and push forward the style of music that we’re playing. Being professional and nice will go a lot farther than schmoozing and ass kissing. CMB: You have your name around town and have been getting on a lot of big shows. What is the next level to push it to? When are you going to get on the road? FB: We’ve got our roots down here pretty good, a couple of us. We’ll do it a little when we can. There are plenty of people that would want to come to see us. It’s something that we’re going to try to start doing on a small scale. RH: We’re working on it. We’re going to be heading into the studio pretty soon. At the end of October we’re starting tracking for our next EP, we’ve got a bunch of tracks that are ready to record. Beyond that, just keep playing shows. We’re playing with some really cool independent touring bands in November at Seventh Circle Music Collective, we’ll be there twice in November. CMB: What do you feel the band is doing right? Why are you being asked to play these shows? RH: You don’t have to be the most original of a band. It’s about being respectful. If you’re going to get out of the basement, you’re going to have to talk to someone about money, you’re going to have to talk to somebody about drink tickets. Will the venue print flyers? These are questions that bands should always be on top of because in the end being able to handle that side of the professional part of it, they’re going to keep booking you. If you’re a cool person and you handle your shit and respond to emails promptly and show up on time, that goes a long way. Riot Fest was one of the biggest logistical things I’ve dealt with with this band. Everybody was super great. We’re a little lower on the food chain so maybe the emails don’t come out as fast, but everybody got back to me and told me where we needed to be and what they were going to provide for us. Keep posted on what’s brewing in the Helter
Why Jazz Matters: Track 7 by Norman Provizer
In 2002, just before she turned 23, singer/ pianist Norah Jones struck gold with the release of her debut disc, Come Away with Me. Fueled by the hit tune “Don’t Know Why,” the music from that inaugural CD seemed to be everywhere. It went from gold (500,000 copies sold) to platinum (1 million copies sold) on to diamond status in 2005, indicating that it sold at least 10 million copies. Today, Come Away with Me has racked up sales that total more than 26 million copies worldwide. Not bad for the daughter of famed sitar player Ravi Shankar who was born in Brooklyn and grew up with her mother in Grapevine, Texas. While Come Away with Me struck a responsive chord with its mellow blend of country blues, folk and pop, Jones has significant jazz roots, winning student jazz awards from DownBeat magazine while in high school and working with jazz guitarist Charlie Hunter prior to her emergence as a superstar. As she frequently notes, two of the major influences on her are the great jazz pianist Bill Evans and incomparable jazz vocalist Billie Holiday. And her jazz sensibilities are apparent on Come Away (that includes appearances by jazz notables, such as drummer Brian Blade and guitarist Bill Frisell), though those sensibilities are thoroughly blended with more popular musical styles. Among the most fascinating aspects of the mega hit produced by Jones is that the CD came out on Blue Note Records, a label completely associated with jazz that celebrates its 75th anniversary this year. In that sense, it’s tempting to say that Come Away has sold more copies than the rest of Blue Note catalogue combined has over the past 75 years. In 1999, according to Recording Industry reports, jazz (in all its forms) represented a grand total of 3 percent of all recording sales. By 2008, that number was down to 1.1 percent of recording sales. Never have so many great and highly influential artists produced so much for so few. How else can you explain the fact that in 2009, jazz-album sales were so low that it is way too depressing to even think of that total number. Of course, on a little brighter note, the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) does include eight modern-day jazz albums as certified platinum in terms of sales. So, if you are looking for the most popular jazz discs, here’s a list to consider. By far, the strongest seller is the classic Kind of Blue album by Miles Davis (with Bill Evans on piano) that is halfway between platinum and diamond.
October 2014 | ColoradoMusicBuzz.com
Issued in 1959, this exquisite set of music by the Miles Davis Sextet turned platinum in 2008 and continues to sell at a steady pace. It remains a great place to begin an exploration of the music. The next three discs on the list are in the jazzfusion vein: Herbie Hancock’s Head Hunters (released in 1973, platinum in 1986); Weather Report’s Heavy Weather (released in 1977, platinum in 1991); and pianist Hancock’s Future Shock (released in 1983, platinum in 1994). After the fusion discs, there’s Take Five by pianist Dave Brubeck and his quartet (issued in 1959, platinum in 1997). Then there’s the five-CD compilation Ken Burns Jazz: The Story of America’s Music (connected to the Burns documentary on jazz). Interestingly enough, this compilation highlighting the development of the music turned platinum just one year after its release. This is the shortest time on record for a jazz album to hit the 1 million mark in sales. Obviously, a lot of folk have been attracted to this highly publicized, one-stop-shopping tour of the music. Along similar, if much less popular lines, Smithsonian Folkways Recordings has an outstanding, sixCD compilation of the music called Jazz: The Smithsonian Anthology – it too is a great place to begin an exploration of jazz. The final recordings on the jazz platinum list are Louis Armstrong’s What a Wonderful World (released in 1988, platinum in 2001) and Bitches Brew by Miles Davis (released in 1970, platinum in 2003). All of this points to the simple fact that strong jazz albums at least have an incredibly long shelf life. Earlier, I mentioned that modern-day jazz giants Brian Blade and Bill Frisell were on Norah Jones’ Come Away disc. The two of them are also part of a trio “led” by Denver-based trumpeter Ron Miles that has just released a new disc, Circuit Rider, filled with the trumpeter’s striking compositions. On October 11-12, Miles is at Dazzle with drummer Allison Miller’s Boom Tic Boom band. Also at Dazzle in October, you can find: the Jacob Fred Jazz Odyssey on the 16th and 17th; vocalist Cyrille Aimee on the 21st and 22nd; and saxophonist Dave Liebman o the 23rd and 24th. Up at Mount Vernon Country Club in Golden, October offers visits from singer Carmen Lundy on the 8th and pianist Jacky Terrasson on the 23rd. Blues giant Otis Taylor, who lives in Denver, is at Herman’s Hideaway on the 4th and, from a different era, the Glenn Miller Orchestra is at the Paramount Theater on the 25th. Back to the present, there are groove sounds from saxophonist Karl Denson and his Tiny Universe on the 3rd and 4th at the Ogden Theater and saxophonist Maceo Parker on the 19th at Cervantes. Also, drummer Joe Russo has his Almost Dead band at the Boulder Theater on the 10th and at the Ogden on the 11th.
