Valerie Vampola

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MusicAlbum Review: Mr. Fredo – MovementFort Collins-based Fredo The Rapper brings intricate layerings in his new EP Movement, featuring his long-time collaborator, producer (and step-brother) Suburb based in Chicago, IL. The movement is chill, and his relaxed tone glides over the complex trap and lo-fi beats.Valerie Vampola · Nov 10, 2021MusicAlbum Review: No Hands Brass BandNo 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.Valerie Vampola · Nov 4, 2021ReviewsAlbum Review: Augustus – Ragtime WorldRagtime World, the new album from Boulder, CO’s Augustus mixes their psychedelic rock sound with classic rock vibes and folk, giving listeners no expectation of what will come next.Valerie Vampola · Oct 6, 2021FeaturesBirth of The Band: Delvon Lamarr Steps Into the Spotlight with DLO3.“When you believe in something, you don’t have to sell it,” Delvon Lamarr tells BandWagon. The Delvon Lamarr Organ Trio were playing festivals before they had recordings and the way Lamarr shreds across the keys and seamlessly grooves the organ pedals with his feet, you’d think he had been doing this his whole life. But he didn’t even touch an organ until his early 20s. And with guitarist Jimmy James and drummer Dan Weiss on board, Lamarr says “the combination felt unique and connected. No one person makes the band, but what puts it in perspective is all of us.”Valerie Vampola · Sep 15, 2021FeaturesRoll Over Reverend: Reverend Peyton’s Big Damn Band clings to nostalgia for Hard TimesThe Reverend Peyton always had an appetite for nostalgia – everything from the traditional country blues that influenced his guitar picking, to the vintage 1950’s outfits he and his wife Breezy wear on stage.Valerie Vampola · Aug 12, 2021MusicAlbum Review: Julie Koenig – Renaissance WomanJulie Koenig’s debut album explores what it means to be a woman – both the strengths and vulnerabilities – through the singer-songwriter genre and jazz. Unapologetic about her features and her attitude, Koenig uses them to draw strength and elicit feminist ideals, employing a fierce set of original lyrics on being rambunctious.Valerie Vampola · Aug 5, 2021MusicAlbum Review: Ms. Nomer – TAOTUNUFusion and rock group Ms. Nomer are releasing their debut full-length album TAOTUNU (IE; “things are on the up n up”) July 16 at the Aggie.Valerie Vampola · Jul 9, 2021MusicAlbum Review: Magic Beans – Slice Of LifeLongtime fans of Magic Beans keep coming back for their staple rock-funk sound, filled with high energy grooves and invigorating rock organ.Valerie Vampola · Jun 11, 2021MusicAlbum Review: LVDY – GoldThe Denver-based acoustic duo LVDY (pronounced “lady”) show what beautiful sounds two women and a guitar can make on their full-length album, Gold.Valerie Vampola · May 11, 2021MusicAlbum Review: Mlady – Maladaptive DaydreamingDenver-based Mlady’s full length album Maladaptive Daydreaming feels like its title: an atmosphere of vivid dreams told by lead singer Hannah Beeghly, accompanied by washy, pop orchestration. The record favors reversed reverb and atmospheric textures to fill out the sound of Beeghly’s forlorn, direct delivery. Songs such as “Sadder Days” and “When Do You Know”Valerie Vampola · May 4, 2021FeaturesTom Amend: Ditching the Band Scene for an Improvised Life~ It Don’t Mean a Thing if it Ain’t Got That Swing ~Valerie Vampola · Apr 3, 2021MusicVideo Premiere: Devin Tremell – Lord KnowsDevin Tremell gives us glimpses of his dual lives as the artist and as the worker in the “Lord Knows” video which premieres today, exclusively via BandWagon.Valerie Vampola · Mar 18, 2021FeaturesBattle Profile: Hannah & The CuddiesHannah Rodriguez knew that The Cuddies were entering a new chapter in January of 2020 when they won the first round of BandWagons’ Battle of the Bands. She eagerly planned their finalist set and looked forward to the future. But the future had changes in store. So now, after a year-long unplanned intermission, losing / gaining new band members and the optimism of a vaccine, Hannah is ready for The Cuddies’ first gig in 2021.Valerie Vampola · Feb 13, 2021FeaturesA Brother’s Bond: Holdfast. Stays, Fights and Reflects“We are three brothers” is the first sentence Holdfast. wrote in their Facebook bio and they’re not really wrong about that. Brothers Tom and Mikey Maddocks and their cousin Charlie Maddocks grew up right next door to each other in Windsor, CO. They did everything together, including signing a sync licence with Audio Network in 2020 and releasing their first full length Stay And Fight on January 8, 2021.Valerie Vampola · Jan 11, 2021MusicAlbum Review: Fresh Fruit! – IndependentlyThe groovy, Denver-based soul band Fresh Fruit!Valerie Vampola · Jan 8, 2021FeaturesEverybody Loves An Outlaw: Break on Through to the Other SideBefore “I See Red” went viral, Longmont-based soul rock duo Everybody Loves An Outlaw were just DIY, writing the songs, producing the records, and managing the band themselves. Then, they got signed to Columbia records and “I See Red’ got featured in the Polish soft-core film ‘365 Days.’ This thrusted them into a new world, but they remember every little step along the way.Valerie Vampola · Nov 5, 2020MusicAlbum Review: Royce DeZorzi & The New Freedom MovementRoyce DeZorzi & The New Freedom Movement have a pocket groove, play elongated solos, and do a great job of building energy collectively. But what really stands out about their debut album is not the notes they play, but how they want the listeners to hear them: every track on the album is a first take recorded live, directly to tape.Valerie Vampola · Sep 24, 2020FeaturesGirls Just Wanna Own A Label: 17-Year-Old Maddie Hein’s Dream Cult Press Provides a Platform For DIY Musicians“I mean, what is stopping us? Why don’t we?” said Maddie Hein of Dream Cult Press. Well, she was 17, but that wasn’t enough, apparently. Nor was the fact that they met online and not in her hometown of Greeley (one of them, in fact, was from Kazakhstan). The new indie label released their first album in July 2019 and started picking up fans and followers, but quickly also decided to use their platform to benefit individuals and organizations that were helping out during protests across the country.Valerie Vampola · Sep 10, 2020PremieresSingle Premiere: Ruby Daze – “TLC”Greeley-based duo Ruby Daze’s new single “TLC” premieres via BandWagMag.com today. It is an anthem to that lover or close friend you haven’t seen since COVID-19 hit. While the song could talk about any period of separation, lines like “I’m coming over even if it kills me” are particularly tongue-in-cheek in our current climate.Valerie Vampola · Jul 23, 2020FeaturesA Change is Gonna Come: Robert Randolph Spreads the Message of UnityIf you ask Robert Randolph what his 2006 hit “Ain’t Nothing Wrong with That” is about, his answer would be: “It’s about what’s going on today.Valerie Vampola · Jul 22, 2020