BandWagon Magazine - August 2015 - The Burroughs

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BandWagon Magazine northern colorado’s arts & entertainment AUGUST 2015

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BandWagon Magazine northern colorado’s arts & entertainment AUGUST 2015

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LUNDE STATION

(one time only, can use on friend)

Another Country

Jay Wallace

BandWagon Magazine

For those of us looking for a local folk/country fix, Lunde Station’s debut EP Another Country is the perfect fit. The Fort Collins’ band is a decidedly folkrock-country affair that stands out amongst other local folk and country outfits, leaning hard on folk with a slight country twang to it. The band itself describes themselves as a “fiery Roots, Rock and Americana band,” influenced by “Old Gospel and Bluegrass, Outlaw and Traditional Country and the 1960s/70s literate Folk Rock movement.”

That sounds like a mish-mash that would result in something generic, yet Lunde Station’s work isn’t. It’s artful and soothing with its own unique sound; it wouldn’t be out of place being heard at, say, John Galt Coffee.

(Have these guys gotten airplay on World Café yet?) You would think a band like this would flourish in this part of Colorado and subsequently crank out albums, but maybe that’s because the group doesn’t want a drop in quality. Another Country is a tightly knit, consistent album

No need to preregister. Just come and dance!

with no dull/filler songs. Frankly, I want more of Lunde Station’s work.

The album starts strong with “Burnside Bridge,” the most country song on the album and my personal favorite, and then switches gears with “40 Ford.”

The song brings to mind some of the music of O Brother, Where Art Thou in the beginning, then gives off a slow, choleric 1960s Lynyrd Skynyrd vibe. “Iowa” reminds one of Arlo Guthrie’s work and it’s direct follow-up “Leaving Town” brings to mind Cat Stevens, if Cat Stevens had a bit of a country twang to his guitar work. “In This Life” and “Blue Child” are the most folksy bit on here though the latter is far more melancholic while the former is somewhat phlegmatic.

Overall, the album is truly good.

Great, even. Anyone wanting a folk-country fusion should check out Another Country. Hopefully, Lunde Station will come out with something new, soon.

For more information on Lunde Station, visit http://www. lundestation.com.

IF YOU LIKE Lunde Station - BE SURE TO SEE:

LUNDE STATION

AUGUST 22ND @ Brewfest in Garden City, CO

LORD HURON

AUGUST 6TH @ MISHAWAKA

DanceArtWerx

ann@amstudio.com 970-576-2465

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BandWagon Magazine northern colorado’s arts & entertainment AUGUST 2015

Photo By Luca Venter

NIGHT BEDS IvyWild

Clark M. Lamson

BandWagon Magazine

This month, BandWagon Magazine had the chance to sit down with Colorado Springs native, Winston Yellen, the figurehead of electro-R&B act Night Beds. During our discussion, we talked about the motivation to make music, his relationship with art, and his feelings on collaboration.

Following the success of

his debut effort Country Sleep, Yellen gathered his go-to collaborators, many of which appeared on his debut. This includes longtime friend and collaborator Benjamin Kaufman, Caleb Hickman (who plays a devilish sax throughout the record), and Yellen’s little brother Abraham, who plays producer on the record.

Though the credits on the record reach just over twenty, Yellen credits this small group

as the core of the project.

In the same way that Conor Oberst was a fixed point in the Bright Eyes project, Yellen is to Night Beds. When speaking about the musical amalgam, he had this to say about his collaborators: “I’m just not that good of a musician, so for me, it’s about surrounding myself with people who are better than me. It’s all about having the courage to be sincere in what you do.”

Sincerity doesn’t seem to be a problem for Yellen. In his words, Ivywild is an “auditory and emotional account of what was going on with me during

the recording process.” At the center of his process are his collaborators, but more importantly, the art they enjoy.

The most striking moment in our conversation was when Yellen confessed “I just don’t love music that much.” You read that correctly. As it turns out, movies are the true paramore of the singer/songwriter that brought us soulful, shimmering pop-folk tunes on his debut, and smouldering, emotive R&B with Ivywild. More frequently than musical influences, Yellen cited Criterion fodder like Truffeau, Kurosawa, Korrine, and Anderson, as well as poets such as E. E. Cummings. Yellen described music as “the engine to physicalize the emotions I get from other art forms.” And his musical influences aren’t what you would expect either.

In the same breath as “Jai Paul, Beach House, Kanye, stuff like that,” Yellen praised classical artists as well, “but I also really like Brahms and Vaughner.”

A little unorthodox, sure.

But no lesser for it. Ivywild is the sunset on the kind and airy Country Sleep, which summons sounds similar to The Tallest Man on Earth’s most recent record. Ivywild opens with “Finished,” an intoxicating tunnel-of-love type trip. The digitized Yellen falsetto dances with slightly

affected strings, and creates the feeling of watching a curtain rise on Quince’s midsummer’s play. Immediately, one thing becomes clear. While the music would be good without it, to do the record justice, headphones are required. The sounds and feelings are so intimate, you need them close to make total sense of them. This is true for tracks like “Melrose” more than most, a sensually pulsing electro-romp that lands in the middle on the album. The track is bookended by acoustic guitar, a subtle nod to Ivywild’s folksier predecessor. The record is dotted with references and nods, like the conclusion to the dreamy “On High,” which Yellen put as a “nod to Marvin’s ‘What’s Going On.’” From ghostly vocals to endlessly textured synths, Ivywild is a star speckled wormhole, dreamy and sanguine to the last. Ivywild comes out August 7th on Dead Oceans.

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BandWagon Magazine northern colorado’s arts & entertainment AUGUST 2015 FORTY FATHOMS More To Hate

Stefan Lopez

BandWagon Magazine

Writing and recording a pinnacle metal album is not simple. The process often takes the cooperative effort of three to five smelly dudes who spend every waking moment together arguing over who drank the last beer and why musicians shouldn’t attach their ego to the parts they contribute. After they’re nice and pissed off, the riffs and melodies begin to flow.

Denver metal band Forty Fathoms are a relentless metal collaboration who’s EP, More to Hate, designates Colorado a place at the forefront of influential rock music.

