Last night at Casselman’s, a textbook example of why the Denver music scene is so great was on display. Not only did fans fill the venue to capacity, but there was also a large turnout of bands who made the semifinals as well as past HftH winners (Epilogues, Air Dubai, and Flobots) who were there to show support for this year’s finalists: Churchill, My Body Sings Electric, and The Heyday. Just prior to the show, bands playfully and comically trash-talked each other through the Twitter hashtag #denverbandbeef. But once inside, the inter-band support was evident by Pete Wynn (The Heyday) wearing an MBSE T-Shirt, and Nick Crawford (MBSE) wearing a Heyday T-Shirt (while Sean Bennett (The Heyday) wore an Eldren shirt). As expected, all three finalists put on great sets. My Body’s particularly energetic set earned them the fan favorite award which carried with it a prize of $1,000. But, Churchill ended up being the top vote-getter through RateTheMusic.com. They will enjoy $3,000 worth of recording studios at The Blasting Room – arguably the best studio in Colorado. While The Heyday has become the Jim Kelly (or Susan Lucci, depending on your interests) of Hometown for the Holidays, the good news is that their defeat allows them to participate in Hometown next year. They’re practically a lock for the semifinals and, as most bands will tell you, the real prize is the two weeks of heavy rotation that the semifinalists receive on KTCL. Check out video of the winners being announced:
Here’s what’s going on in Denver this weekend. I am totally undecided as to which of these shows to attend… That’s a great position to be in!
Thursday, December 1st, 2011
Stache Bash Benefit Show featuring Fierce Bad Rabbit w/ The Don’ts and Be Carefuls, Young Cities, and The Outfit @ Hi Dive – A great lineup benefiting the Blue Star Connection organization, which donates their time through the power of music to children and young adults who have cancer and other life threatening situations – 8PM, 21+, $10.
Churchill w/ You, Me, and Apollo and Danielle Ate The Sandwich @ Hodi’s Half Note (FoCo) – 8PM, 18+, $10.
Fairchildren @ Lost Lake – The band featuring Meese brothers Nate and Patrick kick of a December residency tonight. 9PM, 21+, $?.
Set in Motion w/ Gary Bragg Band, Ali Grayson, & Sugar Magnoli @ Toad Tavern (Littleton) – 7 PM, 21+, $?.
Kid Rock w/ Ty Stone @ Fillmore Auditorium – Upjump the boogie! 7PM, 16+, $47.
eTown: Big Head Todd and the Monsters w/ Nicole Atkins @ Boulder Theater – 7PM, All Ages, SOLD OUT .
Friday, December 2nd, 2011
Be The Ant w/ Eldren and Colfax Speed Queen @ Summit Music Hall – I’ve always wanted to see Colfax Speed Queen. Could this be the night? Everybody knows I love Eldren and Be The Ant. 8 PM, 21+, $5.
Rocket Summer w/ The Heyday @ Marquis Theater – The Heyday?!? Geez, this is a really hard decision! The twenty dollar ticket price is a little steep. 7PM, All Ages, $20.
Churchill w/ You, Me, and Apollo @ Walnut Room – Then again, I’ve never seen Churchill either… 7PM, 21+, $12.
Social Distortion w/ Suedehead and Chuck Ragan @ Ogden Theater – This is the first of three straight nights at the Ogden Theater, and the only night with available tickets. 8PM, 16+, $30.
Fire In The Asylum w/Devoutcast, Fire Aweigh, Extreme Turbo Smash @ Moe’s Original BBQ and Bowl – 9PM, 16+, $5.
Hell’s Belles w/ MF Ruckus @ Fox Theater (Boulder) – The premier all-female AC/DC tribute band – 9PM, $18, All Ages.
Saturday, December 3rd, 2011
I Fight Dragons w/ The Photo Atlas and Monroe Monroe @ AF Rays (Greeley) – Remind me never to accept an invitation to a dinner party on a Saturday ever again! 9PM, 18+, $13.
Sun Red w/Popcult and Attic Attack @ Meadowlark Lounge – Well, at least I don’t have to try and choose between this show and the I Fight Dragons show! 9PM, 21+, $?.
