BandWagon Magazine - January 2020 - Theo Katzman by BandWagon Magazine

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802 9th St. Greeley, CO 80631

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album reviews

PUBLISHER

BRIAN CLAXTON PG. 5 MIKE SHAMROCK PG. 6 TYLER T PG. 9 MEAT AND POTATOES PG. 11

ELY CORLISS

THE COLORADO SOUND’S my5 PG. 13

EDITOR

KEVIN JOHNSTON

ART DIRECTOR ELY CORLISS

CONTRIBUTORS DAN ENGLAND VALERIE VAMPOLA NATE WILDE ELLEN PILCHER CARTER KERNS

HODI’s HALF NOTE PG. 15

ANDY SETH PG. 18

BLAST N SCRAP PG. 21

PHOTOGRAPHY PEARY SCHROEDER

gm@bandwagmag.com Editorial Info/Requests:

THEO KATZMAN PG. 16 -17 3

Brian Claxton When I Get Home

Valerie Vampola

BandWagon Magazine

Brian Claxton is one of the Colorado music scene’s most treasured sidemen. He is the bassist for Greeley’s sweaty-soul band The Burroughs and one of the guitarists, drummers and shenanigan-conductors of the quirky power-trio known as Trash Cat. He wears many musical hats, but his debut solo album When I Get Home makes this very clear: He is first and foremost a jazz drummer. Claxton doesn’t prove this point with Keith Moon-like drum solos, rather preferring to draw the listener in with his clear sense of groove. In the opening track “The Yard,” Claxton keeps his playing in the foreground with an aggressive approach that carries the band, but he doesn’t need an up-tempo tune to retain that energy. A laid back composition like “Apple of My Eye” still has a heavy sense of time; quarter notes have never swung so hard. Claxton chose the direction of the album, both in selecting swing drummer Jeff Hamilton to produce it

and by writing all the tunes himself. His compositional voice has a classic jazz sound, reminiscent of artists from the hard-bop era of jazz like Art Blakey and Charles Mingus. Along with his aggressive grooves, Claxton also incorporates blues and gospel textures in tunes like “New Kicks” and “Talk Soon.” Brian Claxton emerges as a premier jazz artist in When I Get Home. His drumming is tight, his players are fantastic and his melodies are catchy and fun. He sheds his other, outer layers – the ones he displays in Trash Cat or the Burroughs – to present who he really is: A fun, grooving swing drummer. Lovers of jazz, soul and quirk-pop will appreciate Claxton bringing his musicianship from the side into the spotlight: a place where he clearly feels at home.

MIKE SHAMROCK

“Not I!” Said The Lil’ Mouse Kevin Johnston

BandWagon Magazine

Mike Shamrock is the on-stage moniker for Mike Robertson, a leader in one of Northern Colorado’s most well loved, yet undercelebrated categories: cover bands. The number of tribute acts in Colorado alone has grown significantly, with live bands reenacting everything from Devo to Slipknot. Hailing from Fort Collins, Shamrock is a 90’s heavy metal guitarist at heart, responsible for bringing the music of The Cult, Candlebox, The Beastie Boys, Rage Against The Machine and more to colorado stages via a slew of successful tribute bands. And though shredding the work of the greats is awesome, what happens when a musician who makes his living playing covers wants to release original material? The answer lies in compromise. Six electric guitar-based instrumental originals and four previously released tracks from Shamrock’s band 20XIII flesh out the majority of “Not I “Said The Lil’ Mouse, including “My Ending” featuring Amy Morgan of Post Paradise on cello. The track “Speak” is a

highlight, channeling Zack De la rocha and the heavy yowls a la Chris Cornell with impressive guitarmony ripping and fastbreak double kick drums. Shamrock includes three covers on the release: “Up The Beach” by Jane’s Addiction, “No Sleep ‘Till Brooklyn” by the Beastie Boys and “Take The Power Back” by Rage. An odd move, maybe, but consider #1: heavy metal guitar is now as much a scholastic discipline as Jazz has been, and #2: how much a part of Shamrock’s shreddy identity these covers are. Jazz records nearly always include the work of other artists, so why can’t hard rock? Mike Shamrock releases “Not I” Said The Lil’ Mouse at Hodi’s Halfnote in Fort Collins via his original band 20XIII and Sabotage, his tribute to The Beastie Boys.

TYLER T

Wild Flower Nate Wilde

BandWagon Magazine

Fort Collins has no shortage of great feel-good, jam band-esque artists. But Tyler T. has raised the bar and expanded the genre to a new, virtually untouchable level on Wild Flower. The album kicks off with the open tuned, percussive, fingerstyle-laced “Feather in the Wind,” a free-love theme that builds from start to finish adding drums, electric guitar

and mandolin as it progresses: a perfect prelude of what’s to come. Wild Flower features so many different instruments that it’s hard to keep track. In addition to Tyler’s signature vocal rasp, the record boasts both acoustic and electric guitar, mandolin, banjo, organ, saxophone, flute, dobro, and two notable staples of every Tyler T. show: marimba and didgeridoo, provided by folklore-esque lyrical style. Appropo, Wild Flower has Tyler himself. Another key track on Wild somewhat of a central theme: Flower is “Neanderthal Man,” true love. The melancholy “Take a storytelling tune a la the Me With You” speaks of love that early ‘60s folk of Harry Nielsen, is soon to be lost, while the title chronicling the life of a caveman, track, “Stone Tree” and “Away metaphorically taking him from From it All” suggest a deeper, The Flintstones to the modern more comfortable place in the struggles within American songwriters’ life. The album’s true highlight, politics. It’s worth noting that said Neanderthal man’s significant though, is Tyler T.’s profound as a ridiculously other is a “hairy legged stocky skillset looking firewood gathering talented multi-instrumentalist. thing,” a nod to Tyler T.’s creativeS:7” “Tzumbertiade” and “Alley-Oop

