Community

Ben Chapman: The Trail to and from Nashville

The heart of country music lives in Nashville, and Red Dirt Country artist Ben Chapman is capturing the heart of the city after his last two records and national tour with Lainey Wilson. With his …

Arrested Development’s Speech Remains Steadfast In His Message

Arrested Development played Washington’s in Fort Collins on February 27, 2020, just days before COVID-19 shuttered the live music industry. Anyone who caught the show was greeted by the same positive, Afrocentric vibes the kaleidoscopic …

Carti Ferrari Set to Release New Album, You’ll Burn Your Eyes Out

The Sounds and Stories Behind The Work The last four years have produced a definite truth: change is the only constant. Some may say change is the easiest part of the journey, but moving on …

Why David Cross Will Never Quit Stand-Up

The Comedian, Writer & Actor Talks Parenting & Life On The Road David Cross is perhaps best known from his role as the naive and tumultuous psychiatrist Tobias Futge on FOX’s Arrested Development. His voice …

Colorado Singer-Songwriter Nathaniel Riley Pours Emotion into “Bird Songs.”

Rootsy Fort Collins singer-songwriter Nathaniel Riley can’t help but pour his emotional life into music. To him, songwriting isn’t just art, “storytelling” or entertainment, it’s a way to sort things out and heal old wounds. …

MonoNeon is Bringing his Bass Magic to The Aggie

Memphis native Dwayne Johnson Jr., who plays under the pseudonym MonoNeon, is an otherworldly talent. A prodigious bass player, the 32-year-old musician began playing guitar at just four years old—but not exactly in the traditional …

Milquetoast Renditions A Timeless Classic On “Nights In White Satin”

Frontman James McAndrew and bassist Dan Zangari from the Denver-based sextet Milquetoast & Co. were out on the golf course when they spoke with BandWagon Magazine about their nostalgic new single, “Nights in White Satin.” …

It’s OK To Feel Blue, Just Don’t Rap About It

DNA Picasso Deconstructs Vulnerability in Hip-Hop with his New Album “The Colour Blü“ DNA’s DNA If you happen to run into Denver rapper DNA Picasso on the street, chances are he’ll be dressed in a …

Built To Spill: On Tour

Paranoia to Peace Doug Martsch is somewhere in Little Rock, Arkansas mid-tour with Built To Spill. He hasn’t ventured outside of the bus yet, but he hears it’s really hot. As the frontman for the …

Lindsey Jordan Doesn’t Want To Write Sad Songs— At Least Not Right Now

Snail Mail’s bandleader on love, existential dread and losing her voice Lindsey Jordan’s Pain and Healing Sometimes the best albums are born from the worst circumstances. When Lindsey Jordan first began to string chords, melodies …

Cursive Plays Domestica: Tim Kasher On The 2000 Album That Defined An Era 

Omaha in the 1990s was an indie rock incubator for a swathe of bands primarily signed to Saddle Creek Records. From Bright Eyes and Norman Bailer (which would eventually morph into The Faint) to Cursive …

Shine On: City of the Sun Aims To Bring Its Instrumental Brilliance To The World 

Zach Para and John Pita, collectively known as City of the Sun, recorded the Segunda Alma EP at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. With the concert industry brought to its proverbial knees, there was …

UPLIFT: FoCo – New Generation on the Rise

“My thinking was, ‘Yeah, get me off this bus,’” Andy Whilden said. He decided to leave touring as a musician for a job at The Matthews House, a place for underserved youth. 

Starting the Uplift: FoCo festival two years ago gave Whilden more personal satisfaction than he expected. The benefit festival will feature acts that are acoustically driven. “They can play any genre,” Whilden said of the house band, though the 2021 installment will also deliver something different, and, well, a little less tenured.

The Motet: Colorado Sound Featured Artist, October 2021

A motet, in Western classical music, is a composition, diverse in form and style, dating all the way back to medieval times; a polyphonic form described by scholars as “a piece of music in several parts.”

Today, we might call such a conglomeration simply … a jam. Maybe that’s where the head of drummer Dave Watts was in 1998 when he founded what would become one of Colorado’s (and the world’s) most well-loved live bands: The Motet.

Always laying on a fresh coat of funk, rock, soul and jazz, the band is known for surprising their die-hard audiences with top-tier special guests, but have other tricks, and indeed treats, up their sleeves too, especially for Halloween.

Lady Denim: Colorado Sound Spotlight Artist, September 2021

“We were desperately trying to stay optimistic,” Lady Denim’s lead vocalist Nick Lundeen tells BandWagon, “which – to be honest, was a lot easier said than done.”

On September 10, Fort Collins indie-pop quartet Lady Denim release “Loosely Held Hands” with plans to rock the block at Downtown Greeley’s Block Party festival that night in celebration of the EP’s release.

“Loosely Held Hands is about holding on to something during tough circumstances,” Lundeen says. “We became a lot more dependent on one another and the songwriting became more fluid.”

Buckle Up: FoCoMX Drive and Jive Continues Despite BoHo NoGo

Taking place on Sundays this month at the historic Holiday Twin Drive-In, FoCoMX: Drive and Jive continued its live offerings last month with further programming into August and beyond. Reimagining the series to feature a mix of established veteran Colorado acts as well as “discovery” artists from the region, Drive and Jive aims to build engaged audiences and more.