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Glowing House Gigging With Gregory Alan Isakov in Europe, Dropping EP by Tim Wenger
Glowing House were one of the shining stars of this year’s Higher Ground Music Festival, bringing their eclectic blend of folk and indie to an eager summertime crowd in the city that has watched the group grow from songwriting college love birds into an increasingly prominent name in Denver music. Through two released recordings and nearly five years of gigging, the four piece band has begun looking at a new way to release music (which they eagerly shared with CMB, and will be joining fellow Denver musician Gregory Alan Isakov for a few dates on his European tour later this year. Impressive in itself, especially considering one of the two founding members, Steve Varney, overcame a pretty significant stutter (using music as a healing point) to become the musician he is today. “Singing had an immediate effect on my stutter,” Varney says, “Speech therapy actually consists of stretching your words and focusing on vowels, which is pretty much singing. Actually, for some stutterers, singing is the only way they can hear their own words fluently. Music has been the biggest help by far. My stutter made its way into my singing voice, but it is very manageable.” The process of making music has also helped Varney to not let the stutter be as much of a confidence drag for himself. “Like many stutterers, hearing my voice with a very quick echo make me much more fluent, so harmonizing with someone, singing through a mic at a show, adding a vocal effect while recording, all those things help,” he says. “That and just a general attitude change about being a stutterer has made it much easier. In my case what drove me to therapy for the first time was when I started stuttering while recording a vocal take.”
came together because of music. “We have this lame joke that we met in a corny way- we met on the first of songwriting class in college,” Varney says. “I had been there four years already and Jess had just come over from Kansas, where she grew up. I liked her green cowboy boots and she liked my guitar.” The Democratic National Convention was in town the next week, which ended up providing a unique bonding experience for the two. “We hung out the entire week,” Varney says. “We had one day of classes, and then we went on this big break until (the convention) was over. We hung out downtown a lot, we bussed together. We played with each other for a while with me accompanying her music and her accompanying mine.” After a while, they decided it would make more sense to just start a project together as a duo. “I’d never written with anybody else, really,” Varney says. “It was challenging, but it’s gotten to a good place now.” Eventually, Varney and Parsons added Michael John McKee on drums, Neil McCormick on upright bass, and Phil Parker on cello to round out the group’s sound. “We are rolling up to about five years of Glowing House,” says Varney proudly. In November, the group will be performing alongside Isakov for select dates on Isakov’s European tour, putting Glowing House among an elite group of Denver musicians who have toured overseas (read stories from a few others in this issue). They kick off their string of dates
November 1 in Berlin, Germany. Logistically, because the band is acting as an opener for Isakov, the trip was relatively easy to put together. “When they asked us, they already had all of that planned out. They had several opening spots open so when they found out I was coming, they asked us.” Isakov and Varney fly over in mid-October to begin playing gigs, with Parsons joining a couple weeks later for the Glowing House shows. For the European dates, Varney and Parsons will be back to their duo roots. “It’s always nice getting back to that a little bit,” says Varney. “It’s back to what we did for years. We both played alone for a long time before meeting each other, so it’s nice to get back to that, being intricate, not having anybody to cover anybody else.” “Jess wanted to at least come out and visit, and we were trying to work that out, and they were like ‘Why don’t you guys open for us a handful of times,” says Varney. “It’s going to be a blast, and it will be great to get our music out there. We’re trying to track down connections that we have over there and make the most out of it.” Varney has never been to Europe, and Parsons has not been in quite a while. “I went in college on a choir trip when I was 19 and I haven’t been back since,” says Parsons. “We’re both just excited to go, and what’s cool about going with Greg is we get to go to a lot of different places. It’s quick, in a short amount of time, but it’s cool.”
“I don’t think people are drawn to the full-length record right now,” Varney says. “We talked about that and got a little depressed, but then it also presents your band (with) new challenges. It keeps us recording more frequently. We’re going to try and release music on a more regular basis, and it has already been pretty enjoyably.” Varney and Parsons welcomed a child into the world nearly a year ago, shortly following Varney’s joining of Isakov’s band. “He got the job with Greg right after we found out we were having the baby, so the last year and a half has been a real adjustment as far as what time we have,” says Parsons. “As a band, we decided that we would break it down and do one single at a time in the studio, and the rest we’re doing live recordings and video. We’re excited about it because it’s a chance to do things a little different every time, and try things out stylewise and recording-wise. It works well with everyone playing in other bands, and going out and traveling.” That being said, we hope to enjoy many more singlesfromGlowingHousein2015.Staycurrent on the group’s upcoming releases, gigging schedule and more at glowinghousemusic.com. Photos from Higher Ground Music Festival are available at highergroundmusicfestival.com and coloradomusicbuzz.com.
The husband and wife duo or Varney and Jessica Parsons started Glowing House met while attending school here in Denver and
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Following their Euro-trip, Glowing House looks towards a house show on November 11 and their Single release at the Hi-Dive on November 21. This single release will mark a venture by the group to explore modern ways of releasing music, as opposed to the traditional album. “As a band we are beginning to unfold a plan based around releasing music more frequently to deal with the evershortening attention span of music listeners,” says Varney. The single will also showcase two tracks recorded live at Metropolis Coffee 9where bassist McCormick works) in Denver, serving as B-Sides. “We’re having a single that is studio produced, like it were going on a larger record, plus two other B-Sides that are a little more creative.”
October 2014 | ColoradoMusicBuzz.com
Brent Loveday is the long-time front man of Reno Divorce, and has toured Europe multiple times with the band. He has accumulated plenty of stories from his travels, and here is one he cared to share. A rockabilly punk-rocker raging his way across the olde world? Sounds like a great time to us. We’ve got quite a few interesting European tour stories... A lot of them involve German authorities and are quite incriminating, so let me think of one where a statute of limitations won’t come into play. Ok, I got it! We were somewhere in Germany in 2011. We had just played a killer gig with U.S. Bombs and for some strange reason, we had opted to go back to our hotel instead of hanging out with the locals. This particular hotel was a very quaint bed and breakfast, and when we got back to it, we were starving. This was a small town, so there were no 24 hour Taco Bells that most Americans take for granted. On our way up to our rooms, we happened upon a small unguarded refrigerator in the lobby and, being the ugly Americans we are, we proceeded to raid its contents. All that was there was a few links of sausage and some bread. Beggars can’t be choosers, right? So, we took our quarry back to the room and proceeded to get wasted while we scarfed down this stolen foreign sausage. We were so hammered we weren’t even sure if it was cooked. We were reheating it with the room’s hair dyer. We eventually passed out and thought nothing more of it until I’m in the shower and our merch guy is beating on the door asking wtf we did to the sausages. It turns
out that they belonged to a guest, a very lovely older lady and her son and his family, and they were intended to be ate during a picnic by her father’s grave, as today was the anniversary of his passing. And, of course, it was Sunday, so the whole country shuts down and their picnic was ruined. And here’s the kicker... each one of those frankfurters cost 20 euro each. Turns out they were former deer sausages, and just hours before they were being devoured by Conaire wielding rock and roll psychopaths just a few doors down. The casings were still on our table! The merch guy, who incidentally had stayed with locals and brought two girls back to our room at 8 in the morning, was furious because he caught the blame when grandma walked in and say the carnage in our room. I had to pony up my portion and face the family at breakfast. I felt about a foot tall! I offered my humble apologies, in English of course. I’m not sure if she understood me, but I definitely understood the look she gave me, which said, “get back in your fucking van and never let me catch you in my village again”. Fair enough, right? Ironically, the last show of that tour would end with an even gnarlier nite in an even more quaint bed and breakfast with those same two chicks, but this time, the roadie and I wrecked the whole fucking place, Eagles-style. And the next year when we came back, guess where we had to stay?
