Chris K's Colorado Playlist

CP S12 EP41 2018

Monday Oct 29 2018 – Well, that’s it. October is in the books, and with it the 2018 new release year. It’s been an exciting year of music – and now it’s time to start working on what records will be considered among the best of the past year. Be looking for upcoming polls and posts with your chance to vote.

I had the pleasure of interviewing Betsy Mortenson and Harrison Goodale, the principles behind Sustain Music & Nature, an amazing organization that recently invited the Burroughs to participate in in Songscapes. Here’s our chat:

105.5 The Colorado Sound & the Colorado Playlist Present:

Brent Cowles w/ special guests Strange Americans at the Bluebird Theater (Denver) Fri, Dec 14

Covenhoven at Swallow Hill Music (Denver) Fri, Nov 9

Gasoline Lollipops with The Grant Farm at The Fox Theatre (Boulder) New Years Eve, Monday, Dec 31

Slim Cessna’s Auto Club – 3 nights! – Dec 28, 29, 31 – Globe Hall

Trout Steak Revival 2 shows…
Fri, Nov 30 at Cervantes Masterpiece Ballroom (Denver)
Sat, Dec 1 at the Aggie Theatre (Fort Collins)

The Railbenders at The Bluebird Theater (Denver), Friday, Dec 21

Wildermiss with Silver & Gold and Ivory Circle at the Downtown Artery (Fort Collins) Friday, November 9

At Bohemian Foundation, our focus is on building community …by coming together to create and enjoy music.

VIDEO PICK OF THE WEEK

Anyone doubting that the Album of the Year is for 2018? Oh, and have you heard of Nathaniel’s new candy bar?

“A Little Honey” Handcrafted Chocolate with Honey, Blood Orange, and Marigold

“Inspired by Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats’ “A Little Honey”, this limited edition craft chocolate is a fundraising collaboration between The Marigold Project, Small Batch America, and Fruition Chocolate Works. Made with 74% dark heirloom Costa Rican cacao, organic honey, blood orange, and marigold petals. Packaged in a letterpress sleeve.

Proceeds from ‘A Little Honey’ will benefit The Marigold Project and Denver Urban Garden’s work to support Denver residents in creating sustainable, food-producing neighborhood community gardens. DUG knows that in order to make lasting change, the community needs to drive it. That’s why every one of their urban gardens and farms have been started and led by local residents. They currently have over 170 gardens in six counties in the Metro Denver Area.”

MONDAY MORNING MUSIC MEETING

What you’ll find below are new songs on the show this week … listen and let me know which ones you think I should keep in the Colorado Playlist, and which I should delete.

NOTE: In order to be included in the MMMM poll, the band/artist must have an embeddable file on Soundcloud, BandCamp, Reverbnation, Spotify or YouTube.

PLAYLIST S12 EP41

(D) = debut of lp, ep or single
(N) = new cut from previously debuted lp or ep

HOUR 1

The Samples “Could It Be Another Change” from Samples (1990)
(N) New Mexican “Broken Horse” from Take It On Our Shoulders (2018)

King Cardinal “Seventeen” from Great Lakes (2017)
Great American Taxi “We Can Run” from Dr. Feelgood’s Traveling Medicine Show (2017)
(N) Mojomama “The Big Easy” from Red White And Blues (2018)

Slopeside “Saratoga” from Shoot the Moon (2018)
Flobots “Run (Run Run Run)” from The Circle in the Square (2012)
Fierce Bad Rabbit “Time Machine” from Maestro & the Elephant (2013)
Paul Kimbiris “Song of Summer” from May Day EP (2018)
FY5 “White Colored Pencil” from The Way These Things Go (2018)
Monocle Band “Medicine” from The Clearing (2017)
Megan Burtt “Ain’t Seen Nothing Yet” from The Bargain (2015)
Keith Oxman “Brothers, Michael and Jean-Marc” from East of the Village (2017)

HOUR 2

Zuba “Universal” from The New Cruelty (1996)
(D) Andy Eppler “Whistles in the Darkness” (2018)

A.J. Fullerton “Smoke & Mirrors” from Kalamath (2017)
Andy Palmer “Good Son” from Hazard of the Die (2013)
Burroughs “Step into the Music” from Step Into the Music (2018)
(D) Bud Bronson & the Good Timers “End Of Our Lives” from Between the Outfield and Outer Space (2018)

Big Head Todd & The Monsters “Detonator” from New World Arisin’ (2017)
The Patti Fiasco “Saved by Rock and Roll” from Saved By Rock and Roll (2016)
Paa Kow “Pete Pete” from Cookpot (2017)

TEMPA & NAOR PROJECT – EMBER’S FIRE

Oh boy. #fullboxofKleenex #joyfultearjerker = new album from Tempa & Naor Project … Ember’s Fire.

