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Fort Collins

BandWagon Magazine has covered Fort Collins in 315 stories since 2012, including 121 features, 112 reviews and 31 photo galleries.

315 stories · Page 7 of 16

Picnic tables and blue umbrellas sit on a brick plaza beside downtown shops, with a few people dining outdoors.

FeaturesReunited and it Feels So Downtown – Greeley’s United Plaza and Socially Distanced DistrictDowntown Greeley’s been quiet since March, when the outbreak shuttered bars (for the second time now), restaurants and other fun places that made downtown as successful as it’s been in decades. But business owners hope to make some noise by closing 8th and 9th streets and putting open dining tables out. They also added an open container law that essentially extends the Go Cup law full-time until fall, only with loosened restrictions: Any alcohol is OK now, even if you have some from home, though the idea is to support the businesses on the blocks. The Greeley City Council approved the plan and began it July 1.Dan England · Aug 4, 2020

A performer in a dark beanie and zip-up jacket sings into a microphone under red stage lighting.

FeaturesCan We Just Live? Devin Tremell Speaks Out with Hip Hop as a Tool of InfluenceDevin Tremell insisted to the crowd of hundreds looking up at him from the Lincoln Park gazebo in Greeley that he was just a regular Black dude.Dan England · Aug 3, 2020

A bearded man in a black hat and dark coat holds a striped white tallit before a graffiti-covered building wall.

FeaturesOn The Road Again: Four Months Of COVID-19 Madness & One Bike Accident Later, Kosha Dillz Is On A MissionGoing from doing at least 80 live shows a year (with everyone from Mos Def to Nappy Roots) to performing for a six-year-old’s backyard birthday party in Arvada, Colorado is just one of the many ways the coronavirus pandemic has impacted his typically flourishing career, but Kosha Dillz is a rare breed. With 16 years of sobriety under his belt (to the day) he must guard his recovery like he guards his life, something that’s even more challenging when you’re immersed in the music industry.Kyle Eustice · Jul 31, 2020

Man with blond hair and sunglasses, in a denim jacket over a black hoodie, sitting before a brick building.

PremieresVideo Premiere: Oliver Mueller – “I Wanna Play At The Moxi”The music video for Oliver Mueller’s new single “I Wanna Play At the Moxi” premieres via BandWagon today. Under his solo-project pseudonym oliverrr, the track is a love-letter to his favorite NoCo music venue, as performers and concert go-ers alike bemoan the absence of live music. Mueller brings the same dreamy alternative style he displays in his band Slow Caves, but combines it with punk flare and humor.Valerie Vampola · Jul 20, 2020

Photo for “EP Review: Polyakov – Hazy”

MusicEP Review: Polyakov – HazyDream pop, as a genre, has a home in Northern Colorado, and in a way has come to represent the leisurely stroll through anxiety you get from living here.Laura Giagos · Jul 8, 2020

Photo for “Double Single Review: The Beeves – “Playing Bingo” & Slow Caves “Walk In The Park””

MusicDouble Single Review: The Beeves – “Playing Bingo” & Slow Caves “Walk In The Park”With top production, austere turn of phrase and beautifully transparent melodic construction, “Walk In The Park” by Slow Caves sparkles with the slow motion lens-flare of memories you haven’t even made yet. Riff-heavy with the pizzaz and swagger of the White Stripes, The Beeves’ new single “Playing Bingo” highlights the proper rock yelps of vocalist Ian Ehrhart and the grooving instrumental playfulness of bassist/vocalist Margot Sease and drummer Will Ehrhart.Kevin Johnston · Jul 6, 2020

Man in a black t-shirt singing into a mic against a yellow background, with a drum kit at lower left.

FeaturesDrum As You Are: Eric Riley Throws Down The Beat As A Black Musician In MetalEven with all the fun Eric Riley has thrashing onstage with his longtime friend Nate Valdez, there is always that one drunk person who has to point it out: a black guy in a metal band!Valerie Vampola · Jul 4, 2020

Cars fill a drive-in lot at dusk while a large screen shows three musicians playing upright bass and guitars.