El Toro de la Muerte w/ In The Whale, Mercuria and the Gemstars @ Summit Music Hall – 8PM, 21+, $5.
Achille Lauro w/ Red Fox @ Hi-Dive – Lizzie Huffman had been scheduled to appear, but has canceled due to personal circumstances. 9PM, 21+, $6.
Scott Kelly (Neurosis) w/ Munly (Slim Cessna’s Auto Club) and Bob Wayne @ Hi Dive – 10PM, 18+, $12.
The Epilogues w/ Common Anomaly and Flashbulb Fires @ Road 34 (FoCo) – 9PM, 21+, $8.
Colorado Composer Collective featuring Greg Garrison – Five Denver area composers have composed works to feature Leftover Salmon bassist Greg Garrison along with strings and brass. What a cool idea! 8PM, 21+, $13.
Social Distortion w/ Suedehead and Chuck Ragan @ Ogden Theater – 8PM, 16+, SOLD OUT.
Me Talk Pretty w/ Madina Lake, Hell or Highwater, and more @ Gothic Theater – 6PM, 16+, $13.
Sunday, December 4th, 2011
I Fight Dragons w/ SkyFox and Mr. Right – 8PM, 16+, $15.
Deas Vail w/Sick of Sarah and Now, Now @ Hi Dive – 9PM, 18+, $10.
Social Distortion w/ Suedehead and Chuck Ragan @ Ogden Theater – 8PM, 16+, SOLD OUT.
Last week, Denver punk band Reno Divorce unveiled an $8,000 Kickstarter
project to fund their next album. That is the most money I’ve seen a Denver band try to raise through Kickstarter. It got me thinking about the Kickstarter model of raising funds for music projects and whether it is ultimately a good thing. As I wrote about in last week’s review of My Body Sings Electric’s new single, I have participated in a few music-related Kickstarter projects. For the most part, it has been an enjoyable experience. I like the feeling of contributing to hard-working musicians in return for personal appreciation and material rewards. But, Kickstarter projects are also prone to unsatisfying outcomes, and both project “organizers” and “backers” should understand the potential risks of participating.
In the days before Kickstarter, bands had to save their pennies, stretch their credit cards to the limit, snuggle up to mommy, daddy, or Mr. Record Exec to raise the funds needed to enter a recording studio. Now, they can just ask their fans to “invest” in new music. Typically, project backers receive anything from a high-five to a signed CD to a lifetime of being on the guest list – depending on the size of their contribution. If the project reaches its funding goal, the project organizers send out the advertised rewards to the backers and get started working on the project. Other than that, there is very little accountability happening. It’s impossible to know whether the band used all of the money for the intended purpose.
For example, let’s say a band needs $500 to fund the recording of a single. Plus, they have $500 worth of old merchandise that they would like to move. They could start a Kickstarter project for $1,000 to “fund the recording of a new single”. As rewards for backing the project, they offer combinations of band merchandise. If the project gets funded, the band effectively makes enough money to pay for the single and dumps $500 worth of merchandise at the same time. Now, you might say this is a win-win situation. The backers get merchandise for their investment and a new song from a band that they like, and the band gets a return on their merchandise investment and some money to pay for studio time. But how do you know if the band used any of the money to pay for recording the single? What if they used the money for a down payment on a new van, and instead recorded the new single in their practice room for free? Do you care?
Bands have a lot to consider with this model as well. The funding phase of the average Kickstarter project lasts 45-60 days. After that, you’ve got about a month to start delivering the rewards before your backers get annoyed. Then you actually have to complete the project you said you were going to complete. There are a lot of things that can go wrong during this period of time, and you can end up alienating your fan base as a result. For example, The Epilogues funded the filming of a video for “The Fallout” through a $4,000 Kickstarter project. They debuted the video for those who were in attendance at their Video Premier shows at the Bluebird Theater on March 30th and April 1st, 2011. After that, it was nowhere to be seen. Around the time the video was being completed, The Epilogues entered contract negotiations with a 3rd party and it was in their best interest to stop releasing new media. They did it to protect the value of the video – I get that. But, they are still constantly hounded about the video’s whereabouts by fans. Keyboardist Nate Hammond announced that the video will finally be released publicly “this month”.
