2014 UMS Band Interviews #4

For everything you need to know about the UMS Click Here

Ark Life 

Sat, July 26th 11:00 pm

The Hi-Dive

Where/ When are you playing for the UMS?

​We're playing Hi-Dive on Saturday with some bands we love -- A. Tom Collins​, Zebroids, Shady Elders -- and some we're excited about getting to see for the first time -- Aan, American Tomahawk, A Band in Pictures.  Lotta A names on that show, come to think of it.

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

​Rock. And. Roll. Harmonies. Velvet. Grooves. Motown. Licks. Jangling. Keys. Lots. Of. Jumping. Sweat. Yelping. Laughing. What. Should. I. Do. With. The. Last. Nine. Words?​

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

​That's different for all of us.  Like, very different.  You'll have to ask us all when you see us, but I'll give you this little nugget of a teaser.  For me, it was lots of lawns mowed in fifth grade adding up to not one, but two cassette purchases -- M.C. Hammer's 2 Legit 2 Quit and Queen's Classic Queen.

What has been your favorite album of 2014 so far?

​Same thing - you'll have to ask us all - lot of different tastes in the band.  Since it's summertime and I'm sitting on the porch looking at the mountains, I'll go with Mike Sempert's Mid Dream.  Which is mostly about the ocean.

Do you have any advice for new bands?

​Work hard on your business, but even harder on your music.  Be good to other bands, venues, promoters, fans, everyone you interact with -- but even better to each other.

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

​Trying hard to get to some folks we haven't seen before, though you always end up getting sucked back into you're best friends' usual haunts.  But hoping for Woodsman, Wild High, DJ Cavem Moetivation, Strange Americans, Ancient Elk, Cayucas, Cop Circles, Widowers, and of course Bud Bronson & the Good Timers.  These Arms Are Snacks, too, just for having the best cover band name of all time.​

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

Fairly mellow time.​

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

​We played a great bill at the Rover last year, and you couldn't move in there the whole afternoon and night.  You got so much of other peoples' sweat on you that it became a transcendent communal experience.  Like a sweat lodge.  But a meat locker.  But sweatier.  With human sweat.​ A human meat lodge.​

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

​The usual total street carnival idea - get a few things in mind that you really really wanna do and see, but then let yourself go with the flow.  It's great that everything's so close on Broadway, really allows for that kinda freewheeling improvisational spectating and participating.

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

​The curb.​

What is your favorite shop on South Broadway? 

​Ironwood.  Or Illegal Pete's.  Or Mutiny.  Depends what you're in the market for.  The Goodwill comes in handy, too.​

Who is your all time favorite Colorado band?

​Three-way tie between The Blue Rider, Chimney Choir, and Total Ghost.  And The Czars.  And Glenn Miller.​

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

​Should we stick with the Colorado theme?  Gotta get the single by Nathaniel Rateliff & the Night Sweats -- unless this is the future, and they have a full-length out.  Then Princess Music's Odobenidae, obviously.  And then whatever is the best Glenn Miller box set you guys have.  Seriously, the kids should listen to more Glenn Miller.

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

​There is nothing else any of us need to know.  It will all become apparent soon.  Like, at the end of this month. 

Oscar Ross 

Sun, July 27th 3:00 pm

Gary Lee’s Motor Club and Grub

Where/ When are you playing for the UMS?

1. Gary Lee's Motor Club on Sunday at 3pm

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

2. old school country - Bakersfield style along the lines of Waylon Jennings and Merle Haggard

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

3. Don Williams Harmony

What has been your favorite album of 2014 so far?

4. Jack White Lazaretto

Do you have any advice for new bands?

5. keep writing

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

6. Lords of Fuzz, Altas, Casey James Prestwood, Speedwolf

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

7. succulent fantastic melodies

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

8. drinking 19 beers in 3 hours

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

9. take lots of drugs

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

10. nope

What is your favorite shop on South Broadway? 

11. Mutiny Cafe

Who is your all time favorite Colorado band?

12. American Relay

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

13. Jackson Browne Saturate Before Using

Fugazi Repeater

Kyuss Welcome to Sky Value

Grease Pony 

Sun, July 27th 5:00 pm

Blue Ice

Where/ When are you playing for the UMS?

We play at Blue Ice (just south of Broadway and 1st) on July 27th from 5pm-6.

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

Grease Pony: A neanderthal's adventure in a space shuttle up through the outer layer of our atmosphere into the peaceful bliss of outer space.

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

Smash Mouth

Do you have any advice for new bands?

Don't be an asshole.

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

We're excited to hear Ancient Elk, The Other Black, GS3, Homebody, Lazerwolf, Lemon Future, Branded Bandits, and Gardens of Villa, just to name a few.

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

Thrilling, saucy, houseparty.

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

Staring through the window of an antique shop for a few hours.

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

Pie Hole

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

The Bardo Story - Salvia Plath

Hurdy Gurdy Man - Donovan

Fourth Wall - The Flying Lizards

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

Checking out the local scene is what it's all about. The only place to seriously find unknown raw music you can feel. 

2014 UMS Band Interviews #3

For everything you need to know about the UMS Click Here
Eros and the Eschaton 

Fri, July 25th 9:00 pm

The Hi-Dive

Where/ When are you playing for the UMS?

We play Friday, 7/25 @ 9:00 PM at the Hi-Dive.