De-Loop” are clear examples that he’s not only a world-class singer-songwriter in the folk/ jam scene, but well-versed in numerous instruments, making him a force to be reckoned with in progressive music as well. Catch Tyler T at Equinox Brewing in Fort Collins from 6-8pm on Saturday, January 11, and in Longmont on January 30 at the Oskar Blues Tasty Weasel Taproom from 5:30-8:30pm. Check out tylertmusic.com for more.

DEAR MOUNTAINS, I’M HERE TO CLIMB. S:4.6”

See Your Local Toyota Dealer | EHRLICH TOYOTA - GREELEY, CO Prototype shown with options.

MEAT AND POTATOES After Math

Nate Wilde

BandWagon Magazine

Brandon Harris is the quintessential Fort Collins musician success story. He started out playing a $15 guitar nicknamed “Trash-tar,” without a car or mode of independent transportation until a bike was gifted to him by a friend, and now makes his living playing music. His solo musical pseudonym is called Meat and Potatoes, although it more accurately translates to his bread and butter. Harris was surrounded by music growing up. His father was a guitarist; his mother a singer. One day, his mother suggested that her pastor bring her son on as the church bassist. Despite having never touched the instrument, he went for it, making a pivotal step in his musical journey. The new Meat and Potatoes

record titled After Math (on which he plays many of the instruments) is a poetic account of his life leading up to this point. A track off his previous record said “you left me with just a mattress on the floor,” a catalyst for what was to come. After Math sets out with the chill, blues-funk piece “Dreaming,” a slide guitar cruiser that reminisces about better times with an ex-lover, highlighted with a remarkable saxophone solo. The sonic

memoir continues with the autobiographical “Mathews Street” and “Strange Love,” taking us on a musical tour of all of the emotions and heartaches the singer/songwriter was experiencing while he penned the compositions. The record wraps up with heavy emotions on “The Big C,” written for a friend of Harris’ whose father was battling cancer. The theme hits especially hard for Harris, as he himself had battled cancer as a youth, and faced the possibility of losing his legs as a result.

Meat and Potatoes’ After Math is an intimate window into a heavily jazz influenced master songwriter’s young life, told by the only person who could accurately lay it out: A multiinstrumental, cancer surviving, bicycle-only traveler making it all work with only his best ally: music. Meat and Potatoes performs constantly in Colorado this month - at Patrick’s Irish Pub in Greeley January 8, for example, but hit up facebook.com/ meatandpotatoesmusic for a complete list of shows.

Find Your Place in Music www.themusicdistrict.org 11

Live Music NO COVER.

PRESENTS

ALL AGES.

LIVE ON THE LANES

FRIDAYS AT 9PM

CHIPPER'S LANES GREELEY

Chipper's Greeley

Concert Calendar

november 22. space force NOVember 29. dj channell DECEMBER 6. SPICY PEPPER BAND DECEMBER 13. WHISKEY AUTUMN DECEMBER 20. HOME FRIED BOOGALOO DECEMBER 27. AND THE BLACK FEATHERS

JANUARY 3. THERE'S AN APE FOR THAT JANUARY 10. SPACE FORCE JANUARY 17. VENTURE STILL JANUARY 24. LADYGANG JANUARY 31. DIZZY WITH A DAME FEBRUARY 7. DOLLHOUSE THIEVES

FEBRUARY 14. VALENTINE' S BALL

chipperslanes.com

bandwagmag.com

Ron: Weekdays 6am - 10am 1. The Colorado Sound’s new Box Office - If you haven’t heard, we’ve made it even easier for you to get free show tickets. Check the new Box Office page at ColoradoSound. org (under the “Tickets” drop-down) to enter for the shows you want to see! 2. Anticipated 2020 album releases – As we settle in to a new year, some new albums we can look forward to are: Ásgeir (Colorado Sound Presents March 15 at The Bluebird), Tame Impala, Colorado’s own Tennis (win tix to their 4/10 Ogden show at our Feb Music Meeting) and more, including…Anvil! 3. Colorado Repped at The Grammys! – Boulder’s Gregory Alan Isakov, Park Hill-raised Trev Rich, Denver-born India.Arie and the band Lettuce (2 of them live in Denver) are all nominated for the 62nd annual awards, on TV Sunday, January 26th. Keep in mind, ALL of those physical Grammy awards are made each year down in Ridgway! 4. Summer Concert Season – We’re only a few weeks into Winter, but there are already many Summer shows on sale, making us dream of a night under the Red Rocks stars or laying in the grass at Levitt Pavilion. The Colorado Sound’s online Concert Calendar will keep you up to date! coloradosound.org/ calendar 5. The Oscars! – I’d love to have a 5th My 5 for you but I’m too busy tabulating my 29th annual Oscar Pool. Ha! Nominations just came out on January 13th for the show on Sunday, Feb 9.