Shit happens – it’s a fact of life. The Epilogues aren’t guilty of anything malicious here. But, outcomes can get much worse. I donated $25 to help fund this Summer’s “Titwrench Festival” in Denver, which showcases “queer-friendly art and music”. That project was funded on July 16th. Although I did not attend, the festival took place the weekend after UMS and by all accounts a good time was had by all. However, I haven’t received any of my promised rewards. Kickstarter will do nothing to help you in this situation other than suggest you leave comments on the project’s message board and/or send a private message to project organizers – both of which I did. I heard nothing for the longest time, and ultimately stalked the project organizer on Facebook. She explained that festival organizers underestimated the costs of fulfilling the Kickstarter rewards and needed to raise more funding before they could send them out. The fact that I still haven’t received what I was promised leaves a bad taste in my mouth and I doubt that I will support this festival in any way next year.
Then, there’s the dirty little secret about Kickstarter’s renumeration. Five percent of a successfully funded project goes back to Kickstarter. If the Reno Divorce project gets funded, $400 of fan pledges will go into Kickstarter’s coffers instead of directly funding the new album. I realize that Kickstarter is providing a service, but I’d prefer if bands could find a way to fund their projects without having to divert fan pledges to pay the costs of fundraising.
Fans: Do you think a band does better work when they are “hungry” and scraping to get by for their art? Bands: If someone wrote your band an $8,000 check in exchange for a new album, would you use that money to its fullest? Or would you spend $1,000 on pizza, beer, and clothes, and make an uninspired album for $7,000? If I hire someone to build a deck, I don’t pay him up front because it would decrease his incentive to do a quality job in a reasonable amount of time. I’m not picking on Reno Divorce or suggesting in any way that they won’t put the full $8,000 towards recording a great, new album. But, is $8,000 too much to ask your fans to pay? I’m curious as to whether the $8,000 they are asking for represents 50% of their total estimated expenses or 100%.
In conclusion, “Caveat Emptor” – May the Buyer Beware. If you go into a Kickstarter project with the intention of helping out a band you like and getting some cool stuff in return, you will be happy with the results most of the time. But also, “Caveat Venditor” – May the Seller Beware. Unless you execute the project flawlessly, you may subject yourself to the ill will of your most ardent supporters.
OK, Kids! It’s Halloween weekend! And, since Halloween is on a Monday, here’s a special EXTENDED weekend preview!
Events I plan on attending are in RED. Come say “Hi”!
Thursday, October 27th, 2011
Radiation City w/ Popcult and Medic @ Larimer Lounge – That’s a lot of dreamy pop rock for one night! 8:00 PM, 21+, $10.
Portishead w/ Thought Forms @ 1st Bank Center – Can’t say I’m super familiar with Portishead – but I like everything I’ve heard and I’m sure I will regret not going to this. 8:00PM, All Ages, $40-50.
Trevor Hall w/ Cas Haley and Rob Drabkin @ Ogden Theater – 8PM, 16+, $25.
Tin Horn Prayer w/Jesse Manley Band, …and the black feathers, and Pinetree Refugees @ Walnut Room – 7PM, 21+, $10.
Friday, October 28th, 2011
Nightmare on Blake Street featuring My Body Sings Electric w/ The Pirate Signal, Eldren and MORE! @ Summit Music Hall – Definitely the “go-to” gig of this Halloween season!!! 7PM, All Ages, $8.
Air Dubai w/ The Epilogues and In The Whale @ Belly Up (Aspen) – Killer lineup (if you’re in Aspen or you’re not going to Nightmare on Blake Street). 10PM, All Ages, $15.
Joe Mondragon and A-OK’s Halloween Zombie Apocalypse Party @ Moe’s Original BBQ and Bowl – 9PM, 16+, $5.
Skyfox w/ Crimson Red and MORE @ Gothic Theatre – 8PM, 16+, $10.
Karl Denson’s Tiny Universe @ Boulder Theater – Denson and Tiny Universe featuring Anders Osborne will be performing the Rolling Stones’ classic Sticky Fingers in its entirety! 8PM, All Ages, $36.
