Tag: Denver music

News Notes & Spins – APRIL 1 2012

Happy Spring.  As I sit and write today we’re expecting record setting temps along the Front Range.  And as I sit and review the adds and spins for the month it appears we’ve had a record setting month.  The Lumineers self-titled debut on Dualtone Records was added by more stations (commercial and non-comm) than I’ve seen the past couple of years,  aside from much more well established and nationally popular acts like DeVotchKa, landing the debut far in front of the pack in scoring.  I fully expect that The Lumineers release will rise up quickly on the national CMJ charts that measure non-comm and college radio, where the new Tennis release, Young & Old, has held onto TOP 3 positions the past couple of weeks.

I’m often asked how many Colorado albums a year are produced and distributed to radio.  Going back through the past couple of years worth of charts, it appears I’ve tracked about 340 or so album titles during any given 12-14 month period, of which approximately 45-50% receive any measurable airplay monthly.  I estimate there are over 500 records a year coming from Colorado bands today, whether produced here or elsewhere.

I do have to point out that there are some severely underrepresented styles of music on the list of releases, including most forms of Loud Music (metal, punk, etc), hip-hop/rap, and pop-country.  It’s not that the music isn’t being recorded, nor is it that we lack that music in our live music scene.  Quite frankly these are highly popular styles that just don’t seem to grab the attention of the independent djs and programmers that make up the bulk of those who appear on air at the community and public radio stations I cull the spin data from.

I highly recommend paying attention to Westword and HeyReverb, as both those media outlets do an excellent job of exposing all of us to those styles we may not hear on the airwaves around the state.  And yes, I too wish for greater inclusion of all styles of music in radio and at the numerous music festivals regionally.  It is a common topic of conversation among those of us engaged in music festivals and radio around the state.

Re live music … I came across an article in Westword this past couple of weeks that’s worth mentioning … WESTAF introduces Independent Music on Tour, a grant program for local musicians.

Re radio news … KDNK (Carbondale) has a new Underwriter Director: Jen Roeser    …and KBUT (Crested Butte) is starting a new segment titled “Artistically Speaking” that will highlight cultural and art events from Gunnison to Crested Butte.  The segment is brought to KBUT by the Arts Alliance, and will air M, W, and F at 10 AM.

Speaking of radio — I’ve added a new feature this month.  Following the station by station breakdown, I’ve provided a Genre/Program Format breakdown that encompasses the major genres and/or radio program formats i.e.
Americana
Blues
Bluegrass
Folk
Funk/Hip Hop/Urban Contemporary
Indie/New-Alternative
Jazz
Pop/Adult Contemporary
Rock/Adult Alternative.

TOP 40 MOST SPUN TITLES – March 2012
(336 titles tracked / 164 titles reported as played)
(LM) TM / [date added]
(D) = debut, first time on chart
(R) = re-entered chart

