Tag: Gabe Allen

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The Collection: Better to Get Lost Than Never to Have Lived at All

February 11, 2022

On the last day of 2021, David Wimbish, a millennial, posted a viral video on TikTok. It’s is a perfect snapshot of what The Collection does best. The instrumentation is catchy and Wimbish inhabits the unambiguous emotion of the song with his vocal performance. The lyrics are intense, vulnerable and painfully relatable (“another lockdown stuck inside this shit town I can’t find a way round my intrusive thoughts now”). 

“I went from someone who was trying to please everyone, to someone who is outspoken about my sexuality,” Wimbish told BandWagon later. “Why are you so afraid of pleasure,” he sings in their new single ”Get Lost,” and this celebration of pleasure is on full display at the Collection’s live shows. Wimbish twirls his mic stand theatrically from among the folds of flowing white clothing and band members bounce around the stage wildly during instrumental breaks. Huge grins and perspiration are the band’s unofficial uniform.

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Writing at the Helm: Hunter James & The Titanic on the Creative Process

February 2, 2022

“A lot of bands say ‘well, we can’t box ourselves into a specific genre because we play funk and jazz and rock or whatever,’” Hunter James & the Titanic says. “It’s nice to be in a band that says, ‘we play rock and roll 109% of the time.’”

Hunter James & the Titanic refuse to be lured into the post-genre vortex despite that impossible percentage and their lineup of eclectic players. They play Americana — no caveats. Well maybe a couple.

“I really wanted to have this band feel really focused.” Hunter James explained. “But, there’s something inside of me that won’t let me just write like that. But, we always sound like us no matter what.”

In just three years, the band has put out an EP, five singles and two full-length LPs. Their latest album, 2021’s La Liberté, finds the band settled even deeper into a roots rock sound.

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Music, Print, Reviews

Album Review: The Matterhorn Project – Traveler

January 13, 2022

When the phrases “prog metal” and “solo studio project” occupy the about section of a band’s website, a couple of red flags go up. But Zahari Tzigularov, a Bulgarian-born long time Denverite and the mastermind behind The Matterhorn Project, has used his studio time well. Though his musicianship is apparent, his artistry is front and center. The 5-song EP is at once lush and foreboding. Tzigularov’s compositions weave between sludgy bass-driven riffs, wandering clean guitar melodies and fantastical whisper-growled lyrics.

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Mom Rock Wants To Kiss You On The Mouth

January 7, 2022

A few years ago, Mom Rock booked their first gig at The Garden, a notorious house on the Boston DIY basement show circuit. They were ecstatic… until they saw the 6 pm time slot. Barely anyone would be there. What happened next cemented the quartet as a fixture in the scene.

“We went up to play and the crowd was electric,” guitarist/singer Josh Polack told BandWagon. “It was the first time I ever crowd surfed during a guitar solo.”

“Our fans are the best people on earth,” guitarist/singer Curtis Heimburger said.

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Trash Cat and the Absurdity of the Human Experience

November 12, 2021

Greeley’s greatest-of-all-time cartoon-inspired indie funk rock band Trash Cat features Mary Claxton on lead vocals and electric ukulele, Hayden Farr on baritone sax and Brian Claxton on drum kit.

“Imagine you’re 13 years old and you’re trying to write about your innermost feelings,” Mary Claxton tells BandWagon of the band’s character writing. “It’s a lot to share. On some level I felt the same way about myself.”

Though all three members hold down day jobs and tour with The Burroughs, they have clearly carved out plenty of time for their “side project.” Their live performances are exceedingly danceable, and their recordings are meticulously produced. 

On December 3, Trash Cat will set the mood during rounds of cosmic bowling at Chippers Lanes in Fort Collins, marking the first ever live performance of the band’s sophomore album, The Tide.

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Wreckno: B-Queen Drops it Like a Boss

October 14, 2021

An unlikely icon has burst onto the EDM scene. Brandon Wisniski, known eponymously as Wreckno, creates earth-shaking bass drops, raps about pulling up on your dad and refers to himself as a “FULL TIME BUSSY BOPPER” on Twitter. He may be the biggest, loudest, gayest producer the bass scene has ever seen, and he’s just getting started.

Wisniski’s music melds together the aggression of old-school gangster rap with the manic energy of bass music and the glamour of a drag show. It’s a perfect fit, but it has never really been done before.

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Album Review: The Crooked Rugs – THAT!

October 5, 2021

There is a cultural, dad-inherited fondness for flipping through AM radio channels while driving late at night. The Crooked Rugs’ new LP, THAT! is what you’ve been searching for on that AM dial all of these years – something that manages to sound otherworldly and familiar at the same time, drawing from every era of psychedelic rock.

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The Infamous LP hits Edge Fest with Irreverent, Vulnerable Pop

August 13, 2021

“I don’t think they could deal with what I looked like and what I sounded like,” LP tells BandWagon.

“Jay-Z was there and L.A. Reid and everybody. They made me perform three or four songs in completely disparate directions. I was one of the artists dropped at the end of the session.”

Fourteen years later, LP is at the height of her career as an international pop star. She has billions of streams to her name and devout fans from Italy to Poland, Mexico and all over the world.

“It went from ‘who do you think you are?’ to ‘who are you?’,” she said.

On August 28, LP brings her irreverent, vulnerable, one-of-a-kind pop to Edge Fest; a free show in Cheyenne’s West Edge District with special guest Tai Verdes.

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