BandWagon Magazine - June 2022 - Arcadian Wild

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MUSIC reviews

BandWagon Magazine

NEOMA PG. 4 companion PG. 6 i in team pG. 8 draghoria PG. 9 single reviews PG. 12

BandWagMag BandWagMag

PG.11

PG.24

BANDWAGMAG.COM Publisher

ELY CORLISS

Editor

KEVIN JOHNSTON

art director

TO RE-WRITE

A LEGACY

FEATURED ARTIST

JEN KORTE

CARTER KERNS

CONTRIBUTORS

GABE ALLEN DAN ENGLAND VALERIE VAMPOLA DIEGO FELIX NATE WILDE

PG.20

POLYRYTHMICS AND

THE

DEFINITION OF VIBE

BANDS AND MUSICIANS Submit your MUSIC for review: BANDWAGON MAGAZINE 802 9TH ST. GREELEY, CO 80631

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NEOMA Hyperreal

Valerie Vampola

BandWagon Magazine

Denver synth-pop resident Neoma brings her Ecuadorian influences to the Front Range with her new album Hyperreal. Her definitive style brings a welcome slice of musical diversity to Denver’s predominantly americana/rock scene.

Hyperreal is overflowing with fun and groove-driven music, infused with disco, latin-pop, and 80s-glam. The album starts off with “Condena” and “FIXXIÓN,”

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featuring strong lo-fi vibes and moody pop that partners well with the third track, the melancholy club song “Feel Nothing.” The dark pop mixed in with her clean and youthful vocal quality pulls her into the Melanie Martinez or even Billie Eilish direction.

Since her arrival to Denver in 2018, she has featured more English lyrics, but she remains grounded in her native language, with half of the album written in Spanish. It doesn’t feature any obvious grooves that point directly to latin-pop subgenres, but her lyric delivery and vocal ornaments do closely resemble reggaeton, best represented in “No Digas Mas” and the title track “HYPERREAL.” Neoma’s ‘sad-girl’ aesthetic doesn’t stop listeners from wanting to dance-it-up like they’re at the club. “Don’t Call Me Again” has a steady 90’s house beat perfect for strutting along to on a Saturday (or while shopping at Express). “Losing You” digs more into 80’s glam pop and new

wave, a trendy sound on which even bigger artists like The Weekend are capitalizing.

After charting in Ecuador and gaining an international following, it makes audiences wonder why this pop-sensation chose the Rocky Mountains over cities like New York to call her new home, but the Colorado

music community is blessed to have Neoma enrich their musical landscape.

Hyperreal by Neoma is out now.

On the heels of a Latin America tour in May, expect appearances in Colorado this summer. More at neomamusic.com

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COMPANION

Second Day of Spring Valerie Vampola

BandWagon Magazine

Fort Collins based identical twin sisters Sophia and Jo Babb, otherwise known as Companion, release their debut folk/americana album Second Day of Spring with vocal harmonies that match as perfectly as their DNA. They find creative ways to use their voices throughout, as in “Arms Length,” where supporting sprinkles of “ahh” in the chorus play the role of a string quartet. Their unisons are striking, which they show off in “23rd Street,” the balance between their voices and the carefully constructed harmonies giving the illusion that they are coming from the same person.

Sophia and Jo’s voices are meditative and soothing, and the music follows suit. The finger picking patterns and occasional

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piano or string accompaniment compliments the intentionally calming atmosphere.

But beyond the ambience, the sisters express their thoughts and emotions as they process the trauma of their father taking his own life while suffering from Parkinson’s disease, as well as their own feelings of isolation brought on by the pandemic.

“Forfeit” addresses allowing someone to feel vulnerable in their presence, something they long to feel for themselves in imagery-driven phrases like “the power lines above us” or “laying on your carpet.”

The music is pretty, evoking deeper emotions when in the right mood, though it might achieve deeper resonance more effectively if the ideas were to climax more. We get glimpses of some build and release in “If I Were a Ghost” with added layers of instrumentation stacking up throughout the song, but with vocals as their driving force, their creativity and access to their emotional inspirations will be their most valuable asset in the future.