(D) 1.  The Lumineers – The Lumineers (Dualtone) Folk-rock [Mar-12}
(13) 2.  Katie Glassman – Snapshot (self) Country-jazz [Feb-12]
(19) 3.  Coles Whalen – I Wrote this for You (self) Country-pop crossover [Feb-12]
(2) 4.  Otis Taylor – Contraband (Telarc) Blues [Feb-12]
(4) 5.  Tennis – Young & Old (Fat Possum) Indie/pop [Feb-12]
(1) 6.  Halden Wofford & the Hi*Beams – Live at Hodi’s (self) Alt-country [Jan-12]
(3) 7.  Longest Day of the Year – Turn Into the Ground (self) Alt-country-rock [Nov-11]
(17) 8.  Bad Weather California – Sunkissed (Family Tree) indie/alternative [Feb-12]
(D) 9.  Catch Bees – Newman’s Open Choir (On Joyful Wings) indie/alternative [Feb-12]
(25) 10.  Finnders & Youngberg – FY5 (self) Bluegrass/country-folk [Apr-11]
(D) 11.  Broken Tongues – Crooked Skyline (self) Hip-Hop [Feb-12]
(D) 11.   The Swayback – Double Four Time (self) rock/alternative [Feb-12]
(D) 12.  Churchill – The Change (Wire Bird) indie/alternative [Feb-12]
(6) 13.  Harry Tuft & Friends – Treasures Untold (Manasses Records) Folk [Nov-11]
(12) 14.  Lionel Young Band – On Our Way to Memphis (self) Blues [Aug-11]
(5) 15.  Fierce Bad Rabbit – Live and Learn (self) indie/alternative [Nov-11]
(R) 16.  Carmen Sandim Sextet – Brand New (Dazzle Recordings) Jazz [Feb-11]
(R) 17.  The Patti Fiasco – The Patti Fiasco (self) country-rock [Jul-11]
(R) 18.  Mosey West – Vaca Money (self) Rock [Sep-11]
(R) 19.  Paper Bird – Carry On (Long Spoon) Folk  [Jul-11]
(D) 20.  Eric Gunnison – Trios (Synergy Music) Jazz [Feb-12]
(27) 21.  John Common and Blinding Flashes of Light – Beautiful Empty (Free School) adult alternative [Apr-11]
(R) 22.  Beats Noir! – Beats Noir! (self) Hip-Hop/rock [Aug-11]
(D) 22.  Overcasters – Curses/Prayers (self) Rock [Mar-12]
(6) 23.  Katya Chorover – Big Big Love (Cat and Moon Records) Country-folk [Oct-11]
(D) 24.  Chimney Choir – (ladder) (self) folk-rock [Mar-12]
(20) 25.  Turn 4 – What You Do About It (Fuck All Y’all Records) alternative country rock [Nov-11]
(D) 26.  Ronnie Shellist – Trust Is Gone (self) Blues [Mar-12]
(10) 27.  The Haunted Windchimes – Live at the Western Jubilee (Blank Tape) Folk [May-11]
(28) 28.  Fox Street Allstars – Welcome to the Mighty Pleasin’ (self) Rock/roots/r&b [Jan-11]
(R) 29.  Big Head Todd and the Monsters – Big Head Blues Club: 100 Years of Robert Johnson (Ryko) Blues [Jan-11]
(7) 30.  Great American Taxi – Paradise Lost (self) Rock/roots rock [Oct-11]
(18) 30.  Spring Creek – Hold On Me (self) Bluegrass [Jul-11]
(R) 31.  Bonnie and The Clydes – Bonnie And The Clydes (self) Country/classic [Feb-11]
(10) 31.  Varlet – The Drifter (self) indie/alternative [Dec-11]
(D) 32.  Mr. Anonymous – Champion Sound (self) Rock/reggae [Mar-12]
(D) 32.  Rebel Tongue – Movin’ On (self) Hip-Hop [Mar-12]
(R) 32.  The Hickman-Dalton Gang – The Hickman-Dalton Gang Vol II (self) alternative country rock [Jun-11]
(13) 32.  The Yawpers – Savage Blue (Adventure Records) Rock/roots [Jan-12]
(R) 33.  El Toro De La Muerte – Danger These Days (self) Rock [Aug-11]
(D) 33.  J. Miller Band – The Road to ELVado (self) country-folk [Mar-12]
(15) 33.  Juno What?! – Shameless (self) Funk/disco [Jan-11]

DROPPED OUT OF TOP 40
8. Devotchka – 100 Lovers
9. FaceMan – Feeding Time
11. Hindershot – Curse Us All
14. SHEL – When the Dragon Came Down
16. Ian Cooke – Fortitude
19. Places – No More Wasted Days
21. Petals of Spain – Late Night Visitor
22. Rose Hill Drive – Americana
22. The Don’ts and Be Carefuls – Sun Hits
23. Justin Roth – Now You Know
24. John Oates – Mississippi Mile
26. Achille Lauro – Flight or Flight
26. Rorey Carroll – Roadside Lullabies
27. Georgann Low – Les Progres De L’Amour (Seasons Of Love)
27. Wasteland Hop – Mother Acre
28. Rene Marie – Voice Of My Beautiful Country
29. Andy Palmer – Sometime Around
29. Kim Jones – Lucky Girl
29. You Me and Apollo – Cards with Cheats

MARCH ADDS
Andy Thorn – Fire In The Sky
Ben Markley – Shadow Valley
Bike Theft – EP
C.P. Carrington – The Valley
Chimney Choir – (ladder)
Euforquestra – Let Us In
Fresh Jefferson – Soulhawke
Gold Metal Sleeper – S/T
Hearts in Space – Already Gone
J. Miller Band – The Road to Elvado
Jaden Carlson – Tell Me What You See
John Oates Band – The Bluesville Sessions
Le Divorce – The Sting and The Light
Mr. Anonymous – Champion Sound
Overcasters – Curses/Prayers
Rebel Tongue – Movin’ On
Ronnie Shellist – Trust Is Gone
StaG – Rifle Meeker
Steve Kovalheck | Ben Markley | Marty Kenney | Chris Smith – Raincheck
Taylor Scott & Another Kind Of Magick – Back To Beale Live
The Blender Cats – Just Like This
The Canopy – Catch the Breeze
The Haunted Windchimes – Out with the Crow
The Jekylls – The Sweet Factory
The Lumineers – The Lumineers
The Morning Clouds – Wasted Youth Blues
The Pretty Sure – Subtle Sabotage
Tim Yunker and the Sound Junkies – Microphones Don’t Lie
Wheelchair Sports Camp – Where We All Live