Forty Fathoms are no strangers to the game as they used their resources and wit to access one of the finest rock producers of all time. Forty Fathoms recorded More to Hate with Kris Crummett of Interlace Audio who recorded Dance Gavin Dance, Issues, Emarosa, and many more.

The recording quality is supernatural but magnificently honest. Listeners could easily conclude that each musician actually performed all the sounds heard from the album.

More to Hate lacks (for the better) all the contemporary digital and synthesized effects which are slowly taking over all forms of popular music.

One special aspect of this album is its absence of boring repackaged metal breakdowns.

More to Hate is armed with crushing riffs, diverse phrasing, and tonal voicing which serves to support all the new ways vocalist Taylor MacNicholas is thriving as a singer.

MacNicholas’ vocal melodies on this record are by far his catchiest and most memorable to date. Additionally, the tone of his voice is much more emotionally driven because the lyrics hold a greater poetic quality than those on previous releases. Lines in the song “Hollow Head” such as, “I don’t want to nail my own coffin/ No more dirt on this grave/I

found hope in the darkest room/Screaming my name” suggest an eerie, demented, yet positively hopeful vibe.

On the track “More to Hate,” the chorus sings, “One day I’ll be someone to speak of/ One day I’ll learn from my mistakes/I’ve got so much to love/But so much more to hate.” The dichotomy between hopefulness and despair truly evoke an aesthetic presentation of Forty Fathoms.

You will find yourself listening to this album on repeat and humming the melodies in your sleep. More to Hate is an album for all listeners where the cliche argument against death metal lyrics being difficult to understood doesn’t hold up here. Put it in your ears.

MAC DEMARCO Another One

Clark M. Lamson

BandWagon Magazine

If I were to list some of Mac Demarco’s exploits (outside of his three fantastic LP’s) you might think I was talking about one of the members of Odd Future. Releasing his debut record Rock N’ Roll Night Club in 2012, Demarco’s unconditionally carefree tunes are only part of the reason for his ravenous fan base. In June he hosted a cover contest, the winner of which would “get PayPal’d exactly $.69 of my own money.” Earlier in the year, he sold a pair of his old sneakers for Willie Mae Rock Camp for Girls for $21,100, and released a half hour tour documentary called Pepperoni Playboy. There’s not one second of footage, whether audible or visual, that feels anything less than effortless, not to mention genuine, and genuinely goofy.

Now, riding on the tails of his paramount release thus far, Salad Days, the now 25 year old treats listeners to a new miniLP, Another One. If Salad Days was a sun soaked day at the drug addled, sea-side amusement park, Another One is later that day, when the kids have gone home, and the staff gets drunk

and smokes. While a little dreamier than previous releases, the LP continues the breezy, and seemingly unending stream of tunes from Demarco.

The record begins with the first single released, “The Way You’d Love Her,” easily the brightest tune from the bunch. An unassuming back beat and sunny guitars lay on thick the accidental charm of the artist, and plays perfectly as a transition between this record and the last. When listening to the next track, named for the record, you can’t help but feel as if you’re floating face up, down a slow and winding themepark river, the shabby palm tree decorations and sunset above you. With a day dream synth and listless vocals, Demarco laments paranoia and the thought of losing love. The track is one of the better examples of the artist’s ability to speak about the trials and tribulations of being in a relationship, without making it feel preachy or whiney. Rather than wallowing in the memory of the same experiences you might have had, you feel more like patting him on the back and saying, ‘Yeah. Been there, brother.’

If a personality more fitting to the tunes were shown in

his fan interactions or during interviews, I’m not sure that the music would land the way it does. While most of his discography could be likened to dew drops on the side of a frosty glass of lemonade, the funhouse persona paints him more like Tyler, The Creator then the Cool Hand Luke that appears on record. For many people, I think the constantly chilled nature makes it a little hard to connect to the emotion on these tracks. While I understand the desire to have your emotional songs feel emotional, I think that’s the magic of Demarco’s writing style. While the track feels upbeat, the lyrical content is honest. The result feels more like cathartic venting than emotional revelation, as if any problem Demarco faces warrants nothing more than a ‘Eh. So it goes.’ It’s not apathy, so much as unshakable, lazy optimism. Another One is essential summer listening, and an excellent new chapter in the Demarco discography.

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BandWagon Magazine northern colorado’s arts & entertainment AUGUST 2015

The Evolution of Derek Smith: Pretty Lights Still Shining Kyle Eustice

BandWagon Magazine

Fort Collins, Colorado native Derek Smith, better known as Pretty Lights, started making beats in high school, but eventually found himself at the forefront of the electronic music scene. His first album, 2006’s Taking Up Your Precious Time, 2008’s Passing Up the City Skies and 2009’s Passing

by Behind Your Eyes revealed Smith’s ability to seamlessly sew together a blanket of sonic textures, but 2013’s A Color Map of the Sun uncovered his aptitude for actually composing every single musical note of each track. The 34-year-old producer is once again on tour and ascends on the Red Rocks stage August 8 and 9. He took some time to discuss the severity of drug use at EDM shows, the recording process and his outlandish height.

BandWagon: At 6’9,” are people surprised how tall you are when they meet you?

Derek Smith: Definitely. That’s a very common response to meeting me in person. I always joke and tell them I try to hide my height while I’m on stage. It’s funny; I’ve been in that situation before.

I remember I would see Michael Franti

and could never tell how tall he was and I thought, ‘He looks like a big dude,’ but he was behind a set of turntables. Then I met him offstage. I actually ran into him in a security line at an airport and he’s almost as tall as me. That’s kind of weird for musicians who are that tall to meet someone taller than them. I was like, ‘Michael Franti, you’re so tall!’ And that was weird to him hearing that from someone who was taller than him.

BW: You went a much different route on A Color Map of the Sun. Any particular reason for this?

