Jenna McLean abandons the path of the lounge songstress, instead programming “Brighter Day” like a horn player. As winner of Downbeat’s 2018 Outstanding Vocal Jazz Soloist award in the graduate category, McLean has truly refined her craft.
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Old Ghosts Make For New Friends – A Diverse Greeley Brought To Life By Its Legends
Noel Johnston envisioned a play where the protagonists are group of smart, curious kids who are – most importantly – different from one another. Three speak Spanish and English fluently, and several other characters give a second language a solid effort. The Stampede Troupe premieres this original play February 22-23 in Downtown Greeley.
Continue readingAlbum Review: Pedro The Lion – Phoenix
After the release of Pedro The Lion’s 2004 record Achilles Heel, the term “emo” would be weaponised as a slur—by outsiders and longtime acolytes alike—and earnest and plaintive music was largely cast aside for the irreverent, angular, and abstract indie rock that would define much of the next decade. Fifteen years after the band’s last release, hordes of music listeners will gather in front of stages throughout 2019 t(including The Bluebird Feb 10) to see Pedro the Lion in support of its long-anticipated return on Polyvinyl Records.
Continue readingThe True Colors Of Silver & Gold
Silver & Gold’s new EP Color (out February 8) used the influence of a short production span, their closeness as a band (both geographically and emotionally) a man named Dan Diaz to create an album that stands out from the rest of their work.
Continue readingHeaven: Los Lonely Boys’ Jojo Garza On Living Their Dream
Jojo Garza laughs easily. The Los Lonely Boys vocalist/bassist — who plays at Washington’s in Fort Collins February 2 alongside his brothers Henry and Ringo — applies his positive attitude to everything he does, especially Los Lonely Boys’ music, though his brother suffered major injuries on stage in 2013. “Even to this day we’re feeling the after effects,” he admits. “It hasn’t gone away at all.”
Continue readingAlbum Review: Pie Lombardi – Worry Lines
Pie Lombardi’s second album “Worry Lines” presents a somewhat autobiographical outlook. It’s a coming of age, but not quite a blossoming into the expectations set for oneself. “I’m trying to get into a bigger scope of just writing and not really thinking about what it’s supposed to sound like,” Lombardi says. “Worry Lines” releases January 25 with a Moxi Theater appearance supporting Neyla Pekarek.
Continue readingAlbum Review: Kaitlyn Williams – Sunset
There’s a youthful power to Kaitlyn WIlliams’ lark-like breathiness. Her debut EP ‘Sunset’ reveals fun, Beyoncé-in-the-bathtub tones and vocal runs contrasting her stronger suit of vulnerable introversion a-la The Staves. Williams glides over electro-climaxes with cool touches of distant synth yowls. Slip into something more comfortable and prepare for a close, rewarding listen.
Continue readingOpen Fire – A Bond Forged By Metal
During a rare quiet moment the “Dave Cave,” a basement devoted to metal music, members of Open Fire remember the day Dave MacKenzie sent out the news that his son, Tyler, was killed in Iraq in 2005. Just two months before, they’d had so much fun playing their first big gig before thousands at the first “Thunder in the Rockies.” This month, Open Fire play their 14th anniversary show Saturday, January 26 at The Moxi Theater.
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