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BAM! - FaceMan's Jorney to the Sun - Rock Festival
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Saturday, May 23 and Sunday May 24, Ophelia's Electric Soap Box, FaceMan's Journey to the Sun (2 Day Rock festival) starting at 1pm both days
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40+ Rock Bands; 24 hours of back to back music over 2 days; 160+musicians; 1,800 guitar players
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Ophelia's Electric Soapbox (1215 20th Street)
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Check out the Westword Article here: http://www.westword.com/music/facemans-music-festival-celebrates-the-artistic-leap-of-faith-6708258
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POW! - The Legend of Wan Hu and The Giant Rocket
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In conjunction with Incite Productions (Justin/Katie/Kelli/Lyndsay) and the Denver Tool Library, we have dedicated our giant rocket ship to Wan Hu. The Legend of Wan Hu is as follows, "Early in the sixteenth century, Wan decided to take advantage of China's advanced rocket and fireworks technology to launch himself into outer space. He supposedly had a chair built with forty-seven rockets attached. On the day of lift-off, Wan, splendidly attired, climbed into his rocket chair and forty seven servants lit the fuses and then hastily ran for cover. There was a huge explosion. When the smoke cleared, Wan and the chair were gone, and was said never to have been seen again."
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Assembly of Wan Hu begins on a beautiful day at the Denver Tool Library (555 Santa Fe)
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Wan Hu begins to get loaded with the rockets necessary to take it to the Sun at Incite Productions' hanger.
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When Tough Kids finally was released via Denver label Hot Congress in 2013, it was clear the band had turned a corner. The early promise heard on songs like “Strange Bones” was still there, but a more developed sound gave the band a kind of gritty solidarity. Tough Kids saw The Outfit emerging, after years of trying unsuccessfully to lock down lineups, and finally stepping forward as a force in the Denver music scene. “El Presidente” shows the band at its grooviest, while “Projector” gets is a sweaty, unrelenting garage rocker, and the closing track “What Happened to You?” can only be called anthemic.
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Champagne Charlie combines elements of Jazz, Blues, Waltz, Dark Folk and Punk Rock to create their own musical gumbo. While the band plays a drinking man’s music, Ryan “Peepers” King sings with the gravelly delight of a parched throat encased in a sailor’s bones about love, loss, damnation, and a lack of forgiveness.
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Once born out of the crystal clear Rocky Mountain water, Colfax Speed Queen quickly dirtied themselves up with distortion, fuzz, and plenty of slap back reverb just like their heroes from the 60's and 70's. CSQ is far from a revival band though. They're an original breed of garage, punk, rock, and surf. CSQ is not about going fast. They're about being hopped up and strung out on life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.
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Composed of eleven talented local musicians, The Dendrites have become Denver’s most prominent instrumental ska act. With a five-piece horn section and a six-piece rhythm section, The Dendrites create tightly performed, multi-layered music that harkens back to the golden days of 1960s Jamaican ska. The group initially formed over ten years ago, and have since built a solid following and dependable reputation. Their sound is classic yet progressive, powerful but without sacrificing fun.
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It’s the kind of music that the Carhartt-wearing, hard-working, industrial beer-drinking, regular Americans would listen to — the ones who could end up on an episode of TV’s Dirty Jobs. It’s a little raw, a bit loud, unapologetic and honest. It’s blue collar rock and roll and it’s something that Denver’s Strange Americans are crafting with both brawn and finesse, like a hot rod mechanic bringing back an old barn find.
