Best of 2019 Lists from Friends of Twist & Shout! (Round 4)

Scott Brand

Director, Commercial Development, Caroline

Top 9 of 2019! (In no particular order!)

Obsequiae – The Palms of Sorrowed Kings

Besvarjelsen – Vallmo

Immortal Bird – Thrive On Neglect

Mndgsn - Snaxx

Horndal - Remains

My Diligence – Sun Rose (Mottow Soundz)

Frankie and the Witch Fingers – ZAM

Battles – Juice B Crypts

Mass Worship – Mass Worship

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Esmé Patterson

Denver-based musician. You can find out more about her here - https://esmepattersonmusic.com/

Bill Callahan - Shepherd In a Sheepskin

SUNN O))) - Life Metal

Solange - When I Get Home

Purple Mountains - Purple Mountains

Blackwater Holylight - Veils of Winter

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Michael Bunnell

ThinkIndie Executive Director; owner Record Exchange, Boise ID

Bob Dylan - Travelin’ Thru, 1967-1969: The Bootleg Series Vol. 15

John Coltrane - Blue World

Hayes Carll - What It Is

Kronos Quartet - Terry Riley: Sun Rings

Steve Earle and The Dukes - Guy

Buddy and Julie Miller - Breakdown On 20th Ave. South

Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds - Ghosteen

Hildur Gudnadottir - Chernobyl Soundtrack

Eilen Jewell - Gypsy

Josh Ritter - Fever Breaks

Wilco - Ode To Joy

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Corsicana

Hiii, Ben here from the band Corsicana. I tried to list records in order of their personal significance, hope y'all enjoy! You can check out my band's stuff at www.corsicanamusic.com. (:

My top 10 list for the year would have to go something like this:

1 - i,i by Bon Iver

2 - U.F.O.F. by Big Thief

3 - MAGDALENE by FKA Twigs

4 - ANIMA by Thom Yorke

5 - Atlanta Millionaires Club by Faye Webster

6 - Dimly Lit by From Indian Lakes

7 - Anak Ko by Jay Som

8 - LP3 by American Football

9 - Better Oblivion Community Center by Better Oblivion Community Center

10 - Ventura by Anderson. Paak

My best of the decade list:

1 - 22, A Million by Bon Iver

2 - Familiars by The Antlers

3 - Carrie & Lowell by Sufjan Stevens

4 - good kid, m.A.A.d. city by Kendrick Lamar

5 - Stranger In The Alps by Phoebe Bridgers

6 - LP1 by FKA Twigs

7 - The King Of Limbs by Radiohead

8 - Moving Away by Gleemer

9 - Pure Heroine by Lorde

10 - Ology by Gallant

Esme Patterson, In Her Own Words

Esme Patterson’s new album Woman to Woman will be released on CD and LP by Greater Than Collective this coming Tuesday the 13th. The album finds Esme writing songs from the perspective of women who’ve been sung about in other tunes – her “Valentine” tells the story from the point of view of Elvis Costello’s famous “Alison,” the Beatles’ “Eleanor Rigby” and so forth. She’ll also be playing a live in-store performance here at Twist & Shout on Friday the 23rd at 6PM. Twist’s own Natja Soave sat down with Esme to ask her a few questions about the new record, the tour, and other subjects.

Twist & Shout: Why did you decide to do a response album?

Esme Patterson: My last record was autobiographical to a fault, and it felt great on this record not to write about my own life for a bit, to write about someone else's problems.

T&S: What made you choose to respond to the songs you did for the album?

EP: The songs I responded had to be titled a woman's name, they had to be a song that I liked, and they had to have some room for a response. For example, I love the tune Mustang Sally, it fits the first two criteria, but there isn't much room for a good response. What would she say? “Yeah, I've got a car, pretty nice-looking, huh?”

T&S: What was your favorite part of this process?

EP: I really loved this whole process. It was a lot of fun, and kept being surprising and interesting to write as well as record. I love having limitations and structure with expression; paradoxically, it can be really freeing.


