DIY Kick: Colorado’s Recording Industry Takes It Home

January 6, 2021

Independent artists made more music online and at home during lockdown, and recording studios have adapted. Mike Davis was uniquely prepared for this shift, founding Koncept Jewel Studios, an itinerant collection of recording equipment and instruments that operates wherever Davis happens to be living at the time. 

“It’s kind of an amorphous thing. I’ve moved around since I started it and plan to continue moving around,” he said.

This can-do, remote DIY sentiment is echoed by Ben Behrens of Wright Studios: “It doesn’t matter how cheap or weird your gear is. If it works, we can make something cool with it.”

Stone Cottage studios in Boulder has even turned its space into a stage for live-streaming artist performances online.

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Album Review: Chess At Breakfast – Wealthcare

May 7, 2019

“Wealthcare” is an eight track wander through the vast scope of Rock n’ Roll. Anxious yet contemplative, the new record from Chess At Breakfast burns hot at times with tracks like “Ambulance” and “POTUS Blues” but bounces quickly to the cool modes of “Hello Haunt” and “Glaciers.” “We love that super trapped-in-the-head kind of weird, wonky stuff,” says lead vocalist Caleb McFadden.

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Single Review: Chess At Breakfast – Paper Crane

November 27, 2018

With Paper Crane, Chess at Breakfast stay true to their blend of atmospheric psychedelia and gut-hammering riffs, paired with lyrical themes of despair, angst and fantasy. The band goes on a musical journey from soft and subtle, gradually building with spacey synth leads to an all-out head bang, complete with a Gilmour-esque guitar solo and vocal effects spiced in for grungy flavor. The track ends with a satisfying glam-rock supernova for its climactic finale.

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