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SAFE BOATING IS NO ACCIDENT
Safe Boating Is No Accident crawled out from the morass of disappointments, disillusionments and muted desperation that can really only be found in the Midwest. But at least Leighton Peterson and Neil McCormick found the comic possibilities inherent in those experiences and a vehicle with which to create the musical equivalent of David Foster Wallace's great novel Infinite Jest. Rather than write some heavy-handed purely topical lyrics, these guys are postmodern tricksters who blur the line between humor, biting social satire and solid pop songcraft. Initially part folk and avant-garde performance art, Safe Boating put on the kinds of performances people talk about for a long time afterward--from disturbingly dramatic faux break-ups on stage, to a reenactment of 2001: A Space Odyssey and a show that can best be described as a staged hostage-taking of the band where it was forced to perform in an alley and the audience saw McCormick's death and resurrection. For its next chapter, Safe Boating is temporarily setting aside its overtly miscreant ways in favor of sculpting cathartic pop songs akin to what you heard out of the early Elvis Costello and The Jam. Still firmly in place is the sharp wit and playfully caustic conceptual humor that has been the group's hallmark from the beginning. The inspired hijinks will return without warning but Safe Boating has never been about gimmicks so much as involving those who show up in the moment if they dare. -Tom Murphy
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Fuck art, let's party. www.zebroids.bandcamp.com
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Fronted by the wheelchair bound MC/beat-maker/activist/educator/shit-talker Kalyn, the band is a combination of live and electronic instruments with a more jazzy, noisey, funky, combination to the traditional hip-hop group. Their unconventional setup of live instruments and Kalyn's produced beats presents a polished sound with old-school lyrics that maintain a sarcastic yet independent and heavy consciousness. Kalyn is 27 years old, weighs 53 pounds and measures three feet, six inches tall. She’s light enough to carry, compact enough to hide under a winter coat and is sometimes mistaken for a child. But Kalyn, who has the brittle-bone disability osteogenesis imperfecta, is hardly innocent, precious, or inconspicuous. The band has been featured on the cover of the Village Voice as well as in SPIN Magazine, Huffington Post, High Times Magazine and more.
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Ronny Chablis and Buck Burgess started kicking around songs in 2013 in Denver Colorado. Soon after, High Plains Honky was born, toting an eclectic blend of classic Honky-Tonk, country western, rock 'n roll, 60's psychedelia, and soul. Songs cover subjects from beer coozies & being broke to larger themes such as love, life & death. They have shared the stage with country greats such as Gram Parson's backing band, The Fallen Angels, and Casey James Prestwood & the Burning Angels. The band is set to release their first full length album in 2015 on Sad Pad Records.
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When you hear an act referred to as a “musician's band,” it usually means the band in question has incredible technical skill but not a lot in the way of emotional resonance when it comes to songwriting – especially if the outfit is instrumental. ALTAS (formerly PANAL S.A. DE C.V.) bucks that trend in every way imaginable. The band's music sounds vast, futuristic and menacing in the casual way of a large, mythological animal. ALTAS has written some of the most interesting and evocative rock music to come out of Denver, partly because it knows how to speak directly and powerfully to the heart, without having to spell everything out with words.
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Andy Thomas continues the tradition of his past projects by writing beautifully dark and brooding music in the spirit of Nick Cave and Leonard Coen and combines it with the energy of his punk rock past. On his latest, "Wicked, Dark," Thomas peels away the party and shows his strength as a songwriter and vocalist. Like his previous work, the arrangements are simple, but whereas traditionally, Thomas tries to get the whole venue screaming along, his solo work is more subtle and story based. Thomas has told these stories all over the U.S. and Europe sharing the stage with artists like Gregory Alan Isakov, Joe Pug, Jessica Lea Mayfield and more.
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Equal parts Hank Williams and Johnny Depp, front man Halden Wofford pours forth a potent mix of rocked-up honky tonk, western swing, Dylanesque originals and spaghetti western epics. There is no creative limit to the songwriter, illustrator, author, storyteller and singer.
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Heira Nova is a Denver-based band created by Jake Hartmann, who played all the instruments on the band's first EP release, later recruiting Corey Woessner for 2nd guitars and bass, Katie Duncan for synths/keys and Ryan Morgan for drums.The band blends elements of guitar driven, melodic/psychadelic rock with electronic sounds, as well as subtle traces of late 60's/early 70's groups such as CAN, giving them a unique sound combined with strong song-writing. Currently, they are working on material for a full length release coming later this year and will be all over the place this summer.
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"Scott McCormick is not simple, but his music is. No, Scott McCormick is a complicated, creative force of nature who roams the woods searching for meat and honey jars to throw at people. He's as hairy as teen wolf and, while he cannot dunk a basketball, he can play the piano and sing like a mothafukin riot. When Scott McCormick quit music we knew he was a liar. Thankfully, the average human tells 11 lies a day. Lee Avenue's music does not lie, but Lee Avenue is not human, it's a band of soldiers who can hold the tune while the rest of us march into battle." - A. Critic
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Comprised of Mickey Bakas and Emily Hobbs, Poet’s Row — taking its name from the cluster of Capitol Hill apartment buildings where Bakas and Hobbs met — create some of the simplest and most vulnerable releases coming out of the Denver area. The duo’s gossamer harmonies accompanied by an unadorned guitar gently cut a path straight to the heart creating adorable, heartfelt folk.