Second Day Of Spring is out now. Catch Companion on tour with Tori Amos nationwide and in Denver at The Paramount Theater June 2. More at companionband.com

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I IN TEAM

Bad Neighbors Diego Felix

BandWagon Magazine

“RSVP,” where we (as they) want to leave and talk to no one. Even if we’re a little lonely, making the social rounds is exhausting and I In Team have a talent for expressing these margins of humanity.

“Guns In The Cellar” features singer Emma Lee Kay, with Sanville’s clever pen crafting witty entendres across 2 verses and Dugan anchoring a characteristically cheeky 16.

Knock, knock – It’s Nick Sanville and Dugan’s group I In Team ushering you into your living room, commandeering the nearest bluetooth speaker and showcasing cuts from their freshly minted project Bad Neighbors.

You see, Bad Neighbors is a rap album made with intention. Not the intention of doing something on purpose – rather, something done with purpose.

It’s barrel aged and small batch, but without the pomp of a soft launch for some hipster yerba maté bar. Instead, it feels like the craftsmanship of the shopkeep who’s been in the neighborhood for years – the one who listens to Rhymesayers and owns the ‘94 cult film Clerks on VHS. The opening salvo “People Are Strange” gives reference to the ubiquitous strangeness of the everyday person – setting the stage for the gamut of perspectives, emotions, and storylines that fill the record.

Sanville and Dugan transport us to the party on the relatable

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General parlances about not giving a shit and being unexceptional are conveyed alongside wicked cuts from DJ Dominic Deadbeat on “Karaoke With Ben Stein.” And the admittedly off-putting “Sex With Ugly Women” captures a selfdestructive narrative that hits home for many.

“Feelin Bad” (f. Scotty Dub) could be the most radio-unfriendly tune recorded ever. A perfect summer anthem for that morning-after cig, it’s arguably our favorite track on the album.

“Blah Blah” might just be another song about problems – but damn, we’re here for it. Dugan goes above and beyond on the production for this one.

Bad Neighbors is meticulously crafted and refined by a pair of artists who take their music - not themselves - quite seriously. And it works. Especially at a high volume in a residential area.

Bad Neighbors is streaming now.

Catch I In Team live July 9 at The Coast in Fort Collins; the release party for physical copies of the record. More at facebook.com/iINteamMusic

draghoria

Dangerous Species Nate Wilde

BandWagon Magazine

Colorado mainstay metallers Draghoria have long been a force to be reckoned with. Their latest effort, Dangerous Species, has not only maintained their place on the mountain but have effectively secured their territory at the top.

Draghoria is known in the Colorado community for sheer, sonic brutality, creating an amalgamation of old-school thrash and modern metal held together by forceful melodies, unmatched musicianship, and nods to a plethora of styles that scream (pun intended) pure metal.

The band’s sophomore fulllength truly sees each member shine. Lead guitarist Ronald Carillo’s guitar work takes us back to the golden age of thrash, with virtuosic leads likened to the work of metal gods Dave Mustaine, Marty Friedman, and Kirk Hammett’s early work in Metallica and Exodus. (Likely no coincidence, the album art is reminiscent of Megadeth’s 1990 thrash masterpiece Rust in Peace.)

This, paired with Carillo’s son Alex’s pristine and pulverizing blast beats and double kick drums, John Colucco’s fast, heavily picked bass lines, and Ryan Nevin’s ripping rhythm guitar work makes for a pure, sonic stick of dynamite.

At the record’s forefront are the massive, blistering vocals of frontman Riggs. With lyrical themes complimenting Draghoria’s overall heaviness, Riggs delivers a consistent punch to the gut with impressive versatility. Picture the vocal cords of Testament’s Chuck Billy, Dimmu Borgir’s Shagrath, a growling Ronnie James Dio,

and a little bit of AC/DC’s Brian Johnson thrown into a blender together. Douse the bloody, gory result onto the stage like Carrie White on prom night and you’ve got Dangerous Species.