In light of yesterday’s news that the Bohemian Foundation’s recently announced Bohemian Light Music Festival is now in fact cancelled due to COVID precautions, the Drive and Jive series offers a live music format which has proved to function well under pandemic restrictions.

Bohemian Light Brings Heavy Hitters Back to Famed Fort Collins Festival

The Bohemian Foundation will put on a music festival this summer in downtown Fort Collins, and though the headliners are big names, fans of Bohemian Nights at NewWestFest should temper their expectations somewhat.

Dubbed the Bohemian Light Music Festival, free, live concerts will commence two nights instead of three, featuring psychedelic soul band Black Pumas and singer-songwriter Randy Newman, plus Shovels & Rope and dozens of Colorado’s top bands.

Make More Everything: FoCo Film and Music Collide and Connect

“A lot of people that are emotionally driven tend to gravitate towards the arts,” musician Maxwell Tretter tells BandWagon. “But, then they also hit this pivotal moment between the path of isolation or the path of connection. I’m sick of hearing about the tragic origin story. I want to hear about the well connected, like, ‘life went great for me and I made amazing shit’ story.”

And thus sparked Make More Everything, a “game of telephone between writers, musicians and visual artists.” Tretter collaborated with film-slam organizer Jesse Nyander, culminating in a bonanza, multi-media event Friday, July 2nd at The Lyric in Fort Collins.

For Life: Emily Nelson on The Drums

Emily Nelson had a feeling the universe had something in mind for her.

“The drums were just a fun way to get healthy again,” she said, “and a year later, Erica was there.”

Erica, Brown, the Denver blues diva and Greeley favorite, brought Nelson in to her all-woman band the Cast Iron Queens after several life-changing events gave Nelson the strength not to be paralyzed by perfectionism.

Failure to launch: Shuttered Venue Operators Grant application is delayed after months of anticipation

For the past three-and-a-half months, independent venue owners around the country have anxiously awaited an application for the now $16 billion in grant funds that the U.S. Congress allocated to “shuttered venues” at the end …

Just Wanna Have Funds: Did the Colorado Arts Relief Grant Support the Organizations it Intended?

Over 63 days, Colorado Creative Industries (CCI), created a set of criteria, launched an application, administered the selection process and allocated just under $6 million to organizations and businesses state-wide including music venues.

“We were given the charge to distribute the funding as quickly as possible,” a CCI spokesperson told BandWagon.

This hasty allocation of public funds was met with cynical speculation from independent venue owners who were not awarded money. 

Until now, the controversy over the grant has remained purely speculative. No one has pointed to specific evidence of nepotism or neglect on CCI’s part. But, thanks to the Colorado Open Records Act, BandWagon was able to obtain a copy of the scoring rubric used to evaluate grant applicants.

Arts Funding Rubric

Click HERE to read the original Bill 20B-001 And Click HERE for a complete list of which entities received funding and how much each venue was awarded.

BandWagon Magazine Battle of the Bands

Join us for the Final Round of BandWagon Magazine Battle of the Bands! These four great Northern Colorado acts battled it out in early 2020, and the time has come to pick a winner! Grand …

Stayin’ Alive: Unconventional Venues Save The Scene

When Ben Mozer was 14, he took a trip to Spain with his family. Across from their hotel, a theater was playing the newly released hit Pulp Fiction, which he and his brother had been unable to see in the U.S. due to its R rating. But what stuck with him after the movie was over wasn’t Samuel L. Jackson’s iconic monologue. What stuck with him was the theater. 

Earlier this winter, Mozer’s Fort Collins movie theater the Lyric was one of the only venues in Northern Colorado that was still producing live music.

And Mozer isn’t the only one finding a creative way to amplify local sounds. This winter, Dan Mladenik has tapped local talent for the Mishawaka-produced Live on the Lanes series at Chipper’s Lanes, converting a bowling alley into a cosmic live music experience.

Turning The Dial: Radio’s Stu Haskell Passes On

Stu Haskell shot rattlesnakes for fun and shot tequila with co-workers. But he also wore a suit and tie to work every day and understood the sales part of radio as well the programming, to …

They Saved Our Stages: Pandemic Relief saves hundreds of stages just before the deadline

The “SOS” in Save Our Stages was a bit of a happy accident, but it also wasn’t a coincidence. The $15 billion in grants set aside for locally owned venues, movie theaters and performance halls ...

Walking The Walk: New Greeley Murals Celebrate and Beautify the way Downtown

For her new mural on the Maddie Apartments in Downtown Greeley, Betony Coons found herself challenged with how to include Union Colony’s most famous principle: temperance. Not only is “the active moderation of libation intake” hard to paint, but ironically, one of the reasons downtown Greeley continues to thrive is the world class breweries and distilleries it inspired.

Greeley Celebrates Dia de Los Muertos

To honor the memory of their deceased loved ones, the peoples of ancient mesoamérica (e.g., the Azteca, Tolteca, and Olmeca) held elaborate festivals and processions with music, dance, food, and flowers. Today, the tradition—known as Día de Los Muertos (Day of the Dead)—is continued by Mexicans, Mexican Americans, and the U.S. mainstream society as well. Celebrations take place on November 1st and 2nd.

