2013 UMS Band Interviews #1

DJ Alf Sat, July 20, 2013 5:00 pm  Li'l Devils

 DJ Alf

Where/ When are you playing for the UMS?

Saturday evening.

In twenty-five words or less, describe what somebody who has never heard of your band might expect from your performance at UMS this year.

A DJ set featuring local and national musicians performing along with the vinyl I'm spinning.

What was the first music you remember using your own money to buy?

"Theme from Rocky (Gonna Fly Now)" by Bill Conti on 45.  Purchased from The Gap in San Francisco, before they stopped selling vinyl and started only selling clothes.  I was seven.  The weird thing is - I don't remember actually really loving this song.  Not sure what prompted that purchase.

What has been your favorite album of 2013 so far?
Lots of A-s and B+s, but nothing earth-shattering for me so far.  The Daft Punk has been very enjoyable.

Do you have any advice for new bands?

Don't get mad at all the people who didn't show up to your gig.  Be appreciative of the ones that actually did.

Have you planned out who you want to see at UMS this year? Who are some of your highlights?

(can't answer until I see the schedule)

If you've been to UMS before, what three words would you use to describe it?

Intense, exhausting, life-affirming.

What has been your most memorable experience at UMS to date?

Slow Magic last year was a fantastic - playing in front of just a handful of people at the Compound.

Any tips you'd like to give the novices for making the UMS experience even better?

I love getting to see a bunch of bands that I otherwise wouldn't get to see.  Because of this, I prefer coming alone.  I can go check out bands, stay for a song, then wander off to find another band. 

Is there any place you're looking forward to eating during UMS?

I like the margherita pizza at Walnut Room Pizzeria - I think I ate it three times during UMS last year.

What is your favorite shop on South Broadway? 

I love a bunch of them, but I still miss American Aces.

You're working the counter at Twist & Shout, and a customer is interested in expanding his music collection.  What three albums would you recommend?

Herbie Hancock's "Head Hunters", Duran Duran's "Rio", and "Mirrored" by the Battles.

Is there anything we forgot to ask you about the UMS that you think people need to know?

Don't stress.  This is supposed to be fun. 



Katey Laurel Sat, July 20, 2013 12:00 pm Punch Bowl Social 

Katey Laurel

Where/ When are you playing for the UMS?

I wish I knew.  Stay tuned.

In twenty-five words or less, describe what somebody who has never heard of your band might expect from your performance at UMS this year.

Intimate, beautiful, honest and painstaking prose that will make you think AND feel.  Simultaneously.

What was the first music you remember using your own money to buy?

A cassette tape of Debbie Gibson "Out of the Blue."  My two best friends in third grade and I started our own "Debbie Gibson Club."  We were the exclusive members.  :)

What has been your favorite album of 2013 so far?

A fan of mine from Australia just sent me Gabrielle Aplin's "English Rain."  Love that and Alpha Rev's "Bloom."

Do you have any advice for new bands?

Write and play the best music you can...and then write some more.  Meet as many people as you can, this business is all about who you know.

Have you planned out who you want to see at UMS this year? Who are some of your highlights?

Covenhoven (Joel Van Horne) for sure.  Haven't looked at who else is playing yet.

If you've been to UMS before, what three words would you use to describe it?

I played UMS a few years ago...great convergence of the Denver Music community.  Lots of fun to be a part of it.

What has been your most memorable experience at UMS to date?

Watching John Common and Blinding Flashes of Light at an outdoor parking lot stage with hoola hoopers in the crowd.

Any tips you'd like to give the novices for making the UMS experience even better?

Wear sunscreen.  Just kidding.  Drink water.  Well...enjoy the music anyway.  ;)

Is there any place you're looking forward to eating during UMS?

I haven't thought about it yet!  So many great places to snack along South Broadway.  Walnut Room pizza is always a sure bet.

What is your favorite shop on South Broadway? 

Decade and Boss.

Who is your all time favorite Colorado band?

Whoa, that's a hard one.  Probably Meese or The Fray.

You're working the counter at Twist & Shout, and a customer is interested in expanding his music collection.  What three albums would you recommend?

What genre?!  I guess if I were recommending locals, I'd start out with Jessica Sonner, Andy Palmer and Rachel and the Kings for a cross-section of Denver artists.  I love Singer/Songwriters though, so that's not fair...

If it were open to anything, of course I'd recommend my two favorite albums of this year so far (see above).

Is there anything we forgot to ask you about the UMS that you think people need to know?

Will there be more good music than you can catch all at once?  The answer, undoubtedly is...YES. 



Mancub (Final Show) Sat, July 20, 2013 9:00 pm  Blue Ice

Man Cub

When are you playing for the UMS?