Highly recommended if you like: Nancy Griffith, Roseanne Cash, Brandi Carlile

Tempa is a former Denver blues singer of the highest regard. From 2000-2012, Tempa and the Tantrums was nominated for 5 Westword Music Showcase Awards, winning Best Blues Band in 2006. Tempa hosted an award winning (Best Allcomers Jam, WestWord Awards 2007) open mic and jam session for 8 years – one of which is where we first met Rob Drabkin.

Tempa fell in love and moved to Hawaii, but has always remembered those she was close to in our region. I’m honored to be among those folks – so much love and thank you Tempa ❤

Well, after all these years we have a new album from our friend – and it’s NOT what I would have expected. What any of us who frequented her jams might have reasonably been inclined to expect was a blues album, since that’s what Tempa & the Tantrums were – a blues band. Not so this album. Tempa & Naor seem to have mastered the Americana / country-folk-rock style with Ember’s Fire, their debut.

“Never Meant to Be A Love Song,” is the first radio “hit” on the album, a country song full of claps and folky rap with tasty use of dobro, fiddle, and a stompin’ singalong chorus. It wouldn’t surprise me in the least if I heard this on KYGO (Denver) or KUAD (Northern Colorado) let alone any of the excellent Americana music shows throughout the state.

The rest of the album is a finely detailed and produced arrangement of love songs and ballads – including a very western sounding “Wyoming Highway” that could have come from Nancy Griffith.

There’s a beautifully restrained subtlety of passion and togetherness in Naor’s fine acoustic guitar work and Tempa’s boldly measured vocals throughout the album. It’s an album of love songs with Tempa displaying a voice perhaps we could not have imagined a decade ago, nor fully realized if she hadn’t fallen in love and moved to Hawaii.

“Never Meant to Be A Love Song” – shared with permission from Tempa & Naor

CP S12 EP40 2018

Monday Oct 22 2018 … Here in about another two weeks we enter the 2019 release year – which will include any NEW releases submitted for airplay after Nov 1.

2018 has been a rather amazing year. Currently in the CP song catalog for 2018 there are over 390 song titles … from over 100 LPs alone – not including EPs and single releases.

So far this year I’ve seen more singles released than at any time I’ve done this show over the paste 12 years. This weekend I spoke with the owners of one of our prestigious studios. They affirmed they’ve seen more singles being produced than at any time they could recall.

Basically, it’s going to make for an interesting end of year “Best Of.”

Congratulations to Randall Frazier and Elisa Canali. Randall is the long time production manager and talent buyer for Ophelia’s Electric Soapbox as well as a longtime label owner (Helmut Room), sound and recording engineer, producer, tour manager and musician in the scene. Randall and Elisa met when Randall took her on as an intern learning sound. She is now Randall’s assistant and soon to be legally married life partner. Much love to both …

Ophelia’s has also announced they’re launching a new label based on live recordings that Randall will produce at the venue. The launch is set for early 2019.

The Colorado Music Hall of Fame class for 2018 has been announced. It’s a night dedicated to AEG’s Chuck Morris, who got started promoting shows in Boulder in the late 60s. Also being inducted – 97.3FM KBCO, a pioneering station with air talent that reaches back into the 70s and 80s.

The show will include performances by Amos Lee, Leo Kottke, Todd Park Mohr & Brian Nevin (Big Head Todd & the Monsters), Isaac Slade & Ben Wysocki (the Fray), Bill Nershi and members of the String Cheese Incident, Drew Emmit & Vince Herman (Leftover Salmon) and the Lumineers. The house backing band for the show is Chris Daniels & the Kings. Governor Hickenlooper will be hosting the roast of Chuck Morris. Dec 3 2018 – The Paramount Theater.