Margot: Weekdays 10am - 3pm 1. 40 Years Of The Clash: Museum Of London - In December 2019, the seminal Clash album London Calling turned 40. The Museum of London celebrates with a free exhibit by the same name of personal objects, images, music and memories from The Clash’s history, some never seen before.

2. Hoodoo Gurus, Bluebird Theater, 31 Oct. 2020 - The Australian Hoodoo Gurus rarely tour the U.S. anymore but that all changes this year. I’ve already got my tickets, get yours so you don’t miss out! 3. 2020 Top 20 - To celebrate 2020, each month the Colorado Sound will celebrate a different topic by asking you what you think and counting down the results. Tune into the Colorado Sound for specific details. 4. The Music Lab - Become a part of an ongoing musical science experiment. www. themusiclab.org 5. The Wrecking Crew: The Inside Story of Rock and Roll’s Best Kept-Secret - Kent Hartman’s 2012 book on of one of the most successful groups of studio musicians in music history, the Wrecking Crew, is a great read if you’re interested in the history of rock music and how songs become a finished product.

Stacy: Weekdays 3pm - 7pm

5. The Colorado Sound’s 1st Birthday Party! - Some call it our 4th, but the Colorado Sound was born Feb 29, 2016. As this is a leap year, it’s the first time we get to celebrate our actual birthday! Colorado’s own Kiltro, Son Little from Philly and The Seratones, straight outta Shreveport, make for an awesome night, Saturday, February 29 at Washington’s in Ft Collins.

Benji: Weekdays 7pm - 10pm 1. Drive-By Truckers: “Armageddon’s Back in Town” - They just can’t stop making music. The new song is just what you’d expect from the current kings of Southern Rock: driving guitars, killer rhythm and catchy lyrics. Another Truckers’ classic. 2. Donna Blue: Desert Lake - A collaboration between the couple Danique van Kesteren and Bart van Dalen, Donna Blue evokes the soundtracks of classic film noir. You can almost see a Bogart-and-Bacall dose of sexual tension in this sultry music’s world of mystery.

1. Shen Yun Performing Arts - Celebrating 5,000 years of Chinese culture, Shen Yun showcases dazzling classical and folk Chinese dance, with a live Eastern / Western orchestra. In its 12th year, it features 6 world-travelling troupes with all new shows for the 2020 CO & WY appearances in March and April.

3. Christopher Paul Stelling: Trouble Don’t Follow Me - A newcomer heavy on nostalgia, Stelling cuts his cloth in the same croon as Chris Isaak and James Hunter, but pulls it off without being schmaltzy. This Ben Harper-produced debut has no other agenda than to make you smile.

2. Beck: Hyperspace - Stepping back from the ultra-pop Colors, recently divorced Beck created an utterly listenable break-up album with Pharrell, but this is no Sea Change.

4. Jon Langford: Nashville Radio - The leader of the Mekons, Langford is also an accomplished visual artist. His art graces Austin’s Yard Dog Gallery and the covers of most Blood Shot releases. Pick up his coffee table book Nashville Radio - it’s a rock n’ roll assault on your eyeballs.

3. Colorado Avalanche - Halfway through the season, all I can say is “awesome!” Coach Bednar and the rest of the staff have developed a team with tremendous depth and cohesion, making every game fun to watch! 4. Marvelous Mrs. Maisel: Season 3 - This Golden Globe, Emmy winning series doesn’t miss a beat in season 3, following ‘Midge’, a 1950s housewife turned comedian. Terrific writing and supporting cast (Alex Borstein, Kevin Pollak, Tony Shalhoub) with a beautiful eye for detail in the costuming!

5. Biscoff Cookie Butter - If you’ve ever flown Delta Airlines you know Biscoff. But now, there’s Biscoff Cookie Butter! Like Nutella but better, both creamy and crunchy options are, yes, totally addictive. TUNE IN TO 105.5 THE COLORADO SOUND. AIRING ALL ALONG THE FRONT RANGE!

HIT THE GROUND RUNNING:

HODI’S HALFNOTE: 10 YEARS OF THE FOCO MUSIC MAINSTAY DAN ENGLAND + BANDWAGON MAGAZINE

Daniel Mladenik may be the big boss at Hodi’s Half Note, but he began his time at the Fort Collins music mainstay as the “heavy” demanding derailed drunks to chill. He knew the owners who bought the Starlight, a famous punk and metal club at 167 North College Avenue, and that’s how he got the job as a bouncer straight out of college. Mladenik wasn’t especially buff or a karate master, but he managed to dodge any serious danger. He loved working security because he got to see a different band with a different crowd and a different atmosphere every night. He got to live out his favorite hobby as a job: He got to hear live music nightly. Mladenik preferred jam bands such as the String Cheese Incident (even following them across the country one year) but he enjoyed all music, from country to cajun with punk, metal and hip-hop in between – as long as he could see it live. “I got to see everything I’d never seen before – every night,” he said.