Multicultural Festival Shines Light on Greeley’s Diversity

As the time goes by, the fabric of Greeley is changing. With over 65 languages spoken in Weld County’s school district alone, it is clear that our beautiful city is growing, being woven into a colorful, unique tapestry. Realizing this, community members decided it was time to celebrate this diversity on a local level and partnered with the Downtown Development Authority to create the 2017 Greeley Multicultural Festival.  

Fort Collins Is a Thriving Music Hub

Fort Collins, Colorado is a collaborative, non-competitive, startup music city without a big ego. This is a city built for musicians by musicians. For over ten years, musicians laid the groundwork for the next golden era of “musicprenuers“ by constructing an ecosystem built on encouragement, support, and empowerment. This shifts the paradigm and disrupts the music industry systems of the past.

It Takes Courage: Greeley’s Mural Scene Goes to New Heights

“Wes has been exploring courage for some time now,” Silva explained, “as far as his work goes, and it just so happens that I’ve been exploring the symbol of the heart. How it’s a thing we all have, to have life, it’s something we have reference to. We dug deeper into these two things, and we find that they actually have a common root. So we decided to go from there and grow from that.”

Aaron David Best

Over the last few years, a culture of muralists and visual artists have emerged in Northern Colorado. These artists, embraced by the local community and business owners, brought vibrancy to many of the empty walls the residents have known for so long.

New Partnership Brings New Energy Into Fort Collins Venue

Hodi’s Half Note has been a long time staple of the Northern Colorado music scene. Once known as The Starlight, it has changed hands several times over the years but it has always served as one of the best places to catch local and national music in Ft. Collins.

Book Review: Life vs. Death Revised: My Life Story, By Beef Sloan

Long Time Greeley Resident Beef Sloan is the taxi-man you call when you need to ride anywhere in town, unless you call Stacey and Sassy. A few years ago, however, we at BandWagon were introduced to him when his self-published autobiography Life vs. Death came out. Yes, you can get it on Amazon and Goodreads, but there are print copies out there, which we got our hands on. The new revision of Sloan’s book, that is.

BandWagon Thoughts: A Breakdown on Booking Your Band

So you’ve written a handful of songs and your post reggae swing fusion band is ready for the next level, how do you proceed? As a witness to the lower levels of band development I have compiled a basic list of steps to get that post reggae swing fusion sound into the ears of possibly dozens of potential fans.

String Cheese Incident at Red Rocks is a long awaited return to sacred ground

    String Cheese Incident and Nahko and Medicine for the People at Red Rocks 07/26/15 BandWagon Magazine Mark Rudolph A beautiful sunny day at the spiritual Red Rocks Amphitheater was the perfect way to …

Lifting the World to the Highest Vibration: Mike Love At ARISE Music Festival

Hailing from the island of Oahu, Hawaii Mike Love was a powerful force at the ARISE music festival this weekend. The islander preformed top tracks from his two albums and a few from his upcoming release entitled Love Will Find A Way. This 35-year-old family man is well grounded in his life and career sharing the stage with artist such as Nahko and Medicine For the People, Jack Johnson and the John Butler Trio. His music settles between the genres of conscious roots rock reggae and his presence at Arise was befitting for a festival in which the motto was “More than a festival, it’s a movement.”

Propia Tejano música de Greeley: Poquito maz

Ganadores de la Batalla de las Bandas de Colorado del Norte y Los Campeonatos de la Feria Estatal de Colorado, Poquito Maz comparte su emocionante música tejana con sus fans y comunidad. Además de ser completamente originarios de Greeley, desde su establecimiento en 1989, han encabezado en la escena de música tejana aquí como banda tejana más larga permanecida en nuestro sector. En una entrevista con los miembros declararon que tienen grabados dos CDs de su música vieja y tres “un-released” álbumes con su sonido más reciente.

The All-American Musical That Honors Our All-America City

“Clearly there’s something happening here that is worthwhile, so let’s talk about why we like Greeley,” says Mothershed and thus emerged a production about just that–Greeley.

Repeated in a quote, this sounds unintentionally cheesy and was far from the original vision for the show Oh Greeley! An All American Musical. It seeded from an eye opening visit to Greeley’s historical museum and playful musical banter about Prohibition. Under the company and troupe of Cheaply Intellectual Theater, Mothershed, Eric Long and Shane White compiled their historical interests and gave birth to a hilariously entertaining and witty production about the town.

BandWagon Choice Awards at The Moxi Theater

This weekend marked the first annual Bandwagon People’s Choice Awards hosted at the Moxi Theater. Modeled after, you guessed it, the People’s Choice Awards, Greeley’s own music and culture magazine founded the event in order to recognize your favorite bands and the people who are transforming the Northern Colorado music scene.

From All Star to Ah Shit: Smashmouth Unleashes on Bread Throwing Fans At Taste of Fort Collins

There are several issues going on with the whole Smash Mouth incident that occurred over the weekend. Granted, they are one of the last bands on Earth that should have been booked, well, anywhere, but lead singer Steve Harwell should have been able to deliver his god awful music in peace.

Friday Fest: Cale Dodds @The Penalty Box

Photography by Dylan Adams BandWagon Magazine

The Historic Vanguard Jazz Orchestra

If it’s not already evident, maintaining a band presidency for forty-nine years is a pretty impressive feat, especially when the band is a 16 member jazz ensemble that came about during a racially tense America in the ‘60s. The Vanguard Jazz Orchestra has welcomed several top named professionals in the industry and undergone a succession of directors, but they’ve consistently produced lively, intricate jazz performances throughout their existence. They currently post up in New York City performing the historically reputable Village Vanguard, where they’ve been a weekly headline for decades. The VJO have successively preserved the initiative of big band music against all popularity odds allowing their talent to transcend listeners back and forth through time.