DS: I’m always trying to just keep things different and fresh, and evolve; purposely and consciously evolve at a pace that is sonically digestible by my fan base and listeners. I think about it and I’m like, ‘Yeah, the concept of forming a rock band and writing the lyrics, getting a singer and having a four-piece, yeah, that would be cool, but I’m not just going to change to that overnight. I have to retain an element of what this project is, sonically what is and what it’s grown to be and what my initial vision was. I’ve slowly evolved my starting vision. With this one, and the records just previous to this, I had really been focusing on pushing vinyl sample collaging. The most challenging, artistically and musically difficult thing I could think of was to go write every

note and go write every piece of music that emulated genres from the last 80100 years; not only emulate those genres and play those styles, but recreate the recording techniques.

BW: I’m sure you’ve heard this before, but are you concerned at all about the drug use at EDM shows and all the kids OD’ing?

my shows because they appreciate beauty, art and the manifestation of art in the live environment, and the experience that can emerge from that—not because they scored 20 Molly tabs and are going to go with all their friends and get dangerously high.

BW: So you take it seriously?

DS: Yes, it’s something that I take very seriously. I don’t judge people, but the time DS: I am insanely concerned about it. Not is approaching very soon when I’m going every night, but once in awhile, when it to have to make a statement on my website feels right, I will get off stage and go in the about how I really feel and write a piece. pit and say what’s up and sign autographs, hug people and tell them how much I BW: Honestly, that kind of stuff appreciate them. Most recently, when I keeps me away from shows like did it, someone handed me something to yours now. When I go to a show, sign and his hand was shaking so bad I want to feel comfortable and not that I couldn’t sign it. This dude was just get bombarded by hundreds of really, really high off something. I’ve had teenage kids all messed up. a show cancelled in Massachusetts due to some scares with Molly at similar shows. DS: I totally agree with you. I think it’s I’ve tried to keep my head in the music, something that needs to be dealt with. art and presentation of it. But I’ve really We have the PL family. We collaborated realized that kids are looking at me like with the fan base to create a network to at a role model or something. Now when least hydrate people, give free water out, I do go out and talk to these kids, I try make people comfortable and make sure to fully express my feelings about it and people have room. But as an older person, whatnot. I’ve been donating to charities at least someone older than my fans, I’m that I think express that. I think it’s time not trying to go to shows and get that vibe for me to go public with my feelings. I either. I look at my fan base and I see that don’t judge people for what they do. If it’s not my demographic, but I feel like my people want to have fun, get high, I don’t demographic would enjoy my shows, but judge people. I push for my fans to come to don’t want to come because of this.

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BandWagon Magazine northern colorado’s arts & entertainment AUGUST 2015

A New Chapter:

THE WAR ON DRUGS Signs to Atlantic Records

Kyle Eustice

BandWagon Magazine

T

he most obvious observation about The War On Drugs is they sound like old Bruce Springsteen or Bob Dylan. However, lead singer and founding member Adam Granduciel would rather have you focus on their progression as a band. Formed in Philadelphia in 2005 with fellow artist Kurt Vile, The War On Drugs put out their first album, Wagonwheel Blues, in 2008.

After a few lineup changes, they released their most recent album, Lost in the Dream, in 2014. Despite its name, The War on Drugs, in fact, does not have a war on drugs.

“The name of the band, in retrospect, reflects a time in my life when we were living out in Oakland, California being crazy and writing all this crazy poetry,” Granduciel reveals. “That’s how the name came up. The name itself doesn’t have any personal implications, but I guess the only thing is, over time, when I get asked that question, I think about it more than I ever did.

The only thing is that the actual war on drugs is kind of an embarrassing thing. We don’t really do it in any other country. We’re an American band so I guess that makes sense.

Nothing personal though really.”

Vile left in 2009 to focus more on his solo career and Granduciel forged ahead on his own path.

He carved out the ideal band to accompany him on his latest tour in support of Lost in the Dream.

“Kurt and I still keep in touch,” he says. “We’ve both been so busy so we don’t see each other in the same way we used to, but we are still friends and he’s still the funniest dude I’ve ever met in my life. When he was in the band, he already had a solo career. He wasn’t really interested in being in this band. I knew that anyway.

I knew he wasn’t going to start touring the world with The War On Drugs. I knew this band wasn’t his main priority, which was fine.”

2011’s Slave Ambient featured a few contributions from Vile, but was overall a Granduciel project. It was the first to feature drummer Steve Urgo and last for drummer Mike Zanghi. Preceded by 2010’s Future Weather EP, the album offered more classic rock influences and was something Granduciel was very proud of making despite the pressure to make it great.

“After Wagonwheel Blues, I think

we had a small, but passionate fan base made of a bunch of people who really liked our music,” he says. “I was really excited to make a new record because we spent a lot of time on it. You might feel like you have to succumb to the machine a little bit more and release something within a year to keep it rolling, but at the end of the day, do you really have to? At the end of the day, it’s really not my problem.”

On Lost in the Dream, the first noticeable difference between past efforts is the amount of instrumental moments throughout the album.

Tracks like “Disappearing” and “An Ocean Between Waves,” seem to linger longer than previous The War On Drugs songs. Ironically, when Granduciel sings, the Springsteen can’t help but come out of him.

“I definitely hear it,” he admits.

“I got into Dylan heavily when I was like 20; Springsteen maybe a little later, like 23 or something.

That’s where I’m coming from with my stuff. Their catalogs have been really important to me. I am trying to follow in their footsteps and carve my own place in history.”

For Granduciel and the rest of the band, it was a grueling year long recording process, but it paid off. Lost in the Dream is an honest (sometimes painfully so) account of the dissolution of his longterm relationship and inescapable self-doubt delivered in the most beautiful way. While this is clearly a new chapter for him, the pages written so far seem to be a story of triumph. In fact, they just signed a deal with Atlantic Records in June 2015.

“It’s more of a professional operation now,” he jokes. “We have it down a little more. It’s like watching a real band play [laughs].

These are songs I really care about put together with people I care about. I just hope to keep doing it and make albums I like making. I’m not trying to get too comfortable. I want to make cool music and feel that I’m getting better at what I do. I’ve gravitated towards some of my favorite artists later in their career. I just want to keep doing my thing and hopefully people keep listening. Being a musician gets a little lonely sometimes, but I don’t miss casual Fridays or anything.