Saturday night 10 pm at Compound Basix

 In twenty-five words or less, describe what somebody who has never heard of your band might expect from your performance at UMS this year.  

 A Genre Confused, Noise Infused Dance Party

What was the first music you remember using your own money to buy?

 Reel Big Fish - Why do they rock so hard?

 What has been your favorite album of 2013 so far?

Portugal. The Man - Evil Friends

Do you have any advice for new bands?

Be yourself. Don't try. Do.

Have you planned out who you want to see at UMS this year? Who are some of your highlights?

This year, my UMS revolves around seeing HUMANS Saturday night at Compound Basix

If you've been to UMS before, what three words would you use to describe it?

Everclear + Mountain Dew 

What has been your most memorable experience at UMS to date?

So Gnar's a truck named Art. 

Any tips you'd like to give the novices for making the UMS experience even better?

Moderation. 

Is there any place you're looking forward to eating during UMS?

Fat Sully's

What is your favorite shop on South Broadway? 

Fancy Tiger - Both of em.

Who is your all time favorite Colorado band?

Colorado Symphony Orchestra 

You're working the counter at Twist & Shout, and a customer is interested in expanding his/her music collection.  What three albums would you recommend?

- HUMANS - Traps, Devotchka & Colorado Symphony - Live at the Beottcher, Django Django - S/T.

Is there anything we forgot to ask you about the UMS that you think people need to know?

Is mainstage the best stage? NO! Bands are everywhere, see em! Make Friends, buy merch, "get loose, have fun." - Listen to The Dirty Few.

Andy Thomas' Dust Heart Thu, July 18, 2013 8:00 pm  Skylark Lounge
Andy Thomas' Dust Heart

Where/ When are you playing for the UMS?

I'm not sure I know that yet, does anyone know that? Quick, to the internet!

In twenty-five words or less, describe what somebody who has never heard of your band might expect from your performance at UMS this year.

Dark and sometimes creepy mood music from one of the guys in Tin Horn Prayer and some of his friends. 

What was the first music you remember using your own money to buy?

Nirvana, "Nevermind" was the first casette I remember buying with my own money. Before that I'm sure I had tons of Another Bad Creation and Bel Biv Devoe tapes. 

What has been your favorite album of 2013 so far?
"Southeastern" by Jason Isbell is fucking incredible, The new Bronx simply shreds and mine is ok. 

Do you have any advice for new bands?

Don't expect anything "big" to ever happen. Just like the quote, "life is what happens while you're making other plans" there are so many great musical moments that occur while you're waiting for your big break. Enjoy those moments and let things progress organically. 

Have you planned out who you want to see at UMS this year? Who are some of your highlights?

I try not to keep a schedule at any festival I attend because there is just too much to see. I am playing in three other bands this year that I hope people will check out; The Knew, Blood Lines and Shining Wires! Come see us, please!

If you've been to UMS before, what three words would you use to describe it?
Drink lots of water.

What has been your most memorable experience at UMS to date?

Standing on a table at the 404 Club (RIP) watching Dirty Few for the first time. Playing with Tin Horn Prayer to a packed 3 Kings, drinking tall boys in the alley (every year) 

Any tips you'd like to give the novices for making the UMS experience even better?

Try to see bands you have never seen but always wanted to. Don't be afraid to take a break. Buy me a beer when you see me. 

Is there any place you're looking forward to eating during UMS?

New Illegal Pete's on Broadway! 

What is your favorite shop on South Broadway?
Mutiny Now Books! Rev Jim is the Jesus of South Broadway. Or the Beatles, whichever you feel is more important. 

Who is your all time favorite Colorado band?

hmmmm, that's a tough one. Pinhead Circus was always one of my all time favorites, at various other points in my life I've had an affinity for Bad Luck City, Ian Cooke, Crestfallen, Qualm, Planes Mistaken for Stars and a million others. Fucking Denver, man. You're alright! 

You're working the counter at Twist & Shout, and a customer is interested in expanding his music collection. What three albums would you recommend?

This is like a space alien that has never heard music before or like someone from the Suburbs who only listens to Top 40? Or is it both? How tall is this Suburban Alien? Does he/she even speak English? There are just too many factors to know what the right answer but I guess if I had to give one I'd say The Rolling Stones "Exile on Main St.", The Clash, "Combat Rock" and some sort of rap something. 

Roniit Sat, July 20, 2013 4:00 pm  Main Stage at Goodwill

Roniit

Where/ When are you playing for the UMS?

I'll be playing the Goodwill main stage at 4:00pm on Saturday the 20th.  