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

At our last show, someone told us we "sound like Carl Sagan."

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

Kate - Pearl Jam and Neil Young's Mirror Ball/Merkin Ball collaboration.

Adam - En Vogue and Black Sabbath.

What has been your favorite album of 2014 so far?

Future Islands, Sylvan Esso, Tune-Yards, Lykke Li, Cold War Kids, Thee Oh Sees, The Casket Girls, Saintseneca, Cloud Nothings... this has been an incredible year for new music. It's really fucking exciting to be a musician right now!

Do you have any advice for new bands?

Having a reputation for giving a shit will not diminish from your rock and roll-ness.

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

I just looked at the schedule, and I don't think we're going to sleep! Definitely going to catch UMO and Blonde Redhead on Sunday night.

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

We will almost undoubtedly end up bonding over very late night coffee at the Denver Diner.

What is your favorite shop on South Broadway?

Well, it's not really a shop, but definitely the Hi-Dive. It always feels like home, the scene is super engaging, and I feel like a little less of a weirdo there (maybe because it is also full of weirdos). It's like the NYC of Denver.

Who is your all time favorite Colorado band?

The Haunted Windchimes have been our dear pals for the better part of a decade. They introduced us to each other. Without them, we wouldn't be a band, traveling around and having such a good time playing music and recording together. They are a big part of why we are in Colorado.

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

Philosophy of the World by the Shaggs

Os Mutantes - S/T

Teen Dream by Beach House

I Can Hear the Heart Beating as One by Yo La Tengo

Loaded by VU

A Band In Pictures 

Sat, July 26th 8:00 pm

The Hi-Dive

Where/ When are you playing for the UMS?

We will be playing UMS at 8PM at the Hi Dive on Broadway and Ellsworth

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

Diversity. The five of us are hoping to incorporate a few new sounds in our set, but still keeping a similar flow between songs to keep the set feeling complete.

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

For me? It was probably Led Zeppelin 1 on vinyl I found at my local record shop. The idea of holding a physical piece of music from a long time ago always was an amazing feeling to me, especially if the record was actually from the time the music came out. I can’t say we have ever spent band money on music though…

What has been your favorite album of 2014 so far?

Favorite album of 2014 so far… That’s tough. After reading some of the releases that are set to come out via Pitchfork earlier today, I’m pretty excited for the rest of the year. Mac Demarco had a pretty good listen on my Spotify when he came out with Salad Days. The War on Drugs also spent a lot of time in my ears when they released Lost in the Dream, and Real Estate and Future Islands definitely worked their way in there as well. I speak for all of us when I say I’m still very excited to see Beck play some new material off of Morning Phase as well this August at Red Rocks.

Do you have any advice for new bands?

I guess an honest piece of advice I would tell a new band is just keep at it and don’t lose the momentum. The five of us living together was certainly tough at times, but it was by far the time where we got the most things done. If I could tell my past self any advice as a member of our band, it would mostly be keeping a positive relationship with my band-mates always. I’ll love all the guys forever, so might as well make the most of it.

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

Oh man… I haven’t seen Real Estate in years, and they’re always the band for me that gets the job done when I don’t know what to listen to. I think I’m most excited to just walk around Broadway and check out as many artists as I can. That has always been my favorite aspect of UMS, and was definitely the right move when I was down in Austin for SXSW. (Also I missed Real Estate at SXSW, so I’d love to catch their new set!).

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

Collective, effervescent…. Inebriated.

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

Wow. I have an archive of great memories at UMS over the past few years. The first year was such a great experience; I always look forward to the next. I’ve met so many great people the past few years of UMS, it feels like a lot my close friends came from the few days spent on S. Broadway. Musically, Gauntlet Hair’s performance at the main stage was one of my favorite shows I’ve been to in Denver. All of the after parties are a great experience as well. Everyone is just so into the whole experience the days seem like they never end because everyone is in such a good mood.

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

Don’t sit at home! Get off the couch and get your ass down to S. Broadway because it only happens once a year. It’s the closest thing to SXSW that Denver has to offer, and I promise you will have the greatest extended weekend by going out and being a part of it as much as you can. If you’re raging, buy a flask from a local liquor store! If you’re hungry, grab a bite at an awesome local restaurant! On top of all that, you get to hang around all of your favorite local musicians. Be super friendly and I promise you’ll end up meeting some pretty great people.

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

You’re talking to the right guy about food. The list never ends on S. Broadway. One day during UMS I ate pizza at The Walnut Room and instantly walked across the street to Go Fish for sushi. The food down there is so incredible, your belly will feel as good as your ears. I guarantee you’re gonna end up at Illegal Pete’s down south, I know all of us will be there.  

What is your favorite shop on South Broadway? 

Favorite shop on S. Broadway… Music Gear Guys will always help you out if you’re a musician during UMS, and all of the vintage clothing boutiques are always fun to go check out. During UMS the booze shops definitely come in handy.

Who is your all time favorite Colorado band?

My all time favorite Colorado band has always been Gauntlet Hair. Even though they’ve disbanded, I listen to their first album countless times throughout the week.