Fuck that.”

The War On Drugs with Galactic and Givers, August 7, at Fox Theatre, Boulder, 8:30 p.m. Tickets are $49.50. Visit www.foxtheatre. com for more information.

TIP: IN CONCERT @ Fox Theatre in Boulder FRIDAY Aug 7TH 2015

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BandWagon Magazine northern colorado’s arts & entertainment AUGUST 2015

Thuggish Ruggish:

KRAYZIE BONE On the Solo Tip… For Now

Kyle Eustice

BandWagon Magazine

Believe it or not, Bone Thugsn-Harmony’s first record contract with late Eazy E’s Ruthless Records resulted from a single phone call. In 1993, original members Lazyie Bone, Krayzie Bone, Bizzie Bone and Wish Bone hopped on a Greyhound in their hometown of Cleveland, Ohio headed for California. The self-described “broke millionaires” had no idea how they were going to infiltrate the rap scene, but they knew they just needed the right person to put them on. It just so happened to be Eazy E, former member of the groundbreaking rap collective, N.W.A. “Somehow we got the number to Ruthless Records,” Krayzie Bone recalls. “We called and

called and called. One day Eazy called us back and I rapped to him over the phone. He was like, ‘Damn, where y‘all from?’ Eazy just happened to have a show in Cleveland and someone got us to open up for him. After the show, Eazy came out and asked if we were the dudes that rapped to him over the phone. We said, ‘Yeah!’

The next day, we were back on the Greyhound heading to California.”

The rest is history. The two time Grammy Award-winning artists have reveled in a career spanning over two decades, a rarity in the rap world. With so many rappers coming and going, the chance of sticking around for this long is unlikely.

“I think the authenticity of rap has been lost a little,” he says.

“People really don’t struggle to get in like you had to back in

the day. These guys have one big hit, but then they’re gone.

It’s the era we’re in right now, but it might come back. People might start spitting hardcore lyrics again.”

Whether or not that happens remains to be seen, but in the meantime Bone Thugs-nHarmony are gearing up to hit the road, playing its seminal classic, E. 1999 Eternal in its entirety. Despite enduring the untimely death of their mentor Eazy E in 1995, Flesh-N-Bone’s eight-year incarceration and a lull in album sales, Bone Thugs have managed to recapture their focus. The riotous days of the group’s early 20s have ceased and have been replaced by business meetings, wellorganized tours and family life.

“We’re grown men now with grown men thoughts,” he says.

“We’ve lived a lot. We’ve seen

and experienced more than most. We learned from our mistakes. We’re a lot milder than we used to be.”

Not to say Bone Thugs is incapable of bringing the fire that first ignited what is now a massive fan base. 2013’s The Art of War: World War III and the upcoming E. 1999 Legends are testaments to their growth.

The injection of harmonies into their colorful tales are reminiscent of ‘90s era Bone, but the new material is laced with more underlying moral lessons. Perhaps there is a little less ‘thug’ in Bone Thugs-nHarmony these days, but their legacy is still intact.

Krayzie Bone with Big Sloan of Mo’ Thugs, August 27, at Aggie Theatre, 204 S. College Ave., 8 p.m. Tickets are $15. Visitwww. aggietheatre.com for more information.

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BandWagon Magazine northern colorado’s arts & entertainment AUGUST 2015

en español

MC MAGIC Aunque apenas había regresado de su viaje a Guadalajara, el rapero Sonorense, MC Magic compartió detalles sobre el comienzo de su carrera musical, trabajos actuales, y de su gira nacional, Love & Kush Tour al lado de Baby Bash. Esta gira comenzó el 23 de julio en Salinas, CA. El rapero aclaró el nombre de su gira, que comenzó el 23 de julio en Salinas, CA, declarándose “entusiasta de canciones de amor” y su compañero el que

promueve el kush. Nos damos cuenta que MC es promotor del canto romántico con los trabajos originales que lo hicieron arrancar en su profesión como cantautor.

MC originalmente se habia preparado para crear y vender ritmos en el “swap meet” (su flea market local), pero su primer cliente esperaba un rap completo. Todavía siendo contador, él creó una canción rap al estilo libre dedicada a la novia de su cliente, haciéndolo descubrir su talento como compositor.

Desde entonces continúa ese negocio que se encuentra en su

página de internet, Nastyboy Records, donde tú mismo puedes dedicarle una canción personalizada a quien gustes.

Su viaje a México fue para grabar videos musicales para dos canciones nuevas y una mezcla de “Mujer Bonita”.

Además de sus conciertos, MC ha encabezado festivales como el “Urban Fest” en el DF, capital de México, donde más de 25,000 personas asisten anualmente.

Viene a Colorado cada año donde sus fanáticos agotan los boletos y llenan sus conciertos.

Y viene a nuestro Moxi Theater en Greeley el próximo 8 de Agosto del 2015. Le ha tocado

viajar hasta Japón y comentó que “Cantan toda la canción.

Siempre me ha sorprendido que la música es como un lenguaje universal.”

MC cerró con contarnos que no hace planes fijos para el futuro lejano. “Me enfoco en mejorar mi música, porque las cosas no salen como uno las planea.” Ya han sido más de veinte años en su trayectoria musical desarrollando y produciendo obras nuevas, él dice que “Uno no está listo para retirarse de la música, hasta que se muera porque la música es flor que no para de crecer.”

Just returning from his trip to Guadalajara, the Sonoran rapper MC Magic shared details about the beginning of his musical career, current works, and the national Love and Kush Tour alongside Baby Bash. The rapper justified the name of his tour with companion and promoter Kush, which began in Salinas, CA July 23rd, declaring himself a “love song enthusiast.” We could see Magic’s promoting of romantic songs since his original works

that enabled him to take on the lyricist profession.

Magic originally prepared to create and sell beats in the “swap meet” (his local flea market), but his first customer expected a full rap track. Still an accountant, MC freestyled his client a song for his girlfriend, discovering his lyrical talent. Since then he’s integrated that business into his website, Nastyboy Records, where you can dedicate a personalized song

to anyone.

