Brent Cowles Hasn’t Figured A Damn Thing Out

It’s a good time for Brent Cowles and his music. Recently signed to Dine Alone Records alongside industry giants like Dashboard Confessional and Jimmy Eats World, How To Be OK Alone is set to pop. “We were talking to a few different labels at the time. I guess there are a few super important things you want to consider. First off, does it seem like they care about your music? When you meet someone in person you can tell if they’re being genuine and real. When we met our label rep Jason it felt like the right decision.”

Iller Than Most: Del The Funky Homosapien On His New LP With Amp Live & His Reason For Rapping

As the hygienically-sound MC celebrates the release of his joint project with producer Amp Live — Gate 13 — Del The Funky Homosapien is making his way across the country in support of the album. People go nuts for Del and he’s one of the few MCs out of the Hiero crew who’s really forged a lucrative career separate from the rest of the guys. From his work with the Gorillaz to his side project Deltron 3030 with Dan The Automator and Kid Koala, artistically he’s always stood out.

Trout Steak Revival – Play Us Some Mountain Music

I attribute a lot of Trout Steak’s success to stamina. As we built the band, it felt like the steps of growth took much longer than we expected. We play about 120-150 shows each year. While we are on tour we travel in a van a lot, sleep in a different place every night. There are a lot of amazing moments on stage, there are also a lot of moments that cause you to ask yourself why you’re in a touring band. The thing that has held Trout Steak together over the years is communication. We treat each other fairly, we know each other very well and we know when to tread lightly and when to sit down and talk about it. It’s a family and we were friends first. My advice for a budding band would be to start a band with people you admire and trust: your friends!

Steve Harms – Sound Life Choices

Walking into Harms Labs in Old Town Square, Fort Collins, one immediately discovers that founder Steve Harms’ passion for music and high-quality speakers drives him every single day.

But Harms is a discovery all his own. The Chicago native, whose father wanted to name him DoNo (as in ‘Do No Harms’), attended Colorado State University in the ‘70s, where he stumbled upon his life’s work. Harms, who started building speakers at 14, was an electrical engineering student at the time. He started to realize speakers were his future when he unexpectedly had to provide a P.A. for a band whose monitors had blown out during a campus party.

Album Review: Bitter Suns – Broke Off Blues

Bitter Suns is on to something with Broken Off Bones. Produced by Alan Hlavacek of the Ft. Collins band Attack On Venus, the tracks are tight and the guitar tones crisp, making a fine punk record. It’s less of a ‘fuck the man’ style of punk and more of a ‘what’s your damage dude, I’m trying to get pitted with my boys’ sound. The song “Pitted” summarizes the whole vibe of the EP (and the band) with lyrics like; “yesterday I got totally pitted, it’s been a while since I’ve been this broke off.” Not exactly Shakespearean level poetry, but coupled with the rich punk instrumentals throughout, it hits the mark more closely than if they sang about something they didn’t care about.

Album Review: Chain Station – Where I Want To Be

This proud bluegrass band – consisting of Jarett Mason on the mandolin, Jon Pickett on bass, Alex Thoele on guitar, and James Weatherly on Banjo – is held together by the harmonizing voices of Mason, Pickett, and Thoele and the fast-paced picking of all four members. Where I Want To Be, released in 2016, is probably the most pure bluegrass album we’ve heard in some time.

105.5 The Colorado Sound – Top Picks you should hear in May

Joshua Hedley’s Mr. Jukebox is one of the most anticipated releases of 2018. Hedley has been a fixture around the Nashville music scene for years. He holds a standing gig at Robert’s Western Wear and has become affectionately nicknamed “The Mayor of Lower Broad” for being in such high demand as a player for almost every genre of music. Glen Hansard spent many years making and playing music before that Oscar-winning film Once.

May 2018 – Brent Cowles

In This Issue: Brent Cowles | Trout Steak Revival | Del & Amp Live | Steve Harms | Bitter Suns | Chain Station | The Colorado Sound’s Top Picks