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“Indigenous Robot, like the Energizer Bunny, just keeps on going. With a plethora of time on tour in 2014, it is a wonder they have found the time to drop their new album Revolting. With the modern rock flavors familiar to The White Stripes and psychedelic elements more along the lines of The Flaming Lips, the album is truly unique.” -CO Music Buzz
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"A minimalist punk-rock approach to alt-country...with some introspective lyricism that rises above their rough exterior..." The stories come from the fields we roamed in and the friends we took one for. But hopefully they do not end there and if you wanna have a good time we can all sit around and tell some stories. Maybe we will realize that we have been friends all along.
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3 piece garage rock band from Denver. Hobbies include: Hanging out in basements, eating cheese, hiding from cats, avoiding glue traps
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Gun Street Ghost is a Denver-based Americana band. Classic elements of country-based songs about the struggles of life, hard work, and drinking to numb the pain. 70's rock influences add electric guitar-driven songs and aggressive rhythmic aspects. The ambient textures of guitar swells and pedal steel slides intertwined with rhythm guitar and piano create a sombre feel, while underpinning powerful vocal melodies that are memorable to the listener. Gun Street Ghost's music will tell you a story musically and lyrically, at times the message is clear, at times it's more like a dream that is open to interpretation.
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Far more than your average MC, Se7en is artivist, community leader and youth counselor. Leading everything with vibrant music that speaks on the social ills that plague the urban spectrum, Se7en has worked with the likes of Jurassic 5, Blu, Dead Prez, Phil the Agony and countless others not only to create with musically but to bring about the social change he wishes to see. His vocal tone has been compared to the late Big L, while his style is sharp, powerful and trained. His next b project is titled Thoughts from a Cinematic Mind, featuring production from Mikey Fresh, a soulful collection of sounds with thought provoking concepts.
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CHRIS MCGARRY AND THE INSOMNIACS
Growing up on the banks of the upper Mississippi in Wisconsin, Chris McGarry spent his earliest years absorbing the culture and mystique of the places that the river touched. In, college he immersed himself in the field recordings available through the Smithsonian Folkways collection and fed his own creativity with the music that served as the backbone of most American music since.
After moving to Denver for a change of scenery, McGarry played around in bluegrass circles before setting out to write his own music and tell his own stories. His debut album, And The Weary Eyes Reply reflects McGarry's clear roots in that Americana music that inspired him in school. But it is also a statement of a young man coming of age and trying to find his way and discovering a clear sense of self.
In 2011, McGarry put together a solid line-up of musicians and so Chris McGarry and The Insomniacs was born. With the Insomniacs, McGarry's songwriting has matured and his new EP reveals that full adulthood may bring with it a comfort with being oneself but that reaching that plateau makes you want to travel and explore with a genuinely expansive spirit rather than mere impulse.
With a sound both pastoral and rich, Chris McGarry and The Insomniacs sets itself apart as a group not by sounding like they've co-opted a popular sound of the moment. Rather, this band's music and words resonate with a simple, but not simplistic, honesty.
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Denver based five-piece Bear Antler churn out Americana-inspired rock driven by organs, bluesy vocals, and rollicking guitar. Their first self-titled EP released in 2014 was recorded live in Denver’s Uneven Studios and has helped them gain a wider audience through appearances on 93.3FM and OpenAir CPR, where they recorded 4 tracks in studio. In the live setting, Bear Antler dials up the energy with songs about cheating women, lying women, no good women… women that call collect to break up with you. But mostly, they sing about the women they can’t live without. There are also a few murder ballads for good measure. Always rowdy, but when the groove is right, the pocket is tight, and the lights are bright, you can bet no one is having a better time than the five guys on stage.
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"His songs are like combines. Upon ignition the teeth and the gears begin churning and he just throttles it out and into the open – tearing up the fields, raping the land of its bounty and leaving the earth bare and naked and ashamed, but somehow grateful." ~ The Denver Syntax
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Open to the Hound is a Grunge-Folk, 3-piece project, currently based in the radical Colorado. They are currently pursuing a sophomore release, "Starsystem". Visiting the roots of 70s simplicity, and instrumenting atmosphere and vastness, OttH has been described as Wilderness Rock. Garrison York delivers original lyrics and a unique guitar tone alongside the intricate bass work of Russell Anderson, Jarrod Lacy keeping the clock on vintage Rogers. York's lyrics are mostly inspired by the natural setting and the inevitability of alien lifeforms. The band has had opportunities across the country including performances at St. Ann's Warehouse during their stint in Brooklyn, NY and a live score of Sparrowtree Theater CO. "Synchronicity" in Denver, CO. Stay tuned for a taste of Starsystem in June 2015.