A couple of months after he started, the Starlight’s owners wanted to leave the business, so he bought into the venue with two other partners in 2010. They renamed it Hodi’s after a great aunt. He knew nothing about owning a nightclub, but he learned how to tend bar, and leaned hard on that love for live music. That was enough until Mladenik got enough confidence to buy out his partners and take over. He’s now run the business for seven years, and Hodi’s will celebrate its 10-year anniversary with a big bash on January 24. “I loved this place as a venue, and so it made sense to me,” Mladenik said, “but I had to hit the ground running after I bought it. I had to dig through a lot of years of crap. I was here all day, every night, managing the bar and just trying to learn.” He learned the ins and outs of insurance, taxes, band contracts and contacts for booking, but he mostly went with his gut, booking as many different genres of bands as possible because that’s what he loved as a music fan. Hodi’s is still known for being

an eclectic, independent music venue with a capacity of 300 patrons. It’s tricky to have that identity, given that, say, country fans generally won’t go to a metal show, but Mladenik sends out emails of what’s playing every week to a long list of fans, constantly scouts talent and works with Denver clubs to bring bands up to Fort Collins while they’re on the road. Hodi’s size allows Mladenik to book national acts, but ideally he shoots for a band on its way up, or even on its way down, so to speak. Once they become too popular, he rarely sees them any longer because they’re ready to play larger venues. That kind of booking takes a keen eye and a lot of work. “You can’t just hope everything comes to you,” he said. Mladenik has settled down since his days working as a security guy. He’s married now, raising a 12-year-old and a 20-month old, and he’s got a full staff at the club which ensures he doesn’t have to be there working every night. But he still loves live music. The upcoming 10-year anniversary

bash is a perfect example of why he’s stuck around: Dave Watts and Friends will play, a supergroup with Watts of The Motet and Jason Hahn of String Cheese Incident plus some others. He believes the band will sell plenty of tickets, but he’s excited about it as a fan as well as a nightclub owner. That same enthusiasm Mladenik has for live music is a big part of the identity of Old Town Fort Collins and the people who go there too. Hodi’s 10 years as an independent venue prove it. “We don’t have a built-in bar crowd, and that’s hard, but I still have a deep love for music,” Mladenik said. “I feel like this is what I was put here to do.”

On January 24, Hodi’s Half Note hosts its 10-year anniversary bash at 167 N. College Ave in Fort Collins. Supergroup Dave Watts and Friends (Motet, String Cheese Incident) will perform. Go to hodishalfnote.com for tickets, a full calendar and links to sign up for email notifictions about upcoming shows.

THEO KATZMAN MODERN JOHNNY EXPLORES THE DARKNESS WITH THE LIGHT goofy guy. In Vulfpeck, he intention of being a funny helped write “Animal Spir- guy until hanging out with its,” a funny song about a Jack Stratton, Vulfpeck’s In 2017, just before Theo perfect couple who hadn’t bandleader and one of the Katzman prepared to write met yet, and he appeared in funniest guys on the planet, his last full-length album the video as a cartoon sing- Katzman said. Stratton laughed at KatzHeartbreak Hits, his father ing stratospheric notes and died, he had a bad breakup, wearing his concert outfit: man – a lot – and so did his and he lost a bunch of mon- a mishmash of something a friends in Vulfpeck, a band ey on what he thought was dad would wear to a pick- that never takes itself too up soccer game to seriously despite the coma cool professional opembarrass his plex, jazz-influenced funk portunity. This is how kids. But he they play. Katzman became Katzman discovhad no comfortable with being a ered his sense of funny guy and unleashed humor. that humor in Heartbreak He was al Hits, an album he wrote to ready kind help him get over a period of a of intense loss. In that record’s lead-off track “Hard Work,” for instance, he sang about doing a girl’s laundry and “folding it real nice” as one of the many reasons she shouldn’t break up with him. “Out of the wake of all that was sort of this ‘f— it’ at titude,” Katzman said in a phone interview for Band Wagon. “I realized I tend to gravitate toward a light hearted, sarcastic take on life most of the time. But it’s not just funny. There’s a moment when people watch my shows, they laugh, but then there’s this lyric and they feel

By: Dan England BandWagon Magazine

bad for laughing. That’s how life is for me. I’m a weirdo. I want it to be uncomfortable.” That’s the kind of discomfort Katzman discovered in a trio of songs he wrote for his new EP, Modern Johnny Tackles The Issues. Those three songs will be part of a larger album, Modern Johnny Sings: Songs in the Age of Vibe, set for release in 2020. With discomfort in stride, life is actually much better for Katzman now. Vulfpeck has sold out Red Rocks the last two summers and played to a sold-out crowd in mid-December at Madison Square Garden, thanks in part to a groundbreaking social media presence and in part to “Back Pocket,” the band’s hit song that Apple turned into an iPhone commercial. But his new EP is a bit more serious, even worldly, than his past works. Katzman writes about President Trump’s confrontational disposition and how that’s changing the world in “You Could Be President,” income disparity in “(I Don’t Want To Be A) Billionaire” and harassment in “Like a Woman Scorned.” Katzman addresses the issues with lyrics drenched in sarcasm, of course, and they still provoke the laughter Katzman now finds comforting, but they’re also songs about our tough and changing times. “I don’t really ever intend to write anything in particular. I just sort of write and see

what’s there, and what I saw was some borderline political stuff,” Katzman said. “I just looked at the songs and thought they should come out [on the EP] together.” Katzman says the moniker Modern Johnny is a feeling, not a persona he developed, but it provides a kind of curtain which helps embolden him to write about the more serious topics. He’s selfaware that “tackling the issues” seems ridiculous, and yet, it was something he felt he needed to release as an artist. He sees himself as a singer-songwriter, and although Vulfpeck pays a lot of bills, Katzman still thinks of it as the side project he and his friends from the University of Michigan would play once a year until their videos sparked an internet sensation. “I really am a singer-songwriter,” Katzman said. “People might assume that I’m just Vulfpeck under a different name, but it’s completely different music. When you look at Cory (Wong), he’s funky as hell. That’s just not who I am.” Indeed, Katzman prefers catchy pop rock inspired by the 1970s from bands such as The Eagles and Little Feat, with the latest EP leaning a bit on southern rock, instead of the funk-jazz-rock Vulfpeck or the band’s guitarist, Wong, plays. Because he sees himself as a singer-songwriter, he