Scott Risch is a vocalist and bagpipe player for Denver punkers Potato Pirates. He has, in the past, whored out his services to other groups, including a run as the drummer for Reno Divorce on their European tour in 2010. Focusing more on the logistics of the tour rather -than the late night raidings of stolen deer meat, Risch recounts some experiences from the trip. In May of 2010 I was lucky enough to tour Europe on the last Bad Boys For Life Tour with The Bones(Sweden), Street Dogs and Left Alone while I was filling in on drums for Reno Divorce. We played 11 or 12 shows in Germany, and a few other dates in Antwerp, Prague, Graz and Solothurn. It was one of the most amazing experiences of my life. I was barely 21, it was my first time in Europe, and the first time I had toured playing drums for a band. Reno hit me up because their old drummer, Andrew, had recently left the band in either February or March of 2010 and they heard I played drums from a few people. I learned most of Tears Before Breakfast before the first practice and they asked me to fill in and come with them. We landed in Frankfurt and this massive nightliner tour bus with a trailer that could fit a regular tour van inside of it. We had a badass driver named Mike who had an Agnostic front shirt on and an extremely badass tour manager named Ralf, who was powered off of zero sleep, red bull and an amazing work ethic. The bus fit all 4 bands plus crew so 25 people and each person had their own bunk with a mattress, reading light, outlet, heat/ac, bed sheets, pillows......NOT WHAT YOU USUALLY GET! Not to mention we had food and booze guarantees at every single show. It was surreal. The Street Dogs, Bones and Left Alone, whom all have been touring 10, 15 years plus told me that I had gotten very lucky to be touring like that. They really put it into perspective and made me appreciate it a lot. Don’t get me wrong though, it was a lot of fucking work. But that’s the best part, honestly.
was playing this old World War 2 bunker in Aachen, Germany. We had to use this old 3ft by 3ft floor elevator to load in 4 bands worth of backline, gear and merch. For the guitar and bass cabs we had to take our belts off and put them through the handles to balance them while they went down on the elevator because there was nothing but the base of the elevator, nothing to support them. But it was crazy! I mean such a huge piece of history that was turned into a venue but almost seemed to have not even been altered much since the war. It was a smaller room, probably about a little bigger than the Marquis. Most of the shows were between 500-1500 people, one of the dates was a tattoo convention that I think had almost like 3,000 people it seemed, I don’t remember exactly though. All the cities we played were awesome but I absolutely fell in love with Germany. The people, environment, beer, food, everything was perfect. Being on a tour like that you get to experience Europe in a whole other way. You’re stuck at a venue for most of the day for like 10-15 hours, rarely we had time to go out and adventure and even when we did there wasn’t too many cool things to see. We weren’t in touristy parts of the cities so really when we were playing these shows it was for the locals and hanging out with all of them afterwards was great. We’d talk and drink for hours and have amazing conversations. Not to mention that the crowds always had tons of fun and are way into having a great fucking time. It was humbling to have that experience and getting to really play for the local community. We did manage to find time to go to the Charles Bridge in Prague which was pretty amazing. I want to go back so badly, it’s a lot of money but totally worth it. Hopefully the next time over will be with Potato Pirates! I literally cannot express how great that tour was and how many friends and memories I have because of it. I could tell stories for days. I’m really trying to get back over there though; only time will tell.
One of the best memories I have touring by Tim Wenger Indigenous Robot is another Denver band working on making their name international. The four piece indie rock group has added a Japanese leg to their current #Revolting Tour, which kicked off September 13 at the Ink Lounge in Denver. They head overseas November 7 to perform a run of five shows on Japanese soil. We caught up with them to get the word on how this came to be, and the album, Revolting, that inspired the tour. CMB: What’s on everyone’s mind is, how the hell did this come to be?
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R: In Japan they have live houses that already have most equipment available for touring bands to use. Traveling between cities we will use the mass transit system as well as renting a car.
R: We recorded Revolting after coming home from our 5 week Psychedelic Castles Tour. During that time we had already been performing and perfected some of the songs. The last two songs of the album were written just a few weeks before tracking. We recorded at Black in Bluhm Studios in Denver, Colorado. Chris Fogal mixed and mastered the album. Revolting was tracked in two days. The first day all of the instruments were tracked simultaneously and the second day all of the vocals were tracked.
CMB: Tell me about the new album and the process of making it.
CMB: What are your biggest tips for a band heading out on its first
R: We met Zarigani$ and Love Panic Records during our IndigenouSXSW Tour earlier this year promoting our previous release Castles. CMB: What are the logistics like on a tour like that? What are you doing for equipment, van, hotel, etc.?