The Amazing Deborah Brown

From Kansas City, Missouri to the farthest borders of Indonesia, renowned jazz soul singer Deborah Brown has been establishing footholds in contemporary jazz for over thirty years. Her discography expands 26 albums and as jazz is inevitably a list of collaborations, Brown’s book includes legends such as pianist Monty Alexander, trombonist Slide Hampton, double-bassist Red Mitchell and trumpeter Clark Terry among others. All big names aside, Brown has made her own path in jazz and although her music isn’t as prevalent on American radio, with good reason she doesn’t mind that her talent has a greater influence on the international jazz community.

The Legendary Chris Potter

Chris Potter is no stranger to hard work and the nature of the beast that is the professional jazz world. With over fifteen album releases and 150 guest spots on records of some of the most prolific musicians in the industry (a list that includes Steeley Dan for all you non-jazz heads out there) Chris Potter sits in the top echelon of saxophonists in an ever changing and modernizing international scene.

Bijou Creek Winery: A New Home for Greeley’s Wine Lovers

Now wine lovers in Greeley have a place to call home, and it is Bijou Creek Winery, located just off of West 10th Street. Erwin Hillman, owner of the winery and tasting room, is originally from Greeley, but got his start in Fort Morgan, making wine as a hobby and selling his product throughout the state to varying degrees of success.

Misfits for Music’s Sake: Hypnotic Vibes Wins Battle of the Bands

They are six distinct characters that don’t initially seem to match one another. A juggler, a poet, a bilinguist, a mechanical mind, a beat-boxer, and a Rubik’s cube master, are all musicians with a singular vision: to play good music. And that vision won this funkadelic reggae band the 2014 BandWagon Magazine Battle of the Bands.

Just Another Day in Cupid’s House of Pain

There’s an unspoken understanding to Valentine’s day that says if you’re single you should hate it, but if you’re in a relationship you should flaunt it, and then there’s the Valentine’s extremists who unrealistically idolize the act of falling in love all together. It’s not defined that the people who are unhappy with Valentine’s day are the singletons. Human beings are unhappy with being told how and when they should love someone. Instead of just hiding behind our expectations of companionship, let’s full on rip it apart so that only the loudest and strongest represent what the ancient Romans had in mind for Valentine’s Day.

Brix TapHouse and Brewery: Tapping into Greeley’s Expanding Downtown

“We love it here,” says Hiatt, who was born and raised in Greeley. The bar will feature 60 different brews, all native to Colorado. The Brix team brings patrons the rarest and best beers in the state, saving them an onerous road-trip throughout the state in a search of over 200 localized breweries. Brix will also feature three “brewed in-house” beers.

Take It Out Back: City Council Bans the Use Of E-Cigarettes and Vaporizers in Public Places

Greeley’s smoke-free law, an ordinance passed in 2003 (9.44.020 of Greeley’s Municipal Code), was motioned to include electronic smoking devices in October 2014. The ordinance prohibits smoking where second hand impacts can be experienced by bystanders. The citizen-initiative was brought to city council to expand this definition to include e-cigarettes and vaporizers, but wasn’t decided and passed until Jan. 20 with a 6-1 vote to ban the use of e-cigarettes in public places.

Greeley-based Company Paves the Way for Commercial Use

Drone technology has become a hot button issue in American society and by and large represents the coming age of the robotics industry. As the technology becomes more affordable, its commercial uses begin to look more and more practical. Now, many companies find themselves fighting through red tape for a chance to bring their services to the public.

In the basement of the Macy Jones Collective in Greeley, Colorado is Cloudgate Aerial Cinematography, is one such company. Cloudgate Aerial Cinematography specializes in video production using Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAVs) more commonly known as drones. Blayne Chastain, 39, and Phil Van Drunen, 31, started the company around April 2013 and have worked on their own film projects along with a commercial for the “Greeley Unexpected” campaign. But, due to issues within the Federal Aviation Administration, the two now find themselves waiting for a solution to legal problems that have grounded other aerial photography companies in the United States.

To Vape or Not to Vape: New Smoking Ordinance Threatens Growing Industry

It’s not what you’re smoking but where you’re smoking, that seems to be the consensus of Greeley’s city council as they schedule their final reading for banning public use of e-cigarettes for January 6th. The citizen’s initiative to ban e-cigarettes was set for October, but after members of the community encouraged they reevaluate their assumptions that vaporizers be classified and banned like cigarettes, the issue was tabled.

BandWagon Thoughts: Why Hipsters and “Lumbersexuals” Know Nothing

Supposedly, people my age are a forward looking, urban-focused generation. Yet they have an appreciation – no, a fetish – for the blue collar/outdoorsy/rural lifestyle, which I live. For example, The Atlantic recently ran a piece on “Lumbersexuals,” which are hipsters who dress like lumberjacks to feel more manly. Imagine Greeley fixture Paul Beveridge with more plaid, more beard and an axe.

A Campaign for Unrelenting Terror: “North Woods” Indie-GoGo fundraiser ends soon!

