On (yes) Valentine’s Day, Colorado’s funky genre-hopping Shwarma continued their saga of madness with the Loveworthy Live EP, debuted as a live stream. In the video, the overtly-silly mix of tightly-arranged funk jams and melodramatic ballads is accompanied by a revolving door of meticulous costumes, sets and effects.
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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.
Continue readingTurning 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 …
Continue readingVideo Premiere: Isadora Eden – Ghosts
Denver singer/songwriter/shoegazer Isadora Eden’s history includes living in New Orleans and New York City where underground music scenes the likes of the late, great Sidewalk Cafe shaped her talent for forlorn, connectable music. The soft …
Continue readingSingle Premiere: Goth Club – Sweep Me Up
“Sweep Me Up” premieres via BandWagon today, and it’s a black lipstick affair. Goth Club’s third release, it sinks to the half-spoken, sultry depths of Monster Magnet’s “Paradise” or even Ramstein with an added layer of synths and old-school drum machines akin to an early Depeche Mode. McFadden looks directly into the black mirror on “Sweep Me Up,” finding shadows, distortion and sludge within it.
Continue readingThe Colorado Sound’s My5 – February 2021
Single Review: Retrofette – Photogenic
2021 is going to see Denver’s best synth pop outfit Retrofette become one of the biggest bands in Colorado. Stripping away the frill and grandeur of modern electronic music, their new single “Photogenic” is a simple yet textured synth number throwing back to groups like Hot Chip and Hercules & Love Affair. It’s clean, simple synth tones lay the groundwork for vocalist Sean Culliton’s cool, sultry mumble-like voice to set the mood.
Continue readingAlbum Review: Jess Parsons – Hear Me Calling
Stop sifting for obscure ‘70s soft-pop on Spotify playlists like “candle-lit living room slow dance” and buy Jess Parsons’ “Hear Me Calling.”
Denver’s Parsons knows well that charm and honesty go a long way. Often compared to Fleetwood Mac, she finds her true groove somewhere between Jenny Lewis, Aimee Mann and the disco side of Feist on her new EP “Hear Me Calling.” The record has a core of sweet, singer-songwriter sincerity, but keep a spot on your dance card free for that special someone, because it’s got hips.
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