October 2014 | ColoradoMusicBuzz.com
tour? R: Have reliable transportation, keep packing to a minimum, make sure you know the people you will be living with for your tour duration, and start saving money now for all your expenses. CMB: Where can we pick up the album? R: indigenousrobot.com iTunes Spotify Bandcamp Twist N Shout Mutiny Now
The Manager’s Corner by Chris Daniels
I’ve managed my own band for 30 years and I’m in the Colorado Music Hall of Fame. All that’s nice, but today’s music business is changing at light-speed and you have to be more engaged in the ‘biz’ than ever. Some things have not changed, careers are still built on some tried and true elements: great music, performance and timing. The good news is that we have new tools to help young musicians grow their fan base. The book I wrote for the course I teach at CU Denver on artist management is called DIY: You’re Not in it Alone. While you are ultimately responsible for your own career, these days it’s essential to make the most of all the help that is offered along the way. Songwriting is the spark that lights all the fires in the music industry. Without that initial flame there is no Telluride Bluegrass Festival, no Sony Records and no publishing company landing a movie soundtrack “placement” for a songwriter. I’m not a big fan of songwriting contests but here in Colorado we have something special that includes some elements of juried song reviews and contests but much much more. The Durango Songwriters Expo is one of the great tools for songwriters. It’s for writers who are more than just hobbyists and have a commitment to the craft of songwriting. And it is this first week of October (2nd through 4th) at the Omni Hotel in Broomfield. What makes it special is that it is filled with workshops, panels, performances and just old-fashioned one-onone mentoring. And the “hits” that are coming out of the Expo’s attendees are remarkable. The current talk of the town is Meghan Trainor’s “All About The Bass” which is about as funny, sexy, fun and irreverent as a song with a hidden (or not so hidden) message can be. With 77 million YouTube views and another six million views from the Jimmy Fallon’s Tonight Show, this is the epitome of a song ‘blowing up.’ But like all overnight success stories, Meghan’s is one of serious commitment to the songwriting craft that included her traveling from her home on Nantucket Island, Massachusetts, to Colorado’s Durango Songwriter’s Expo. According to Wikipedia, “At age 17, Trainor attended the Durango Songwriter’s Expo (DSE) and Big Al Anderson of NRBQ introduced her to Carla Wallace of Big Yellow Dog Music. Trainor signed as a songwriter with Big Yellow Dog Music shortly after her 18th birthday, while she was still in high school. In 2011, Trainor wrote and self-released an album entitled I’ll Sing With You. She settled in Nashville full-time when she was 19. She has had songwriting cuts with Rascal Flatts, Sabrina Carpenter, R5, and many others. That’s a lot of hard work and timing and the beginning of that came with the commitment to attend DSE. Meghan is not the only one whose efforts and collaborations at DSE have produced winning results. The list includes Allisa Moreno, Richard Harris, Sophie Rose, Billy Schafer, Ken Johnson, Rob Grad and my former student Olivia Rudeen who signed with Song Factory in Nashville after winning notice by the Nashville publisher at several different DSE events. And these are only some of the writers who have been part of the DSE success story and the recognition of talent that the expo makes possible, and it’s right here in Colorado.
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\What makes this important for you, the young songwriter who is just starting out? You probably have limited resources and it’s hard to afford the $250 Expo fee (it’s $299 after August 7th)? It’s simple. If you are at the point in your career where you are devoting your time and energy to songwriting – if you are starting to see some success with your songwriting and the performances or use of those songs (whether it’s a pop/rock cut you composed on your computer that is getting huge response in the clubs where you DJ or your country song that is getting good responses when you play out), then this is serious business. You are investing in your career. It’s not for every songwriter. The DSE has a definite slant towards performing singer/ songwriters in the Americana, pop/rock and country genre. If you write EDM tracks, the ‘listening sessions for pitching to TV and movies” will give you good information but they may not be worth your time or money. According to Jim Attebery, who co-founded the Expo in in 1996, “Often times we don’t have a lot of attendees in those genres (EDM, Hip Hop, Rap), but the industry pros we bring definitely work heavy in those genres.” There’s a lot of leeway in the categories too and songs like Trainor’s “All About The Bass” is a great example of a genre-bending hit. If you have not seen it – check it out. Do your research. Go to durango-songwriters-expo.com and download the registration form and look at what is offered. It’s a pretty broad cross-section of information. For example, I serve on the panel titled, “Do Your Own Thing” about surviving and thriving in the music business for independent and unsigned artists. We discuss concrete steps to take in creating a self-managed and selfpromoted career. Most of all, DSE is a place where writers come to find inspiration and camaraderie that results in better songs. The people who get the most out of it put the most into their time at the Omni Hotel in Broomfield and the other DSE sessions in other locations. (DSE has other great events above and beyond the October Expo). Songwriters go to panels, they go to pitch sessions, they go to listening sessions, they meet up with new writing partners, they get coaching on the songs they’ve written and they come out energized and writing better than when they went in. And that is pretty exceptional for any music conference. Do I personally recommend it? That depends upon three main factors: (1) if your writing and music genre is well represented by what Durango is offering (2) if you are at a point with your songwriting where you are putting together a pretty good folio of material that you are performing whenever you get the chance, and (3) you have the time to make the most of the three day event. Those are the things that are key. Writers who stay at the hotel tend to spend a lot of late night sessions trading songs, co-writing and getting more out of it than those who head home…but that is an extra expense that is not always justified. The short answer is “yes” I do highly recommend it because this is where you see and hear songs and songwriters that are successful…and you learn where that entry level of professionalism, selfmotivation and talent is key to a place at the table. To paraphrase the old-English saying, ‘it doesn’t matter if you are “above or below the salt” it’s getting a seat at the table that counts’that’s especially true in the beginning of your songwriting career. DSE is a place where many new songwriters of every age have found a place at the table - and for some like Meghan she is not only above the salt, she is at the head of the table.
Non-Profit Org To Write Love On Her Arms Assist Youth Struggling With Deppression, Suicidal Thoughts
gap between those who are struggling and the mental health professionals. I am not a mental health professional. Same with our website We post a lot of content that is encouraging and people can relate to. From our website, we have resources online that they can type in their zip code and plugged in.
To Write Love On Her Arms is, according to the organization’s Facebook page, “ is a non-profit movement dedicated to presenting hope & finding help for people struggling with depression, addiction, self-injury, & suicide.” Basically, the group is there to spread the message that they will be present with open arms to help anyone who feels alone and out of options. Through booths at music events, tours, online presence, and community activism, To Write Love On Her Arms has, since 2006, sought to extend a hand to those who have run out of hope. CMB caught up with Jason Blades, a Music and Events Coordinator for the organization at the Denver edition of Riot Fest to do our part in getting their word out to those who need it.
CMB: How common is depression?