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

That all depends who the customer is I suppose… I’d have to stick with my roots and throw some genres their way and let them pick their favorite albums off of that. Recently though, I’d suggest a little Foxygen. It was cool for me when I first heard those guys because it gave me a solid reminder that some people are still keeping that San Francisco-y flower power vibe going on. I love Innerspeaker by Tame Impala. Kevin Parker creating all those catchy riffs is beyond me, and I love the psychedelic feel that album has. Would also push an Animal Collective album someone’s way if they haven’t given them a good listen yet. The vocals on Sung Tongs are incredible and have definitely inspired me to create music.

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

If you lie down in front of someone’s yard on your back, you’re a resting festival-goer. But if you lay down on your side in front of someone’s yard, you’re going full homeless. Never go full homeless…

Ancient Mith 

Sat, July 26th 1:00 am

Blue Ice

Where/ When are you playing for the UMS?

Fri night/Sat AM, July 26 1:00 am Blue Ice

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

I hope it's beautiful, strange, hard to watch/hard not to, funny, loving, dangerous and a bit witty but if not I'll just scream and rant a lot.

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

I'm not sure what the first one was exactly. My first collection had an oldies tape, Bon Jovi - New Jersey, Biz Markie - The Diabolical Biz Markie, Aersosmith - Toys In The Attic, Fat Boys - On and On, and few metal bands. I remember being like 8 years old and wanting to go to the record store with any money I got or earned.

What has been your favorite album of 2014 so far?

I haven’t paid much attention this year, sadly, but I really like the YG album and Freddie Gibbs as well.

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

Not during the UMS necessarily but on S. Broadway I like Sputnik.

Who is your all time favorite Colorado band?

I think Achille Lauro as far as what I listen to most, Shotgun Hodown is probably a close second.

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

Regina Spektor - 11:11, Any Sun Ra album, EL-P - Fantastic Damage.

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

No, but I would like to thank Twist and Shout, Natasha, The UMS, Open Air 1340,and all the readers. Hope to see you all there. Love, Braden

I'd Love to Turn You On At the Movies #94 - Tai Chi Master (1993, dir. Yuen Woo Ping)

The wuxia film is a long-standing Chinese film tradition dating back decades – a martial arts swordplay film that often incorporates elements of fantasy or mysticism into the stylized action sequences. But many know the genre a little better by a Westernized name associated with it: “wire fu,” after its combination of kung fu with impossible stuntwork made possible by the use of wires (sometimes visible in the films). Some of the classic films from the 1960’s and 1970’s made waves in the niche market here, but it wasn’t until 2000’s Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon that the genre came into broader notice outside the circles of people who lived and died for great kung fu films. But Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon came at the tail end of a renaissance of wuxia films coming out of China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan, a renaissance that peaked in 1993, a year when nearly 20 films in the genre were released in those countries. And coming in at the tail end of that year was the third excellent 1993 film in the genre starring Jet Li, Tai Chi Master.

Following on the heels of Fong Sai Yuk and its sequel Fong Sai Yuk II, Tai Chi Master crafts a similarly structured period piece with our hero (played by Jet Li) working through plots of political treachery and fighting for the underdog with fiercely choreographed action married to comedy that at times lands firmly in slapstick. In that bonding of action and comedy, they honor a filmic tradition going back to Buster Keaton (minus the politics, of course) and avoid the dead spots that can drag these things down – never bogging down too much in plot mechanics (even when they get complicated) or sappy romance (silly romance is more how they play it). So, there’s certainly no reason to take them too seriously – they’re meant to be fun. And even though Jet Li’s character is in all three films aligned with a political underground against a domineering and violent ruling party, it doesn’t mean that it is necessarily an allegory exploring anxieties of Hong Kong residents of what will happen to Hong Kong when it goes under China’s control in 1997 in the wake of the Tiananmen Square crackdown of 1989 – if so it’s certainly kept as subtext, never interfering with the pure kinetic energy of the films. And maybe they’re not political at all – the Fong Sai Yuk films are based on a legendary folk hero and Tai Chi Master’s good and bad guys are strictly drawn as good and evil from the get-go, there’s no nuance that suggests a deeper reading is necessary.

Tai Chi Master begins simply with a monastery training a courtyard full of men in kung fu while two children look on. One of them, Junbao, is a favorite of the school’s Master, while Tienbo is jealous of the younger Junbao’s senior status in the training, insisting (privately) on being called senior to Junbao in spite of the Master’s statement that Junbao is the senior student. While the two are friends, defeating a bully together (and getting in trouble for it) this jealousy colors all their actions and carries over to adulthood. Tienbo and Junbao are ultimately kicked out of the monastery due to fighting. When a competition rival cheats, Tienbo takes it as an opportunity to call all bets off and goes too far with his violence - the rival’s Master decides to take things out on Tienbo until Junbao intervenes and both end up fighting all the students. When their own master pulls them out and sends them off in to the world, he notes that Jun is kind while Tien is too aggressive and needs to find peace in his heart. Tienbo, who is introduced when one of his first lines is “My family was always too poor to afford meat. I have always wanted to try it,” is understandably ambitious, if too aggressive for the pacifism he is supposed to find in the martial arts. When he and Junbao are released into the world, he is happy to sell out friends and unleash his considerable skills to advance his lot in the world – upon seeing a cruel and hated governor he notes: “I wish I could be as privileged as he is.” But Junbao is on another course. After several people he knows die as a result of violence, he opts for another course, studying the more balanced art of Tai Chi to try to rectify what has happened. Of course this all ultimately steers a course toward a showdown between the two and it’s there that the film unleashes its most dramatic effects and choreographed fight sequences, playing even the tension of the fights for comedy sometimes and adding in the fantastic effects (superhuman strength and speed, flying, etc) that are common in some wuxia films. The film is directed by Yuen Woo Ping, the noted director/choreographer best known here for his work as action choreographer on Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and kung fu choreographer on The Matrix, and he handles things every bit as well as the equally talented Corey Yuen (The Transporter, Lethal Weapon 4) handles similar duties on the Fong Sai Yuk films.