Over a year ago, BandWagon Magazine spoke to local horror filmmaker Jason Kasper on his project, North Woods, a retro slasher film in the vein of Evil Dead and Phantasm. The film now boasts the …

Good Vibe Accoustic Studio

On Saturday, September 6, Ren Merry, Lindsay Davis and Daniel Bisceglia gathered before an audience in a small studio on 8th Avenue for their first group performance. Merry is a classical guitarist and a teacher at Frontier Academy who’s been playing for 35 years. Bisceglia, also a teacher from Frontier, has only been playing for 15 years, while Davis, a yoga teacher and violinist, has been playing her instrument for 20 years.

Broken Plow Brewery

Greeley is currently home to Crabtree Brewery, Wiley Roots, and Syntax, but those living near 8th Avenue might not be aware of another brewery located in town on West 10th Street. The place in question is Broken Plow Brewery, which opened up back in January, brews ten regular beers and two seasonal beers, and while a few restaurants have some of Broken Plow’s brews on tap, you can really only sample their unique beers at the Brewery, located at 4731 W 10th St.

Greeley Attempts to Break World Chalk Record

On September 6th, 2014 citizens of Greeley, Colorado will draw 3.7 miles of pavement chalk art in the parking lots surrounding UNC’s main campus in order to break the previous record made on June 5th, 2009 in Jena, Germany. Students of Jena completed the longest chalk art at 3.47 miles, made up of 6 foot by 6 foot square segments.

Building Family, Not Finances: New Mural Shows Zoe’s Coffee Connection

A cup of coffee from local café Zoe’s is not only freshly pressed but the beans travel 4,000 miles from Peru to their café. Zoe’s chooses to directly trade their coffee from the Quispe family in Villa Rica Peru where Benjamin, Anita and their three daughters, Valeria, Anna Marie and Linsi manage a small coffee farm. The small Christian family in Peru offered Zoe’s direct trade after the chance meeting from a mission trip to Lima in 2009. Anita and her family believed that destiny was pointing the family towards business with Zoe’s not only to expand their welfare as a family but to extend their faith across the Atlantic.

UNC’s Jazz Festival Profile: Swingle Singers

Recently, a viral video surfaced of a construction worker boarding a crowded subway train. He starts beat boxing, using a cardboard coffee cup to amplify the sounds coming out of his mouth. After some bewildered stares another passenger starts singing. And then another. And another.

MTV’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.

Business Profile: Moody’s American Grill

Tim Veldhuizen took a chance in opening a more casual restaurant downtown, after the great success of his cool upscale steak joint, The Chophouse on 8th street. He was inspired by the opportunity to cater a more casual burger and salad diner.

Atlas Presents: The Screwtape Letters

C.S. Lewis has long been known for his ability to tell a creative engaging story while also delving into serious theological and religious matters. His works create platform for discussing such topics in a manner that is compelling and appealing to a large audience. Such is the case for The Screwtape Letters, a piece comprised of correspondence from a senior demon to a new recruit, providing a picture of the temptation to engage in harmful or destructive activities or lifestyles.

Portals in Greeley? Ingress the Game of Cellular Domination

The genius of Ingress is its integration with Google Maps and, by extension, the real world. Any given landmark around your town or the world can be a portal. Downtown Greeley itself is packed with them—the gazebos, statues, and odd architectural bits are almost all portals in the game, all ripe for contention between the Enlightened and Resistance.

The Gambler Returns to Its Roots

The Gambler and Garden City is happily reunited with an old familiar name that has come back to retake its throne as Northern Colorado’s premier hang out for live country music.

Help Complete “North Woods!”

You might have seen the above flyer around town the past month. It’s not an actual missing person. It’s for the IndieGoGo campaign for the indie horror film North Woods.

Greeley Scooters Set Up Shop

The last time BandWagon spoke with the pair, both said they had no intention of opening up a shop. What’s changed?

Saving the Chappelow Dance Program: A Mission For Greeley

Andrea Leggett is spearheading a campaign to save the dance program at Chappelow K-8 Arts Literacy Magnet School. The school, located in Evans, is losing the dance program due to district budget cuts. An indiegogo campaign is currently underway to attempt to reinstate the dance program.

Rolling with Rodney: 16th St. Celebrates 3rd Annual Bikes on the Patio

Each year Madison and Main gallery does a members-only show. Their contributing members create art in their medium that revolves around a particular theme. Last years’ theme was motion. This years’ theme: bikes. Barns is the director of the show and has himself created pottery plates decorated with gear-like shapes.

A Place to Stay: Helping the Fort Collins Youth One Punk at a Time

There are a handful of charities that provide shelter for the homeless people of northern Colorado, but are only geared towards families, have religious affiliations, or their services are not available twenty-four hours a day.

Trichome and Crabtree Brewery Share Passion for Beer

Bassist and vocalist for Trichome, Dave Frediani, began homebrewing a year ago and has found a perfect blend of music and beer with the introduction of Crabtree’s new brew: Trichome Colorado Wheat.

Saturday Night of the Blues Jam @ Island Grove Park!

Saturday night of the Greeley Blues Jam saw many great bands play at the Island Grove Regional Park and there was plenty of fun to be had.

Greeley Blues Kicks Off 9th Year

On June 7th at Island Grove, the Greeley Blues Jam will be showcasing legendary British blues musician John Mayall who will be headlining the event. The ninth year of the festival, the Blues Jam has become an event that draws people in across the nation and provides an outlet for appreciation of the blues here in Colorado. It’s in no small part thanks to Greeley residents Pam Bricker and her husband, Al.