From the driving, double bass kicks of the title track to the brutal vocals of “Deaducation,” the Anthrax-esque shouts on “Terror Hypnosis” and “Murder Nation” to the final crushing note

e always st r i kes t h r ight not es

of “O- (Life’s Blood),” Dangerous Species is a massive reminder of Draghoria’s distinction as kings of the metal hill in Colorado.

Dangerous Species by Draghoria is out now - buy the record directly from the artist at draghoriathrash.bandcamp. com and catch Draghoria live in Northern Colorado soon. Nate Wilde is the host of Slacker Mornings on 94.3 the X

Music lovers will find plenty of chances to tap their toes in Greeley this summer, beginning with the Friday Fests, every Friday now through September 16. The party kicks into another gear with the Greeley Stampede’s concert lineup.

Classical lovers can look forward to a new season from the Greeley Philharmonic Orchestra. And local venues like the Moxi Theater have a full calendar of acts to get out and see. No matter your musical sensibilities, Greeley has every reason for you to keep tuning in throughout the summer and beyond.

Stay Tuned to MyGreeley.com for what’s coming soon.

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BANDWAGON PHOTO OF THE MONTH THE ARCADIAN WILD

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Featured ARTIST

OF THE MONTH

BY KEVIN JOHNSTON

T

o be a true artist is to wag the dog; to make the environment and context in which your art is experienced bend to your will. To witness things about the normal “art-experience context'' which don’t make sense or which don’t serve the art itself, rather serving a peripheral set of needs which don’t have anything to do with what’s being created or presented.

JEN KORTE

Jen Korte is one such artist with a rare ability to lift up the curtain of Oz, defy the workings behind it, and celebrate the real magic happening - that of creativity and community, no matter how motley or unique.

Korte is a Denver songwriter and musician who has more musical projects than the yellow road has bricks. For example: Her first “true love” americana project Jen Korte & The Loss, Lady Gang (a one-woman loop pedal project the genre of which is about as definable as Beck’s Odelay), The Itty Ditties (an interactive children’s music series) and further projects like the 2000’s inspired Sega Nemesis and Hervanna. Korte crosses barriers, reps the underrepresented and shines a light on the corners of the music industry many may not know are there.

THE 1ST ANNUAL WOMEN’S PRIDE MUSICFEST ON JUNE 24 IS SOLD OUT. CLEARHEARDS OCCURS JUNE 5 & JULY 10 AT FORT GREEN IN DENVER. VISIT JENKORTE.COM AND HEAR KORTE'S MUSIC ON 105.5 THE COLORADO SOUND!

Free Hang at Fort Greene. The event was designed to break the age-old music venue / alcohol sales complex, where often the house’s main focus is on selling drinks rather than fostering a space focused on listening and placing value on performance. Successive installations of Clearheads have been a hit, with further shows hitting June 5 and July 10.

Loss alongside headliner Dear Marsha, Angie Stevens and Melissa Crispo at The Black Buzzard on June 24. Dubbed the First Annual Women’s Pride Music Fest, the event sold-out weeks ago, proving that the female, queer portions of the of the music world may be marginal, but could be largely just yet-to-bediscovered. We highly advise following In April, Korte spearheaded an This month – Pride Month in Colorado Korte as she continues to shine her alcohol-free rock concert event in Denver called Clearheads, A Booze- – BandWagon presents Jen Korte & The vibrant light.

REASONS TO LISTEN TO THE COLORADO SOUND • MORE COLORADO ARTISTS • KNOWLEDGEABLE DJS WHO LIVE HERE • NO COMMERCIALS • • UNIQUE PROGRAMMING YOU DON’T GET ANYWHERE ELSE FROM BEASTIE BOYS TO BILLIE HOLIDAY •

105.5FM & ONLINE AT COLORADOSOUND.ORG 11

SINGLE REVIEWS

BY GABE ALLEN

Jelie

"Just Like You"

Joy Scout

"Pretty Itty Bitty Kitty"

Spliff Tank

We last heard from Denver hip hop up-andcomer Jelie in May when the rapper released the pandemic-inspired “Cope” to coincide with mental health awareness month. Just weeks later, she’s back and her new single cuts just as deep.