takes pride in his lyrics the same way James Taylor or Jimmy Buffet might (though he sways toward the latter and considers Ben Folds and his comical, quirky lyrics another influence). “I don’t think I’m making comedy music,” Katzman said. “If I’m doing my job right, the people in my audience at times will be insanely sad. I like to play with emotion that way. But I think you can explore the light along with the dark. I’m a joyful, extremely passionate person who feels things deeply. But I can’t make you hurt if you can’t walk into my room and have a beer on the couch with me.” Personable though he is, he happens to play in one of the more popular bands on the web right now. But that, he says, will not change him. “Vulfpeck is a joyful outlet,” Katzman said. “But the solo thing is who I am. I have to do it, and I’ll do it my whole life.” CATCH THEO KATZMAN LIVE IN COLORADO IN SUPPORT OF MODERN

JOHNNY TACKLES THE ISSUES JANUARY 30 AT THE FOX THEATER IN BOULDER AND JANUARY 31 AT THE BLUEBIRD THEATER IN DENVER. DIG THEOKATZMAN.COM FOR MORE.

Rapper’s Delight: Andy Seth was 14 when he was awarded a scholarship to Culver Military High School, an escape from the Los Angeles motel in which he grew up. The educational opportunity changed his life and he reaped the rewards of his success. Now he pays that forward by offering youth apprenticeship opportunities in digital marketing. But Seth is not just helping people become skilled workers. Moreover, he’s helping individuals find inner peace and spread that positive energy to their environment. That is what Bling is about. Seth, who lives in Denver, wrote the self-help book Bling like a story: a rapper named A-Luv, who carries emotional burdens beneath his glamorous exterior, embarks on a spiritual journey that transforms his music and his life. Readers discover how to achieve their inner “wokeness” and success, emphasizing the use of meditation and reflection. He pulls his philosophies from his Indian upbringing and translates them into topics discussing ego, energy management, and community, showing his audience that they don’t need to get wrapped up in their own hustle to become successful. Seth recognizes that people in his life and community have ambition and want to make positive changes in their life. “People want to make an impact, but they don’t know what that means or how to do that,” said Seth in an interview for BandWagon. Someone once made that impact by helping Seth obtain scholarships to the military academy and college – now he continues that cycle. Seth was 13 when he started his own DJ business, starting with house parties, until he was headlining clubs in Los Angeles and Boston, where he was attending college. He doesn’t make it out to the clubs anymore, but Seth relates to the youths he mentors

Andy Seth - Breaking The Struggle Through The Wisdom Within Hip Hop

because of their mutual connection through hip-hop. Seth’s relationship to rap began in his early teens and many of the youths are either aspiring artists or lovers of the genre. This is why he chose the parable of a rapper to communicate his philosophies in Bling. As he was writing his chapters, he could feel and hear grooves that paired with each message. He knew he needed to produce a conjoined album to complete his vision for Bling. The album, by the same title, features heavy Indian influenced melodies paired with pop hiphop beats and occasional spanish lyrics, all written by Seth. He felt he needed some contributors that related musically and spiritually to his message, so he brought on rapper and ghost writer Wes Writer (also known as Skrilla) to rap over his beats. This was an uncommon undertaking for Writer, who is more of a lyricist than a recording artist or performer, but Seth’s story and message convinced him to come from behind the curtain and lend his voice to the album. “My message was already baked and he felt the vibe completely. It hit him because this is how he lives his life,” remarked Seth.

Since the book’s release in November 2019, Bling charted on Amazon’s #1 Best Sellers, but Bling is only a smaller part of a bigger movement in the hip-hop community that promotes spirituality and health. Artists like Kendrick Lamar, Murs and Chance the Rapper use their art to communicate social activism and spiritual messages, while other artists like Snoop Dogg and RZA of the Wu-Tang Clan adopt vegan lifestyles. Seth uses these hip-hop and rap icons to inspire his followers and the people he mentors. “Hip-hop is a big part of my life, which includes the people that I work with. I just wanted to provide a book that is accessible, along with music that is a part of our culture, to make those lessons stick,” said Seth. Not everyone has to meditate for an hour and a half every day like Seth does, but he wants everyone to achieve their goals, just as they resolve to do in the New Year. With reflection and flow, Seth believes success and balance – not only the struggle – is real.