________________________________________________

STATION BY STATION

KAFM (Grand Junction)
1. Otis Taylor – Contraband
2. The Lumineers – The Lumineers
3. Driftwood Fire – How to Untangle a Heartache
4. Catch Bees – Newman’s Open Choir
4. Juno What?! – Shameless

KDNK (Carbondale)
* Bonnie and The Clydes – Bonnie And The Clydes
* Chimney Choir – (ladder)
* Halden Wofford & the HI Beams – Live at Hodi’s
* The Haunted Windchimes – Live at the Western Jubilee
* John Oates – Mississippi Mile

KGNU (Boulder)
1. Lionel Young Band – On Our Way to Memphis
1. Mr. Anonymous – Champion Sound
2. Great American Taxi – Paradise Lost
2. Otis Taylor – Contraband
2. Paper Bird – Carry On

KRCC (Colorado Springs)
1. A Shoreline Dream – Losing Them All To This Time
1. Tennis – Young & Old
2. Eric Shiveley – Crybaby
2. Otis Taylor – Contraband
3. The Haunted Windchimes – Out with the Crow

KRFC (Fort Collins)
1. Tennis – Young & Old
2. The Lumineers – The Lumineers
3. Euforquestra – Let Us In
4. Bad Weather California – Sunkissed
4. Coles Whalen – I Wrote This For You

KUNC (Greeley)
1. The Lumineers – The Lumineers
2. John Common and Blinding Flashes of Light – Beautiful Empty
2. SHEL – When the Dragon Came Down
2. Wendy Woo – Austerity
3. Harry Tuft & Friends – Treasures Untold

KUVO (Denver)
1. Eric Gunnison – Trios
2. Playground – Dreams Go Through My Mind
3. Josh Quinlin Quintet – Mountain Time Standards
4. Carmen Sandim Sextet – Brand New
5. Steve Kovalheck | Ben Markley | Marty Kenney | Chris Smith – Raincheck

KVNF (Paonia)
1. Halden Wofford & the Hi-Beams – Live at Hodi’s
2. Katie Glassman – Snapshot
3. Finnders & Youngberg – FY5
3. Otis Taylor – Contraband
3. Paper Bird – Carry On

Open Air 1340 (Denver)
* a. Tom Collins – OH NO!
* Bad Weather California – Sunkissed
* Catch Bees – Newman’s Open Choir
* Hindershot – Curse Us All
* Paper Bird – Carry On

The Colorado Sound
1. Katie Glassman – Snapshot
2. Coles Whalen – I Wrote this for You
3. The Lumineers – The Lumineers
3. The Swayback – Double Four Time
4. Churchill – The Change

—————————————————————————————–

BY GENRE/PROGRAM FORMAT

Americana/Alt.country/Alt.country-rock
1. Katie Glassman – Snapshot
2. Halden Wofford & the Hi*Beams – Live at Hodi’s
3. Longest Day of the Year – Turn Into the Ground
4. The Patti Fiasco – The Patti Fiasco
5. Katya Chorover – Big Big Love

Blues
1. Otis Taylor – Contraband
2. Lionel Young Band – On Our Way to Memphis
3. Ronnie Shellist – Trust Is Gone
4. Big Head Todd and the Monsters – Big Head Blues Club: 100 Years of Robert Johnson
5. Papa Juke – Out Of The Blues

Bluegrass
1. Finnders & Youngberg – FY5
2. Spring Creek – Hold On Me
3. Dave Richey & Ruined Nation – No Peace of Mind
3. Trout Steak Revival – Trout Steak Revival
4. Clarke Wright – Fiddleride

Folk/singer-songwriter/folk-rock
1. Harry Tuft & Friends – Treasures Untold
2. Paper Bird – Carry On
3. The Haunted Windchimes – Live at the Western Jubilee
4. Justin Roth – Now You Know
5. SHEL – When the Dragon Came Down

Funk/Hip-Hop/Urban Contemporary
1. Broken Tongues – Crooked Skyline
2. Beats Noir! – Beats Noir!
3. Rebel Tongue – Movin’ On
4. Juno What?! – Shameless
5. Juno What?! – Late Night Live