His trip to Mexico was to record music videos for two new songs and a Spanish remix of “Pretty Girl.” In addition to his concerts, MC has headlined at festivals such as “Urban Fest” in Mexico City with more than 25,000 attendees. Every year, he comes to Colorado where his concerts sell out, this year making it to Greeley’s Moxi Theater on August 8. He has even traveled to Japan and shares

that “They sing the whole song.

It has always surprised me that music is a universal language.”

MC closed by telling us he doesn’t plan for the distant future. “I focus on improving my music, because things don’t go as you plan.” Over twenty years into his career of developing and producing music he says, “We’re not ready to retire from music until we die because music is a flower that does not stop growing.”

Irma Sandoval

BandWagon Magazine

TIP:

IN CONCERT @ MOXI THEATER in GREELEY on AUGUST 8TH

BandWagon Magazine northern colorado’s arts & entertainment AUGUST 2015

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THE BUR

BY ROSE HEDBERG • BA

The New Album

SWEATY GREELEY SOUL TIP:

RELEASE SHOWS

7/24 - Fort COllins, CO ( Hodi’s Half Note )

7/28 - Greeley, CO (UNC GARDEN THEATRE - CONCERT UNDER THE STARS) 8/7 - Greeley, CO (MOXI THEATER)

8/21 - Garden City, CO ( Bootleggin Days Brewfest )

Without getting too metaphysical, if there is an existence of a soul, The Burroughs have mastered in transcribing what it sounds like to them. At the very least they’ve managed to uncover it’s very feeling in today’s day and age.

“We’ve been listening to soul music that came out 30 or 40 years ago but it’s still going on because there’s something there,” Hayden Farr who plays Baritone Saxophone for the band says.

“I don’t know exactly what it is, but I feel it.”

Feeling–this idea surfaces a lot as the band describes their methodology and how they’ve managed to push their success since their spontaneous start two years ago. They’ve gained ground in the music scene and landed a gig playing direct support for the Steve Miller Band at Bohemian Nights this summer, a festival that they played last year when Pat Benatar headlined. At the remembrance of their time at NWF, among other thoughts Farr commented, “On the record, she’s still got it.”“Everything from the groove that you’re in, to the words that you say, to the melodies you sing is suppose to come from right here,” Johnny Burroughs, frontman of The Burroughs says using both open faced hands to clutch between his abdomen and lower rib cage. “If it’s not coming from here, than it’s not soul music.”

This light-hearted playfulness isn’t anything unfamiliar in the band as they’re constantly reciting inside jokes. It’s refreshing to witness their ability to keep it light and yet work unbelievably hard to perfect everything about the band’s

identity. They’ve established a comfor ensemble, to the point that over hal roof and still enjoy making music to approach to their work that mimics t “Because a majority of the group their life it’s not do or die, we get to think there is a really healthy look a ride this and enjoy it and enjoy the fa making music.”

As the story of the bands whimsica Basarich, no longer a part of the ban in their love of performance and s show. In just two short years the ba Battle of the Bands which launched dozens of headlining shows around Spokesbuzz, and after months of ma joins their discography.

With some minor changes to the lin the band consists of Johnny on voc Sean Hagemeister on guitar, Tom Am on trombone, Briana Harris on tenor Mary Claxton on percussion and Bri The last two years have been a blur opportunity after the next and as th that many local bands spend years o pop-culture couldn’t be more helpful

RROUGHS

ANDWAGON MAGAZINE

rtable bond as a nine piece lf of them live under one ogether. There’s a carefree the freedom of soul music. is already established in o enjoy it,” Johnny says. “I at it in the band of let’s just act that we’re together and

al beginning is told, Craig nd and Johnny conspired soul to create a one-timeand claimed BandWagon’s d their first EP, lined up the state, partnered with astering, their live album

neup since their foundation cals, Farr on baritone sax, mend on keys, Jeremy Fallis r sax, Alec Bell on trumpet, ian Claxton on bass. the band says, one wave of hey coast through barriers overcoming, the timing in l.

“There’s just something raw and fun about soul,” Farr says.

“Popular music is starting to get the horns back and I really like horns, especially in bands. It’s just fun.”

No doubt that the band is benefiting from top-of-the-charts popularizing horn music and energetic soul melodies, but this affection from pop culture doesn’t hinder their identity as Johnny sees the present as a time in music where anything can last.

Era-music may prevail, but the identity isn’t concrete. When artists like Bruno Mars and Justin Timberlake generalize the use of a horn section, they create a short-lived fad for the genre. The boundless market muddles bands who know their roots and take on the responsibility to transcend old music respectfully into the present.

“The beginning of the band was based on we’re going to go and play old soul music. That’s at the heart of what we do,” Johnny says, “but I don’t think there’s any pressure, I think it’s just who we are.”

This grounded identity as a band is backed up by ideas like family, community, and fun, to create a contagious performance on stage. Hagemeister reiterates a philosophy instilled early in the band to be “if we’re dancing, they’re dancing,” which in the quirkiest and most sincere actions they uphold truly. They ignite a groove in their audience that overshadows any classification of old. It’s by far the most entertaining factor about the band as Johnny describes dancing to be a demonstration of the absolute

pure joy of music. It’s this joy that founded their latest album.

“We thought, well if we’re going to make an album than we should highlight what it is we love, which is playing music and having the audience be a part of it,” Johnny says.

As the album came to fruition The Burroughs enlisted the incredible conglomerate of talent in their hometown to build their release of Sweaty Greeley Soul.

“What I think we have, that we haven’t had in other bands is people wanting to support us and help us and that’s huge,” Hagemeister says.

This support has flourished out of their hometown and as tribute they’ve branded most of the production of their live album, with Greeley. From the album art done by Betony Coons, to the recording and mixing done by Greeley native Colin Bricker at Mighty Fine Studios in Denver, the album is a bold symbol of who they are.

“We believe in this town and we’re excited to be a part of something from the ground work. We wanted to show off ‘this is where our music is made,’ it’s made here, it has this sound because it’s made here, with these people. We’ve tapped into the incredible pool of talent that’s around us and the hearts and souls that have backed us. That’s the whole reason the music exists. We had to include Greeley. Plus it makes everybody do a double take, every time,” Johnny says. “This is where we’re from. We’re putting it smack dab on the front of our first full length album because we’re not ashamed.”