Check out Andy Seth’s #1 selling book and album Bling at andyseth.com

CONCERT

CALENDAR

Boyfriend

JAN

JANUARY

04 Shane Smith & The Saints w/ Hendershot

08 Aggie Standup Series: Beth Stelling

09 Nappy Roots 10 The Catcalls, 13 Nails,

Knuckleball, Sick Trick

11 We Are William w/ Wall of

the Fallen, Dragorhia, Infinite Conscious, Pathos and Logos

17 Thin Air Crew & Rolos Rios w/

Marco Benevento

FEB

06 Dead Floyd

FEB

ScotFree

18 Boyfriend w/ Boner 23 Subtronics w/ HE$H, Chee, Bommer, Level Up

24 Moody Good w/ Jakattak, Enenra 30 YBN Cordae 31 Maddy O’Neal w/ Homemade Spaceship, Motifv, TwoScoops

FEBRUARY 01 Lady Denim w/ Holdfast., The Red Square

06 08 12 15

Marco Benevento Head for the Hills Brother Ali Tubby Love & Amber Lily and The Reminders

16 KBong w/ Sensi Trails 17 Blunts & Blondes w/ Subdocta, Bawldy

19 Jerrod Niemann 20 Ott. 22 Dead Floyd w/ The Nightshades, All Night Train

28 G. Love & Special Sauce w/ Jontavious Willis

29 Hunks vs Punks - 2000’s Dance Party

Aggie Theatre | 204 S College Ave, Fort Collins, CO 80524

WHO GIVES A SCRAP ABOUT YOUR ART? B L A S T I

D O E S .

LAURA GIAGOS + BANDWAGON MAGAZINE One look around Blast N Scrap and the authenticity is palpable. A DIY performance art venue located inside the art reuse center called Who Gives a SCRAP, Blast N Scrap finds itself with the right combination of quirky and weird for a unique artistic experience that the people of Fort Collins didn’t even know they needed. At its helm is Blasti (known to some as Michael Gormley), a scrappy 36 year old New Yorker with a vision for an art space for everyone. Blasti came to work with Who Gives a SCRAP as they were looking for a new community project and new ways to get people in the doors. It’s a long and tangled journey that led Blasti from being the guy with a cape who followed Ween around on tour to the guy who manages multiple weekly nonprofit events while working a full time job, but it’s that cape that got him there. In January of 2019 he hosted a cape making party using leftover fabric from Who Gives a SCRAP to raise funds for a local girl struggling with leukemia, and thanks to support from some local

businesses and the community, it was a surprising success. (Check out CapePals.com for more on that heroic micro organization). Then after a few events that were mostly fundraisers, it was clear to the Who Gives a SCRAP people that Blasti believed the space could be used to give back to the community. After that, they discussed the idea of being a DIY venue that had a punk rock ethos but wasn’t just tied to one genre. The venue side would later earn the name Blast N Scrap. “After they were watching me to make sure I could handle what I said I could handle, I [proved] that people would hang out here, the drinkers would go over to West End Pub then come back for the show. We could still be an all ages venue and people under twenty-one could still have a place to go and create,” says Blasti. “How are you going to tell teenagers they can’t go to shows? They invented rock and roll.” Blasti’s vision of the space is both a place where there is little to separate the artist from the audience and a space that

encourages anyone to create their own art. Besides the live bands, your average Blast N Scrap show features everything from live painters, indie horror movies, comedians, or if you’re lucky, a sword swallower named SLIM the Living Cyborg who lets you staple money to his body. As the scope and quality of the shows begins to grow, Blasti finds himself inundated with requests from touring and local bands wanting to play. “This is great because it started with just me dragging my friends from here and Denver to the venue,” says Blasti. Coming from an extensive background in live music production, Blasti sees the space as a vehicle to help develop bands and artists, not just a place to play. He has a deal with a local artist where, for $20, he makes art for the band – which the band then owns the rights to and can use for fliers and merch

for the rest of their lives. Blasti also subscribes to many of the unwritten rules of gigging, like touring bands get most of the money made at the door and the mantra: “Drummers take note, tear-down off stage.” Above all else, Blasti wants the it to remain a drug and alcohol free space that’s inclusive to anyone. And while Blast N Scrap is dependent on donations made at the door, as long as they’re reasonable and respectful, Blasti isn’t about to turn people away looking for a good time. “Your friends can come here if they don’t have any money,” Blasti says. “This was important to me because – how many shows have I played where, like, five friends said they couldn’t come because they didn’t have any money? Art has saved my life enough times, I can’t tell someone who’s down-and-out they can’t come to a show.”

CHECK OUT

whogivesascrapcolorado.com

for more information about the non-profit which houses Blast N Scrap. For a list of live events at the venue, visit

facebook.com/blastnscrap 21

HHHHH

“FOR ONCE, YOU CAN BELIEVE THE HYPE” BRITISH THEATRE GUIDE

“AMAZING” ELAINE PAIGE - BBC RADIO 2

Saturday, February 15, 2020 · 7:30pm

Go on. Treat Yourself to a Fabulous Evening. UCSTARS.COM Union COlony Civic Center | 970.356.5000 | 701 10th Ave., Greeley, CO MEDIA TRADE PARTNERS ARTS PARTNERS

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CONCERT CALENDAR

Thursday, January 2nd “These Jokes Are For You” Stand-Up Comedy Showcase @Moxi Theater – Greeley, 8 PM Armchair Boogie @Avogadro’s Number – Fort Collins, 8 PM w/ Jack Cloonan Band