As always, the pleasure of the films lies in its choreographed movement, often as intricate as the most dazzling dance sequences of musicals, and its stylized approach to violence, as exciting (and often funny) as any adrenaline-pumper out there. And one final note ought to be given to the performances – Jet Li’s great turn as Junbao, Chin Siu-Ho appropriately driven and sinister as Tienbo and the great Michelle Yeoh as Junbao’s cohort in the underground group, in a typically smart, sly, witty performance.

- Patrick Brown

2014 UMS Band Interviews #2

For everything you need to know about the UMS Click Here

Ned Garthe Explosion 

Sun, July 27th 5:00 pm 

3 Kings Tavern

Where/ When are you playing for the UMS?

We have no idea, follow your heart and it will lead you to our sweet ass rocking' show.

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

Well if they never heard us then I don't think they expect anything, but if I had to guess I would say viking metal yodeling with a strong dub-step overtones peppered on a base of fusion jazz.  Its like touching someone using a remote controlled RC car you know? 

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

I bought a teddy ruxpin when I was 7 from the kid up the street, he removed the teddy tape and replaced with a Van Halen Tape, I started kicking ass right then and there.

What has been your favorite album of 2014 so far?

Old recordings of pirated CB radio conversations between truckers traveling along I-70.

Do you have any advice for new bands?

I do not

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

Oh yeah I wanna see all of the people.

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

me so horny 

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

The music

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

Yep get a wrist band, it will get you laid.  Pretty soon you will be able to buy super trendy music festival wristbands from Urban Outfitters cuz thats what the cool kids are doing.

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

There is a sandwich in every beer.

What is your favorite shop on South Broadway?

The egg and I, and Scudd Busters trannies rotors and pads.  

Who is your all time favorite Colorado band?

When Willie Nelson lived in Evergreen, before uncle sam decided to strip and American icon of his land... Taxes shmaxes.  

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

I have no idea how to answer this question...

The Parlor Pickers (Josh responding) 

Sun, July 27th 10:00 pm

Gary Lee’s Motor Club and Grub

 

Where/ When are you playing for the UMS?

Sunday, Venue TBA

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

We like to think of ourselves as "Roadhouse Rock and Roll". We have found ourselves inspired by a plethora of artists like Old Crow Medicine Show, Paul Simon, Elvis, and Woodie Guthrie. Basically, we just want people to dance and party with us at a Parlor Pickers show.

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

I was a pastor's kid, so my family was pretty strict about the music in our home...The first tape I ever remember buying for myself was this christian rock guy named "Mylon LeFevre". It was cheesy as hell.

What has been your favorite album of 2014 so far?

The new Damien Jurado is currently blowing my mind. Also, I think it technically came out last year, but I just discovered Grandchildren - Golden Age and have been listening to it a lot. 

Do you have any advice for new bands?

Don't take it so seriously, have fun and make music you would want to listen to. 

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

I have been a big Blonde Redhead fan for a long time, so I was really excited to see them on the bill. Denver is full of incredible local music and we are insanely excited to see old friends like Mosey West, The Wild After, etc. Maybe even discover some new music.

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

Sweaty, Drunk, and Ridiculously fun.

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

The first time the Parlor Pickers ever played UMS was 4 years ago, it was a Saturday night at the Irish Rover. I remember it being wall to wall people, with listeners dancing on tables and singing along. It was one of the funnest experiences we've had to date. The UMS concert goers were all there to have a blast and party, and our first experience couldn't have reflected that any more.

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

Plan on just walking around and experiencing the wonderful Denver music scene. When it comes time to perform, play as hard as you can and get sweaty.

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

Illegal Pete's, duh...

What is your favorite shop on South Broadway?

Goodwill

Who is your all time favorite Colorado band?

That is a tough one. For me personally, it's 16HP / Wovenhand. 

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

Beck - Morning Phase, George Harrison - All Things Must Pass, and anything from Tennessee Ernie Ford

Mako1972 

Fri, July 25th 11:00 pm

Eslinger Gallery

Where/ When are you playing for the UMS? 

11:00 p.m. on Friday, July 25^th at the Eslinger Gallery, 118 S. Broadway

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

            No wacky outfits, some bald dudes, radical people.  Angular power-emo rock post-punk whatever fun.  

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

            Note: I was about 6 years old, I think it was a Terence Trent D’Arby cassette tape. Good stuff.  His music clearly didn’t influence me in the long run.

What has been your favorite album of 2014 so far? 

            Floor – Oblation

Do you have any advice for new bands?

            Don’t overdo the social media thing and don’t go trying too hard with being unique (like releasing a f**king 8-track or something).

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

            YES!  Abrams, El Toro de la Muerte, Bonnie and the Beard, Accordion Crimes, We are not a Glum Lot, Spells (I could go on and on…)

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

            Sweaty, loud, awesome.