by Tim Wenger
CMB: How does the organization put its mission statement into action? JB: We exist to encourage, inspire, inform and invest directly in treatment and recovery. Specifically we work with music festivals as a way to connect people to the work we are doing, getting them plugged into resources in their area. Then we invest money into treatment and recovery. On top of that, we also just are out here presenting the idea of mental health, showing people that it’s not taboo, it’s ok to talk about it. People come up who are curious. We have resources all over the US that we can connect people to. We want to show people that they are not alone when they are struggling. CMB: Would you suggest that people who are seeking help contact you directly, or simply use your website or booth as a resource? JB: The way it works is, at a festival here, people will come in contact with me directly. I am then able to bridge the
October 2014 | ColoradoMusicBuzz.com
JB: 20 million people in the US struggle with depression. Untreated depression is the leading cause of suicide, and two thirds of those struggling with depression aren’t actively seeking or don’t get help. We connect the dots between those who don’t know that help is available or don’t feel that they can reach out for help because of that stigma that surrounds it. CMB: Now that festival season is winding down, what is coming up for you this winter? JB: In the winter time, it slows down a little bit for us as far as events go. Fall is kind of a time to keep doing the work we are doing, but regroup. We do an event called Heavy and Light in January, one in Los Angeles and Orlando. It’s basically just bring music, conversation and a night of hope. We partner with a lot of musicians. It’s music that really connects with what we do. We don’t have the dates fully confirmed yet, but it will be a Los Angeles and an Orlando show. September specifically is National Suicide Prevention Month, and September 10 specifically is National Suicide Prevention Day. We had a really big campaign leading up to that. We used it to highlight some stories that we wanted to share. We are trying to get as much traction and as much coverage on the issue of mental health is the work that we are doing year round. We have a shirt that says “No One Else Can Play Your Part.” Whether its year round or on September 10, you need to be around to fill that role. Stay up to date on what TWLOHA is up to at their website, twloha.com
Guitar Center Garage Located inside every Guitar Center store, GC Garage provides expert stringed instrument repairs, upgrades and maintenance. Our experienced, certified technicians keep your instrument in peak playing condition with services ranging from setup and restringing to custom modifications and more. Stop in to meet our GC Garage Techs…and bring your guitar!
Andrew Lindstrom- Arvada Hello! My name is Andrew Lindstrom and I am one of two repair technicians at Guitar Center #422 in Arvada, CO. I moved to Colorado in 1999 after graduating from Rutgers University with a B.A. in Music. I’ve focused most of professional career on mastering the drumset (I managed the drum department here in Arvada for over 3 years), I’ve always owned at least one guitar and have been fascinated with string instruments from an early age. Maintaining the ever-expanding collection of various drums I’ve accumulated through the years eventually stoked an interest in gear repair that has inevitably blossomed into an obsession. I simply love seeing and working with a wide variety of instruments and the myriad challenges they bring, most of all tailoring specific instruments to individual players in a way that brings out the best in both.
Chris Lusby- Englewood
Jesse Razo- Pueblo
Jeremy Cline- Arvada
I started working on guitars in the early 90’s when I was in high school. My guitar teacher was the tech at the local guitar store and he needed an assistant. I helped out restringing guitars and soldering input jacks and worked my way up to fretwork and structural repairs. Once I graduated high school I got a job setting up Squier strats for Fender. Working on over 100 identical guitars a day taught me that every guitar has its own personality and they all need to set a little differently to play their best.
Hey guys, it’s Jesse Razo, one of your slightly handsome (compared to a trucker!) GC Garage Tech here in Pueblo. I started playing guitar in the summer of 1996, on a $60.00 good for nothing acoustic that I saved up to by. I thought back then that guitars came tuned, so i started finding out how to play guitar on my own with an un- tuned guitar. Ha! I later found out, playing a tuned guitar was so much easier. So Please don’t feel like any question you may have might sound silly to us, because I remember being there too. So, two years later I started playing in bands ranging from Pop to Metal to just plain ol’ acoustic. In ‘99 I was introduced to much more extreme music (Sons of Abraham) and at the same time, much more melodic music (Elliot). That is where I hang my hat when it comes to standards of writing music. I don’t think I remember how to play one cover song. Can’t wait to see you all here at the store, even if it’s just to come in and shoot the breeze. Sometimes that’s the best part about a work environment like this one! All of us like to know what kinda rig we all play out of. For the project I’m in at the moment, I’m playing out of two rigs. My main rig is topped with the great Mesa Boogie Road king II head with the Road king cab pushing the mayhem. My second rig is the Mesa Boogie Nomad 55 combo with a custom 2x12 cab my friend and i built. As far as effects go, I don’t use too many. My board consist of the boss ns2, a volume, boss tuner, line 6 dd4, a boss ps5, a whammy, and a volume pedal. Real good amps! And guitar, Just a plain ol’ Ibanez with a fast neck that I keep set up runnin’ strong. Speaking of which, if any of you have a guitar that has just been sitting a while, or if you have one that’s just hard to play, come get it set up. Setups will start at about $45. and consists of a 22 point set up. So please, if you’re in Pueblo, come in, I’d love to get the chance to introduce myself in person. .”They” say you should get your guitar setup every season, That’s 4 times for us in the CO. Feel free to hit me up her at the store if you have any questions that i might be able to answer over the phone at 719-253-1780. And, if you happen to be in Pueblo, please feel to come in, I’d love to get the chance to introduce myself in person. I’ll see you girls and other girls and guys soon. Till then................
I have always liked music and have been playing guitar since I was 13. Along the way I learned how to play bass, sing, and play percussion. I learned how to repair guitars in part because the I wasn’t happy with the way my guitars would come back after I dropped them off at the local music store. I became obsessed with repairing instruments and eventually had an apprenticeship with Cotter Guitars in Charlotte, NC. I went on to become the luthier at Mars Music and since then have repaired all sorts of stringed instruments.
After working for Fender for a year they ended up closing the shop I worked at and I took a job in sales at the Guitar Center in Covina Ca. My background in tech work helped immensely with my success in the sales dept. and eventually I earned a position as a regional trainer for the southwest. As a trainer I got to visit almost every major guitar manufacturer in the US and learn their techniques and philosophies on guitar building. In 2007 I had an opportunity to go back to working on guitars, something I had missed doing for many years. I get to spend my time in a toy store and the work I do teaches me something new every day. I can honestly say that I enjoy getting up in the morning and going to work, and I am grateful to Guitar Center for providing me a place to practice my trade.
Tom Victorie- Colorado Springs Hello, My name is Tom Victorine and I’ve been the guitar tech at store 424 for almost a year now. My love for guitars had started at the ripe ol’ age of 15 (24 years ago) and I haven’t been to put them down since. The more I immersed myself into this love affair the more Intrigued I became. Tearing apart old Silvertone amps and restoring and repairing and tinkering soon followed after that and I was hooked completely. I am somewhat of a tone addict as well. I had moonlighted as a luthier for several years while working my day job as a motorcycle fabricator and prototyping machinist. After several years in the motorcycle industry I had decided it was time for a change. I wanted to do exactly what I’ve always wanted to do, which was to follow my heart and my passion for lutherie and amp repair and modification. Folks, I love questions and would love to help you achieve what you’re looking for in your guitar rig or set up. I know about frustration and compromise. I can dial it in. Come see me, We’ll get it right for ya.