Cold War Kids w/ Young Man @ Fox Theater (Boulder) – The same lineup at the same time on Saturday night too! 9PM, All Ages, $25.
Saturday, October 29th, 2011
Air Dubai w/ The Epilogues and The Photo Atlas @ Black Sheep (Colorado Springs) – 8PM, All Ages, $10.
Denver Does CBGB’s @ Hi-Dive – Several of Denver’s elite bands pay tribute to the bands who got their start at the legendary NYC rock club CBGB’s – 9PM, 21+, $10.
Reno Divorce w/ The Repercussions and MORE @ Marquis Theater – 4 out of 5 punk rockers agree: If you like Social Distortion – you’ll like Reno Divorce. 7:30 PM, All Ages, $12.
De La Soul w/ The Black Sheep @ Cervantes Masterpiece Ballroom – 9PM, All Ages, $34.50
Sunday, October 30th, 2011
Air Dubai w/ The Epilogues and My Body Sings Electric @ Aggie Theater (Fort Collins) – 8PM, All Ages, $10
The Motet @ Bluebird Theater – Boulder’s best funk tribute band performs the music of The Grateful Dead. 9PM, 16+, $25
Method Man @ Ogden Theater – 8PM, 16+, $30.
Monday, October 31st, 2011
Air Dubai w/ The Epilogues, Monroe Monroe, and ManCub @ Bluebird Theatre – Are you fucking kidding me with this lineup?!?!?! 8PM, 16+, $15.
Inca House Halloween Party – The official Air Dubai after party featuring performances by The Photo Atlas (as Def Leppard) and Cobraconda (as Dr Dre and Snoop Dog).
Karl Denson’s Tiny Universe @ Fillmore Auditorium – Denson and Tiny Universe featuring Anders Osborne will be performing the Rolling Stones’ classic Sticky Fingers in its entirety! 7PM, 16+, $25.
There’s no shortage of people in their 30’s, 40’s, or even 50’s who cling to dreams of rock stardom. Just spend a few hours at one of the dozen open mic nights that take place around town and you’ll find them in spades. But rarely do you find someone who just decided to pick up a guitar at 30 and write songs that has as much talent as Melissa McIntyre. Her Soundcloud page reveals a knack for writing engaging (no pun intended) guitar/bass/vocal songs. Her voice is particularly pretty when used at a lower range and slow tempo, such as in the Mazzy Star inspired “I Don’t Wanna Ask”.
There were upwards of 30 people – family, friends, and fans – on hand to see her performance in the Summit Music Hall lounge on Thursday night. McIntyre seemed nervous and at times it was evident in her performance. A little guitar mistake here, a little voice break there. She seemed much more comfortable when her guitar teacher (and frontman of The Epilogues) Chris Heckman joined her on stage for a duet of “Lost My Way”. For her final song, she broke out a brand-new one. Usually, this is not a very good idea and unfortunately it was not quite ready for prime time. I know if I was in her shoes, I would have preferred to decompress on one of the Summit’s leather sofa’s following a nerve-wracking set. But, this was not in the cards for Melissa. Her boyfriend Justin proposed to her on-stage at the end of her set. She said “yes”.
Melissa has talent. This was the first time I had seen her perform, so I don’t have any basis for comparison. For all I know, nerves have never been a problem for her. Maybe as she looked out at the sea of her family and friends, she got an inkling of what was to follow and she got rattled. I’ll find out next time, because I’d be happy to see her perform again those songs again. You can follow her journey too on Facebook.
Popcult
Speaking of talent, where in the hell did Popcult come from?!? Fresh out of high school, Justin Renaud and Tyler Venter somehow managed to hook up with Chain Gang of 1974 earlier in the year for a short tour including a stop at SXSW. Then, they went up into the mountains near Fairplay and pumped out an EP’s worth of Coldplay-inspired tracks that benefit greatly from the production, mixing, and engineering talents of Matt Wilcox (who also recently co-produced American Tomahawk’s CD). Thursday night’s show at the Larimer Lounge was only their fourth live performance as a band, which also features bassist Alex Halvorson and former Fear Before (The March of Flames) drummer Brandon Proff.