Photo By Dylan Adams, Cover Photo By Ben Stivers

BandWagon Magazine northern colorado’s arts & entertainment AUGUST 2015

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BandWagon Magazine northern colorado’s arts & entertainment AUGUST 2015

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COLORaDO CONCERT CALENDAR Saturday, August 1st

The Charlie Daniels Band @ The Sumit Denver - 7pm w/ Birch Street and Ol Hickory

Retract @ The Moxi Theater Greeley - 8:00pm w/ Oak Ash & Thorn, Unreasonably Human, Citadel YarmonyGrass All-Stars ft. Chris Pandolfi & Andy Hall of The Lincoln Durham @ Hodi’s Half Note Infamous Stringdusters, Members Fort Collins - 8:00pm w/ Caleb of The Drunken Hearts & Special James Guests @ The 1-Up Denver - 8:30pm 3rd Annual Avograss Bluegrass Festival @ Avogadro’s Number Ryan Bingham @ The Mishawaka Fort Collins - 12:30pm Amphitheatre My Body Sings Electric @ The Bluebird Theater Denver - 7:30-m w/ Red Fox Run, Thunderthief, Kaji

Bellvue - 8:00pm w/ HONEYHONEY Slightly Stoopid @ Red Rocks Morrison - 7:30pm

THE SPILL CANVAS Tuesday August 4th @ Moxi Theater

Sunday, August 2nd

Amanda X @ The Hi-Dive Denver - 8:30pm w/ The Spirit of the Beehive, Justine Drugs

3rd Annual Avograss Bluegrass Festival @ Avogadro’s Number Fort Collins - 10:30am

Hozier @ Red Rocks Morrison - 8pm

Todd Rundgren @ The Bluebird Theater Denver - 8:00pm

Monday, August 3rd Jazz is Dead - Celebrating 50th Anniversary of Grateful Dead @ Fox Theater Boulder - 7pm Valise @ The Marquis Theater Denver - 7pm w/ Oh Be Clever Evinair Tokio Hotel “Feel It All” World Tour Part 2 @ The Sumit Denver - 7pm w/ MXMS Florence and The Machine @ Red Rocks Morrison - 8pm

Tuesday, August 4th Stubby Tuesdays w/ Stubby Shillelaghs @ Patrick’s Irish Pub, Greeley - 9pm The Spill Caves @ The Moxi Theater Greeley - 7:00pm Open Jazz Jam @ Pourhouse Loveland - 7:30pm w/ Pourhouse Jazz Trio Django Django @ The Bluebird Theater Denver - 8:00pm w/ Beat Connection

Sam Smith @ Red Rocks Morrison - 8pm

Wednesday, August 5th Open Mic @ Patrick’s Irish Pub Greeley - 9pm Gravy @ Hodi’s Half Note Fort Collins - 8:00pm Soul Asylum & Meat Puppets @ The Aggie Theatre Fort Collins - 8:00pm w/ Special Guest FREE Swing Gitane @ Avogadro’s Number Fort Collins - 5:00pm

Thursday, August 6th Karaoke @ The Jager, Greeley - 9pm Brian Collins of the Seer Band @ Wiley Roots Greeley - 7pm Lord Huron @ The Mishawaka Amphitheatre Bellvue - 8:00pm w/ San Fermin The Soul Aslyum & The Meat Puppets @ The Sumit Denver - 7pm Powerpoint @ The Hi-Dive Denver - 6:30 w/ Zebroids, M-Section Walk the Moon ft. Milky Chance @ Red Rocks Morrison - 7pm

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BandWagon Magazine northern colorado’s arts & entertainment AUGUST 2015 Sunday, August 9th

Wednesday, August 12th

Madchild - Silver Tongue Devil Tour @ Hodi’s Half Note Fort Collins - 7:00pm w/ Aklocks

Open Mic @ Patrick’s Irish Pub Greeley - 9pm

Willis A Ramsey and Alison Ramsey @ Avogadro’s Number Fort Collins - 8:00pm CROBOT @ The Bluebird Theater Denver - 8:00pm w/ Mothership, Reno Divorce, In the Company of Serpents Hazel Miller Band & Chris Daniels and the Kings feat. Freddi Gowdy @ The Mishawaka Amphitheatre Bellvue - 4:30pm w/ Goatz!, and Williams Reserve Michael Franti & Spearheat @ Red Rocks Morrison - 6:30pm

Monday, August 10th

Madchild

Damien Rice and Iron & Wine @ Red Rocks Morrison - 8pm

Sunday August 9th @ Hodi’s Half Note

Friday, August 7th The Burroughs @ The Moxi Theater Greeley - 8:00pm Ryan Fourt Jazz Duo @ Broken Plow Brewery Greeley - 7pm The Freddy Jones Band @ Hodi’s Half Note Fort Collins - 8:00pm w/ Special Guests Eric Hutchinson @ The Aggie Theatre Fort Collins -7:00pm w/ Special Guests Bonnie & The Clydes @ Avogadro’s Number Fort Collins - 8:00pm

FREE Dead Jam @ Avogadro’s Number Fort Collins - 9:00pm The War on Drugs @ The Fox Theater Boulder- 7:30pm w/ Galactic and Givers

Pretty Lights @ Red Rocks Morrison - 7pm

Tuesday, August 11th

Saturday, August 8th Baby Bash x MC Magic @ The Moxi Theater Greeley - 7:00pm w/ Play-N-Skillz

San Fermin @ The Bluebird Theater Denver - 9:00pm w/ SOAK

Maxwell Mud and Escape Goats @ Avogadro’s Number Fort Collins - 8:00pm

Jazz is Dead - Celebrating 50th Anniversary of Grateful Dead @ The 1-Up Denver - 8:30pm

Wade Bowen @ The Bluebird Theater Denver - 9:00pm w/ Drew Kennedy

The Travelin’ McCourys Feat.