Jason Sadler- Fort Collins My foray into music began as most do, with my parent’s record collection. After wearing out a few Beatles and Zeppelin albums, I realized that I needed to be playing music and picked up guitar as a teenager. Growing up just north of Nashville in Bowling Green, Kentucky, I was lucky to learn from some really amazing players, techs and builders; learning to play and work on guitars hand in hand. Some dozen bands, a music degree, and a thousand or so broken guitars later, I find myself in the wonderful town of Fort Collins, CO and am happy to be the Repair Tech here at Guitar Center. If your guitar’s in pieces or just needs a little tweak to make it sing, it would be my pleasure to help you out.
October 2014 | ColoradoMusicBuzz.com
I currently play gigs around the Denver/ Boulder area. These gigs are normally under my name and I have musicians come in to back me up. I really enjoy writing songs and playing music. Most of my songs are alt-rock, and I play a lot of acoustic shows.”
Korben Schrock- Denver My name is Korben Schrock and I am the Guitar Tech here at the Denver Guitar Center. I was born and raised in Decatur, Indiana and I’ve been playing guitar for 20 years now. The guitar has become a bit of an obsession for me. So much so, that my wife and I packed up all of our things in January of 2010 and moved to Lakewood, Colorado so that I could pursue my dream of becoming a luthier at Red Rocks Community College. I learned the how to build classical, steel string acoustic guitars from Robbie O’brien (O’brien Guitars/ Luthier Tips Du Joir) and I learned how to build electrics from Mike Snider (Snider Guitars). I learned how to build mandolins from Geoff Burghardt (iii Mandolins). I look forward to making your guitar or bass play to it’s fullest potential! In March of 2010, I was hired on with Rocky Mountain Musical Instrument Services as a 3rd party tech at the Denver store. In September of 2014 I was hired on as a full time Guitar Center Garage Team Member. I strive to give each customer the best service possible. Some of my favorite bands include, but not limited to: Steely Dan, The Rolling Stones, Queen, QOTSA, Mr. Bungle, The Pixies, The Beatles, Wings, Lynyrd Skynyrd, The Beach Boys, Ween, Wilco, Beastie Boys, EELS, Al Green, Booker T. and The MG’s.
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Between The CoversDon’t Lay With Liars by Torch
In a rather unseemly conversation in a non-party situation I was privy to this astounding enlightenment. One man was discussing his dating habits. He had a problem; the women he dated wanted to leave bits of things at his house: a toothbrush, a pair of panties, and other personal items. This activity is a way of marking one’s territory, and he did not want his bachelor lair marked by any female. The thing is, if you are spending the night it is no fun running around town with your panties and toothbrush in your purse. As the saying goes, “You should have on clean underpants incase you have an accident.” Well that’s actually dumb as if you are in an accident you are likely to soil your britches. My sister was in an accident when she was 19, she did have on clean underpants but they were her boyfriends, which were discovered by his mother. They later married, I am sure due to the underpants discovery. Maybe the saying should go, “You should be sure to wear your own clean underpants in case you have an accident.” I digress. So, the social braggart expelled the brilliance of his solution to the problem: he installed lockers in his house, put names of his favorite sports figures on the lockers, and simply assigned each girl a name and locker. He went on to share how these girls so easily believed his stories as he proudly invited them to have a spot in his hall of famer locker room. This was tantamount to the “drawer” what the girls believed to be the first step towards the exclusivity of a relationship, when in fact they were
simply going through tryouts for the team of “lie to me, and lay with me” girls. My immediate thought was hoping that some girl just crushes him, but then that is probably how he became a player. When asked where he finds these lovely, gullible girls, he said he likes to date women with low selfesteem. He said how easy they are to manipulate, as they are eager to believe whatever he tells them. He was amazed how far he could go in creating wild tales, and went on to say how he could do anything to them. They would get mad, cry, and keep coming back for more. I’ve heard this before, in the 1990’s musicians liked to date strippers, who tended to have low self-esteem and money. This scenario lent itself to the plethora of musican/stripper jokes, “What do you call a guitar player without a girlfriend….. homeless” “What does a stripper do with her asshole before she goes to work? Drops him off at band practice.” and so on. It is a longstanding dynamic. My question I didn’t ask was, “If you are so proud of being a manipulator, what does that say about YOU?” but I figured it was probably too difficult of a question for said Good Time Charlie, and inappropriate to call him out on his behavior in this setting. Really the better question is, “Why not just tell these girls the truth? You aren’t interested in anything but a sex and a laugh.” I knew he simply wasn’t strong enough for truth. So, to all the low self-esteem folks, be honest with yourself as to what is going on in front of you. The world is full of great liars, and great lays they are not always the same person. Find a nice cozy codependent relationship and snuggle in, feed each other’s needs. Life is better with someone who loves you back, instead of stabbing you in it.
HR People Mix Genres For Modern Style
“We wanted to fill out our sound and started writing our own music,” says Davis, “We were looking to take things in a somewhat different direction but wanted to stay true to our roots.”
I caught HR People performing at the Mile High Music Festival in August and was pleasantly surprised by the lads. The act combines aspects of hip-hop, doo-wop, rock, and funk/soul and in doing so have created their own sound with a dynamic blend of vocal varieties dispersed through their pieces. Founding members Davis Stone (bass, vocals) and Ryan Hughes (keyboards, vocals) had been performing as a hip-hop duo since high school when they hooked up with songwriter Jordan Reynolds (drums, vocals) in 2009. The band saw new potential in their musical horizons and soon started to develop what would be the HR People sound. By the end of 2013 guitarist Collin Pierson joined the ranks filling out and helping fully define what has become HR People sound.
“With the addition of Collin and a full instrumental line-up we decided to take a leap of faith and run with the new ideas,” adds Davis.
by Charlie Sullivan
To the band’s credit they’ve released two full length albums. 2012’s Alpine Soundscapes was a hip-hop infused mix-mash with Davis, Hughes, and Reynolds at the helm. The pieces relied heavily on 60’s mood music giving it an exotic twist. The lads started thinking outside of the box, developing new ideas. With the addition of a guitarist in 2013 the band’s music began to evolve. Davis picked up the bass and Hughes the keyboards and as crazy as this sounds, they taught themselves to play the instruments in about a year and a half. The band began to see their music in a different light. With an arsenal of newly written material the lads hit the studio and laid down the tracks for 2014’s Paint, which debuted at the Mile High Music Fest.