In twenty-five words or less, describe what somebody who has never heard of your band might expect from your performance at UMS this year.

Dark electro pop vampire people playing in the daylight for the first time ever.  We are a 5 piece synth driven band with female vocals, you will be entertained. 

What was the first music you remember using your own money to buy?

I remember going to the record store when I was 10 to buy the Christina Aguilera Genie in a Bottle single but had to splurge and get the full album because the single was sold out.  

What has been your favorite album of 2013 so far?

I'm obsessed with Exile by Hurts.  They are the modern day swedish version of Depeche Mode. 

Do you have any advice for new bands?

Start studying business & entrepreneurship. 

Have you planned out who you want to see at UMS this year? Who are some of your highlights?

I'm excited to open for Small Black on the main stage then catch some of locals... The Ever, Bop Skizzum, Mancub, Munly & The Lupercalians, Grant Sabin.  

If you've been to UMS before, what three words would you use to describe it?

Boisterous, Sprightly, Inebriated 

What has been your most memorable experience at UMS to date?

Last year was my first UMS experience! 

Any tips you'd like to give the novices for making the UMS experience even better?

Get a program and highlight the bands you want to see before you get the night started.  That way you won't be mad at yourself for missing one of the bands you wanted to see.  If you're not into planning, wear comfortable shoes.  

 Is there any place you're looking forward to eating during UMS?

I'm hoping there are going to be a ton of food trucks!  Sweet action ice cream is always a must.  I hope they have coffee oreo in stock.   

What is your favorite shop on South Broadway? 

Iron Wood - they have nice cacti.   

Who is your all time favorite Colorado band?

Mancub & Rainbowdragoneyes 

You're working the counter at Twist & Shout, and a customer is interested in expanding his music collection.  What three albums would you recommend?

Exile - Hurts , IAMX - The Unified Field , Anamanaguchi - Endless Fantasy

Is there anything we forgot to ask you about the UMS that you think people need to know?

Get there early this year for the day time shows (and for my set at 4pm on Saturday)!

I'd Love to Turn You On #83 - Queens of the Stone Age - ...Like Clockwork

“Queens of the Stone Age are a beacon of hope on a sea of digitized and auto-tuned heathens sucking on the tit of the uninformed public. FOLLOW THE BEACON PEOPLE!”

This was my first statement on social media regarding the new Queens of the Stone Age LP, ...Like Clockwork. My opinion has not changed after twenty or so more listens since making that statement, if anything my love for this album has grown even more.

On their sixth studio effort Queens of the Stone Age have achieved that rare feat of making their greatest work to date late in their recording careers. ...Like Clockwork feels like a true amalgamation of QOTSA’s previous endeavors that only uses what works while leaving behind the noise and clutter that filled in the spaces of their previous albums.

With a full cast of characters including Elton John, Trent Reznor, Jake Shears (Scissor Sisters), Alex Turner (Arctic Monkeys), Brody Dalle (Mrs. Homme) and past Queens of the Stone Age members like Dave Grohl, Nick Oliveri and Mark Lanegan joining in the fray you would think ...Like Clockwork would sound cluttered with all of its many voices and talents. In actuality the opposite is true. Each friend of the band is blended into the recording in such a way that if you had not read they were on the album you would NEVER know.

...Like Clockwork feels like the most complete Queens of the Stone Age album to date. Each song is carefully crafted and has the signature QOTSA sound and structure that fans have been clamoring for ever since Era Vulgaris was released six years ago to a so-so reception. Hard charging staples like “Keep Your Eyes Peeled,” “If I Had a Tail,” “I Sat By the Ocean” and “My God Is the Sun” fit in seamlessly with dreamy desert ballads like “The Vampyre of Time and Memory,” “I Appear Missing,” “Kalopsia” and the title track “...Like Clockwork.”

No matter what your favorite Queens of the Stone Age album is you will find something on ...Like Clockwork that will hearken you back to that album. As a life-long fan of Queens of the Stone Age fan I can honestly say that ...Like Clockwork is their most important and well-crafted album to date. None of the tracks feel out of place or unnecessary. The band has grown in grand fashion and only appears to be gaining momentum and cohesion with its current line-up of Joshua Homme, Troy Van Leeuwen, Dean Fertita, Mikey Shuman and Jon Theodore.

Hear Queens of the Stone Age perform ...Like Clockwork at Red Rocks Amphitheater on August 15^th 2013! Purchase the CD or LP at Twist & Shout and stay tuned to our blog as I will be reviewing the concert as well!