Tuesday, January 7th Avo’s Open Mic @Avogadro’s Number – Fort Collins, 7:30 PM

Wednesday, January 8th

Friday, January 3rd

NOCO Home Show’s 100 Episode Launch @Moxi Theater – Greeley, 6 PM

Smokin’ - A Tribute to Boston and more! @Moxi Theater – Greeley, 8 PM

Aggie’s Standup Series: Beth Stelling @Aggie Theatre – Fort Collins, 7 PM

Steely Dead @Hodi’s Half Note – Fort Collins, 7 PM w/ Aloysius

Avo’s Open Bluegrass Jam @Avogadro’s Number – Fort Collins, 7 PM

The Poudre River Irregulars @Avogadro’s Number – Fort Collins, 4 PM The Movers & Shakers @Avogadro’s Number – Fort Collins, 8:30 PM

Saturday, January 4th Read Southall Band @Moxi Theater – Greeley, 8 PM w/ Kolby Cooper

Thursday, january 9th Nappy Roots @Aggie Theater – Fort Collins, 7:30 PM Dead Jam House Band @Hodi’s Half Note – Fort Collins, 8 PM Cousin Curtiss @Magic Rat – Fort Collins, 8 PM

Friday, January 10th

Shane Smith & the Saints @Aggie Theatre – Fort Collins, 8:30 PM w/ Hendershot

Sulfur - Tribute to Slipknot @ Moxi Theater - Greeley - 8:00 PM w/ Special Guests TBD

Comedy Showcase feat. Rion Evans @Hodi’s Half Note – Fort Collins, 6 PM w/ Zoe Rogers, Patrick Scott, Sarah Sawchuk

Sound and Light Series @Aggie Theatre – Fort Collins, 7:30 PM w/ 13 Nails, Knuckleball, Sick Trick, The Catcalls

Love Shack! 80s Dance Party with DJ Mikey B @Hodi’s Half Note – Fort Collins, 8 PM

Trace Bundy @Washington’s – Fort Collins, 6 PM w/ Justin Roth

Sunday, January 5th Fireside Collective @Avogadro’s Number – Fort Collins, 7 PM

Monday, January 6th Auditions: The Amazing Adventures of Robinson Crusoe @Union Colony Civic Center – Greeley, 4 PM

Shoulda Stayed A Plumber @Hodi’s Half Note – Fort Collins, 7 PM w/ Hot Tub Wrestler, The Red Scare, Brother Jeb & The Hate Mongers Post Paradise @Magic Rat – Fort Collins, 8 PM REI Presents: Pretty Strong @Boulder Theater – Boulder, 7 PM

Saturday, January 11th Josh Ward @Moxi Theater – Greeley, 8 PM The Amazing Adventures of Robinson Crusoe @Union Colony Civic Center – Greeley, 2 PM and 6:30 PM We Are William @Aggie Theatre – Fort Collins, 7:30 PM w/ Wall of the Fallen, Draghoria, Infinite Conscious, Pathos and Logos Charlie Crockett @Washington’s – Fort Collins, 6 PM Mad Dog Blues Band @Avogadro’s Number – Ft. Collins, 8 PM Walter Salas-Humara @Magic Rat – Fort Collins, 8 PM Ardalan - Mr. Good Album Release Tour @The Fox Theatre – Boulder, 8:30 PM w/ Parmajawn

Sunday, january 12th 11th Anniversary FoCoMA Peer Awards @Washington’s – Fort Collins, 5:30 PM Local Set @Red Rocks – Morrison, 5 PM w/ Hunter James & The Titanic, Logan Thomas

Tuesday, January 14th Avo’s Open Mic @Avogadro’s Number – Fort Collins, 7:30 PM Re:Turn Tuesday @Hodi’s Half Note – Fort Collins, 8 PM w/ 5AM Trio, MALAKAI & Special Guests

Wednesday, January 15th

JOSH WARD

Mandolin Orange @Washington’s – Fort Collins, 6 PM Avo’s Open Bluegrass Jam @Avogadro’s Number – Fort Collins, 7 PM

Thursday, January 16th The New Deal @Hodi’s Half Note – Fort Collins, 8 PM w/ Telemetry Universal Sigh @Avogadro’s Number – Fort Collins, 8 PM Drive-By Truckers @The Fox Theatre – Boulder, 7 PM

Saturday, January 11th at Moxi Theater in Greeley

Friday, January 17th Greeley Blues Jam 2020 Line-Up Announcement Party @Moxi Theater – Greeley, 7 PM w/ Nick of Time - Tribute to Bonnie Raitt, Sean Hagemeister Blues Trio featuring Mary Claxton and Johnny Burroughs Thin Air Crew & Rolos Rios @Aggie Theatre – Fort Collins, 7:30 PM w/ ScotFree Cursive @Washington’s – Fort Collins, 6 PM w/ Cloud Nothings, Criteria Supersuckers @Hodi’s Half Note – Fort Collins, 8 PM w/ Fast Eddy The Just Jazz Quintet @Avogadro’s Number – Fort Collins, 4:30 PM Front Country @Avogadro’s Number – Fort Collins, 7 PM Graham Good & The Painters @Magic Rat – Fort Collins, 8 PM

Front Country @The Fox Theatre – Boulder, 8:30 PM w/ Foxfeather, Monocle Band

Sunday, January 19th Beethoven on the Rocks with the Colorado Symphony @Red Rocks – Morrison, 4 PM

Monday, January 20th 2020 Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. March and Celebration @Union Colony Civic Center – Greeley, 9:15 AM