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

            I don’t believe I was sober enough to retain UMS memories. 

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

            Hydrate!  And don’t get impatient with lines.  You can have just as much fun people watching and chatting with the other awesome people in line with you as you will once you get inside. Enjoy every minute of UMS.

  

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

            Pie Hole is always a good stop on S. Broadway.  Surely there will be an array of enticing food trucks lined up as well.

What is your favorite shop on South Broadway? 

            Ironwood

Who is your all time favorite Colorado band?

            This is tough.  Only Thunder is a big contender.         

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

            Botch – We are the Romans

            Steely Dan – Aja

            Gotta pick up a Merle Haggard & Willie Nelson collaboration album too.  It’s necessary. 

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

            Give new/different venues and new bands a chance.  The worst that can happen is that you’ll have to move on, the best is that you’ll totally fall in love with another local Colorado band.

 

2014 UMS Band Interviews #1

For everything you need to know about the UMS Click Here

DJ Alf 

Sat, July 26th & Sun, July 27th 3:00 pm 

Side Stage at Goodwill

Where/ When are you playing for the UMS?

I'll be performing across from the main stage all day Saturday and Sunday. 

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

Me playing instrumental records, periodically joined by local and national musicians adding something on top.

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

I bought "Theme from Rocky (Gonna Fly Now)" by Bill Conti on 45.  I'm not entirely sure why, as I don't recall ever really liking that song. 

What has been your favorite album of 2014 so far?

Tough to say - I'm more of a singles guy than an albums guy.

Do you have any advice for new bands?

Keep your websites updated.

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

I really only have Thursday and Friday to enjoy UMS, but you can bet I'll make the most of it.  I haven't made my list yet, so not sure who I'll be seeing.  Expect to see me running around a lot those two days, though.

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

Engrossing, exhausting, exhilarating.

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

Most of it dissolves into a really awesome blur.  I've discovered a bunch of new bands that I wouldn't have heard of otherwise over the years.  If I had to pick one single moment that sticks out, maybe Slow Magic playing at the Compound two years ago.

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

This is how *I* do it.  I make a long list of bands I want to check out, organized chronologically with the venues they're playing at.  Then I just start going to check them out.  If I like a band a lot, I may stay for their whole set.  Or I might leave after two songs and check out something else.  I've sampled up to five bands in an hour - I like seeing a huge variety of bands.  And I go alone.  I run into a ton of people I know there, and sometimes we tag along together for awhile, but I like the freedom of moving between band to band.

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

I've ordered a margherita pizza from Walnut Room Pizzeria four times over the last three years.  I'll probably add to that total this year.

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

Set your phone display to the lowest brightness possible, and it might just last until the end of the day.

Covenhoven 

Fri, July 25th 7:00 pm  

South Broadway Christian Church

Where/ When are you playing for the UMS?  

Not 100% confirmed but I believe it'll be S. Broadway Church on Friday evening

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

I see live music for the heightened sense of emotion and the feeling of connecting with an artist.  I want to get goosebumps.  I hope this translates to what I do.  

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

Probably something silly like Kriss Kross or Naughty by Nature.

What has been your favorite album of 2014 so far?

Beck - Morning Phase 

Do you have any advice for new bands?

Focus on the music and the rest will come.

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

No, but from years past, I thought Gregory Alan Isakov's set was fantastic, Phox was great, Born in the Flood, Nathaniel Rateliff...

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

Community.  Celebration.  Fun. 

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

Hmmm... there have been many... but nothing specific.

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

Do your research and pace yourself.

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

No, not really. 

What is your favorite shop on South Broadway? 

Music Gear Guys

Who is your all time favorite Colorado band?

I've got several.

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

Bob Dylan - Bringing It All Back Home, Radiohead - Kid A, Jeff Buckley - Grace

Two Tone Wolf Pack

Sat, July 26, 2014 5:00 pm 

Skylark Lounge

Where/ When are you playing for the UMS?

     Haven't heard yet, but word is it'll be a hoot!

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

     Dark rowdy americana based chain-gang good time sing-a-long

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

      I'm pretty sure it was mxpx or five iron frenzy

What has been your favorite album of 2014 so far?

      Iska Dhaaf - even the sun will burn or Yellow Ostrich - Cosmos

Do you have any advice for new bands?

      Go get 'em 

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

     A Mouthful of Thunder, Joshua Dillard and the Streaks of Lightning, Inner Oceans, ... Too many to name really.

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

     I've been at ums the last 5 years and it’s always a great time to see all the Denver acts you've been meaning to catch live.

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

     Last year seeing Phox blew my mind.

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

      Plan to stay out late, there's just nothing like good music on Colorado summer nights.

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

     Illegal Pete's patio is one of the best hangouts

What is your favorite shop on south broadway? 

      Ironwood

Who is your all time favorite colorado band?

     Wovenhand?

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

     Too hard to say without knowing what they're already into, but I normally default to David Bazan, Mewithoutyou, Yellow Ostrich, or Iska Dhaaf

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

     The backyard shows during UMS in the surrounding areas are almost always as good as the actual festival.