An unprecedented number of people have brought new pets home since the start of the pandemic. Joy Scout’s Paul Beverage was one of them. He brought home a tabby named Josie, wrote a punk-infused 12-bar blues about her for his new musical project and he wants you to know about it.

There’s nothing subtle about Spliff Tank’s latest single. In the opening measures of “Lie,” an uptempo beat collides with droning guitars and a soaring melodic synth lead. Fans of 2010s garage-psych like Ty Segall and The Oh Sees will revel in the hard-driving playfulness on display.

By the time Brian Dickey unleashes his voice, the moshers in the front row are primed to hang on to every word. “All you do is lie,” he belts over the chorus — like Joey Ramone channeling the paranoia of Ozzy in the early Sabbath era.

On “Just Like You,” Jelie’s stoic flow oozes out over a delicious neo-soul-inspired beat.

The “you” in the song is a former idol, fallen from grace in the emcee's mind.

“I used to watch your moves and root for you,” she spits pugilistically. “Nowadays I probably muted you. You’re not the person that I thought you were. I don’t know who is who.” Fans and haters take note. Jelie is on the come-up and she’s purging all her demons.

More at jelie303.com – The “Just Like You” video premieres June 17 at BandWagMag.com

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“Don’t need no woman when I got you here for cuddling,” Beverage screams over fuzzed out guitars. “I was in it to win it but now I just stay at home.”

If you came for the feline worship, you’ll stay for Brianna Harris’ unrestrained alto sax shredding after the second chorus. Definitely don’t miss the music video for this one. Mee-ow!

Video and more at www.joyscoutmusic.com

"Lie"

But Spliff Tank is more than the sum of their influences. “Lies” is manic, heavy, cathartic and entirely original.

Listen at www.splifftank.bandcamp.com

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How

BY GABE ALLEN

Y

ou can see it in someone’s eyes when they are really listening to you. Not just nodding along, but empathizing with the substance of what you’re saying.

The Arcadian Wild really listen. You can see it in their patience with fans, their gentleness with each other, and most of all in the cohesive interplay of each melodic line in their music. Like mycelium spreading nutrients throughout a forest, each individual is inseparable from the whole.

The band began in a choir course at Lipscomb University in Nashville in 2013. An impromptu post-class jam session catalyzed a decade of friendship and collaboration. The lineup has shifted so often over the years that founding member Lincoln Mick refers to the band as a “revolving door,” but he remembers the band’s five-or-so departed members with much more sweetness than bitterness.

“To take a turn of phrase from Fred Rogers, so many people have ‘loved this band into being’ over the years,” Mick told BandWagon.

In its current iteration, The Arcadian Wild is one of the best-loved and most innovative acts in the “newgrass” scene. Though Mick will be the first to tell you they’re indebted to acts like Nickel Creek for inspiration, their sound is more expansive than derivative. Like other newgrass acts, they have dazzling technical chops.

Unlike many of their contemporaries, the band traces its songwriting lineage to religious choral music.

“Lincoln and I grew up in churches that sang acapella music exclusively,” Singer and guitarist Isaac Horn explained. “From a young age we were surrounded by this fourpart vocal tradition.”

This influence is heard in the evocative layering of harmonies as well as the philosophical themes of the band’s compositions. Even the instrumentation is reminiscent of vocal music. Melodic motifs and countermelodies far outnumber chords and simple basslines.

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o t n I d e v o L s Wa Being

Horn and Mick, who plays mandolin and sings, are the creative core of the band.

While Horn is at once thoughtful, humble and sarcastic, Mick is friendly and outgoing, waxing romantic about Horn’s song “Civil War.” In it, Horn describes his experience living with Tourette’s syndrome.

“In my opinion he really embodied the experience of what it’s like to be physically and mentally him,” Mick said. “It was so impressive, honest and courageous. I’m really grateful that he wrote that song.”

“It’s a perfect song,” Mick interjected with a chuckle, “that’s what he’s trying to say.”

