Julio Perez, lead singer of This Broken Beat has the kind of pop-rock cross-over voice that would make Adam Levine turn his chair around. Perez’ tenor shows clear Ed Sheeran influences, and with such an asset at the heart of their sound, it’s no wonder This Broken Beat shot for the stars on Far From Home.
Continue readingTag: colorado music
Single Review: Poinciana – Focus
“Focus” features tender vocals by lead singer Sawyer Davis and beautiful acoustic guitar picking, but Poinciana doesn’t abandon high-energy rock.
Continue readingINTHEWHALE Gets Real on Vanishing Point
What sets Eric Riley and Nate Valdez apart from other heavy acts isn’t their musicianship (though it is excellent) but their ability to translate unflinchingly raw moments into music. Starting with INTHEWHALE’s last EP, Dopamine, the band’s tone shifted from the sophomoric humor of their earlier releases to brutally honest explorations of the darker moments of life. These explorations continue on Vanishing Point. The band wrestles with pharmaceutical addiction, suicidal ideation and gentrification. The pain and anger is palpable.
Continue readingUPLIFT: 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.
Continue readingAlbum Review: No Hands Brass Band
No Hands Brass Band brings an upbeat New Orleans sound with considerable chops to Colorado, with their debut EP “Off The Curb.” It features an instrumental mixture of pop, jazz, funk, and traditional Dixieland swing through their original compositions and arrangements, and it shreds.
Continue readingAlways Moving: Graham Good & The Painters Bring the Optimism
“Keep believing in yourself. Keep believing in your dreams and the value you bring to the world,” Graham Good tells BandWagon. Good is the frontman of the Northern Colorado pop folk-rock outfit Graham Good & The Painters, and he delivers that statement with the well known blanket optimism he has towards life. This optimism has become a staple in his music and he sees spreading that positivity a part of his musical journey. “Just know there’s so much good you have to offer every second of the day,” Good says. “To spend that time thinking you’re not good enough, you’re underdelivering on what you’re capable of providing.”
Continue readingAlbum Review: Diez De León – Death of a Martyr, Birth of a Phoenix
What’s impressive about Death of a Martyr, Birth of a Phoenix from Diez De León is that the album occupies two worlds simultaneously. It’s thoughtful, introspective and authentic, and effortlessly pairs it with the best qualities of modern hip-hop: catchy hooks, head-nodding grooves, and addressing the all-important question, “but does it slap?”
Formerly known as B.B.T.U.C. of Colorado rap trio Soul Brothers, Diez De León showcases a high level of artistic maturity on his debut album. Death of a Martyr, Birth of a Phoenix displays a degree of lyrical finesse that’s refreshing in today’s musical landscape.
Continue readingAlbum Review: The Cuddies – Fix It Myself
Greeley’s jazz-leaning (Hannah &) The Cuddies put on a rock show, but shine in moments of intimacy on their full-length debut Fix It Myself, a gloss-rock review via theatrical means. The band flexes their arrangement chops with big horns and fast guitars, offering tricky rhythms in the vocal. Akin to female-fronted bands like Letters to Cleo or the Cardigans, the Cuddies cleverly twist the unexpected into four-on-the-floor fun.
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