T&S: How are people receiving Woman to Woman?

EP: The reception of this album has been really amazing. When I wrote it, it wasn't necessarily meant to be a feminist work, although I consider myself a feminist and a lot of the work I do is colored by that, but a lot of feminist media that I deeply respect has praised this album, as well as media that focuses on the craft of songwriting, and if those two camps dig what I'm making, I feel like I must be doing something right.

T&S: How’d it feel to have Elvis Costello post “Valentine” on his Facebook page?

EP: I felt like bathwater must feel when a radio falls into it, but in a good way.


T&S: You recently did a video with Extra Kool for the song “Cape & Cowl.” Most people couldn’t imagine you in a hip-hop video, how did that collaboration come about?

EP: Extra Kool is a good friend, I love his stuff. When I worked at the Tattered Cover on Colfax he would come in and order a chocolate milkshake and we would kick it. I love singing hooks on hip-hop songs, it's a lot of fun, and Extra Kool asked me to come up with a hook for a track of his and I jumped at the chance.

T&S: When you tour will it be with a full band or just you and your guitar?

EP: The nice thing about touring with my solo project is having the freedom to do either. I do love playing with at least a drummer, though, since I've switched over to electric guitar, I'm having a lot of fun playing loud and rocking out, and that's harder to do alone.

T&S: Where will your tour lead you this summer?

EP: All over. As long as there's a bowling alley or a swimming hole nearby I'll be happy.

- Natja Soave


*More about Esme performing live at Twist and Shout here



 

2013 UMS Band Interviews #2

Esme Patterson

Where/ When are you playing for the UMS?

playing on friday 7pm at 3 kings

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.

we play melodically-driven folk and roll from outer and inner space.

What was the first music you remember using your own money to buy?
oh that's embarrasing. i think it was 98 degrees, the 90's boy band.



What has been your favorite album of 2013 so far? 
 i really liked the new Phosphorescence album, and Kendrick Lamar's new record too.

Do you have any advice for new bands?
keep a core of patience in your heart, but work and create furiously.

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

UMS is always exciting for me to see all of my favorite local bands in one weekend, hear how they're evolving, see who's really stepping up their game. i'm particularly looking forward to Kitty Crimes, the Blue Rider, Shenandoah Davis (a great musician from seattle), and i'm excited to see Vitamins reunited! i'm probably just gonna wander around and see what sounds good!

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

wild, inspiring, sweaty

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

it's kind of all run together over the years, one big sweaty, (perhaps inebriated), good time.

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

wear a hat and drink lots of water, the sun can be brutal. 

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

i love thai monkey club on bayaud and broadway. really spicy tom kha soup! my favorite.

What is your favorite shop on South Broadway?

i love Ironwood and Boss Vintage.

Who is your all time favorite Colorado band?

kingdom of magic, sadly not together anymore

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

nas - illmatic, charles ives - holiday symphony, joni Mitchell - hejira

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

just wander around! there is something strange and beautiful happening at every moment somewhere, i find that the most amazing things i find you just gotta stumble across by surprise.

WhiteCatPink

Where/ When are you playing for the UMS?

I am playing at 4 pm at Eslinger Gallery on Saturday, July 20 for the UMS.

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.

You will see a giant White Cat playing Electronic European Glitch and Glam on the drums with girl kitties dancing.  Think Ziggy Stardust meets Kraftwerk.

What was the first music you remember using your own money to buy?
The first music I used my own money to buy was Men At Work Business as Usual on tape when it was first released in 1982.

What has been your favorite album of 2013 so far?

My favorite album of 2013 so far is Mice Parade Candela.  Did I say 'mice'?

Do you have any advice for new bands?

For new bands, I would say:  Don't be a dick, either to the venue you are playing at, or to other bands.  Show up on time or a little early for a gig.  Promotional people like that.  The sound person is your best friend.  Treat him or her as such, and remember that he or she can make or break your sound.  Support the bands you like, and be active in that vein.  Be 100% true to who you are.  Don't sell out.  Following the crowd will get you more of the same.  Be different, and be noticed.  Have fun!  You are doing this because you love it, so tear it up!