The pair have been inseparable for years, both responsible for the lyrics, arrangements and compositions in the vast majority of the band’s catalog. When Horn joined in 2014, the band was talented but shapeless, searching for a creative niche at Nashville house parties and Colorado dive bars. When Horn joined, they found it. The partnership was kismet, and their vision propelled them into new sonic territory.

Eight years later, Mick and Horn’s partnership is the only holdover from that era, and they would be lying if they said the tumultuous turnover hasn’t been hard at times. In 2017, the band had just tracked a fresh album’s worth of songs when singer and banjo player Sarah Jane Wood decided it was time to split, investing in a solo project. Mick and Horn weren’t sure if the band was viable without Wood’s exceptional vocals.

“She has this crazy powerful voice,” Mick said. “People would come up to me and Isaac after a show and say, ‘you guys did such a great job.’ Then they’d go up to Sarah like, ‘wow your voice is amazing.

You’re an angel.’”

As hard as Wood’s departure was, their continued success afterwards gave Horn and Mick confidence in the band’s ability

to thrive as it changed shape. Since 2020, they have been joined by fiddle player and singer Bailey Warren. Mick and Horn met Warren at a Hawktail concert in 2019 – she was a college senior and an immense fan of The Arcadian Wild.

“All of the greats were there. The room was full of bluegrass legends,” Horn said.

“Bailey and her boyfriend came straight up to us.”

A few months later, the band was suddenly down a fiddle player – two days before a gig. Horn texted Warren at midnight to ask if she might step in. After a brief and incomplete one-hour rehearsal, Warren performed flawlessly in front of a live audience.

“I don’t think she made any more mistakes than the two of us do on a regular basis,” Mick said.

When the pandemic shuttered venues just months later, the band was still full of the new energy Warren brought to the quartet. With no shows to play, they took to the studio to reinvigorate an old project: A sprawling, lyrical folk and classical compo-

sition from Horn’s senior year at Lipscomb.

Mick and Horn unearthed and reworked the piece for a new band and a new era.

“It was really good to have those few years of distance,” Mick said. “It was good to sift through it so we could find, ‘okay what is the heart of this and what is just kind of silly and adolescent.”

The resulting EP, Principium debuted at #3 on the Billboard Bluegrass Chart last year. The band describes it as a “four-movement song-cycle that explores human relationship," where complex divergent melodies are woven together by emotion. Even in its darkest moments, Horn’s lyrics stem from a place of compassion.

It’s this worldview of careful observation and unconditional love that pervades The Arcadian Wild’s creative efforts. Perhaps it can best be summed up by the words of one of the band's long-time mentors, Nashville singer/songwriter Andrew Peterson.

“He told us, 'Your two basic jobs are to tell the truth and love your audience,’” Mick remembered. “That’s all you have to do.”

BandWagon presents The Arcadian Wild on Friday, June 17 at LuLu’s Downstairs in Manitou Springs and Saturday, June 18 at The Moxi Theater in Greeley with Ellsworth. More on the band at thearcadianwild.com – tickets at BandWagonPresents.com 17 17

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POLYRHYTHMICS AND

THE

DEFINITION OF VIBE

BY DAN ENGLAND

W

hen the Polyrhythmics first gathered in a Seattle recording studio a decade ago, they planned to make a vinyl record and then, perhaps, go their separate ways.

The plan wasn’t necessarily to be a band, the kind that share sweaty back seats, beer and broken relationships together on tour.

They were a recording project.

And that decision made sense. They had eight members, and they played instrumental music, not pop songs driven by a vocalist.

They considered their music to be something you’d listen to as a soundtrack to your life, not something you’d lip-synch to on the way to the grocery store.

But they played an album release show because they did want the record to sell, and that meant promotion, and that meant a couple more live shows before they could

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move on to do something else. And perhaps, even just because of that one first night, the plan changed.

kept nearly the same lineup for the past 11 years now too, a feat in-and-of itself, so touring seems to work well for them.