FeaturesHighway To Heaven: Drive-Ins Revive The Live Music Experience“I’ve reset my expectations with everything we do in the music business,” said Adam Aijala. “The best attitude is to just roll with it.” The last time his group Yonder Mountain String Band played was March 12, 2020. Then coronavirus hit. With band members scattered across different time zones in the lower 48, they made video collaborations. But then, their agent called. They had a gig. A live one. Blue Pig Presents in Cheyenne took a chance and installed a drive-in theater set-up at Terry Bison Ranch, booking Yonder Mountain live. The idea of drive-in concerts spread almost as fast as the virus itself, with The Holiday Twin Drive-In Movie Theater in Fort Collins collaborating with FoCoMX to fill the festival void with their Drive & Jive concert series.Valerie Vampola · Jun 30, 2020

Socially distanced crowd in chairs watches a band perform on an outdoor stage near a red MOXI sign.

FeaturesGoing For It: Live Music Returns, At A DistanceThe Mishawaka Amphitheatre’s second live show during the pandemic happens at the night before Independence Day – and it’s not for the money. For independent music venues and clubs across Colorado, July 1 is perhaps as important as the day we celebrate our independence as a nation. Governor Polis’ new guidelines take effect that day, allowing the assembly of crowds which make live music possible, if not exactly feasible.Dan England · Jun 29, 2020

A woman sings into a microphone while a man plays an electric guitar with a paisley strap in a small studio room.

MusicAlbum Review: VIVIAN – The Warped GlimmerEven during the pandemic, Fort Collins-based dream pop band VIVIAN pushed forward the release of their debut full length album The Warped Glimmer, and according to the band, are already well into producing a full length follow-up. Spacy in all the right ways and saturated in the tell tale signs of art-rock gone pop, The Warped Glimmer is VIVIAN turning on cruise control and putting the seat back for you. It’s a warm envelope to rest in but exciting enough not to put you to sleep.Laura Giagos · Jun 11, 2020

Bearded singer in glasses and a patterned shirt sings and plays guitar as a drummer keeps time behind him.

MusicAlbum Review: A.M. Pleasure Assassins – Careless LaughterWith their (yes) fifteenth release Careless Laughter, A.M. Pleasure Assassins remind us there’s a whole scene of bands in Northern Colorado who refuse to care what you migh think. They remind us that making music is supposed to be fun; it’s about putting yourself out there.Laura Giagos · Jun 9, 2020

A young boy with glasses plays a black drum kit while watching a tablet on a stand in a blue-lit room.

FeaturesIn My Room: Music Teachers Turn To Online Methods, Keeping Musical Communities TogetherWith stay-at-home orders in place, students still want to make music with their teachers and with their peers. Fairview High School students in Boulder decided to try a “virtual choir.” Virtual ensembles, including choirs, are a huge trend worldwide, allowing musicians to collaborate with their friends, bandmates, or favorite artists from home. But putting together a collaboration of 15-plus people requires a lot of time, a hefty budget, and in this case, a supportive community.Valerie Vampola · Jun 4, 2020

Photo booth strip of two men cheek to cheek, one in a gold paper crown and glasses, the other in a gray cap.

MusicAlbum Review: King Crawdad – King Crawdad 2Two-piece Northern Colorado rockers King Crawdad entered 2020 like many bands around the world; with high aspirations and a sudden wipe-out of the entire music industry.Laura Giagos · May 13, 2020

A smiling guitarist performs under purple stage lights on a desktop monitor against a swirling purple background.