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

I have not planned a schedule of whom I want to see, but In The Whale is a definite highlight.

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

FUN.  EXPOSURE.  DIFFERENT.

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

The most memorable experience has been mingling and milling around with the crowds as a giant White Cat.

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

Just try to hang out and see other bands you like and mingle with people, make friends and connections.

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

The Cat has his own kibble.

What is your favorite shop on South Broadway?

My favorite shop is The Crypt.

Who is your all time favorite Colorado band?

My favorite Colorado band is 9 Volt Fatale.

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 would recommend Kraftwerk Man Machine, Serge Gainsbourg Histoire De Melody Nelson, and Brian Eno Before And After Science.

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

Q.  'What do you sound like?"  A.  Like David Bowie got on a spaceship with Kraftwerk manning the controls while Serge Gainsbourg entertains a party on the ship with a bunch of French models.

­­­­­­­­­­­­

Native Daughters

Where/ When are you playing for the UMS?

Native Daughters
Thu, July 18, 2013
11:59 pm
3 Kings Tavern

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.

2 drummers, loud, heavy, pretty, instrumental, fun.

What was the first music you remember using your own money to buy?
Weird Al’s greatest hits.

What has been your favorite album of 2013 so far?

Intronaut Habitual Levitations

Do you have any advice for new bands?

Practice, Patience, Record, support local bands you already like, keep contacts with these bands, harass the hell out of promoters until they give you a show, the worst they can say is no, ask your favorite local bands to play a show with them and harass them too. Again, the worst they can say is no.

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

Allout Helter, Black Sleep Of Kali, a Tom Collins, Zebroids, Sound Collapse, The Knew, The Raven and the Writing Desk, Orphans, Lil Thunder, Hollow Talk.

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

Party party puke

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

surviving it

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

Take breaks, schedule everything you want to see and get there early in case you can't get in.

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

Thai Monkey Club

What is your favorite shop on South Broadway?

Mutiny Cafe

Who is your all time favorite Colorado band?

5 Day Messiah

You're working the counter at Twist & Shout, and a customer is interested in expanding his music collection. What three albums would you recommend?
Thin Lizzy fighting, Old Man Gloom Christmas, Neurosis Times Of Grace

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

Nope. Thanks!

Mile High Soul Club

Where/ When are you playing for the UMS?

Mile High Soul Club Sat, July 20 4:40 pm Side Stage at Goodwill

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

They never knew that they liked soul & funk so much.

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

I've got a reputation as a music snob to maintain so I can't answer that question honestly.

What has been your favorite album of 2013 so far?

While it's not soul, the SULK album Graceless should be in any Madchester,
Brit-Pop loving fan’s collection. Amazing it's come out in this age. As far as soul goes, Booker T just released something and my MHSC co-founder Dog Boy is really into Nikki Hill at the moment.

Do you have any advice for new bands? 

Man, enough with the beards and acoustic guitars. You're just another hair in a giant collective beard at this point.

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

No plan. Just pop in everywhere I can.

What is your favorite shop on South Broadway?

I've got a ton of them. Bardo, IndyInk, Mutiny, Boss, Fancy Tiger... there's a ton of great places.

Who is your all time favorite Colorado band?

I know too many of them. Don't want to leave anyone out. Many great acts in this city.

You're working the counter at Twist & Shout, and a customer is interested in expanding his

music collection.  What three albums would you recommend?

For the purposes of this I'm going to assume they want to expand their soul

and funk collection:
Tyler: Otis Redding - Otis Blue
Creeper Steve: Mel & Tim - Good Guys Only Win in The Movies.
DJ DogBoy: Booker T and the MG's - Soul Dressing or the Complete Stax/Volt
Singles

Allout Helter

(Since the lineup just got announced, here are the answers from me (Ross Hostage, singer) for Allout Helter)

Where/ When are you playing for the UMS?