There were supposed to be four bands playing, with Popcult as the headliner. Given that the show was supposed to start at 9 PM, I figured Popcult wouldn’t hit the stage until at least 11:00 PM. Big mistake. They started at 10:00 PM and I was only able to catch two songs. I might have been treated to a third song, as the crowd really wanted an encore. But, Renaud charmingly admitted they didn’t know any more songs. Why the early set? Maybe it had to do with the fact that Renaud and Venter are only 19 and were playing a gig that they would be too young to actually attend. Maybe it had to do with a shakeup of the schedule – Young Cities had been expected to play, but that never materialized. In any event, Popcult appears to be capable of living up to the promise of their EP. It was one of the best “sounding” performances by a 4-piece pop/rock band I’d heard at Larimer Lounge – comparable to their recorded versions. The mix at Larimer can get overwhelmingly loud, but Popcult’s music allowed for a less aggressive mix. Yeah, they are going to continue to get dogged by Coldplay comparisons. But is it really so bad to be compared to your heroes who have been writing hit songs for over 10 years when you’ve only been doing it for a few months?
Open Mic Night @ The Summit Music Hall – Melissa McIntyre is performing at around 9:30 and Chris Heckman from The Epilogues will join her for a song! Plus no cover and $1 PBR’s! 21+
Serious Moonlight @ Lazy Dog/Brick House – An indie-folk band featuring members of The Photo Atlas. 21+, Free(?)
Paper Bird @ The Boulder Theater – Paper Bird is one of Colorado’s best Americana bands. All Ages, $17.50 – $19.50 (Under 21)
PopCult @ Larimer Lounge – Fans of The Fray/Coldplay will love these guys. 21+. $10
My Darkest Days @ Marquis Theater – Canadian rock for strippers. All Ages, $15
King Rat @ Bender’s Tavern – Denver’s godfathers of punk. 21+, $10
STS9 @ Ogden Theater – SOLD OUT
Friday, September 9th
Back to School Bash w/ Regret Night, Kill Paradise, The Photo Atlas, Caramel Carmela, and Break Through Beautiful – This is the only thing worth going to on Friday night. Trust me! All Ages, $10
STS9 @ Red Rocks – The first of a 2-night stand. All Ages, $52
Saturday, September 10th
DMX @ Gothic Theater – 16+, $35 ($40 D.O.S.)
MSTRKRFT @ Ogden Theater – 16+, $25 ($30 D.O.S.)
Justice League of Street Food’s Fall Helmet Bash @ 3507 Ringsby Ct – Denver’s best food trucks gather for a party including entertainment and booze from 5-10 PM. Wear a hat or helmet! All Ages.
Sunday, September 11th
The Epilogues w/ Aloft in the Sundry, Be Brave, and Petals of Spain @ Hi-Dive – If you don’t come, the terrorists win. 18+, $6 (Are you kidding me! That’s a great deal!)
Die Tonight, Live Forever? 1,800 miles away in the early morning hours of August 28th, Hurricane Irene was doing Denver a favor. Following an announcement that InnerPartySystem would go on indefinite hiatus, the band announced two final shows: at Denver’s Bluebird Theater on August 28th and “the last show” in New York on August 31st. But the weather prevented them from travelling to Denver on the 28th and the show had to be rescheduled for September 5th – making the Denver appearance the last ever scheduled performance by the band
Several of Denver’s music elite showed up to say goodbye to a band that enjoyed a large following here. Among the crowd were members of The Epilogues, The Photo Atlas/Serious Moonlight, 3OH!3, and Take to the Oars. Also on hand were KTCL DJ’s Nic Cage and Nerf. Before launching into “American Trash”, singer Patrick Nissley made a point to thank KTCL for being such a strong supporter of the band. During that same song, it appeared for a moment that Cobraconda’s Spencer Foreman was planning to dump a trash can full of ice over Nissley’s head from behind, but Foreman thought better of it. IPS’s biggest hit “Don’t Stop” was saved for last, during which the band was joined on stage by several of their fans and friends. As the song ended and the stage cleared, I saw drummer Jared Piccone unplug one of Nissley’s synthesizers and hand it to a fan in the pit – perhaps a sign of acrimony between band members?