Billy Nershi @ The Mishawaka Amphitheatre Bellvue - 8:00pm w/ Hog MaGundy and Blue Grama

Fireworks @ The Marquis Theater Denver - 7pm w/ Weatherbox and Dryjacket Pretty Lights @ Red Rocks Morrison - 7pm

Stubby Tuesdays w/ Stubby Shillelaghs @ Patrick’s Irish Pub, Greeley - 9pm Devon Allman @ The Moxi Theater Greeley - 7:00pm Savage Cabbage @ The Aggie Theatre Fort Collins -8:00pm w/ A Wasted Effort and Special Guests

Casey Donahew Band @ The Moxi Theater Greeley - 7:00pm w/ Special Guests TBA Berner @ The Aggie Theatre Fort Collins -7:00pm w/ MHC, OG SWAG, and Special Guests FREE Happy Dapples @ Avogadro’s Number Fort Collins - 5:00pm Diana Krell @ Red Rocks Morrison - 7:30pm

Thursday, August 13th Karaoke @ The Jager, Greeley - 9pm The Burroughs @ Wiley Roots Greeley - 7pm Dab to the Future Tour @ The Pit Greeley - 7pm Spellbinder @ Avogadro’s Number Fort Collins - 8:00pm Chris Tomlin presents Worship Night in America @ Red Rocks Morrison - 7:30pm

Friday, August 14th Ben Pu @ Broken Plow Brewery Greeley - 7pm

Open Jazz Jam @ Pourhouse Loveland - 7:30pm w/ Pourhouse Jazz Trio

Guerilla Radio, Sabotage, and My Own Summer @ Hodi’s Half Note Fort Collins - 8:00pm

Idina Menzel @ Red Rocks Morrison - 8pm

Dead Floyd @ The Aggie Theatre Fort Collins -8:00pm w/ Special Guests

Filmed on Location with :

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BandWagon Magazine northern colorado’s arts & entertainment AUGUST 2015

BandWagon Magazine northern colorado’s arts & entertainment AUGUST 2015

15 SQUARE BLOCKS FOUR DISPENSARIES ONE HOOKAH BAR ALWAYS A GOOD TIME

A.F. Ray ( founder of Garden City)

It has been rumored that during the prohibition of alcohol, A.F. Ray supplied the residents of Weld County with bootlegged booze hidden in watermelons from his own patch.

BandWagon Magazine northern colorado’s arts & entertainment AUGUST 2015

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BandWagon Magazine northern colorado’s arts & entertainment AUGUST 2015

SIR MIX A LOT Sunday August 16th @ Moxi Theater

Archie Funker @ Avogadro’s Number Fort Collins - 8:30pm AMZY - Live Concert Filming @ The Bluebird Theater Denver - 8:00pm w/ Rumours Follow, Modern Suspects Vine Street Vibes @ The 1-Up Denver - 8:30pm w/ Spyn Reset Defy You Stars @ The Sumit Denver - 6pm w/Shatterproof, Tonight We Rise, and Almost Maine OTT @ The Mishawaka Amphitheatre Bellvue - 6:00pm w/ Kaminanda and Templo My Morning Jacket @ Red Rocks Morrison - 8pm

Saturday, August 15th Stella Luce @ Hodi’s Half Note Fort Collins - 8:00pm w/ iZCALLi Punch Drunk Munky Funk & Dechen Hawk’s Jus Sayin @ The Aggie Theatre Fort Collins -8:00pm w/ The BeatServer Shakedown Street @ Avogadro’s Number Fort Collins - 9:00pm Langhorne Slim & The Law @ The Bluebird Theater Denver - 9:00pm w/ Mile High Express The Photo Atlas @ The Hi-Dive Denver - 8:30pm w/ The Outfit Brandi Carlile @ Red Rocks Morrison - 7pm

Sunday, August 16th Sir Mix-a-Lot @ The Moxi Theater Greeley - 8:00pm w/ The Condors ft.

Jaystorm, High Quality, Rag Doll LIL Durk @ The Bluebird Theater Denver - 9:00pm w/ Gunplay, Hypno Carlito (OTF) Alabama Shakes @ Red Rocks Morrison - 7:30pm

Monday, August 17th Sales @ The Hi-Dive Denver - 8pm w/ Candy Claws, Sound of Ceres, Peter and The Wolves

FREE Switchman Sleepin’ @ Avogadro’s Number Fort Collins - 5:00pm Louis Futon @ The 1-Up Denver - 8:30m

KMFDM @ The Sumit Denver - 8pm w/ Chant and Inertia

Dawes & James Vincent McMorrow @ The Mishawaka Amphitheatre Bellvue - 6:00pm

Joe Bonamassa @ Red Rocks Morrison - 8pm

Slipknot @ Red Rocks Morrison - 6:15pm

Tuesday, August 18th

Thursday, August 20th

Stubby Tuesdays w/ Stubby Shillelaghs @ Patrick’s Irish Pub, Greeley - 9pm

Karaoke @ The Jager, Greeley - 9pm

Open Jazz Jam @ Pourhouse Loveland - 7:30pm w/ Pourhouse Jazz Trio Jackson Browne @ Red Rocks Morrison - 7:30pm

Wednesday, August 19th Open Mic @ Patrick’s Irish Pub Greeley - 9pm

Jacob Felix @ Wiley Roots Greeley - 7pm Authority Zero @ The Aggie Theatre Fort Collins - 8:00pm w/ Rubedo and Counterpunch FREE Dead Jam @ Avogadro’s Number Fort Collins - 9:00pm

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BandWagon Magazine northern colorado’s arts & entertainment AUGUST 2015 Daryl Ray @ Broken Plow Brewery Greeley - 7pm Poetic Pimps @ The Pit Greeley - 5pm Hog Magundy and Cosmic Mesa @ Avogadro’s Number Fort Collins - 8:00pm The Slackers @ The Bluebird Theater Denver - 8:00pm Worship My Organ @ The 1-Up Denver - 8:30pm w/ Marco Benevento, Robert Walter, Joe Russo & Skerik

