People who consume music on a casual basis don’t realize what a strange process it is to start a band. Local acts are constantly splitting, joining, or reinventing themselves. So when former members of The Heyday, Randall Kent and Ryan Buller, teamed up with a new rhythm section comprised of Jesse Spencer and Chris Beeble in October last year, it wasn’t anything unusual. What is unusual is the remarkable sounds they’re making in such a short time together. Their new EP, Lesson Learned, is releasing late March. Fortunately we got a streaming preview to let you know why you should check it out.
Continue readingCategory: Print
Album Review: Protomartyr – Under Color of Official Right
Once a beacon of progress and success, Detroit has become the standard modern example of what can go wrong in an American city. There’s poverty, crime, corruption–the myth of the city itself has transformed from the quintessential American Dream, to a less affluent Gotham swathed in a brutal struggle for its own soul. Art that emerges from Detroit is expected and often possesses a certain tint of nihilism, but most interesting are those artists who manage to both own the new myth of their city and transcend it. Hip-hop artists like Eminem and Danny Brown have done it, and now Protomartyr emerges almost fully formed with Under Color of Official Right.
Continue readingAlbum Review: Musketeer Gripweed – Floods and Fires
It’s difficult to liken comparisons to Musketeer Gripweed. Maybe hints of Zakk Wylde vocalization and Black Keys catchiness can be sought, though such associations only apply sporadically—Musketeer Gripweed is ferociously singular in their style and genre, whatever that specifically may be. Either the band doesn’t know either or they don’t care, given that their official Facebook page refers to their genre as “American Revival Stomp Ass Shake Holla!” The description is fitting: Floods and Fires is a rip-roaring album with very few moments of weakness.
Continue readingLight in the Dark a Film of Music and Dance at Kress Cinema
For those interested in dance and local filmmaking, The Kress Cinema and Lounge will be premiering a short film on Saturday, April 12th titled Light in the Dark. The short, directed by Greeley resident Casey McConnell, was inspired by a choreographed dance by Wendy Klein of the Colorado Dance Collective, which McConnell expanded upon.
Continue readingAlbum Review: Pandas & People – Pandas & People
It’s always exciting when an existing band branches off to explore a new sound and style. Members of the alt-rock (and generally pretty decent) band Five Day Rhetoric, in their downtime, decided to start experimenting with folk rock–a decision that eventually spawned their new project, Pandas & People. The name is catchy, and the music is nice and catchy. However, the product doesn’t break much new ground in terms of the genre, despite the clear presence of passion and potential.
Continue readingApril 2014 – Sir Mix-A-Lot
IN THIS ISSUE: The Wild After // Pandas & People // Protomartyr // In The Whale k.flay // UNC Jazz Festival // 420 Jam // Wes Bruce // Noah // Need For Speed
Continue readingSan Francisco Based k.flay Is a Strong Female Voice in a Genre Driven by Men
With a string of solid EPs and some serious chops, her rap is intelligent (a degree in psychology and sociology from Stanford helps with that), frankly speaking to the things that make the average hip hop fan normal. She doesn’t boast about street cred or display an image of a rich kid roughing it, she simply tells her story. Oh and she’s fast.
Continue readingMTV’s Star of “Are You the One” Ryan Malaty Sees Love as a Spectrum
MTV has called him, “a quirky, playful guy with exotically hot looks,” saying, “His charisma and sweet demeanor are magnetic.” Ryan Malaty, who calls Greeley home now promotes himself and the Television show Are You the One around the state to earn a wage.
Continue reading