- Jeff M. Albright

I'd Love to Turn You On At the Movies #68 - The Hunger (1983, dir. Tony Scott) Starring Catherine Deneuve, Susan Sarandon, David Bowie. 96 mins. Rated R

These days, 21^st century America’s version of the fountain of youth spurts forth a steady stream of botox injections, facelifts, chemical peels and other torturous-sounding procedures promising a grasp at a newer, younger you. Although this trend has been many decades in the making, it really rose to public consciousness in the self-absorbed, consumerist 1980s. However, you wouldn’t necessarily include vampires in the target audience for discovering a youth serum - unless, of course, you’ve seen The Hunger.

Based on a book by Whitley Strieber (author of Communion), The Hunger tells the story of a centuries-old female vampire named Miriam Blaylock (played by the exquisite Catherine Deneuve), as she deals with the sudden accelerated demise of her taken lover John (David Bowie), who up until recently had been living alongside her, un-aged, through several hundred years old. The bloodlust that has satiated John’s needs and kept him pristine for centuries no longer has an affect on him, and his weakened state becomes compromising to his necessarily violent lifestyle -- as well as inconvenient for Miriam, who has already experienced this phenomenon with other lovers throughout the ages.

As she searches for ways to turn back the clock for her rapidly deteriorating lover, Miriam comes across a doctor named Sarah (Susan Sarandon) specializing in Hodgkins-Progeria, a medical condition with very similar qualities to the ones John is experiencing. As time quickly runs out, John is put out to pasture with her other, former lovers (in the attic coffin storage, naturally) and Miriam must make the decision to take on a new partner, whom she finds in Sarah during an erotically charged vampire seduction. But nothing is what it seems, especially in New York in the 1980’s, and Sarah has her own plans in store for the future.

 From the opening scenes featuring the heavily shadowed, skeletal face of gaunt goth-rocker Peter Murphy as he sings “Bela Lugosi’s Dead” while spasmodically dancing behind a steel grate, to the stylized music-video-esque editing, the film has visual elements that are stunning and, at the same time somewhat pretentious. With a decidedly 1980’s aura and a visibly (and self-described by director Tony Scott) “operatic” feel, the whole film might very well suffer from a case of overly tortured hip-ness if not for the superb acting and artistic license taken with the characters and their settings.

Yes, there are eye-rolling eighties elements that might amuse some more sophisticated and modern movie-goers, like the constantly billowing curtains, strobe lights, and thick, smoky atmospheres (there is a cigarette in almost every shot, after all), but the scenes are still filmed with a photographer’s eye -- Scott admitting that he was heavily influenced by the works of Helmut Newton and fellow directors like Nicolas Roeg and Stanley Kubrick. Asymmetrically balanced shots, moody lighting and sharp angles lend a harder edge to the visuals while subduing the more gory aspects, which are still actively present in the flowing rivulets of bright red blood streaks throughout. Detailed but sleek wardrobes by Italian costume designer Milena Canonero bring an air of couture-laden fashion that aptly represents New York at that period, and the fitting soundtrack features works by classical composers like Bach, Delibes, Schubert and other haunting classical pieces.

The DVD special features include an informative commentary track from director Tony Scott and lead actress Susan Sarandon, who look back with both fond and strained memories of the making of the film as well as the critical reaction to it following its release.

--Shove M., Used Buyer, DVD Witch and Grab Bag Wrangler

I'd Love to Turn You On At the Movies #67 - Manhattan Murder Mystery (1993, dir. Woody Allen)

Woody Allen has directed, written and acted in so many films that it’s hard to say for sure how many Woody Allen films there actually are. According to IMDB, he’s directed 49 (including two that are yet to be released), written 71, and acted in 44, and all but a very few of them are quality flicks with universally high reviews. So it’s folly to single one out and offer it up in this “turn you on” space. So I’m offering his 1993 release, Manhattan Murder Mystery, not so much as an exemplary Woody Allen film, but as a masterwork by one of the finest actresses of our time: Diane Keaton.
Which Husbands and Wives or Crimes and Misdemeanors; it’s a genre film, a mystery, with inexperienced sleuths bumbling their way from clue to clue. Still he manages to pull from the central conceit – a mysterious death, a group of well-to-do friends whose curiosity turns into obsession and pulls them into increasingly dangerous situations – to be an allegory about marriage, how relationships can grow stale and couples can drift apart despite all appearances of being close. And this second story, the crumbling of a marriage, emerges so easily from the potboiler plot that the viewer gets lulled into it before really knowing what’s happening. It’s also got some arty touches, a few homages to classic cinema: a nod to the Billy Wilder classic Double Indemnity at the beginning, and a spine-tingling scene with mirrors near the end that’s a nod to Orson Welles’s The Lady from Shanghai.