“THE REACTION PLAYING LIVE WAS UNEXPECTED,” SAID BEN BLOOM, THE BAND’S GUITARIST, IN A PHONE INTERVIEW WITH BANDWAGON. “THE SUBSEQUENT SHOWS WENT REALLY WELL AS WELL. THAT SORT OF FED THE FIRE AND TURNED US INTO A LIVE ACT.”

As much as the band emphasizes recording — they are as perfection-oriented as Steely Dan in that way — they turn into something more like Dave Matthews Band when they hit the road, allowing the vibe and the venue to dictate their set and how they play it. They learned a bit from the other groups while playing in jam-band festivals.

They will do partial covers of songs that lead into their own takes or works, and they will noodle on songs they’ve played a thousand times, using onstage effects and collaborating on the overall aesthetic with their own sound engineer.

Yep, almost against their will, the Polyrhythmics are a fully-fledged touring band.

They tour every year, in fact, and pass through Colorado this month, playing June 2 at LuLu’s Downstairs in Manitou Springs, June 3 at Knew Conscious in Denver and on June 5 at 830 North in Fort Collins. They’ve

“When we started, we wanted to perform the music we recorded,” Bloom said, “and now our live set is a living, breathing

thing that we do every night. There is this ethos from the fans that they want to see something new, and that feedback has played into what we do live. We are still sort of trying to reach something every night. We are trying to leave room for magic.”

The band still records, of course, and the primary goal is to still make records. They don’t like releasing singles, a strategy that goes against today’s grain (some bands release ONLY singles now). What Polyrhythmics do simply requires more space – room for a longer, sonic narrative. Bloom means it (even literally) when he says they try to create a soundtrack to people’s lives: Some of their work has appeared in movies, TV and in placements for ads.

“CINEMATIC MUSIC IS SORT OF WHAT WE DO,” HE SAID. “OUR RECORDS CARRY OUT A VIBE FROM BEGINNING TO END.” They now have their own studio called Blue Mallard, run by their bass player, Jason Gray. They have record-

ed other artists there too, among which are the famed Delvon Lamarr Organ Trio, who have enjoyed this resurgence of instrumental music’s popularity as well. It’s now “cool to be an instrumental band,” Bloom said.

“WE WILL DO STUFF WITH VOCALISTS,” HE SAID. “BUT I THINK A VOCALIST DEFINES THE BAND TO A TREMENDOUS AMOUNT. WE WANT TO BE A BAND. WE ARE AN INSTRUMENTAL BAND. THAT’S WHAT WE DO.” A collection of meticulous studio musicians is the definition of Polyrhythmics in the recording process, but surprisingly, the road is where Polyrhythmics (and their albums) get a lot of their identity. They let the venues and audiences themselves be more of the defining element for their music.

“We try to soundtrack the night everywhere we go,” Bloom said, “and the vibe of the room will play into that.

Then we will take those experiences and bring them back into the studio.”

BANDWAGON PRESENTS POLYRHYTHMICS ON THURSDAY, JUNE 2 AT LULU’S DOWNSTAIRS IN MANITOU SPRINGS AND SUNDAY, JUNE 5 AT 830 NORTH IN FORT COLLINS. COMPLETE TOUR DATES AT POLYRHYTHMICS.COM – TICKETS AT BANDWAGONPRESENTS.COM 21

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TO RE-WRITE

A LEGACY

BY DAN ENGLAND

K

odean IX doesn’t know where he would be without music, but he knows it wouldn’t be good.

He has been in and out of jail, family barbecues were full of rival (albeit peaceful) gang members, and one of his cousins was in Greeley’s chapter (if you will) of the infamous 18th Street gang.

This was true until 2018, when he stayed a week with a grieving Keen OGT, who lost his sister to suicide. The two were rapping to help quell the pain they felt, and they began to call themselves OGT, or One Great Team. They began buying onto shows, with nothing to lose, and decided to bring their own show to the Moxi Theater. They paid an artist who ended up skipping town and decided to fill the spot with their own act. They sold nearly 200 tickets, and the Moxi’s owner, Ely Corliss, recruited him to fill more shows. Corliss gave Kodean a chance, he says, and he hasn’t forgotten it.