Denver’s bad boys of rap Cobraconda opened the show. Prior to hitting the stage, they debuted their video for “BBHM$” (Bitch Better Have My Money). As the group promised on their Facebook page, the video was an R-Rated revelry of cocaine, alcohol, and oral sex (which may or may not have been simulated). Most of the crowd stood with their mouths agape unsure of how to react (particularly those who were on a date). Others gasped and whooped it up. The duo then hit the stage and pounded through a tight set that was punctuated by back-to-back tracks designed to get the hometown crowd going: “Never Going Back to Cali” (sampling 2Pac’s “California Love”) and “Everyday (In The Mile High)” (sampling Rusko’s “Everyday”). They closed out their set with fan favorites “K.I.S.S.I.N.G.” and “El Camino”. Judging from the amount of band merchandise I saw in the crowd, they picked up several new fans as a result of this coveted opening slot.
Denver has one of the most vibrant local music scenes in the country right now. Over 13,000 people showed up to the Westword Music Showcase in June, and another 11,000 tickets were sold for July’s Underground Music Showcase which featured 350 local bands over four days. You’d think that Denver’s Alternative Rock radio station, KTCL 93.3 FM, would want to take advantage of this demand for local music and play more of it. Unfortunately, that doesn’t seem to be the case.
Using statistics from http://www.yes.com/#KTCL and a mid-week sample date of Wednesday, August 31st, I discovered that KTCL had a total of 220 “plays”. Of those plays, only 14 were from bands that are (or were) based in the Denver/Greeley/Fort Collins area. That’s just barely over 6%. It’s even more pitiful when you consider that these 14 plays only represented 7 unique songs. One local musician said to me recently “People don’t need to hear [the Flobot’s hit] ‘Handlebars’ every fucking day”. It may sound like he was exaggerating – only he wasn’t. “Handlebars”, a song that is now 4 years old, was played twice on Wednesday. “Girlfriends” by Single File was played three times. As far as I can tell, these guys broke up almost two years ago! Tickle Me Pink’s “Carolina” was played – they, too, are no longer together. Breathe Carolina and The Northern Way (formerly known as Set Forth) also got two plays each. Then there’s the biggest slap in the face: The Fray was played four times! Why is this the biggest slap in the face? Because, KTCL’s Alf was pretty much single-handedly responsible for breaking The Fray through his “Locals Only” show on Sunday nights. Proof positive that radio airplay (along with listener demand) can turn a local act into a national act. In fact, I’m not even sure it’s fair to count their four plays against the 14, because they are probably just part of Clear Channel’s “Premium Choice” program anyway.
Premium Choice is an initiative to “identify Clear Channel’s most effective content across music genres”, in other words: an approved playlist. Clear Channel claims to give the local Program Director “total choice and flexibility in choosing the Premium Choice programming elements, and can use large portions, single elements, or none of the programming if they choose”. But, there is no way that can be true. According to his LinkedIn page, Nerf is not only KTCL’s afternoon drive DJ, but the station’s Program Director as well. Nerf works very hard to get local bands onto larger stages, such as KTCL’s Big Gig, Hometown for the Holidays, and this year’s Denver County Fair (where he got Take to The Oars, My Body Sings Electric, and others into the Stadium Arena at the National Western complex), but he can’t be bothered to play their songs on the radio? It just doesn’t add up. His hands must be tied.
So, what are we as concerned citizens and lovers of local music to do? Stop listening to KTCL? Do you think Clear Channel has any problem shutting down one radio station? No way, and KTCL does too much good for the local music community to risk that. My suggestion is to make “Locals Only” the most popular show on the channel by listening every Sunday night, and to call the request lines every other hour of the week to request local bands. The fact is, I probably wouldn’t even be writing this blog right now if it wasn’t for KTCL spending 4 minutes out of a 1,440 minute broadcast day to play “Hunting Season” by The Epilogues. Never in my 18 years of living in Colorado had I gone out to see a local band headline a show. But that single play led me to the Bluebird Theater just days later where I saw Monroe Monroe, My Body Sings Electric, and The Epilogues. Since then, I’ve been addicted to the scene and have shoveled money into the pockets of musicians. One play. That’s all it took. Judging from my research, I got lucky.
Everyday (in the Mile High) 