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Stephen Holley of Kent Denver School Leads Kids to Italy, Switzerland
by Tim Wenger
Stephen Holley, Director of the Commercial Music Program at Kent Denver School, is used to travel. He spent years on tour as a gigging musician, and now that he has settled into the domesticated marriagemortgage-kids lifestyle, he feeds his travel bug by leading the high school jazz band (and other schoolrelated bands) to out of town performances, sometimes as far as the Montreaux Jazz Festival in Switzerland and soul festivals in Porretta, Italy. A southern boy, Holley was born in Little Rock and went to school in Memphis. After finishing school, he played music full time for about eight years and then spent a couple years on the road with a group from Nashville. He also taught music at the University of Memphis for a while. After touring through Denver multiple times, Holley decided he wanted a change of scenery and made the Mile High City his home. Now, he passes his experience on to younger generations at Kent Denver School, preparing them for performances and taking them on the road to gig in front of audiences around the world. “The idea is giving these kids once in a lifetime experiences,” says Holley. “It’s getting to the point now where we’re doing it more often than not. We’re giving these kids these experiences so it’s not just me talking to them.” Funding for the trips comes through the parents of the children, and the fact that the kids are out gigging around town throughout the year, with a good cut of the proceeds from the shows going to offset the travel costs. “We have a fairly substantial financial budget at Kent, and the other thing we do which makes us different from a lot of high school programs is that we go out and play a lot. These kids are doing anywhere from 40 to 50 gigs a year.” The shows range from the CHUN Capitol Hill People’s Fair to slots at Dazzle and other clubs around the city. The kids not only raise funds for their trips, but are gaining real-life experience at professional gigging. “A lot of it is teaching these life skills like responsibility, teamwork, professionalism and using music to teach them.”
The new music is in a league of its own. Everyone shares vocal duties on just about all of the pieces. Davis and Hughes rap and Reynolds and Pierson sing. The outfit can sound like Zappa infused Funkadelic to a late 50’s doo-wop infused rock act rapping and singing their way through the pieces. People may be underrating the band but they have a knack for writing and choosing material of above average melodic interest that, through the subtle deployment of rapping and singing delivers the embodiment of different facets of people’s lives and life in general. The first track on Paint, “Soul”, is a song about prostitution and greed in America. The track hits home giving the listener something to think about and giving you the realization that prostitution happens on a much deeper level in politics and the corporate world. People worship money and will do just about anything to get it. If you get a chance check out 1969’s The Magic Christian with Peter Sellers and Ringo Starr, you’ll get the bands point.
This last year, the jazz band at Kent had the opportunity to perform at the Montreaux Jazz Festival and then headed down to Poretta, Italy for an additional five gigs. “We did two shows at Montreaux,” Holley says. “From there we went down to Poretta. We did five dates there, multiple stages throughout this little town of 5,000 right on the northern border of Tuscany. It was great because it’s a soul festival dedicated to Memphis music and the memory of Otis Redding and Rufus Thomas.” The festival has been going on for 27 years, pretty impressive considering it is honoring a style from across the world.
The band is taking their music in the right direction, challenging the listeners with an as yet to be defined genre of music.
During the gigs down in Cuba, the groups got to see some of the original members of the Buena Vista Social Club. “Oddly enough, we didn’t know they were going to be there,” says Holley. “We thought it was going to be this Cuban boy band, and all of a sudden I noticed a couple of the guys getting up on stage. They did a four
Online: facebook.com/hrpeoplemusic
“This is the first year of international trips,” Holley says. “Back in March, I also took the kids from our jazz group and our Afro-Cuban salsa group to Havana, Cuba for a week. We went to the four major music conservatories and met those kids. The kids got to hang out and talk.” Quite an experience for a group of high school kids from Denver, considering how hard it can be to enter Cuba from the United States. “It was funny because the Cuban kids all wanted to work on their English and my kids all wanted to work on their Spanish. They got to play and jam with each other.”
October 2014 | ColoradoMusicBuzz.com
or five tune set and that was it.” While the group is out traveling, they use their spare time doing the tourist-y things. “When we had a day off in Italy, we went and spent a couple days in Venice,” says Holley. “When we’re in New Orleans, we’ll go down to the quarter, but the main drive of the trip is music.” On nights off, Holley take the kids to watch professional gigs, exposing them to other music and the clubs that host it. “I want them to have experiences that they otherwise might not have had.” Through all of this, the overall mission remains to prepare the kids for life’s mis-happenings. “The main thing is using my real world experiences to bring to these kids,” says Holley. “So I can say, fifteen years ago, this happened. Last night, this happened, and this is how we got out of it. We talk a lot about making something musical out of your mistakes, because you’re always going to mess up on stage, mess up in the studio, so how do you make something cool out of that. And once again, dealing with life, when life feeds you something you don’t expect, you don’t just shut down. You have to deal with it one way or another.” Read stories from the kids below: My favorite memory was standing in the streets of porretta at night after we had watched the muscle shoals band and every band member was accapella singing their part to love you save and we made a little accapella band. Cassie, 16, vocalist My most memorable moment of the trip was the gig we played in a small mountain town named Grizzana Morandi. The venue had the most amazing view and served us amazing food as well. It felt like the entire town turned out to watch us play, and while they did not speak the same language, they still really seemed to enjoy our performance. Perhaps the most interesting part of that gig was that we had the cops called on us because we played for too long and broke curfew. The mayor told them to ignore curfew that night because they were enjoying our performance so much. I was amazed we were received so well, and would love to go back and experience it again. - Ricky, 17, tenor sax For me, seeing all these Italian kids who were our age and didn’t speak English come up to us and want to get our autographs or pictures with us, that was special. Just feeling like we were respected in a place where nobody really thought much of America was a good thing. - Geoffrey, 16, bass My favorite part of the Europe trip was when we got to sing on stage with Vaneese Thomas (daughter of Rufus Thomas). It was such a great experience, getting to meet her and talk with her, the rehearsals leading up to performance and, finally, the performance! It was all quite amazing and really fun! Spencer, 16, alto sax One of the coolest parts of the trip was being able to speak French on a stage in Switzerland to almost 2000 people and talk to them about the band in French and encourage them to come dance. The audience was immediately intrigued when they found out this American singer could speak their language and that made them more willing to dance! Of course in Italy, I had to learn how to say ‘come dance with us,’ which is ‘venito a balare con noy,’ if you were curious. - Perrin, 17, vocalist
Trinidad ArtoCade Photo Recap By Leah Parker create@msudenver.edu
Some of the nation’s best cartists shook up the sleepy town of Trinidad for their second annual ArtoCade. See the amazing, the terrifying, and the fantastical final art car parade for the 2014 season.
Defining Yourself as an Artist By Kathy Beekman kathy@kathybeekman.com When someone meets you asks, “What do you do?” what it the answer that bursts from your lips? If it is anything other than “I’m an artist,” then you’ve got work to do. Knowing that you are an artist must be the first step in marketing your art. Defining who you are as an artist should be your first priority.