“I’D STILL BE IN A DIFFERENT LIFE,” KODEAN TOLD BANDWAGON. “HE GAVE ME A CHANCE TO SHOW WHAT I COULD DO.” He now works to give that chance to others. He has a team, still named OGT, with Keen, now a producer, his manager Omar Conteras and four artists: Sardonyx, JMG Garcia, Chely and Toni V (who has 25,000 followers on Facebook) with connections to even bigger acts.

But it’s not as altruistic, or as big, as it may sound. It’s a part-time business. He works as a welder for High Plains Steel Services and takes on jobs with NoCo Metal as well. He is 30 with three kids, including two with his common-law wife and a 12-year-old who is “exactly like him, which is good and bad.” But OGT represents a way out of the life he once knew, either financially, romantically or perhaps just spiritually.

Kodean has an OGT show on Saturday, June 25, at the Moxi featuring headliner CNG, a Mexican American West Coast rapper

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who rose to fame in 2017 with his track “Not My President” and who’s video for “Lost Soldier” just earned 3 million views. Kodean aims to present major artists like CNG (at left) at least once a month. He aims to have OGT perform just as often too, having just begun playing at Chippers Lanes with plans to play Fort Collins in August.

When Kodean was 9, he rapped about the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles over Karaoke music he downloaded via Limewire, and when he was 14, he rapped at a middle school talent show. He kept rapping and gang-banging until that cousin from the 18th Street Gang had a talk with him.

“He asked me why I was gang-banging,” Kodean recalled, “and I said, ‘Because I grew up here.’ He told me to do something better. Break the legacy. And I did.”

Kodean, just like Greeley itself, is in a much better place now. He still raps about those times, but he wants to do what he calls “clean” music as well: He just did a bit for New Belgium Brewing’s Voodoo Ranger. “I hope they at least give us a free beer or something,” he said and laughed.

He is one of Greeley’s veterans and mentors now, along with a friend, Steelo Bass (pictured below), even though they are both just 30. They are old enough to remember selling physical copies of CDs on the street. They made decent money doing that, but that was replaced by streaming, which basically doesn’t pay anything. Bass himself works two jobs, as a grill cook and a warehouse equipment operator.

That leaves him little time for music, but he still stays up late working on it, which means he’s tired all the time.

“I DO THE BEST I CAN,” BASS SAID. “IT’S OVERWHELMING AT TIMES, BUT I FEEL PRETTY GOOD ABOUT MY PRODUCT.” HE’S PROUD TO BE A PART OF GREELEY’S RAP SCENE, A SCENE WHERE KODEAN IS A BIG PRESENCE. “He’s taken on the role of everybody’s bookie,” Bass said. “He’s the guy you are looking for. He’s doing really well now. He has a solid team.”

The team includes veterans such as Toni V and newcomers such as Chely, a self-titled female barber by day, who has built a following through her hair clients. People approach Kodean now for spots in his shows, rather than the other way around. He tries to give as many an opportunity as possible, but they have to meet his standards. He pays them and doesn’t charge for a spot in a show — he said he’s the only one who doesn’t — but he expects them to sweat.

“We work together and pitch-in together,” Kodean said. “I’m just trying to make it a bit easier. When I was growing up, it wasn’t friendly. Now it doesn’t have to be that way.”

Bass said Kodean’s hard work has paid off and that his lineup is one to be reckoned with on the hip hop scene. “They’ve grown so much in the past two years,” Bass said. “It’s impressive to see where they are now.”

OGT AND BANDWAGON PRESENT CNG (ABOVE), KEEN OF OGT (LEFT), & STEELO BASS (CENTER), AT THE MOXI THEATER IN DOWNTOWN GREELEY, SATURDAY JUNE 25. TICKETS AT BANDWAGONPRESENTS.COM 25

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BANDWAGON PHOTO OF THE MONTH JOSHUA RAY WALKER BY MARISSA LINK | APRIL 20 MOXI THEATER - GREELEY, CO

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