The UMS July 19th-22nd South Broadway
Air Dubai
(Answered by Michael Ray, Keyboardist)
Where and when are you playing at the UMS?
Hi-Dive Saturday at Midnight
How long has your band been together?
The current line-up has been performing together since March
of 2010
What was your band's first live show/ performance and what
was memorable about it?
I joined a bit later after Jon & Julian had switched the
group to a live setting. I remember my second show I straight up forgot a synth
break. There was a solid 10 seconds of awkward silence on stage.
What was the first album you purchased?
Astro Lounge by Smash Mouth
What album was your most recent purchase?
Thelonious Monk Plays Duke Ellington
Do you have any advice for new bands?
Write genuine music first. Then learn how to market and
promote yourself like it’s your day job.
Besides your own band- who do you want to see at the UMS?
Bad Weather California, Mancub, Churchill, Gauntlet Hair,
Fairchildren
Best past UMS experience?
There was a miniature electric car racetrack at the Goodwill Stage two years ago. I spent a lot of time there.
Do you have any tips for festival goers?
Drink water, wear sunscreen, put on a helmet if you’re
riding a bike.
What's the best food people can find on Broadway during
the festival?
Steuben's truck or Spicy Basil. Ask for Uni, she’s super
sweet.
Who is your all time favorite Denver band?
John Denver and Zephyr
If you were behind the counter at Twist and Shout, what
three albums would you recommend to our customers?
Hail to the Thief by Radiohead, Get Lifted by John Legend
& Bananaphone by Raffi
Is there anything we forgot to ask you about the UMS that
you think people need to know?
If you find me on the street, tell me a joke.
Oak Creek Band
Where and when are you playing at the UMS?
Skylark at 9:00pm on Thursday July 19th (140 S. Broadway)
How long has your band been together?
Daniel and Jenna have been writing music together for 6
years. The band has been together for 2 1/2 years.
What was your band's first live show/ performance and what
was memorable about it?
It was at the Hi-Dive in 2009, and it was with our 4
original members. I think we opened for Churchill. We had a great time, but I
remember thinking "Oh dear, we have a lot of work to do".
What was the first album you purchased?
I'm pretty sure my first tape was Michael Jackson's Bad.
What album was your most recent purchase?
Last album we bought was Dr. Dog's Be The
Void. We are huge fans, and this
is one of their best albums yet.
Do you have any advice for new bands?
No one else is going to do the work for you, at least not
right away. The music industry isn't what it used to be, and you have usually
have to work overtime to see results. Hard work pays off, and seeing the
results (slow as they might be) is very rewarding.
Besides your own band- who do you want to see at the UMS?
We really dig Black Moth Super Rainbow, so that will be
exciting. Locally, we are stoked to see The Swayback. (Carl used to play drums
with us. He's the man)
Best past UMS experience?
Only did it once. Not great :) Played at Moe's BBQ, went on
pretty late, not many people. We were competing with Achille Lauro, and they
kick ass.
Do you have any tips for festival goers?
Go see music you normally never would! Open your mind to
something new.
What's the best food people can find on Broadway during
the festival?
If you like Asian, Karma is where its at! If you like pizza,
The Walnut Room is delicious.
Who is your all time favorite Denver band?
The Congress are all great guys and excellent musicians. We
also just saw James and The Devil for the first time at the Bluebird and they
put on a great live show! (We loved O'Holloran, but they are no longer
together).
If you were behind the counter at Twist and Shout, what
three albums would you recommend to our customers?
Of all time? Oh boy! (I'd probably just give them the entire
Beatles catalog or Paul Simon's Graceland) Here are some "newer"
albums I really enjoy from start to finish: 1)Bonobo - Days to Come (I'm a huge
fan of Bonobo). 2) The Cinematic Orchestra - Man With a Movie Camera. 3) MuteMath's self titled album....they just
rock so hard! (I wish I could list 20 more albums (like Thievery Corporation's Richest Man In Babylon or Wilco's Being There) because these
are just a 'few' that came to mind)
Is there anything we forgot to ask you about the UMS that
you think people need to know?
Support your local bands! :)
Fingers of the Sun
Where and when are you playing at the UMS?
4pm on Sunday at the Hi-Dive.
How long has your band been together?
2 years
What was your band's first live show/ performance and what
was memorable about it?
Moe's BBQ 6/18/10 with Bury My Bones and Lil' Slugger. Dario Rosa did liquid slide projections for
us.
What was the first album you purchased?
No Doubt - Tragic Kingdom (I bet that would've
been your first guess)
What album was your most recent purchase?
White Fence - Family Perfume Vol 2.
Do you have any advice for new bands?
Practice, practice, practice and do what you like.
Besides your own band- who do you want to see at the UMS?
Imperial Teen, Black Moth Super Rainbow, Finn Riggins, The
Marrow, and so many more.
Best past UMS experience?
It's all a blur! Too much fun.
Do you have any tips for festival goers?
Keep hydrated and
keep your schedule with you at all times!
What's the best food people can find on Broadway during
the festival?
Thai Monkey Club
Who is your all time favorite Denver band?
The Dinner Mints
If you were behind the counter at Twist and Shout, what
three albums would you recommend to our customers?
Cate Le Bon - CYRK, Neil Young - Everybody
Knows This is Nowhere, Pink Floyd - Piper at the Gates of
Dawn
Is there anything we forgot to ask you about the UMS that
you think people need to know?
Not that I can think of!
DJ Alf
Where and when are you playing at the UMS?