 

I'd Love to Turn You On #108 - Gentle Giant - Octopus

Many rock bands have either tried to play with classical musicians or play like they are classical musicians – mostly with dismal results. Gentle Giant played music that was firmly in the rock idiom, but they played with such virtuosity and composed music with such complexity that they are at the top of an extremely small list (along with maybe just Zappa) of those who successfully played rock music like they actually were classical musicians. Titled Octopus as a play on the idea that the band was composing 8 songs, each about a different member of the band or crew, each song is its own wildly ambitious symphony of musical ideas and masterful execution. Perhaps no song is more symbolic in their entire career (12 albums over a decade) than “Knots,” a miraculous number in which they employ the Madrigal (unaccompanied vocal composition) form to begin a song that then bursts into complex changes and time signatures hinting at jazz, classical, rock and avant-garde all at once. Every track on Octopus is equally sophisticated. This is not light music for the faint of heart. While every song bristles with musical invention and enough musical changes to give a careful listener whiplash, there is always a melodic core, as well as beautiful and complex vocals, and some rock star-worthy instrumental fireworks – although never at the expense of compositional integrity. This is one band that never jammed mindlessly.

Another factor that really sets Gentle Giant apart is their intensely personal, philosophical and literary lyrics. Hugely influenced by the works of several philosophers/authors the band always imbued their lyrics with an intellectual humanism that escaped most of their contemporaries. Take for example “A Cry For Everyone” which was influenced by the writings of Albert Camus. Demonstrating a sensibility far elevated from the typical rock fare the lyric warns:

“One day everyone dies

If only to justify life.

Live. I’ve lived a thousand lives: And anyone is the right, the just life.

If I could cry, I’d cry for everyone.”

Gentle Giant’s lyrics are filled with thought provoking insights and moral quandaries –some resolved, some left hanging. This alone makes their work worth exploring, and none of their albums is quite as cohesively successful as Octopus.

My first exposure to Gentle Giant was a strange and jarring one. In 1976 they were the opening act on Paul Simon’s tour for Still Crazy After All These Years. What marketing genius thought this pairing would be a good idea should have been fired immediately for surely most of the audience was baffled and/or annoyed by this frenetic prog-rock freak show. They did however convert one person. When they finished their set (which included a medley of songs from Octopus) I remember sitting there with my mouth hanging open wondering what I had just seen. I had no idea rock musicians were allowed to play with such accomplished fury. They weren’t goofing around up there, they were executing musical mazes which required the highest level of rehearsal and professional dexterity. I could barely pay attention to Paul Simon’s set (which I’m sure was great). I had to hear more from this band. I have cherished Gentle Giant’s albums since and hold them in a rare place of musical reverence, but I understand that this music is not for everyone. To illustrate this fact, vocalist/saxophone player Derek Shulman (one of three Shulman brothers in the band) became a respected A&R man for a well-known record label after the band broke up. He famously said (I paraphrase) “I would never sign a band like Gentle Giant.” It seems that sometimes even the most ambitious artists understand themselves that they are making music for the few and not the many. What better endorsement do you need?

- Paul Epstein

I'd Love to Turn You On At the Movies #93 - Contact (1997, dir. Robert Zemeckis)

For Science Fiction to work for me it has to meet two criteria; 1) It must have a premise that seems plausible, and 2) it must preserve some sense of wonder. These are seemingly incompatible requirements, yet the best science fiction (Blade Runner, 2001 A Space Odyssey, The Time Machine, etc.) strikes this very balance, making us stare in amazement like a child, yet forcing us to ponder bigger questions of science, sociology and philosophy. Contact follows Eleanor Arroway (Jodie Foster at her wide-eyed, pre-tortured best) as a scientist whose early loss of her parents drives her to search for life outside of earth. We come to understand her obsession is in some ways a method of searching for her lost father. She’s scanning the heavens for aliens, but her heart wants a reunion with her dead parent. Manning a lonely array of radar towers in the desert of New Mexico, Arroway picks up a faint sound – she has made contact! The movie takes a good long time to get to this point. In the meantime we are introduced to Matthew McConaughey’s character: Palmer Joss, a religious man who advises presidents and falls for Arroway. In what will become a career of vacuous hunks, he sets the standard with this one, although his role is crucial in that he sets up the central conflict of the film: which posits that a belief in unproven science is a similar to the leap one takes to believe in an unseen god. It is an important part in the film, but overall one can’t help but think that McConaughey’s role was expanded because of his unbearable hunkiness. The movie really succeeds when it makes Arroway’s discovery real.

The signal Arroway picks up turns out to be instructions from another civilization that, when followed, will allow mankind to build a machine to travel to the Vega star. The construction and views of the machine are the movie’s greatest strength. The machine, sitting offshore at NASA in Florida is awe-inspiring. I have literally gone back to the scenes with the machine over and over. They hold the magic ingredient that Hollywood directors seek. It is like the scene at the end of Planet Of The Apes when Charleton Heston comes upon the destroyed Statue Of Liberty in the sand. It is familiar and fantastic all at once and the images sear themselves into the viewer’s mind, becoming part of your consciousness forever. The space travel machine in Contact is possibly my favorite special effect ever, because it seems possibly real while taking your breath away with its scale and function.