The Motet August 28th & 29th @ Mishawaka

James Vincent McMorrow @ The Bluebird Theater Denver - 8:00pm w/ Blake Mills The Piano Guys @ Red Rocks Morrison - 8pm

Friday, August 21st Bootleggin Days Brewfest @ Garden City Park Garden City - 5pm South To Cedars @ Broken Plow Brewery Greeley - 7pm Sound Remedy @ The Mishawaka Amphitheatre Bellvue - 8:00pm

Saturday, August 22nd Bootleggin Days Brewfest @ Garden City Park Garden City - 12pm Summer Cannibals @ The Hi-Dive Denver - 8:30pm w/ Riprats ZOSO @ The Bluebird Theater Denver - 9:00pm w/ Sweet Leaf Reggae on the Rocks @ Red Rocks Morrison - 1pm

Sunday, August 23rd Synesthesia @ Broken Plow Brewery Greeley - 7pm Kim Simmonds & Savoy Brown @ The Aggie Theatre Fort Collins -7:00pm Pat Donohue @ Avogadro’s Number Fort Collins - 9:00pm Garrison Keillor @ Red Rocks Morrison - 7pm

Tuesday, August 25th Stubby Tuesdays w/ Stubby Shillelaghs @ Patrick’s Irish Pub, Greeley - 9pm Karaoke World Championship Finals @ The Pit Greeley - 7pm Open Jazz Jam @ Pourhouse Loveland - 7:30pm w/ Pourhouse Jazz Trio Failure @ The Sumit Denver - 7:30pm J Cole @ Red Rocks Morrison - 6:30pm

Wednesday, August 26th Open Mic @ Patrick’s Irish Pub Greeley - 9pm FREE Fort Collins Chamber Music Society @ Avogadro’s Number Fort Collins - 5:00pm Michael Angelo Batio @ The Bluebird Theater Denver - 8:00pm

Thursday, August 27th Karaoke @ The Jager, Greeley - 9pm The Burroughs @ Wiley Roots Greeley - 7pm D.R.I @ Hodi’s Half Note Fort Collins - 8:00pm w/ Bomb Threat Krayzie Bone @ The Aggie Theatre Fort Collins - 8:00pm w/ BIG SLOAN Roux Black Presents: Black Summer @ The Bluebird Theater Denver - 9:00pm AJ Davila @ The Hi-Dive Denver - 8:30pm w/ Future Single Mom, Panaderia, Hair Cult “1964” The Tribute @ Red Rocks Morrison - 8pm

Friday, August 28th The Block Party @ 9th St Plaza Greeley - 5pm

The Motet @ The Mishawaka Amphitheatre Bellvue - 8:00pm w/ The California Honeydrops System of a Down w/ Ice Cube, Iggy Pop and more @ Riot Fest Denver - 2pm Atmosphere @ Red Rocks Morrison - 7pm

Saturday, August 29th Cupcake Cabaret @ Avogadro’s Number Fort Collins - 8:00pm The Motet @ The Mishawaka Amphitheatre Bellvue - 8:00pm w/ The California Honeydrops Modest Mouse w/ Run DMC, Pixies and more @ Riot Fest Denver - 2pm Trampled by Turtles @ Red Rocks Morrison - 7:30pm

Sunday, August 30th The Prodigy w/ Snoop Dog, Tenacious D and more @ Riot Fest Denver - 2pm Mad Decent Block Party @ Red Rocks Morrison - 3pm

Monday, August 31st Avatar @ The Marquis Theater Denver - 6pm w/ Gemini Syndrome, First Decree

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BandWagon Magazine northern colorado’s arts & entertainment AUGUST 2015

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GAMES

CROSSWORDS NO COLLEGE / NO PROBLEM

Hint: Believe it or not, every answer has to do with an act that never got a college degree, but stay in school kids!

EXPIRES 9/15/15

ACROSS

4. Marshall Mathers, better known as _____ never finished high school.

6. The young country star _______Swift set out to Nashville at 14 and now makes roughly $80million a year at the age of 25 with no formal college degree.

7. Barbra ________, is a singer/songwriter, actress and filmmaker who at 18 begin her famous career that has spanned over six decades.

10. Tasting fame young in the Mickey Mouse Club, _________ Aguilera went on the create 7 albums, 42 singles and is currently a judge on American reality show The Voice.

EXPIRES 8/31/15

12. Aretha _________ never finished high school, but has 41 studio albums, 6 live albums and been a collaborator on 41 albums.

14. Founder and frontman of Outkast, _______ 3000 dropped out of high school.

15. Signed to a record deal right after high school graduation, British singer/ songwriter _________ won a Grammy for self-titled album of the year in 2011.

DOWN

1. Real name Robert Zimmerman, Mr. Bob _______ dropped out of the University of Minnesota to pursue a career under his idol Woody Guthrie.

2. Blake _________ left home after high school. Landing in Nashville this country 3. Music producer, actor and founder of the Black Eyed Peas, _______I.A.M formed his first group in high school and never attended college.

5. Lead singer of punk outfit Green Day, Billie Joel ________ said that “I finally realized that high school didn’t make any sense for me then. So I quit.”

8. Frank ________, singer and Oscar-winning actor, never finished high school.

9. Jimi ________, rock n’ roll icon and master electric guitarist dropped out of high school, enlisting in the army and kicking off his career abroad.

11. Country singer ________ Adkins made his own way out to Nashville and rose to the top of pop charts with songs like “Honky Tonk Badonkadonk,” and “Songs About Me.” 13. Drummer for The Beatles, ________ Starr was too busy with the band to even consider college.

WORD SEARCH

SUDOKU © 2013 Knight Features. Reprinted with permission of Universal Uclick. All rights reserved.

WORD ROUNDUP by David L. Hoyt and Jeff Knurek © 2012 Reprinted with permission of Universal Uclick. All rights reserved.

CROSSWORDS © 2015 BandWagon Magazine. Reprinted with Permission of BandWagon Magazine. All rights reserved.

Sodoku

Complete the grid so that every row, collumn, and 3x3 box contains every digit from 1-9.

star never needed to attend college.

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BandWagon Magazine northern colorado’s arts & entertainment AUGUST 2015

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