Thursday, July 18, 2019

2019 UMS Band Interviews #3


Twist & Shout recommends The Underground Music Showcase from July 26th to July 28th on South Broadway!! We asked some of our favorite local bands when they are playing, and much more!
Catch these live performances, and much more at The UMS! 
See link for tickets:

Los Mocochetes

Where and when are you playing at the UMS?
3 Kings Sunday 10pm

How long has your band been together?
Almost 4 years 

Do you have any advice for new bands?
Be humble. Make space for those who get excluded. Never forget your roots and your community!, give back and always ask for permission! Work for everything you get and trust the process! Don’t be afraid to ask for help! 

Besides your own band, who do you want to see at the UMS?
Chicano Batman!!!!! Can’t wait! 

Best past UMS experience?
First year playing UMS not knowing what to expect and then being slapped in the face with warm love and affection from the audience 

Do you have any tips for festival goers?
Do some research. Drink water and go to as many shows as possible! The more locals you watch the better.

Who is your all time favorite Denver band?
Wheelchair Sports Camp!

If you were behind the counter at Twist and Shout, what three albums would you recommend to our customers?
Any Chicano Batman album! Anderson.Paak, Bomba Estereo,  Combo Chimbita


Oxeye Daisy

Where and when are you playing at the UMS?
We will be playing on the Main stage at 2pm on Saturday. We may have some other things planned but those are still secret ;)

How long has your band been together?
We've been together for over 2 years. Eddie Schmid, Lela Roy and Ramel Sanchez started it with our friend Zach. When Zach moved, Danny DiMarchi (of Tyto Alba/Tenants/Nuancer/Babelord) joined, and about 6 months ago, Stephen Pamas (of Hello Mountain) joined.

What was your band's first live show/ performance and what was memorable about it?
Our first show was at Red Rocks on July 1st, 2019

What was the first album you purchased?
The first record I purchased was System Of A Down's Hypnotize, but the first music I ever pirated was probably something by Enya.

What album was your most recent purchase?
The most recent record I purchased was Goodnight Paradise by Graveyard Club. They just came through Lost Lake out from Minneapolis.

Do you have any advice for new bands?
You're gonna suck, and that's okay. Just keep at it. And most importantly, have fun. If you don't have fun with it, you'll never stick with it.

Besides your own band, who do you want to see at the UMS?
Big Dopes, Hello Mountain, Tenants, Tyto Alba, Pout House, American Grandma, Vic n the Narwhals, Panther Martin, Retrofette, Anthony Ruptak, Bun Bun, Corsicana, Modern Leisure, Decollage, DreamCast, Rad Dudes, Ramakhandra, Spirrettes, The Still Tide, Ssiigghh, Turvy Organ and so many more that I am definitely forgetting.

Best past UMS experience?
Last year we discovered that the UMS is a front for a shadow organization commonly referred to as the Illuminati. Can't wait for what we uncover this year!

Do you have any tips for festival goers?
Stay aware, they wait for you in the shadows. The code word is "Intergalactic Love."

What's the best food people can find on Broadway during the festival?
If you ask nicely, the bartenders at Hi-Dive might give you a little bag of chips or nuts from their office.

Who is your all time favorite Denver band?
John Denver

If you were behind the counter at Twist and Shout, what three albums would you recommend to our customers?
Dandelion Gum - Black Moth Super Rainbow, Boo Boo - Toro Y Moi, Oxeye Daisy - Oxeye Daisy.

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


Automatic Iris

Where and when are you playing at the UMS?
We are psyched to play Banded Oak Brewing Co on Saturday the 27th at 5PM. Getting to play a different UMS venue each year is the best, and 5PM is a perfect time to start your evening with a cold beer on the patio!

How long has your band been together?
Our first show as Automatic Iris was four years ago!


What was your band's first live show/ performance and what was memorable about it?
Talk about an epic first show! We played FaceMan’s Journey to the Sun at Ophelia’s. Non-stop fun, so many bands, and the stage design by Incite… it was just amazing. It’s not so often you get to play a set with a rocket over head in a former brothel!

What was the first album you purchased?
I remember purchasing two at once: Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young and Mariah Carey. I think that combo tells it all….

What album was your most recent purchase?
The Gun Street Ghost album, Battles. We’ve listened to it a million times. It’s such a perfect straight thru album listen with tons of melodies that get stuck in your head for days.

Do you have any advice for new bands?
I’ll give the same advice Matt Hoffman and Trent Nelson from Strange Americans gave us…. Just Keep Going. It’s that simple.

Besides your own band, who do you want to see at the UMS?
So many bands! It’s all about sprinkling in the ones you already love and still leaving times for bands you’ve never heard. I hope to catch Chicano Batman, William Elliott Whitmore, Brianna Straut, Bellhoss, Bluebook, Bud Bronson and the Goodtimers, Dollhouse Thieves, David Birchfield and the Fire Guild, Kinesics, King Cardinal, Lady Gang, The Milk Blossoms, New Mexican, Porlolo, The Still Tide, Strange Americans, Sydney Clapp, Zealot…. The list goes on!