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Scatter Gather is an experiment. A very loud, also very quiet, rock n’ roll band that teeter-totters nearly off its balance only to land in that sweet spot right when you least expect it.
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SlamNUBA is an award-winning performance poetry event based in Denver, Colorado. Originating in 2006 as a program of the Pan African Arts Society and certified by Poetry Slam Inc, SlamNUBA has become a collective of many of the nation’s finest poets. Since its inception, SlamNUBA has performed on every semifinals stage at the National Poetry Slam (The Largest Poetry Gathering in the World). The squad has made finals stage three times, 2007, 2011, and 2014. SlamNUBA placed fourth in 2007 and 2014 and won The National Poetry Slam Championship in 2011. SlamNUBA’s 2015 team is comprised of:
Jozer Guerrero, Confidence Omenai, Eirean Bradley, JohnnyOsi, Franklin Cruz, and Toluwanimi Oluwafunmilayo Obiwole.
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Nothing's real. Let's play guitar.
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We are a three-piece rock band from Denver Colorado. Jimier Murphyt guitar vocals Benjamin Mund on bass Jason Schierbeck on drums.
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Kerosene is: David Bailey, Dean Hirschfield and Mike Brown.
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Six Shooter is a Rock n' Roll band from Denver Colorado. Playing a mix of heavy blues with punk rock roots and country accents.
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BONNIE AND TAYLOR SIMS (OF BONNIE & THE CLYDES)
Bonnie and Taylor Sims are a married musical couple from the Rocky Mountains of Colorado, pairing their strong harmonies with beautiful acoustic guitar and mandolin instrumentation. They perform a mix of originals and old favorites, and while they are not touring with Bonnie & the Clydes, their full time project, they love breaking off and breaking it down for duet shows together.
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4 longtime friends unite on the shores of the South Platte River in Denver, Colorado to form a garage rock band. All members come from different backgrounds with varying tastes that meld together unapologetically to create a mishmash sound that is poppy, punky, emotional, raw, and genuine. Greasy Species is comprised of “Rolls” Royce Ray on drums. Billy Skit and Justin Horrigan who sing harmonies and strum guitarmonies. On the low end and lead vocals is front man, Chicano rocker, singer-song-writer Andre Martinez.
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The Bedlam Bastards are formed out of a barber’s chair. Guitarist Joe Zahorik had moved to Denver after leaving the Rockabilly group The Magnetos, and classic country/honky-tonk group The Five & Dimers behind in Iowa. While getting his hair cut, the barber asked if he was a musician and if he was interested in forming a band. It just so happens that he was looking for an upright bassist. As luck would have it, this barber played bass. Mark Rossi, formerly of Champagne Charlie, and Bonnie and the Beard, teamed up with Joe and the two began writing songs. Realizing the sound was heading in a dark honkey-tonk/doom country direction, they decided they needed a pedal steel player. An add was put on craigs list, which received only one response. Gabe Dickinson, formerly of Dr. Neptune answered the call. Gabe was at one point an apprentice barber at the same shop Joe and Mark met. It seemed that the barber chair was the common thread, so to no surprise, drummer Luke Wachter found his way in through the same means. Another of Marks clients, former percussionist for Itchio and several other musical ventures, was brought in to the fold. The Bastards had formed, and began spreading their ministry through songs of sinful suffering and salvation through damnation.
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Sopris was a coal town in the Purgatory River Valley in southern Colorado. The story of the west brought booms and busts and Sopris was no exception. The town was flooded and a dam took its place. Though the folks were forced to leave their homes behind, they never lost the spirit of the coal town. They reunite and celebrate every couple years, coming from all corners, just like they did when the town was incorporated. Coal Town Reunion was formed in this spirit. CTR is influenced by the road that brought them here, from the songs of the mountains and the lakes, to the grit of the south and the west. Coal Town Reunion is Chris Spurlock on mandolin, Jeff Montoya on bass, John-Paul Maxfield on guitar, and Sami Steidl on fiddle.