Sunday, July 22nd from 3pm to 6pm at Sputnik - 3 South
Broadway, next door to the Hi-Dive.
I'll be DJing using instrumental 45s from 1955-1975. I think it'll make a good "resting
spot" if you're feeling overly hot or tired from running between live
bands. Stop in, get a drink, sit down,
enjoy the music for awhile, then get back out there.
How long has your band been together?
I can't say as I've ever been all together.
What was your band's first live show/ performance?
I've been DJing off and on for about two decades. I debuted this particular genre about a year
ago at the Meadowlark.
What was the first album you purchased?
My first 7" single was "Theme from Rocky (Gonna
Fly Now)" by Bill Conti. My first
LP was The Story of Star Wars. My first
music LP was a K-Tel LP called Starflight, purchased mainly because it had
"Pop Muzik" by M at the end of Side One.
What album was your most recent purchase?
I purchased a few more 7" singles for my DJ sets
yesterday. I was most happy to finally
get "Mo' Onions/Tic Tac Toe" by Booker T & the MGs.
Do you have any (quick) advice for new bands?
Follow your muse.
Besides your own band- who do you want to see at the UMS?
I don't know yet.
That's a big part of the fun of UMS.
I love just wandering around, stepping into the smaller venues, and
seeing a bands I've never heard of playing to a handful of strangers.
Best past UMS experience?
I saw over fifty bands last year, and a lot of them were
great. Band Bajha Brass, In the Whale,
Night Sweats and Fierce Bad Rabbit were a few highlights.
Do you have any tips for festival goers?
Feel free to roam.
Don't feel you have to schedule your day. Don't feel obligated to stick with a band that you're not crazy
about. Go next door and see what's
playing there. There's too much good
music going on to feel the need to stick with a band that's not really doing it
for you.
What's the best food people can find on Broadway during
the festival?
If I tell you, the lines will be longer there. So forget it.
Who is your all time favorite Denver band?
I can't answer that without angering a lot of people.
If you were behind the counter at Twist and Shout, what
three albums would you recommend to our customers?
It would depend on what they liked. There are very few albums that I feel I can
recommend to everybody. Maybe Miles
Davis Kind of Blue or the soundtrack to The Harder They Come.
Is there anything we forgot to ask you about the UMS that
you think people need to know?
It's one of the few music events that I prefer to go to
alone. If you're with somebody else,
you'll have to figure out what bands they like, and may be reluctant to duck
out early if they're enjoying who you're watching now. If you're alone, you can go wherever you'd
like, for however long you'd like, and not worry about offending anybody.
Instant Empire
Where and when are you playing at the UMS?
Club 404, 4PM Sunday
How long has your band been together?
2 years total, 1 year this lineup.
What was your band's first live show/ performance and what
was memorable about it?
Our first show was at the Meadowlark. Our amazing virtuoso performance is to this
day lauded as a touchstone in the annals of world music. Not really. In fact, a confused local media photographer made the show
memorable. By matter of necessity, Doug
(on keys) had to set up in a booth WAY stage left (we are a six piece). The photographer cut Doug from all photos,
explaining that he "didn't want that guy with the laptop cluttering his
compositions." Tragically, our
press kit never recovered.
What was the first album you purchased?
While in third grade, Matt (lead drummist) used his
allowance money to buy Led Zeppelin's bloated In Through the Out
Door (on vinyl!) from a Musicland store in Lakewood's Villa Italia
Mall. In a twist of fate, Sean (our
equivalent of Izzy Stradlin) shoplifted a Cassette of Tiffany's breakthrough
"I Think We're Alone Now" from a Georgia swap meet on the very same
day. We are fairly certain that Doug, during his rebellious years, bought the
"Mama Said Knock You Out" Maxi-single and Living Colour Vivid around the same time-period.
What album was your most recent purchase?
Matt: Led Zeppelin's The Song Remains the Same on laserdisc.
Scotty: Sharon Van Etten, Tramp
Sean: Japandroids, Celebration Rock
Aaron: Puscifer, Conditions of my Parole
Lou: mewithoutYou, Ten Stories
Doug: XTC, Black Sea (he now owns this in every musical
format invented)
Do you have any advice for new bands?
Steer clear of sleazy middleman promoters looking for a cut
of your $43 Larimer Lounge take. Don't
fly too close to the sun if you are the sole member of an acoustic metal
side-project called "Icarus."
Besides your own band- who do you want to see at the UMS?
El Toro de la Muerte, Hindershot, Mouthful o' Thunder, I
Sank Molly Brown
Best past UMS experience?
Instant Empire played the truck stage at last year's
UMS. We rocked that truck clean onto
its side, killing four.
Do you have any tips for festival goers?
Drink water, wear sunscreen; and please, please keep the
jaws of life handy at the truck stage.
What's the best food people can find on Broadway during
the festival?
Sweet Action. Ice
cream is Instant Empire's preferred rockfuel.
Who is your all time favorite Denver band?
Three way tie: Lion
Sized, Bright Channel, and Born in the Flood (ca. 2006).
If you were behind the counter at Twist and Shout, what
three albums would you recommend to our customers?
Matt: Kurt Vile, Childish Prodigy
Scotty: Desaparecidos, Read Music/Speak Spanish
Sean: Handsome Furs, Face Control
Aaron: Mutemath, Odd Soul
Doug: REM, Murmur
Lou: Portugal. The Man, In The Mountain In The Cloud
Is there anything we forgot to ask you about the UMS that
you think people need to know?
UMS-goers should be aware that Instant Empire's performance
at 404 will re-define music in the 22nd century. Yup.
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