Best past UMS experience?
I got the glasses knocked off my face in a mosh pit at a Bud Bronson show at Hi Dive one year, and my band mate had to steady me and find my glasses. Sounds horrible, but it was a thrill!
The entire audience was sweaty, stuck together and jumping up and down like a wild tribe for The Outfit’s farewell show at 3 Kings. Pure elation I won’t soon forget.

Do you have any tips for festival goers?
Hydrate, protect your ears, be completely willing to ditch your plan to wander into any venue and be surprised, talk to strangers… this is a community, just go for it and get the experience of all three days, no matter how tired you are.

What's the best food people can find on Broadway during the festival?
While Famous Pizza was a landmark part of UMS of the past, I’m partial these days to the gyros place on S. Broadway. I don’t even remember the name… but that’s one delicious break from the madness!

Who is your all time favorite Denver band?
That’s impossible to answer, but I can say with some certainty that I’ve seen Strange Americans the most. It’s true rock n roll, the albums can be on repeat and repeat and repeat and those fellas are true representatives of the Denver music community. Friendly advice, rock, sweaty hugs, cold beers and songs to sing along to….

If you were behind the counter at Twist and Shout, what three albums would you recommend to our customers?
That answer would change on a day to day basis! But today… Wilco - Sky Blue Sky, Gregory Alan Isakov with the Colorado Symphony, Neutral Milk Hotel - In the Aeroplane Over the Sea.

Is there anything we forgot to ask you about the UMS that you think people need to know?
Find us on the street to grab an annual UMS/Automatic Iris koozie!


Corsicana

Where and when are you playing at the UMS?
We're playing two sets! One is a full band set on 7/26 at 6PM @ the Skylark Lounge, and the other is a more ambient/experimental trio set on 7/28 at 4PM @ Baere Brewing.

How long has your band been together?
I've been utilizing the moniker since July of 2014, but the current band lineup has existed since November of last year!

What was your band's first live show/performance and what was memorable about it?
This lineup made its debut at a house show late last year, and it felt like the perfect environment to do so. Lots of friendly faces and less pressure overall made for a really great time all around!

What was the first album you purchased?
The first album I ever bought with my own money was Codes and Keys by Death Cab For Cutie, on CD. I bought it from the Target next to my house the day it came out...definitely a far cry from Twist & Shout, which would unfortunately take me a few more years to discover.

What album was your most recent purchase?
I am almost constantly buying new music, whether it be via Twist & Shout or the merch table after a show, so it's frankly hard to keep track! I think it may be the split from Winter and Triptides, Estrela Magica.

Do you have any advice for new bands?
A hard question, but I think it all boils down to this: be persistent. Be persistent, consistent, and active in all that you do, whether it be assembling the band itself, honing in on your sound, writing, performing, or booking. Eventually, people will start to catch on (to some degree or another). There's definitely plenty of luck involved, but hard work tends to warrant reaction/reception of some sort. Also, go to local shows, meet people, and begin to weave yourself into the local music scene! There's a lot more than initially meets the eye to the music scene in Colorado.

Besides your own band, who do you want to see at the UMS?
Honestly, I always try to see as many friends and local acts as I humanly can, but Ssiigghh, Tyto Alba, Oxeye Daisy, American Grandma, Kinesics, YaSi, Dandu, Ramakhandra, Goldjoy, Kiltro, Ghostpulse, and Easter Island are just a few! Regarding the national acts, I'm particularly excited for Yves Tumor and Chicano Batman.

Best past UMS experience?
My first one, 2017 UMS! I had just gotten back from FYF in LA, and going right into my second ever music festival experience right at home was equal parts disorienting, exhausting, euphoric, and exhilarating. It almost felt like one long fever dream, which is actually far more literal a statement than you may expect! I almost passed out immediately following our set, but that did nothing to stop me from loving the next few days more than anyone that sick should have.

Do you have any tips for festival goers?
Wander/plan as you go as much as possible! I've discovered many amazing bands this way, and it keeps things from feeling too predictable. Get out there early too, some of my favorite sets have been smack in the middle of the day!

What's the best food people can find on Broadway during the festival?
I go to Illegal Pete's for something quick and filling (they're open extra late!), Mutiny Information Cafe for snacks/coffee-related stuff (also open extra late), and have hit Spicy Basil anytime I get tired of Pete's burritos.

Who is your all time favorite Denver band?
This is almost impossible to answer for me! I love so many local artists for so many different reasons. If we expand the scope to all of Colorado, I may have to go with Gleemer, as their songs have left something inexplicably permanent in me. 

If you were behind the counter at Twist and Shout, what three albums would you recommend to our customers?
This is a hard one, but I'd likely ask the customer what they enjoy and follow up accordingly! I might recommend my all-time must listens: 22, A Million by Bon Iver and Familiars by The Antlers before following up with my current favorite, ANIMA, by Thom Yorke.

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

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