We'll be at Brandon's 404 at 8pm on Saturday, 7/20

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.
Loud. Fast. Awesome. Thrash. Party.

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

The first cassette I ever bought with my own money (meaning allowance money) was Nirvana Nevermind when it came out. I've been making loud, noisy music ever since

What has been your favorite album of 2013 so far?

That's a tough question! What day is it?

Do you have any advice for new bands?

Be nice, be gracious, be fun.

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

Since the lineup just got announced, I'll have to put together my schedule but I'd say 404 will be a great place for killer punk rock on Saturday. I'll be playing with Calder's Revolvers, as well, but, beyond that, I plan on catching as many sets as possible, whether I've heard of a band or not.

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

Camaraderie, sweaty, music.

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

My favorite moments have just been sharing drinks and good music with this fantastic community. It'd be impossible to single out one experience since all four days every year are nothing but outrageous and spontaneous fun.

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

Stay hydrated, tip well, see as many bands as possible.

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

Can't wait to stop by the new Illegal Pete's! Last year, I had some amazing street food and that's pretty much what I'm hoping will sustain me with rock fuel.

What is your favorite shop on South Broadway?

Mutiny Now! is currently the front-runner. New business with solid old-school ideals.

Who is your all time favorite Colorado band?

"All Time" is a tough call. I think the first show I went to when I moved to Colorado in 2001 was Pinhead Circus, The Gamits and The Fairlanes at Tulagi's in Boulder. That era of Colorado punk was pretty awesome but now I've come to know and enjoy so many Colorado musicians across various genres that it'd be impossible to choose just one. I might be biased but I'll just say this: Colorado has my favorite music scene, hands down.

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

Propagandhi Supporting Caste, Elvis Costello This Year's Model, anything by The Slackers.

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

Just keep an open mind. I'm mainly involved in the Denver punk scene but UMS is a great opportunity to expand my horizons every year and find new music. Thanks for the support, Twist & Shout!

2012 UMS wrap-ups, pt. 3

Boot buddies

Patrick Brown’s take on this year’s UMS:

Once again, the best music festival in town has come to a close; an exhausting four days in sweltering July, loaded with more music than you can possibly see even if you caught only one song of each band, and once again I am left with the same impressions as in previous years: Denver’s music scene is an embarrassment of riches and it’s a real service to the music community at large that this festival exists, has continued at the level it is at, and that it caters so much to local musicians. And the food! Did I mention the food? So many restaurants, vendors, and food trucks put on their best faces for the four days, even if I kept getting drawn back magnetically to Socorro's Street Tacos. While there were, of course, several national acts who turned in great performances – highlighted for me by experimental hip-hoppers Shabazz Palaces, New Orleans Bounce performers Big Freedia & the Divas, and indie rockers Imperial Teen (whose drummer lives here, so we can count them as local too) – the focus of the festival is a thriving music scene and the social and musical community that the festival represents.

Esme Patterson

GoStar with Abi Miller of Wheelchair Sports Camp 

And this year, similar to previous years, I left the four days of festival already planning strategies for how to hit more music at next year’s UMS, without even knowing anything about future lineups. Of course I’m hoping that next year I’m not in a boot to heal my foot, which makes getting around quickly and nimbly a hell of a lot easier. But moving more slowly and sitting down more gave me extra time to take in individual acts – caught at least one song of 22 acts this year, down a handful from last year’s tally – and more time to soak in the ambiance, the atmosphere, and the social angle of the festival. Again, even more than getting to see Wymond Miles, Wheelchair Sports Camp, ManCub, GoStar, and the Montbello Drum Line on some of the same stages in the space of a few days, it was about who I got to hang out with at those shows, about all the businesses along that strip of Broadway coming together to help support a great bit of communal fun, about so much of Denver’s diverse music scene coming out to support each other and have that fun together. That’s something I can’t recommend strongly enough, and as Natasha noted in her blog on the UMS, it was a balm after the tragic events Thursday night, which were just starting to unspool on my cabbie’s screen on the way home, without the full consequences yet being known.