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The Far Stairs is based in Denver. They started in Ann Arbor, MI, with Jesse Livingston as the main songwriter and Katherine Gorman and Andrew Livingston as contributors (guitar, keyboard, and vocal parts). So far, they have released three albums, three EPs, one instrumental-only soundtrack, and four cover albums. Due to the other two band members living in different cities and having other commitments, the band now has a new lineup that features Courtney Wilson (formerly of The Bell Jar) and Amanda Gonulsen (of Automatic Iris). Jesse used to be in Hindershot and several other Denver bands no one has heard of. After Hindershot broke down, he spent the last two years obsessively making The Far Stairs' third album Hurry Home Love, which is available now on Bandcamp.
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SETH EVANS (OF ROSSONIAN)
Risen from the Great Lakes and baptized in the waters of Lake Minnetonka, the freaky-pop artist Seth Evans hails from the North. The male siren of the frozen lake, Seth tempts you to test the ice, wooing with his smooth and sometimes glacial voice. At first you are not sure what draws you nearer but soon the kaleidoscope of colorful, whooshing melodies and bindingly delicate grooves drape over your eyes and compel your feet to move. Now, walking on the frozen water it’s as if Jeff Buckley and Prince are below. Harmonizing a cold duet as they brush each other’s hair and sway. The surface begins to crack in perfect time with the serenade and there is no escape as you blissfully fall into the rhythm and blue. Once submerged Seth holds you there forever, but somehow it’s a bit warmer than you might think. Seth Evans is the lead singer and guitarist for electro-sensual rock & roll band, Rossonian. He is a composer, producer, and multi-instrumentalist based in Denver, Colorado.
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So you're sick of the formula music and you're getting into (real) country music and americana these days. A lot of punk rock kids and hipsters are finding Waylon Jennings at age 25. That's not us. We're old (by band guy standards) and we grew up on that shit. In the back of pick up trucks, stealing pallets for a kegger from behind the Safeway, and drinking cheap whiskey in the maintenance shed at your summer job in 1988. Cutting our teeth on Metallica and Van Halen. Smoking weed to Soundgarden and Mudhoney. And finally figuring it out later...If that's your thing then so are we. Bottle Rocket Science are: Rod Litwiller on the kit, Jake Beaudrie on the bass, Chad Jones on the guitar, and Eric McLennan on the guitar. We all sing our asses off.
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Automatic Iris plays melodic garage pop for the nights you're too proud to give in to your regrets. Singer/guitarist Amanda Gonulsen and guitarist Michael Saul began their songwriting collaboration at Denver’s Swallow Hill Music School, brought together by a shared fondness for the sounds of heartbreak, distortion pedals and stories of bad decisions. Multi-instrumentalist Glenn Hermanson is currently the guitarist for the new wave tribute band Flock of Beagles and has recorded and performed with numerous Denver bands. Over the past 20 years, bassist Patrick O'Shea has played both as a solo artist and with bands on stages from Colorado to Mexico to England.
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Jesse Manley’s music is unique. The inspiration for Jesse’s sound orginates from a duality that seeks to blend old and new. While Jesse’s sound is rooted in traditional folk music and verse, his music is a unique artistic voice that is often described as the re-creation of a time-honored sound.
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BIB TUCKER AND THE LIARS CLUB
Bib Tucker and the Liars Club is a post apocalyptic country band that's dedicated to keeping the country music tradition alive and telling fibs. Expect Outlaw, Spaghetti Western, Standards, Non-standards, Cowboy Boots and Bathing Suits, Western Swing, Honky Tonk, Hick Hop, and Ranchera. The band consists of Brothers Rusty on rhythm. From oldest to youngest, the former Cap Hill cowboy and current Berkley buckaroo, Buck Rusty behind the kit, and his hermano, Huck Rusty on the low end, until the end. On guitar and pedal steel we got Gonzo, address and nationality unknown. And of course there's that Big Bib Tucker, our tall tale telling frontman, complete with truths and non-truths, strumming his six strings and making country music by any means.
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The Future
Current 2015 Schedule
Never Give Up
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Saturday May 23 and 24 - FaceMan's Journey to the Sun - Ophelia's Electric Soapbox with 40+ Denver bands
Friday, June 5 - Denver Tool Library - Grand Opening - Doors 5pm with The Knew and American Culture
Saturday, June 13th - FaceMan (solo) @ Lion's Lair with Oscar Ross
Saturday, June 27 - Westword Music Showcase - TBD
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