Indie/New-Alternative
1. The Lumineers – The Lumineers
2. Tennis – Young & Old
3. Bad Weather California – Sunkissed
3. Catch Bees – Newman’s Open Choir
4. Churchill – The Change

Jazz
1. Carmen Sandim Sextet – Brand New
2. Eric Gunnison – Trios
3. Josh Quinlin Quintet – Mountain Time Standards
4. After Midnight – Hit the Jive Jack
4. Greg Garrison – Low Lonesome

POP / adult contemporary
1. Coles Whalen – I Wrote this for You
2. John Common and Blinding Flashes of Light – Beautiful Empty
3. Charlotte Sass – Lighter Things
4. Petals of Spain – Late Night Visitor

Rock / adult alternative
1. The Swayback – Double Four Time
2. Mosey West – Vaca Money
3. Overcasters – Curses/Prayers
4. Fox Street Allstars – Welcome to the Mighty Pleasin’
5. Varlet – The Drifter

The Colorado Sound – V4 EP11 2012

Okay, this is late this week – just a day, but still … I had six events to do in four days … including two of the most incredible days of the Denver UMX I can remember as an emcee over the past nine years.  Between that and four straight nights of doing sound, I’m feeling a bit foggy and brain dead (and slightly hearing damaged).  I know that I’ll miss someone I saw on stage or in the crowd but I do have to point out some notables … starting with the Yawpers on Friday night.

When you see two guys with acoustic guitars plus a drummer take the stage and you’re asking where the bass player and electric instruments are and the band says “this is it” you begin to wonder if those responsible for booking the band even bothered to check the band out previously — seriously.  You just don’t see this type of set up … and virtually never on a Friday night in a room that doesn’t do acoustic music on Friday nights.  BUT – this is NO “just simply acoustic” band.   Never fear – these guys literally and figuratively “rock the house.”  Given that Band Guru Mark Bliesener (Danielle Ate the Sandwich and several nationals) showed up and let me know he was the band’s manager – it became very obvious very quickly that this is a band on the verge of blowing up regionally.   Look for great things — and get thee to a show.  Their ep, Savage Blue, just does not do this band justice.  Make the trip kids .. it’s worth it.

Shout outs to many friends at the UMX this weekend.  The UMX is the official audition for the Capitol Hill People’s Fair, now in its 41st year.  Most of the folks playing in bands were not even born then… check it out at PeoplesFair.com … there were over 80 acts auditioning for one of about 40 open slots in this year’s festival, coming up June 2&3 at Civic Park in Denver.   All in all about 110 acts will take one of six stages this June.  The bands that came out to audition came loaded, locked, and ready to rumble for a slot.  I cannot remember any other wkend in the past nine years where so many bands were so highly scored.  All I can say it … good luck .. when the ballots are tabulated it’s going to be the highest scoring UMX season on record, I’m sure.

Props to The Holler out of Fort Collins – who totally rocked the house with one of the tightest sets on Saturday – they definitely brought the party and set the bar for every act that followed them.  Other very impressive sets were turned in by The Foot., Rebel Tongue, the Blender Cats, Instant Empire, Gang Forward, and Jet Edison to name a handful.

Here’s what got played on the show this week.

Dan Fogelberg “Stars” from Live From Ebbet’s Field Vol. 4 (2010)
(N) Coles Whalen “Paper Airplane” from I Wrote This for You (2012)
(D) JD Feighner “Feel The Way I Do” [single] (2012)Beats Noir! “Not For You” from 13 Tracks From the Dark Side of The Beat (2011)
Future Jazz Project “Faded Memories” from True By Design (2007)
Catch Bees “Atlanta” from Newman’s Open Choir (2012)
(N) Lumineers “Big Parade” from Lumineers (2012)
(D) The Jekylls “Where Were You” from The Sweet Factory (2012)Boenzee Cryque “I’ve Never Known A Girl” from Psychedelic States: Colorado in the Sixties (2007)
(D) J. Miller Band “The Reasons” from The Road to Elvado (2012)Finnders and Youngberg “Nebraska” from FY5 (2011)
Paper Bird “Steady As” from When the River Took Flight (2010)
Greg Garrison “Blackwell’s Reel” from Low Lonesome (2011)
Otis Taylor “Walk Right In” from Recapturing the Banjo (2008)
(N) Katie Glassman “Bye Bye Boise” from Snapshot (2012)
(D) Grant Farm “I Come From the Country” from Grant Farm (2012)Charlotte Sass “Not Alone” from Lighter Things (2012)
OneRepublic “Everybody Loves Me” from Waking Up (2009)
Achille Lauro “Upward Away From the Ground” from Flight or Flight (2012)
(N) Churchill “Change” from Change EP (2012)
(D) The Pretty Sure “Hot Sass” from Subtle Sabotage (2012)Johnny Hickman “The Great Decline” from Palmehenge (2005)
Patti Fiasco “Someone Tell Me” from The Patti Fiasco (2010)
(D) Musketeer Gripweed “Thief” from Straight Razor Revival (2012)Fox Street Allstars “Baby Don’t Fight It” from Welcome to the Mighty Pleasin’ (2011)
Lelah Simon “To Be Oblique” from Third Week of April (2009)