Imperial Teen

These are a few pics showcasing the diversity of music that I saw. You can see my full log of what I saw here if you’d like, though I warn that it's strictly documentary snapshot style, not done for photographic integrity:

http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150945676405636.426962.541535635&type=3&l=896b375865

Montbello Drumline

oOoOO

Adam's take on this year's UMS:
I only made it down to the UMS on Friday night and caught great sets from Black Moth Super Rainbow, Imperial Teen, Bad Luck City, and A Shoreline Dream.  But what I really want to talk about is a an artist whose set I just missed.  I got to the Skylark just as Ross Etherton and His Chariots of Judah were packing up.  Formerly of Red Cloud West, Ross has been a fixture on the Denver music scene for a long time now, but he also spent a few years back in my hometown of Cleveland, OH.  That's where I met Ross as we worked in the same bookstore together for a few months before I, coincidentally, moved out here to Denver.  Then a few years later Ross moved back.  We've been trying to reconnect for a while now and finally made it on Friday night.  So instead of running around trying to catch more bands, I hung out with Ross on the Skylark patio.  We caught each other up on the last decade of our lives as well as going over the host of mutual acquaintances we have in both Denver and Cleveland.  So why am I writing about all this when I'm supposed to be telling you about music?  Because it dawned on me later that this is what a great local music scene is all about.  More than the music itself, it's all the people you get to know and the true community that develops.  Music is where it starts and everything else flows from it.  We've got a great music scene here in Denver with a lot of great people both making the music and supporting it.  We've also got UMS, a great annual fest to show it all off.

Shabazz Palaces

Jack Brown's take on this year's UMS:

Well Thursday started out with only being able to see a hand full of acts for scant periods of time. Bad Weather California was a pleasant surprise for the evening. Kudos to the fellas for an energetic performance and a packed house. Patrick and I also caught a "retro" style set by Ginger Perry down at the Compound, I tip my hat to anyone who plays Yes, LFO, and Sheila E b2b! Thanks for the trip down memory lane Ginger!

Friday started with the sludge of Il Cattivo blasting their way through tough shards of punk inspired metal. I can see why these dudes are quickly bubbling from the underground! Next up was the sounds of Le Divorce who took us all back a bit with their 90's inspired sound. That is by all means a compliment. Over on the main stage Black Moth Super Rainbow quelled the Friday evening heat with ethereal, vocodered

rock. Just a hop back over to 3 Kings for Imperial Teen, with its upbeat sound and one of the best performances on Friday in my own opinion. 0O0OO played at midnight Friday at the Compound bringing the "witch house" sound to Denver - kinda interesting in a live setting but to be fair I got distracted so I didn't give it my full attention.

Patrick Brown, DJing at Sputnik to cap off the weekend

Saturday started with the destruction of A Place To Bury Strangers. These guys were awesome, but the set was plagued by sound problems. Native Daughters brought the doom sounds to 3 Kings and made the crowd pay – And pay they did sir! Shabazz Palaces brought this interesting psychedelic hip hop to the main stage and put on an electrifying performance. Now over to the Hi-Dive for Theesatisifaction’s set of sweaty laidback soul/hip-hop. Today's youngsters could learn a thing or two by seeing these ladies.

Sunday afternoon was punctuated by the soothing indie sounds of Esme Patterson (of Paper Bird) - good job Esme! Hot Apostles kicked out the jams at 3 Kings with 70's influenced riffs and glam style rocking. Our own Patrick Brown pumped up the indigenous African jams at Sputnik, which swung into 80's r&b jams and hip-hop. Next door Morning Clouds treated the crowd to a shoegaze style set against the heat of the afternoon. Glass Hits cranked it up to 11 with a white hot set of punk loudness with Jesus Lizard style intensity! A fine way to end a sweltering weekend.