Local Business: Bizarre Bazaar

Vinyl lovers have a new haven in Fort Collins. The Bizarre Bazaar is a relatively new record and book store located on Linden Street, run by Jane Makarchuk and her husband Scott. Makarchuk said her family is from the northeast and had run a bookstore before.

Metal Work at Syntax with Heater Bean and Ryne Sherman

Bean and Ryne create functional metal work with funky industrial designs. Learning from family and friends, they have picked up bits and pieces of technical knowledge over the years, and used that to create works using skills like welding, soldering, steam fitting and steel production.

Local Business: The Book Rack of Greeley

Loaded with used and new books of all genres, The Book Rack a small place that much of Greeley probably is aware of, but has never stepped inside. The store has been at its current location on West 10th Street for ten years, but the Book Rack has been in Greeley since 1983.

Art Space Greeley’s First Friday Opening

April 5th saw the opening of a new art space in Greeley, adding to a blossoming art scene. Dubbed Art Space Greeley, it is established as a place for artists and members of the community to gather and participate in the artistic process. What does this mean? Well, that is question for Art Space Greeley.

Newest Fort Collins Bar to Feature Over 250 Whiskeys

A whiskey bar called William Oliver’s Publick House is opening in the predominantly beer-drinking community of Fort Collins. Founder Ryan Wallace said he believes a community of whiskey drinkers lies within.

Review: “Screams from the Inside of an Cardboard Box”

Screams from the Inside of an Cardboard Box was drawn by Luke Belsito over the course of two years. He possesses a rough but attractive drawing style that works well with the undeniably odd and at times fucked-up stories within the book. Screams is dark, but it also possesses a wicked sense of humor that will make you grin on occasion, even if you really shouldn’t.

Katie Mai’s “Good Intensions”

In her new show, opening Friday, February 1st, University of Northern Colorado artist Katie Mai is shaking the walls of the BandWagon Studio in a whole new way.

The Clay Center Fundraises for a Wood-Fired Kiln

Greeley’s art community has been growing rapidly over the past few years, guided by a few local art enthusiasts and supported by the large art department at the University of Northern Colorado. Places like The Clay Center of Northern Colorado, located in downtown Greeley, give people interested in learning and becoming a part of an art community a chance to do so without having to get a four-year degree to learn a skill.

Grand Re-Opening of Hodi’s Half Note

Hodi’s Half Note, bar and music venue in Fort Collins, is under new management and despite recent rumors is not up for sale or going under. The venue has been one of the few sources of exposure for smaller bands on the rise for many years in Fort Collins and this tradition is being revamped.

Florio’s Shoes: A Walk-In Tradition

Established in 1922, Florio’s shoe shop has served downtown Greeley for nine decades, becoming Greeley’s only full-service shoe store. BandWagon Magazine sat down with 59-year-old Greeley resident Mark Florio, who runs the family business with his brother Brian, to discuss the Ninth Street store’s history and goals.

5 Reasons You Should Go to Wine & Canvas

It’s at The Crvsh Room: This art gallery/bar/restaurant is the perfect setting for a fun painting event.  The space is casual, the decor clean and minimal. Artwork by local artists is displayed on the wall. …

Walking The Walk: New Greeley Murals Celebrate and Beautify the way Downtown

For her new mural on the Maddie Apartments in Downtown Greeley, Betony Coons found herself challenged with how to include Union Colony’s most famous principle: temperance. Not only is “the active moderation of libation intake” hard to paint, but ironically, one of the reasons downtown Greeley continues to thrive is the world class breweries and distilleries it inspired.

Aaron David Best

Over the last few years, a culture of muralists and visual artists have emerged in Northern Colorado. These artists, embraced by the local community and business owners, brought vibrancy to many of the empty walls the residents have known for so long.

Greeley Attempts to Break World Chalk Record

On September 6th, 2014 citizens of Greeley, Colorado will draw 3.7 miles of pavement chalk art in the parking lots surrounding UNC’s main campus in order to break the previous record made on June 5th, 2009 in Jena, Germany. Students of Jena completed the longest chalk art at 3.47 miles, made up of 6 foot by 6 foot square segments.

Building Family, Not Finances: New Mural Shows Zoe’s Coffee Connection

A cup of coffee from local café Zoe’s is not only freshly pressed but the beans travel 4,000 miles from Peru to their café. Zoe’s chooses to directly trade their coffee from the Quispe family in Villa Rica Peru where Benjamin, Anita and their three daughters, Valeria, Anna Marie and Linsi manage a small coffee farm. The small Christian family in Peru offered Zoe’s direct trade after the chance meeting from a mission trip to Lima in 2009. Anita and her family believed that destiny was pointing the family towards business with Zoe’s not only to expand their welfare as a family but to extend their faith across the Atlantic.

Help Complete “North Woods!”

You might have seen the above flyer around town the past month. It’s not an actual missing person. It’s for the IndieGoGo campaign for the indie horror film North Woods.

Saving the Chappelow Dance Program: A Mission For Greeley

Andrea Leggett is spearheading a campaign to save the dance program at Chappelow K-8 Arts Literacy Magnet School. The school, located in Evans, is losing the dance program due to district budget cuts. An indiegogo campaign is currently underway to attempt to reinstate the dance program.