Through a series of plot twists involving a stellar supporting cast (James Woods and Tom Skerritt both playing variations on the devil) our heroine Eleanor Arroway ends up getting to pilot the machine for its inaugural voyage. In another series of beautifully realized visual miracles, director Robert Zemeckis sends Foster through a series of wormholes ending up in a different galaxy where she is greeted as an ambassador from a new planet. The machine is the first step in helping civilizations understand space travel, and Arroway is just the tip of the spear. We are assured there will be future exploration. Unfortunately, to those watching Arroway’s journey on earth, it appears as though it only took seconds and that nothing really happened. Ah - there’s the rub! Now we see: Arroway trying to convince an unbelieving populace about space travel they can’t see is just like Palmer Joss trying to convince the non-believing Arroway that a god she can’t see exists. It is not a surprise that the movie is based upon a story written by the great scientist Carl Sagan. Sagan understands the nuanced arguments that tie science and faith together at a very fundamental level. Until we see with our own eyes, we tend to not believe, unless that peculiarity of human behavior – faith – takes over. In the end we find an optimistic Arroway encouraging school kids to look to the stars. She has become a preacher for science, and we are left with our own struggles and beliefs.

- Paul Epstein

I'd Love to Turn You On #107 - Loudon Wainwright III - Attempted Mustache

Loudon Wainwright III has always been an odd bird.  As a singer-songwriter, he's well aware of folk music traditions and incorporates them into his music.  Yet he never pretends to be someone he's not.  He's never been a hard travelin' hobo or rough and tumble laborer.  He comes from an upper class New England family and he sings about what he knows.  He also has a quirky and sometimes dark sense of humor.  All of this adds up to a recipe for a cult artist and Wainwright certainly could be classified as such.  But as occasionally happens with cult artists, some scrap of their weird sensibility connects with the mainstream.  That happened to Wainwright in 1972 when his oddball single "Dead Skunk" suddenly became a hit.  How would he follow that up?  By doing what he damn well pleases, of course, which brings us to 1973's Attempted Mustache.
 

The album opens with a fantastic folk/pop confection called "The Swimming Song."  Wainwright himself plucks a banjo throughout and Cajun fiddler Doug Kershaw pops in at the end.  The lyrics are either incredibly silly or strikingly poignant depending on your point of view.  "A.M. World" takes a sardonic view of his recently acquired fame.  Wainwright goes back to his childhood for the brief a cappella tune "Liza," a reminiscence about an old playmate who just happened to grow up to be Liza Minnelli.   "I Am the Way" is recorded live and displays Wainwright's penchant for iconoclasm.  He takes the tune of Woody Guthrie's "New York Town" and sings from the perspective of a sacrilegious Jesus, giving a gentle ribbing to two revered legends.  Folk singers could rock too and Wainwright certainly does on "Clockwork Chartreuse."  This song contains one of his most controversial lyrics as it sarcastically takes the view of a violent misogynist.  Some have claimed the song to be an endorsement of such behavior.  Those who understand satire know otherwise.
 

For "Down Drinking at the Bar" Wainwright gets rowdy and bluesy on an ode to exactly what the title promises.  Next comes the album's centerpiece, the dark acoustic song "The Man Who Couldn't Cry."  It's a vivid and poetic tale of a misunderstood outcast and has become one of Wainwright's best known songs, partially thank to Johnny Cash's excellent cover version.  But the original is a powerful classic of its own.  At the time, Wainwright had just married Kate McGarrigle, another up and coming folksinger, and here he presents a gorgeous version of her song "Come a Long Way."  "Nocturnal Stumblebutt" is another rocker, this one is about waking up in the middle of the night to try and find a cigarette.  The Wainwright home life is again referenced in "Dilated to Meet You," an ode to Loudon and Kate's newborn son Rufus who himself would grow up to be an acclaimed singer and performer.  The album concludes with "Lullaby."  Of course, Wainwright's idea of a lullaby opens with the line "Shut up and go to bed."  He references Rufus in the lyrics but in the album's liner notes explains that he's really singing to himself.  Loudon Wainwright III has made a career of always being slightly out of step.  For those attuned to his way of thinking, Attempted Mustache provides plenty of great tunes and odd turns.

            - Adam Reshotko 

Several Species Of Small Furry Thoughts - My Journey Home With Neil Young

When I first heard Neil Young’s latest album A Letter Home I was taken aback by this faint sounding bunch of covers. It was clearly Neil, and these were songs I was happy to hear him play, but the quality of the recording was so primitive. I just couldn’t get over it. Why would he do this? I had only listened to the LP at this point and there lies the crux of the problem. To fully "get" this album, one has to get the deluxe version and watch the DVD. As soon as the video comes to life, one enters a very special session where Neil Young and Jack White embark on an emotional and technological voyage together. Somehow Jack White has managed to get the world’s only working example of a “Record Your Voice” booth; a boardwalk attraction from the 1920’s that looks like a phone booth and allows any person to sing a song and leave with a hastily pressed record. The records that the booth itself produced (which also come in the deluxe version) sound even worse than the LP but are interesting artifacts. So here is this piece of ancient technology, and Neil Young decides to record a bunch of old favorite songs on it. Seems simple enough.

When you pop in the DVD however, there is a seamless mixture of black and white footage whenever Neil is in the booth, but as soon as he steps out it turns to sumptuous color footage. The audio is also much better. Neil essentially takes you through the process with him. We see that his songs are too long to fit on the little automatic records, thus they are running a line out of the booth so some editing can take place. Suddenly I realized I was loving this album. Going inside the creative process with these two great musicians is a rare and wonderful privilege. And make no mistake – Jack White’s imprint is all over this album. He joins Neil on a couple of songs, singing harmony, playing piano even playing lead guitar on one song. He is also clearly playing the role of chief engineer and producer. His deep involvement makes this an essential item for Jack White fans as much as Neil Young lovers.