It is vital to exude an air of confidence about your art and yourself. Many art collectors don’t trust their own taste in art. When they come across something they think is wonderful, but accompanying it is an artist who puts themselves and their art down, the insecure public walks away. It is okay to like your art, in fact, it is essential that you love each piece that you are willing to sell. If your art isn’t good enough for you, paint over it, smash it, melt it down or destroy it however you see fit. Don’t let something unworthy of your talent or of you as an artist leave your studio. Once you follow this rule, you can hold your head high and scream form the rooftops that your art is fabulous.
Understanding your passion and having it clearly defined in your mind will make it possible to write an artist statement or Kathy Beekman is a professional artist, author, and biography, both of which CREATE MSU Denver art business advisor. you will need to promote your art. It will also help you avoid embarrassment and awkwardness Kathy Beekman is a professional artist, CREATE when you are asked about your artwork. art business advisor, and author of the book, There is nothing worse than finding an artist who cannot clearly define their art. An artist “Prosper, A Success Book for Artists.” Looking for more information on this topic? Visit should be able to explain what they do as clearly as a teacher, banker, or doctor can. kathybeekman.com or createmsudenver.com
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OCTOBER 2014 | ColoradoMusicBuzz.com | CREATEmsudenver.com
ARTrepreneur of the Month By Leah Parker CREATE@msudenver.edu
Though Dawn and I love the rigor and discipline of classical ballet, in a modern world that is running on a minimum viable product model and embraces self-produced media as entertainment, the classical arts can seem priggish and staid. When we moved to Denver seven years ago, we began dismantling the traditions that felt unnecessary.
Artistic director and choreographer Garrett Ammon (left) and producing director Dawn Fay (right) observe Wonderbround dancers. Photo: Amanda Tipton.
Artistic director and choreographer Garrett Ammon, along with producing director Dawn Fay, created Wonderbound, a new American dance company in the heart of the River North Art District (RiNo). Garrett has created over 50 ballets, is a recipient of the 2013 Denver Mayor’s Award for Excellence in the Arts, and is the October 2014 ARTrepreneur of the Month. 1) Briefly tell me your story. How did you get into ballet and choreography?
I found my way to dance through choral music and theatre as a teenager. Over time, I discovered that dance was where I felt most at home and everything else fell away as I focused my energies on my ballet training. I started my professional career at Houston Ballet after graduating from their academy and went on to dance with Oregon Ballet Theatre, Ballet Memphis and Trey McIntyre Project. During that time I had the pleasure of working with a wide range of choreographers and directors. I began creating my own work in Memphis and founded an annual choreography workshop called Interiorworks that the dancers continue to produce to this day. Memphis was also where I met my wife Dawn Fay who is Wonderbound’s producing director. We knew we wanted to lead our own company one day which led us to taking the job in Denver. 2) Tell me about Wonderbound. How is it different from other dance companies?
We removed the hierarchical structures of a ballet company, making all of the dancers and staff equals. We reframed the creation process as a dialog among the artists and built a team that puts the art first in all of our endeavors. Today 20 of the 22 people on our regular payroll self-identify as artists. We began collaborating with artists across a spectrum of mediums to break down the silos that separate art forms and discovered that we could create transformative experiences that are not easily defined but embrace a shared humanity that resonates with a diverse audience. Today, every one of Wonderbound’s productions is a collaborative endeavor, whether we are working with musicians, visual artists, writers, magicians or actors. Not only that, but we are now in our third year of presenting all live music seasons. 3) Tell me about Wonderbound’s location.
When we moved to our new home, we were able to realize a rehearsal space that was inviting, expansive and transparent. We affectionately named the 1920’s post office garage “Junction Box” for its unassuming architecture and location at the intersection of three major thoroughfares, but most importantly for the idea that it could serve as a gathering place and nerve center to animate the area with ongoing creative energy. In our new home, the opinionated glare of full-length mirrors were replaced by couches; and confining walls were replaced by open space, natural light and two twelve-foot transparent garage doors that open onto the street. This was a space where people could visit without feeling like they were intruding. Virtually every day we have guests in our
space who, depending on the hour and day they show up, may see a full run through of a new ballet, an inspired period of rapid choreographic creation or an agonizingly slow process of negotiating just a few seconds of movement.
anything but a member of the privileged-class.
If you are a working artist, you likely know--or have known--what it is to spend the evening out at a gala, art opening, nice restaurant, or performance – where you socialized with business leaders, officials and philanthropists – only to return home to an empty refrigerator that would remain that way for another week because the rent had to be paid. And, you also likely know what it is to have a conversation with someone who perceives the arts to be a luxury, highbrow, and only for the privileged-class – even though that same someone knows that you, an artist, are
5) Any upcoming events or productions?
As artists, we exist in a unique space in our culture, continually living with one foot planted firmly in a humble and meager existence, while the other is placed in a world of privilege Today, we no and prosperity. We longer have have the opportunity, any expectation and perhaps even that we can the responsibility, to perfect and act as connectors refine something and educators in before it is shared a world that is so with the outside often thrown askew world and, to from misperception do our best and distrust. If we work, we must fully embrace this be comfortable role, perhaps we with allowing have a much greater ourselves to be utterly vulnerable Artistic director Garrett Ammon choreographs Wonderbound chance of actualizing in front of total company dancers for a production. Photo: Amanda Tipton. a compassionate society that strangers. values its diversity and complexity, rather than fearing 4) What advice would you give to people who don’t live like us. upcoming dancers or dance companies?
We are working with musicians from the Colorado Symphony to present “Enduring Grace” on October 18-26th. This fun production features my “Serenade for Strings” which will also have its West Coast premiere with San Francisco’s Smuin Ballet. “Enduring Grace” will also include the world premiere of Sarah Tallman’s “Son of Man” which was inspired by the 20th Century surrealist painters. We are also very excited for our December 10-18th production “Winter”, which will be a collaboration with Denver Singer/ Songwriter Jesse Manley. This new work will engage all five senses, with projection mapping by Kristopher Collins, scents by Michelle Roark of Viola Salon, and food by Amerigo, Devil’s Food, and Sugarmill. Finally, our rehearsals are always open to the public. We highly encourage anyone interested to come by our studio at 1075 Park Avenue West to catch a bit of our work. We just ask that they call (303292-4700) to confirm rehearsal times.
Wonderbound rehearsals are open to the public. Pedestrians watch the dancers through the open glass garage doors. Photo: Amanda Tipton.
For more information about Wonderbound and other events visit wonderbound.com.
OCTOBER 2014 | ColoradoMusicBuzz.com | CREATEmsudenver.com
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