Rolling with Rodney: 16th St. Celebrates 3rd Annual Bikes on the Patio

Each year Madison and Main gallery does a members-only show. Their contributing members create art in their medium that revolves around a particular theme. Last years’ theme was motion. This years’ theme: bikes. Barns is the director of the show and has himself created pottery plates decorated with gear-like shapes.

Metal Work at Syntax with Heater Bean and Ryne Sherman

Bean and Ryne create functional metal work with funky industrial designs. Learning from family and friends, they have picked up bits and pieces of technical knowledge over the years, and used that to create works using skills like welding, soldering, steam fitting and steel production.

Art Space Greeley’s First Friday Opening

April 5th saw the opening of a new art space in Greeley, adding to a blossoming art scene. Dubbed Art Space Greeley, it is established as a place for artists and members of the community to gather and participate in the artistic process. What does this mean? Well, that is question for Art Space Greeley.

Review: “Screams from the Inside of an Cardboard Box”

Screams from the Inside of an Cardboard Box was drawn by Luke Belsito over the course of two years. He possesses a rough but attractive drawing style that works well with the undeniably odd and at times fucked-up stories within the book. Screams is dark, but it also possesses a wicked sense of humor that will make you grin on occasion, even if you really shouldn’t.

Katie Mai’s “Good Intensions”

In her new show, opening Friday, February 1st, University of Northern Colorado artist Katie Mai is shaking the walls of the BandWagon Studio in a whole new way.

The Clay Center Fundraises for a Wood-Fired Kiln

Greeley’s art community has been growing rapidly over the past few years, guided by a few local art enthusiasts and supported by the large art department at the University of Northern Colorado. Places like The Clay Center of Northern Colorado, located in downtown Greeley, give people interested in learning and becoming a part of an art community a chance to do so without having to get a four-year degree to learn a skill.

5 Reasons You Should Go to Wine & Canvas

It’s at The Crvsh Room: This art gallery/bar/restaurant is the perfect setting for a fun painting event.  The space is casual, the decor clean and minimal. Artwork by local artists is displayed on the wall. …

Failure to launch: Shuttered Venue Operators Grant application is delayed after months of anticipation

For the past three-and-a-half months, independent venue owners around the country have anxiously awaited an application for the now $16 billion in grant funds that the U.S. Congress allocated to “shuttered venues” at the end …

Arts Funding Rubric

Click HERE to read the original Bill 20B-001 And Click HERE for a complete list of which entities received funding and how much each venue was awarded.

Stayin’ Alive: Unconventional Venues Save The Scene

When Ben Mozer was 14, he took a trip to Spain with his family. Across from their hotel, a theater was playing the newly released hit Pulp Fiction, which he and his brother had been unable to see in the U.S. due to its R rating. But what stuck with him after the movie was over wasn’t Samuel L. Jackson’s iconic monologue. What stuck with him was the theater. 

Earlier this winter, Mozer’s Fort Collins movie theater the Lyric was one of the only venues in Northern Colorado that was still producing live music.

And Mozer isn’t the only one finding a creative way to amplify local sounds. This winter, Dan Mladenik has tapped local talent for the Mishawaka-produced Live on the Lanes series at Chipper’s Lanes, converting a bowling alley into a cosmic live music experience.

They Saved Our Stages: Pandemic Relief saves hundreds of stages just before the deadline

The “SOS” in Save Our Stages was a bit of a happy accident, but it also wasn’t a coincidence. The $15 billion in grants set aside for locally owned venues, movie theaters and performance halls ...

Fort Collins Is a Thriving Music Hub

Fort Collins, Colorado is a collaborative, non-competitive, startup music city without a big ego. This is a city built for musicians by musicians. For over ten years, musicians laid the groundwork for the next golden era of “musicprenuers“ by constructing an ecosystem built on encouragement, support, and empowerment. This shifts the paradigm and disrupts the music industry systems of the past.

New Partnership Brings New Energy Into Fort Collins Venue

Hodi’s Half Note has been a long time staple of the Northern Colorado music scene. Once known as The Starlight, it has changed hands several times over the years but it has always served as one of the best places to catch local and national music in Ft. Collins.

Bijou Creek Winery: A New Home for Greeley’s Wine Lovers

Now wine lovers in Greeley have a place to call home, and it is Bijou Creek Winery, located just off of West 10th Street. Erwin Hillman, owner of the winery and tasting room, is originally from Greeley, but got his start in Fort Morgan, making wine as a hobby and selling his product throughout the state to varying degrees of success.

Greeley-based Company Paves the Way for Commercial Use

Drone technology has become a hot button issue in American society and by and large represents the coming age of the robotics industry. As the technology becomes more affordable, its commercial uses begin to look more and more practical. Now, many companies find themselves fighting through red tape for a chance to bring their services to the public.

In the basement of the Macy Jones Collective in Greeley, Colorado is Cloudgate Aerial Cinematography, is one such company. Cloudgate Aerial Cinematography specializes in video production using Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAVs) more commonly known as drones. Blayne Chastain, 39, and Phil Van Drunen, 31, started the company around April 2013 and have worked on their own film projects along with a commercial for the “Greeley Unexpected” campaign. But, due to issues within the Federal Aviation Administration, the two now find themselves waiting for a solution to legal problems that have grounded other aerial photography companies in the United States.