FeaturesRedefining The Industry: Could Live Streaming be the Woodstock of the COVID Era?Coronavirus continues to devastate bar and club owners, restaurants and musicians, but there may be a bright spot: the power of streaming live concerts. Some are even making good money at it. “We’ve learned how to use the tools of social media better now. We are using them rather than just placing facades online,” said Tim Coons of Giants & Pilgrims. “If I can make $100 sitting on my couch, that redefines the industry for me,” said Brandon Harris of NoCo Band Meat & Potatoes.Dan England · Apr 29, 2020

Photo for “Album Review: Space Force – EP 1”

MusicAlbum Review: Space Force – EP 1Space Force does not play smooth jazz. Their true genre, Jazz fusion, is easily mistaken for commercial artists like Kenny G (you know, your dentist office’s official soundtrack) but it deserves more credit.Valerie Vampola · Apr 2, 2020

A giant coronavirus model hovers above a microphone on an empty stage lit by blue and red spotlights and haze.

FeaturesNoCo Music NoGo: COVID-19’s Massive Impact On Colorado’s Music Industry“It’s pretty easy to see how unprepared everyone was,” said Brian Claxton – a touring drummer and music educator based in Greeley, Colorado. Music venues, restaurants and bars across the globe and in Colorado have been ordered to close due to coronavirus precautions, essentially cutting off the lifeblood of the music industry. But the ramifications go deeper, from the 50th anniversary of the huge UNC Jazz Festival delaying one year to smaller bands such as Float Like A Buffalo cancelling their shoestring budget tours. “I think it will take a year to recover, not just in the economy but in the entertainment industry here,” Moxi Theater Ely Corliss said, “and that’s if we resume in April. If this goes until May 11 or so, it’ll be catastrophic for the Moxi and (his restaurant) Luna’s both.”Dan England and Valerie Vampola · Mar 25, 2020

Bald man with glasses and a goatee in a pink paisley jacket rests his chin on his hands on a pink fur rug.

FeaturesOut Of The Perils: Old Man Saxon“This is like some horror movie shit.” Old Man Saxon is looking back on one of the scariest moments during the 13 months he was living in his 2001 Ford Explorer Sport while trying to “make it” in Los Angeles.Kyle Eustice · Mar 24, 2020

Four vertical panels show a man in a dark suit in glitch-effect repeats against red and teal stage lights.

MusicAlbum Review: Glass Cases – In BetweenIn Between, the debut album from Fort Collins trio Glass Cases, strives to relate to the band’s own demographic: a generation disillusioned with adulthood. Combining elements of synth-pop and alternative rock, Glass Cases create a vibe that’s both interesting and marketable. With rapid, spoken-word, and sung vocals that shine like Keane, Glass Cases’ topically relevant lyrics about social media and insecurity hit close to home for any millennial or gen Z-er. The band’s originally planned release show at Red Rocks Amphitheatre March 21 was to be their debut at the famed venue, but has been cancelled due to coronavirus precautions.Valerie Vampola · Mar 21, 2020

Bearded man in a maroon shirt sits by a wooden upright piano in a living room with a lamp and abstract painting.

FeaturesMax Barcelow: The Fragile Big Time and Saying YesMax Barcelow’s life as a professional musician in Fort Collins has had plenty of twists and turns. Drumming for prolific folk artist Gregory Alan Isakov, he’s played Red Rocks, in Europe, with the Colorado Symphony and attended this year’s Grammy ceremony on January 26 at The Staples Center, long dubbed “Kobe’s House,” on the day of Kobe Bryant’s death. An evening torn between celebrating music and hastily trying to address and honor Bryant, Barcelow witnessed the pomp and grandeur of the Grammy’s while being reminded of how no one can escape life’s fragility – even with success and money. “It’s funny how death just brings it all back home,” Barcelow said.Laura Giagos · Mar 17, 2020

Four young men in jackets and caps stand before a pale green wall with a framed tree print.

MusicAlbum Review: safekeeper – bummer beach bonanzaWhen it comes to good music in Northern Colorado, everyone has their own approach. Some seek perfection with meticulous engineering, and then there are bands like safekeeper who just don’t give a shit. “bummer beach bonanza” (out March 21) is a glorious mess, painting a dreary, apathetic picture, but the lo-fi quality gives it charm and that extra something special you need in making a stand-out indie rock record.Laura Giagos · Mar 7, 2020