As for the material; it is really hard to find fault with songs like Gordon Lightfoot’s “Early Morning Rain” or “If You Could Read My Mind,” Phil Ochs’ “Changes,” Tim Hardin’s “Reason To Believe,” Dylan’s “Blowin’ In The Wind,” etc. The songs all clearly mean a lot to Neil and for the most part he plays them straight and folksy without doing much to make them modern. And the direct connection to his earlier days is really the point here. Perhaps the most poignant and important parts of the whole recording are the two spoken-word pieces he includes. They are short letters to his dead mother. He explains what he and Jack are doing; playing the songs he used to play when he lived with her on Grosvenor Ave. as a teen in Canada. In the most touching moments Neil asks his mother to talk to his father in heaven. They were divorced long before their deaths, but Neil is trying to fix things for them in the afterlife. “Remember to talk to Daddy” he pleads. This is a very important milestone in Neil Young’s career. In a totally non-commercial move he tips his hat to his heroes, his own past and tries to fill some holes in a broken heart.

- Paul Epstein

I'd Love to Turn You On At the Movies #92 - James and the Giant Peach (1996, dir. Henry Selick)

I guess I’ll start this attempt to ‘turn you on’ to Henry Selick’s James and the Giant Peach with a simple question: do you like The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)? Chances are, if you’ve seen it the answer is yes! Now what if I follow that question with: who directed Nightmare Before Christmas? I would venture to guess the majority of you would answer with a resounding “Tim Burton!” You would be incorrect – Henry Selick, the director of the film that I wish to turn you on to, is actually the director of that brilliantly dark children’s flick. With James and the Giant Peach (his second film and follow-up to the aforementioned Nightmare), Selick tackles a novel from one of the most imaginative children’s writers, Roald Dahl, and mixes both live action and the brilliant and meticulous stop motion animation seen in Nightmare. So before I get into the meat of my argument for this fantastical film let us recap: this film is from the director of the cult classic Nightmare Before Christmas (often wrongly attributed to Tim Burton!) AND it’s based on a book written by one of the most beloved and imaginative children’s authors, Roald Dahl (most famous for Charlie and the Chocolate Factory)! WHOA! However, I digress, it’s time to tell you why this particular film is SO great!

     Our story opens on James, an unfortunate child recently orphaned. His parents were killed in a freak rhinoceros attack and he was sent to live with his two grotesque and evil aunts, Sponge and Spiker. Unsure if he will ever escape, he runs into a strange man while attempting to save a spider from his nasty aunts. This man offers James an escape from the dregs he is currently stuck in by giving him a bag of magic crocodile tongues. Excited to see what enchanted future lies ahead of him he accidentally trips up the stairs, losing all of his squirmy mysterious tongues as they burrow into the ground. Deflated and upset James is discovered by his gruesome twosome of aunts, but just as he is about to be unjustly punished once again something amazing happens – a peach begins to grow on the barren tree in their yard. All three of them stop dead in their tracks and watch as this amazing peach swells and grows to an enormous size right before their eyes.

Thus begins the fantasy that lies ahead. Little did James know that an adventure of insane proportions is ahead of him, for inside this giant peach are a centipede, a glow worm, a ladybug, an old grasshopper, an earthworm, and the very spider that he had saved minutes before, all growing to human size. The remainder of the film is the story of a boy and his giant bug (and one arachnid) friends trying to make it to New York (the place James’ parents told him they were going just before the rhino took them from him). They hole up in their giant peach and find fun and ingenious ways to utilize their giant fruit for transportation along the way.

So other than the extraordinarily inspired narrative why should you purchase this film and run home to watch it (by yourself, with your significant other, or, maybe especially, with your children)? How about the darkly whimsical visual style and flare that Selick brings to all of his films? If you aren’t familiar with the look of stop motion animation, let me be the first to tell you it is quite possibly the most visually stunning form of animation. The animators create a completely detailed world within which they bring painstakingly designed puppets to life, frame by frame. The result of the hours poured into this medium results in the one of the most eccentric and fanciful visual phenomena. I know the visual nature of film is usually a large part of my argument, but with a film created in this medium it is hard not to rave about the visionary character and set design and the creative and enveloping world that is unrivaled in it’s ability to stun with childlike eccentricity. Taking a step back, the cast of the film is also exquisite. With child non-actor Paul Terry as the lead, Joanna Lumley and Miriam Margolyes (who has double duty voicing the Glow worm) as the cheeky aunts, and the glorious voice cast of the bugs, Jane Leeves, Richard Dreyfuss, Simon Callow, David Thewlis, and Susan Sarandon.

So to bring it all back and tie it up into a nice bow of ‘turned you on-ness’ – the story, the look, the cast. I’ve been watching this film since I was 10 years old so maybe I am a little biased but I would have to say that Roald Dahl’s story is incredible, as is his nature. No matter who you are the story is easy to fall into and get caught up in. So crawl into the peach and join in the journey to the unknown. If you know nothing about this movie or the story you are in for a serious treat.

            - Edward Hill