To Vape or Not to Vape: New Smoking Ordinance Threatens Growing Industry

It’s not what you’re smoking but where you’re smoking, that seems to be the consensus of Greeley’s city council as they schedule their final reading for banning public use of e-cigarettes for January 6th. The citizen’s initiative to ban e-cigarettes was set for October, but after members of the community encouraged they reevaluate their assumptions that vaporizers be classified and banned like cigarettes, the issue was tabled.

Good Vibe Accoustic Studio

On Saturday, September 6, Ren Merry, Lindsay Davis and Daniel Bisceglia gathered before an audience in a small studio on 8th Avenue for their first group performance. Merry is a classical guitarist and a teacher at Frontier Academy who’s been playing for 35 years. Bisceglia, also a teacher from Frontier, has only been playing for 15 years, while Davis, a yoga teacher and violinist, has been playing her instrument for 20 years.

Broken Plow Brewery

Greeley is currently home to Crabtree Brewery, Wiley Roots, and Syntax, but those living near 8th Avenue might not be aware of another brewery located in town on West 10th Street. The place in question is Broken Plow Brewery, which opened up back in January, brews ten regular beers and two seasonal beers, and while a few restaurants have some of Broken Plow’s brews on tap, you can really only sample their unique beers at the Brewery, located at 4731 W 10th St.

Business Profile: Moody’s American Grill

Tim Veldhuizen took a chance in opening a more casual restaurant downtown, after the great success of his cool upscale steak joint, The Chophouse on 8th street. He was inspired by the opportunity to cater a more casual burger and salad diner.

The Gambler Returns to Its Roots

The Gambler and Garden City is happily reunited with an old familiar name that has come back to retake its throne as Northern Colorado’s premier hang out for live country music.

Greeley Scooters Set Up Shop

The last time BandWagon spoke with the pair, both said they had no intention of opening up a shop. What’s changed?

Rolling with Rodney: 16th St. Celebrates 3rd Annual Bikes on the Patio

Each year Madison and Main gallery does a members-only show. Their contributing members create art in their medium that revolves around a particular theme. Last years’ theme was motion. This years’ theme: bikes. Barns is the director of the show and has himself created pottery plates decorated with gear-like shapes.

A Place to Stay: Helping the Fort Collins Youth One Punk at a Time

There are a handful of charities that provide shelter for the homeless people of northern Colorado, but are only geared towards families, have religious affiliations, or their services are not available twenty-four hours a day.

Trichome and Crabtree Brewery Share Passion for Beer

Bassist and vocalist for Trichome, Dave Frediani, began homebrewing a year ago and has found a perfect blend of music and beer with the introduction of Crabtree’s new brew: Trichome Colorado Wheat.

Local Business: Bizarre Bazaar

Vinyl lovers have a new haven in Fort Collins. The Bizarre Bazaar is a relatively new record and book store located on Linden Street, run by Jane Makarchuk and her husband Scott. Makarchuk said her family is from the northeast and had run a bookstore before.

Local Business: The Book Rack of Greeley

Loaded with used and new books of all genres, The Book Rack a small place that much of Greeley probably is aware of, but has never stepped inside. The store has been at its current location on West 10th Street for ten years, but the Book Rack has been in Greeley since 1983.

Newest Fort Collins Bar to Feature Over 250 Whiskeys

A whiskey bar called William Oliver’s Publick House is opening in the predominantly beer-drinking community of Fort Collins. Founder Ryan Wallace said he believes a community of whiskey drinkers lies within.

Grand Re-Opening of Hodi’s Half Note

Hodi’s Half Note, bar and music venue in Fort Collins, is under new management and despite recent rumors is not up for sale or going under. The venue has been one of the few sources of exposure for smaller bands on the rise for many years in Fort Collins and this tradition is being revamped.

Florio’s Shoes: A Walk-In Tradition

Established in 1922, Florio’s shoe shop has served downtown Greeley for nine decades, becoming Greeley’s only full-service shoe store. BandWagon Magazine sat down with 59-year-old Greeley resident Mark Florio, who runs the family business with his brother Brian, to discuss the Ninth Street store’s history and goals.

5 Reasons You Should Go to Wine & Canvas

It’s at The Crvsh Room: This art gallery/bar/restaurant is the perfect setting for a fun painting event.  The space is casual, the decor clean and minimal. Artwork by local artists is displayed on the wall. …

BandWagon Magazine Northern Colorado Premier Music Publication!

BandWagon Magazine Northern Colorado is a free monthly publication and marketing company, based out of our office inside Moxi Theater at 802 9th Street in Downtown Greeley, Colorado. Our goal is to help cultivate and report upon live music, arts, entertainment, nightlife, and community in Colorado.

Distributing over 15,000 copies of our magazine each month, we stretch across northern Colorado covering Greeley, Fort Collins, Loveland, Windsor, and more.  While our target audience is young adults ages 21-35, BandWagon reaches across multiple demographics with our publication.  Our articles cover a range of topics including album reviews, new songs on the radio, and full-page spreads on upcoming bands and tours to the area.  A special portion of our magazine also highlights up-to-date concert calendars for venues from Red Rocks Amphitheater in Denver to Hodi’s Half Note in Fort Collins to Mishawaka Amphitheater in Bellvue.

BandWagon Magazine Northern Colorado