is not to say Manhattan Murder Mystery is not primo Woody Allen. It is. In addition to being prolific, Allen has maintained a consistent style and voice, even as his work has evolved over the years, and that’s the case here. Many of his trademarks are present, from the understated titles and credits to the subdued and elegant set and costume design (warm lighting, lots of earth tones, Upper East Side classiness) to the way the characters easily digress from the plot in banter that makes them wonderfully complex and interesting. This film really showcases his skills as a writer. It’s not
one of his deepest and most profound films, such as
But what I love most about this movie is Diane Keaton. This isn’t an Oscar performance. There’s not a lot in the way of heavy emotion. But it’s her performance that really makes the film work, draws the viewer in and has the audience at the edge of their seats. Which is doubly amazing because the part wasn’t even written for her. Allen wrote it for Mia Farrow, but the two split as it was going into production. Legend has it that Keaton was nervous at the first shooting, and she had to consult with an acting coach, which obviously did the trick. Her obsession with the murder develops very quickly, and is conveyed eloquently with her facial expressions (that furrowed brow mixed with slack-jawed amazement), her movement through the crime scenes (driven, confident and awkwardly inexperienced, all at once), and the tone of her voice (increasingly sharp toward her husband, played by Allen, and intimate toward a recently divorced friend played by Alan Alda). The chemistry between these two is palpable from the start, and so natural. Allen has said of Keaton’s role in this film that her ability to play comedy is so strong that it pushed him into the role of straight man, which is not his usual place. He doesn’t change anything; he’s still the stammering, neurotic, wisecracking, hand-gesturing Allen we all know. It’s just that Keaton’s presence is so strong that even at full-force Allen’s character moves into a secondary position. Plus she’s just as smart and sexy as can be, despite her reading glasses and conservative pants suits and turtleneck sweaters.
Of course, none of this should be a surprise. Keaton is an Oscar winner, after all, for her performance in Annie Hall. Still it’s great to see a terrific actress really bring it to role that might otherwise be mundane, and bring such life and depth to a film that would otherwise be like so many other long forgotten films in the same genre.
Joe Miller

I'd Love to Turn You On #82 - Various artists – Congotronics 2: Buzz’n’Rumble from the Urb’n’Jungle

One of the (many) things I love about African music is that I’m often asking myself “What the hell IS that?” So when I was first exposed to the “tradi-modern” music of Konono No. 1’s album Congotronics, featuring amplified and distorted likembes (thumb pianos) alongside percussion and vocals in a trance-like music, I was pretty blown away, especially since my previous exposure to the often harp-like music of the thumb piano had left me indifferent. And imagine my surprise when finding that the raw, distorted and heavily rhythmic vibe of Konono No. 1 was only the work of one band within a thriving music scene in Kinshasa in the Democratic Republic of the Congo?

And it’s that scene that this release celebrates – 9 tracks of diverse approaches to the same trade-modern sound that Konono No. 1 broke out with internationally. For good measure, a track by Konono No. 1 closes things – a live cut from a Brussels music festival where they clearly blow the crowd away – but they’re only one of the great bands here. Masanka Sankayi joins the Kasai Allstars (themselves the headliners of the third Congotronics release) for the opening cut – a quick 4 minute blast that opens things nicely, followed by another relatively mellow Kasai Allstars cut more in line with a typical track length, though at 7 minutes+ still edited down from the original performance. Then things kick in to high gear with a rough and raw performance by Sobanza Mimanisa, a band featuring only five instruments (where most of these ensembles are larger) but you’d swear there’s more going on when you listen. The group also adds guitar to the mix, which until this point you won’t even realize was absent given all the ringing distortions floating across the sound. Things continue from there, with more appearances by Kasai Allstars and Masanka Sankayi and other, then closing with my favorite trio of the album – the folkier, accordion-lead cut by Bolia We Ndenge “Bosamba Ndeke,” the lengthy, start-stop “Mulume” by Basokin, and the aforementioned closing live track by Konono No. 1.

For me, there’s a terrific variety here even though they all share some of the same sonic characteristics. Each group approaches the rhythm differently, each one contributed varying degrees of noise and/or melody to the mix, and each one, with repeat exposure, carves out their own audio identity. If you’ve never listened to this stuff, do yourself a favor and check it out. I promise you’ve never heard anything even remotely like it, even though the “tradi” part of the name isn’t just a joke, they really are in touch with African musical traditions, they’ve just been adapted to the “modern” part of the name. And as an added bonus, there’s a great DVD included in which you get to watch six bands (five on the CD plus one more not included there) performing live at home in the Congo, replete with full bands and dancers.

- Patrick Brown