Kevin Johnston

95 stories · Page 5 of 5

ReviewsSingle Review: Gingerbomb – WildfireGetting a 5-piece, all-redhead band with members from New York, Denver and Los Angeles together is an accomplishment. Colorado songstress Megan Burtt has wrangled such a group, aptly named: Gingerbomb. LA via NYC producer/drummer Ryan Vaughn and engineer/multi-instrumentalist Zach Berkman along with Burtt, vocalist / keyboardist Sara Dee and bassist Casey Sidwell join forces for the project with a maturity that defies any red-headed stepchild jokes critics might conjure. They kicking off the Bohemian Nights New West Fest in Fort Collins August 11th, 2018.Kevin Johnston · Aug 1, 2018FeaturesDeVotchKa’s ‘Night’ Finally Falls On Fans’ Ears“Straight Shot,” the lead single from DeVotchKa’s forthcoming release This Night Falls Forever, takes both citizens of “Old Denver” and global fans of the pioneering Gypsy-Folk band “right back to the good times – before the paperwork got signed.” After years of soon-to-be-released announcements, the album finally arrives this August 24. “We have been extremely lucky in attracting so many great collaborations,” Nick Urata says. He admits, however, “with the benefit of hindsight, we now see that it took us away from finishing our album. We can only hope that the projects we have done will somehow find a way to influence our latest music.”Kevin Johnston · Aug 1, 2018FeaturesJukebox The Ghost: Off To The Big GigQueen. When did this obsession start? Is it an obsession? “It’s funny – It’s almost accidental and almost as if the world willed it to be so. We were getting compared to Queen well before there was any conscious effort to emulate or borrow from them. My voice would be compared to Freddie Mercury’ s (which was always a huge compliment) which I see as a natural progression of learning to sing at the piano. When you have to sing over an instrument that big and loud you think about range and volume differently.Kevin Johnston · Jul 1, 2018ReviewsAlbum Review: Modern Leisure – Super Sad Rom-ComModern Leisure’s Super Sad Rom-Com is a chilled-out / bummed-out illustration of a songwriter’s studio apartment life. Having departed from former Denver bands The Outfit and Shady Elders, mastermind Casey Banker “wanted to express the loneliness and euphoria of being a guy living in a semi-big city in my 20’s.” Made layer by layer and then re-recorded from scratch, the resulting collection of mid-tempo dream-folk jams make us want to hit the beach and text our ex with a Bluetooth boombox and ice-cold LaCroix in hand.Kevin Johnston · Jun 29, 2018FeaturesDevon Allman – Fathers, Sons and a Band of BrothersDevon Allman is a hard-working dad. Raised by his mother and growing up in the distant shadow of his father, Gregg Allman of the Allman Brothers, Devon didn’t have much of a…Kevin Johnston · Jun 1, 2018ReviewsAlbum Review: Covenhoven – A Kind Of Revelation“Where To Begin” – a simple question revealing that there’s much to tell.Kevin Johnston · Jun 1, 2018ReviewsAlbum Review: Kinesics – SurfacingThe release of Kinesics’ full-length album Surfacing will be its third attempt at seeing the light of day. Self-proclaimed “sad rock songs” sung mournfully and deep, this is the full and final realization of music which began its journey back in 2015. There’s a beauty in the unexpected here, most notably the fact that the somber, low voice of Kinesics’ songwriter belongs to the diminutive, dare we say cute, alto – Kenzi Everitt. A solo project on her first two tries, there’s now a universality to the work. The androgyny in her liquid vocal delivery, fully-invested band arrangements, and the fact that her main collaborator (guitarist Jason Bartek) is also her fiancé reflect the band’s mantra of community, teamwork, and equality. Did I mention that the drummer and bassist are married to each other too? They are. It’s adorable.Kevin Johnston · Jun 1, 2018FeaturesSlow Caves – Poser / Rover 7″ ReleaseSlow Caves evoke a depth of maturity that belies their youthful, blonde, surf-rock appearance.Kevin Johnston · Mar 1, 2018ReviewsAlbum Review: Giants & Pilgrims – BellwetherGiants & Pilgrims call themselves “a marriage of art and music.” Aptly, Bellwether, the Greeley group’s forthcoming full-length, feels like an impressionist painting, lush with color and rife with rustic detail.Kevin Johnston · Mar 1, 2018FeaturesOne Flew West – Explicitly ThemselvesTried and true emo-honesty comes off OFW’s chest in spades, but the truth is, more and more of Northern Colorado is all ears. Shout-y open-throated hooks throughout the EP evoke images from its release show last month at The Bluebird Theater, packed with hoodied disciples bopping and shouting along. “One thing we tried really hard to convey on this EP was the energy of our music that we display at our live show” OFW says. “A big part of that was incorporating gang vocals into the recording. We always get the audience to sing along when we play live and we wanted to harness the energy that comes with that into a recorded song.”Kevin Johnston · Feb 1, 2018ReviewsDecatur – Self-TitledDenver-based quintet Decatur proclaim their sound as “slithering guitar rock.” It’s an apt descriptor for the ominous atmosphere, overdriven guitars and cigarette-flecked vocals that permeate their eponymous EP.Kevin Johnston · Feb 1, 2018FeaturesWildermiss Carry Each Other All The WayDenver indie-pop group Wildermiss combine rhythmic, harmonic tension with the chart-tested power of hook repetition.Kevin Johnston · Jan 8, 2018ReviewsAlbum Review: Wildermiss – Lost With YouDenver indie-pop group Wildermiss combine rhythmic, harmonic tension with the chart-tested power of hook repetition. Though first looks at synth-wielding front-woman Emma Cole may conjure pop stereotypes, don’t be fooled. Wildermiss are guitar rock kids at heart – Heart they carry through their debut EP Lost With You and their engaging live shows.Kevin Johnston · Jan 1, 2018ReviewsAlbum Review: Ian Cooke – The Flight I FlewDenver music scene icon/Greeley kid Ian Cooke leaves us with a night-sky full of memories after 15 years.Kevin Johnston · Jan 1, 2018ReviewsAlbum Review: Giants & Pilgrims – The Joyous MysteriesThe best songs stand on their own. Shiny packaging can make for an attractive top 40 hit, holiday gift or Christmas cookie, but the ones that really resonate are the personal ones hand-made with love.Kevin Johnston · Dec 12, 2017