Tuesday, January 21ST Avo’s Open Mic @Avogadro’s Number – Fort Collins, 7:30 PM

Tuesday, January 22ND

Boyfriend @The Fox Theatre – Boulder, 8:30 PM w/ Kitty Crimes, Sunshine Medley

Dessa @Washington’s – Fort Collins, 6 PM

Saturday, January 18th

Avo’s Open Bluegrass Jam @Avogadro’s Number – Fort Collins, 7 PM

Miss Rice & OGT Productions @Moxi Theater – Greeley, 8 PM w/ Steelo Bass, G.F.C. Gang, Milli Boyz New Era, Real Talk All Bizz Nuff, and more! Boyfriend @Aggie Theatre – Fort Collins, 8:30 PM w/ Boner Wildermiss @Washington’s – Fort Collins, 6 PM w/ Slow Caves, The Still Tide Muskateer Gripweed @Hodi’s Half Note – Fort Collins, 8 PM w/ Banshee Tree

Eli Slocumb @Avogadro’s Number – Fort Collins, 8 PM

National Park Radio @Magic Rat – Fort Collins, 8 PM BACK2SCHOOL HAUS PARTY @The Fox Theatre – Boulder, 7:30 PM w/ Derdy Harry B2B Foundry, Haasy, and more

Thursday, January 23rd Cirque Mechanics 42FT A Menagerie of Mechanical Marvels @Union Colony Civic Center – Greeley, 7 PM Subtronics @Aggie Theater – Fort Collins, 8:30 PM

Arlo McKinley & The Lonesome Sound @Hodi’s Half Note – Fort Collins, 8 PM w/ TMULE

Moody Good’s Sunny Side Up Tour @The Fox Theatre – Boulder, 8:30 PM w/ Gravitrax, Exo, Optix

Colorado’s Finest Underground Hip-Hop @The Fox Theatre – Boulder, 7:30 PM

Napolean Dynamite - A Conversation with Jon Heder and Efren Ramirez @Boulder Theater – Boulder, 6:30 PM

Colter Wall - Night One @Boulder Theater – Boulder, 7:30 PM

Friday, January 24th Moody Good @Aggie Theatre – Fort Collins, 8:30 PM w/ Jakattak, Enera Hodi’s 10 Year Anniversary Bash! @Hodi’s Half Note – Fort Collins, 8 PM w/ Dave Watts & Friends

Local Set @Red Rocks – Morrison, 6 PM w/ Nothing But Nineties, Zoe Berman

Sunday, January 26th

THEO KATZMAN

The Wailers @Washington’s – Fort Collins, 6 PM

Thursday, January 30th at Fox Theate in Boulder

Arias at Avo’s @Avogadro’s Number – Ft. Collins, 4 PM Slamogadro at Avogadro’s Number @Avogadro’s Number – Ft. Collins, 7 PM

Theo Katzman @The Fox Theatre – Boulder, 7:30 PM w/ Rett Madison

Tuesday, January 28th

Friday, January 31St

Ska Parade 30th Anniversary Tour @Hodi’s Half Note – Fort Collins, 6 PM w/ Los Kung-fu Monkeys, Mokey, Hans Gruber and the Die Hards, the Holophonics, Jokers Republic

Mark Chestnutt & Tracy Byrd Hosted by Brian Gary, Todd Harding and Susan Moore @Union Colony Civic Center – Greeley, 7:30 PM

Colter Wall - Night Two @Boulder Theater – Boulder, 7:30 PM

Avo’s Open Mic @Avogadro’s Number – Fort Collins, 7:30 PM

Saturday, January 25th

Mike Gordon @Boulder Theater – Boulder, 7:30 PM

Maddy O’Neal @Aggie Theatre – Fort Collins, 7:30 PM w/ Homemade Spaceship, Motifv, TwoScoops

Its Just Bugs @ Moxi Theater - Greeley, 8pm w/ Wolfblitzer, Trash. Jellyfish Farm

Wednesday, January 29th

Stangebyrds @Avogadro’s Number – Fort Collins, 8 PM w/ The Teresa Storch Band Venture Still @Magic Rat – Fort Collins, 8 PM w/ Glass Cases Chadwick Stokes & The Pintos @The Fox Theatre – Boulder, 7 PM w/ Daniel Rodriguez

Mike Shamrock Album Release Show @Hodi’s Half Note – Fort Collins, 8 PM w/ 20XIII, The Pierce Paradox, Spiral Cell, and Sabotage (Tribute to the Beastie Boys) The Tale Spinner Lounge @Avogadro’s Number – Fort Collins, 7 PM Sean McConnell @Magic Rat – Fort Collins, 8 PM w/ Garrison Starr & My Sister, My Brother

Johnny Burroughs Presents: DAY 1 LIVE @ Moxi Theater - Greeley, 7pm w/ Special Guests: Trash Cat Avo’s Open Bluegrass Jam @Avogadro’s Number – Fort Collins, 7 PM

Thursday, January 30th YBN Cordae @Aggie Theatre – Fort Collins, 8 PM w/ Special Guests

The Touch Monkeys @Avogadro’s Number – Fort Collins, 8 PM The Midnight Club @The Fox Theatre – Boulder, 7:30 PM w/ Jackson Cloud Odyssey YBN Cordae @Boulder Theater – Boulder, 8 PM Icelantic’s Winter on the Rocks ft. Zhu @Red Rocks – Morrison, 6:45 PM w/ They., SNBRN, DJ Matt Cassidy

SHOT OF THE MONTH

PHOTO BY PEARY SCHROEDER

SOUTHERN AVENUE | MOXI THEATER Â« 12.06.19