BandWagon Magazine, December 2020: Thin Black Line: Venues Fight to Survive

Thin Black Line: Venues Fight to Survive, [vc_row][vc_column][vc_raw_html]JTNDaWZyYW1lJTIwYWxsb3dmdWxsc2NyZWVuJTNEJTIydHJ1ZSUyMiUyMGFsbG93JTNEJTIyZnVsbHNjcmVlbiUyMiUyMHN0eWxlJTNEJTIyYm9yZGVyJTNBbm9uZSUzQndpZHRoJTNBMTAwJTI1JTNCaGVpZ2h0JTNBNTAwcHglM0IlMjIlMjBzcmMlM0QlMjIlMkYlMkZlLmlzc3V1LmNvbSUyRmVtYmVkLmh0bWwlM0ZkJTNEYmFuZHdhZ29uX2RlY2VtYmVyXzIwMjBfd2ViJTI2dSUzRGJhbmR3YWdtYWclMjIlM0UlM0MlMkZpZnJhbWUlM0U=[/vc_raw_html][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text] In This Issue: John March, Musketeer Gripweed, Alright Alright, The Sickly Hecks, Enzi, Modern Leisure, People in General [/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]. 10,000 copies on the street from Cheyenne to Fort Collins.

FeaturesThe Thin Black Line: Venues Fight To Survive“It’s nowhere near the money I need to sustain, but I was lucky,” says Travis Ragan. Ragan was a partner in the Roxy Theater in Denver and the Mesa Theater in Grand Junction, booking shows in 15 different markets. Now he hauls equipment for his brother, a construction manager out of Colorado Springs. “I know venues are closing down, and yet, we have no leadership backing us and supporting us. We have no one telling us what we should do as opposed to what we shouldn’t do,” Ragan says. “The place is not made to be at a 250 person capacity,” Renee Jelenik says of The Lincoln Theater in Cheyenne, “and even then, it’s not like we sold out those shows. People just aren’t coming out.” “We’ve been asked to shut down, or told to shut down, for months now,” says Ely Corliss of The Moxi Theater in Greeley. “We’ve done that, and where are we now?”Dan England · Dec 3, 2020MusicVideo Premiere: The Sickly Hecks – “Four Years”Good music waits for no man, and pandemics make shit times for everyone, so what better time to release a sad-boy pop punk album?!Laura Giagos · Dec 4, 2020MusicSingle Review: Enzi – “Mad Chemistry”As with all of Enzi’s music, her full-throated vocal performance on “Mad Chemistry” carries the track. She croons through a hooky chorus while calling and responding to a many-layered harmony of her own voice. You get the feeling Enzi is jut getting started.Gabe Allen · Dec 7, 2020MusicAlbum Review: Musketeer Gripweed – More Than EverMusketeer Gripweed released “More Than Ever” late last month, taking their bluesy Americana sound and infusing it with gospel and soul. Gospel and soul sounds are appropriate for a project that was brought back to life after it was halted by COVID-19.Valerie Vampola · Dec 8, 2020FeaturesFor Once In My Life: John March Remembers Ted Greene.During the 2013 Colorado Floods, John March broke both of his elbows and then continued trying to make a living as a gigging guitarist despite crippling pain. “Two weeks later, I was playing at a fundraiser for people whose homes had been destroyed in the floods,” March said. MusiCares was the first organization to provide financial assistance to March, who is now donating a portion of the proceeds from his new album For Once In My Life to three charities, including MusiCares. The album is March’s second tribute to his former mentor and jazz guitar legend Ted Greene.Gabe Allen · Dec 9, 2020105.5 The Colorado Sound's Featured ArtistsThe Colorado Sound’s My5 – December 2020[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text] ((( Don’t forget: each My5 title is a link. Click on, NoCo! ))) Simply enough, here are my 5 fav holiday tunes. 1. Bruce Springsteen – “Merry Christmas, Baby” – I’ve seen him sing this and “Santa Claus Is Coming To Town” live a few times, and this Charles Brown tune really gets someKevin Johnston · Dec 10, 2020MusicAlbum Review: Alright Alright – CrucibleAlright Alright’s new album Crucible is an intimate experience with dreamy orchestration and relatable lyrics, something for which they are already known. But here, that intimacy is closer than before, like the genuine musings of a close friend.Valerie Vampola · Dec 14, 2020Single & Video Review: Modern Leisure – “Rita”Modern Leisure has, once again, harnessed millennial malaise and channeled it into an achingly beautiful 3-minute track.Gabe Allen · Dec 22, 2020