The Colorado Sound – V4 EP10 2012

Ok, so I like keep telling folks – if it ain’t from Colorado I don’t know jack — so how was I supposed to know that the new Big Head & the Monsters “Sexy and I Know It” is a cover of the LFMAO track?   Huh?  Well?  If it ain’t from Colorado I don’t know it … (with extremely few exceptions).    I had to go to youtube to check out the LFMAO version (also finding Todd’s solo version … see below).  Can’t say as I care much for LFMAO’s version, but then I’m not a Venus beach type anyway — give me some “303” – speaking of which, Broken Tongues is representin’ – check out their intro video below … … Todd’s version of the song is much better IMO LOL.

I had one very great nearly three hour hang over a couple pints of Irish ale with Katie Glassman this week … after doing sound for her trio last week I became enthralled with the uniqueness of her voice – vocally and musically.  Turns out that before Sir Paul McCartney did his swing album, Katie had envisioned doing one of her own, complete with five songs that ultimately appeared on Paul’s disc … so, she does the Beatles classic Honey Pie and would love to get it to Sir Paul.  Anyone got his number?  If so, please pass it along to Katie.

Katie’s Snapshot gets my nod for featured album of the month on the Colorado Sound.  John Macy at Silo along with friends like bassist Eric Thorin who arranged / co-arranged four of the tracks, and an all-star band that includes keyboardist Eric Moon and E-tones drummer Christian Teele as well as over a dozen other world class session players and award winners  make it one seriously fun record … especially if you’re into Texas country-swing-jazz with a dollup of airy indie-pop cuteness drizzled throughout Katie’s vocal stylization.

The Lumineers is counted as a debut this week – although I’ve had this particular track for several weeks now, Dualtone just sent the album out – and it’s picking up mad adds at stations around the state, including  KBCO (Boulder), KFMU (Steamboat), KSMT (Breckenridge), KSPN (Aspen), and KYSL (Breckenridge) – making it a sure shot for a #1 Out of the Box (OTB) DEBUT for the month.

And just because it’s too much fun, I included the newly released video from the Hickman-Dalton Gang in this week’s post … ’bout one of the best country videos I’ve seen come out of CO the past couple of years… it forces at least a big grin and some foot stompin. … lay that one in next to Gary Bragg’s hilarious Free Range video…

Here’s what got played on this week’s show.

Slim Cessna’s Auto Club “This Is How We Do It in the Country” from Blovdy Tenent Trvth Peace (2004)
(D) Chimney Choir “ace of spades” from (ladder) (2012)
Juno What?! “You Can’t Stop It” from Shameless (2011)
Tommy Metz “Dreams Will Collide” from The Blossom Frontier (2010)
Electric Swingset “Inebriated Witch Doctor” from Inebriated Witchdoctor (1996)
(D) Rebel Tongue “Lose Hope” from Movin’ On (2012)
Coles Whalen “Wrecking Ball” from I Wrote This for You (2012)
Kelly J “I Didn’t” from It’s A Jungle Out There (2007)
After Midnight Jazz Band “Hit That Jive, Jack” from Hit That Jive, Jack (2012)
(D) Overcasters “Moonshift” from Curses/Prayers (2012)
El Toro de la Muerte “Things In My Head” from Dancer These Days (2011)
Carmen Sandim Sextet “Sampa” from Brand New (2011)
The Apples in Stereo “Same Old Drag” from New Magnetic Wonder (2007)
Pretty Lights “Future Blind” from Making Up a Changing Mind (2010)
(D) The Lumineers “Ho Hey” from The Lumineers (2012)


(N) Broken Tongues “The Way” from Crooked Skyline (2012)

Selasee Atiase “Pray for Me” from African Gate (2010)
Railbenders “Sweet Caroline” from Segundo (2003)
(N) Hickman Dalton Gang “Construction Man” from Vol. II (2011)

Lionel Young Band “Blues & Boogie Woogie” from On Our Way to Memphis (2011)
(D) Big Head Todd & the Monsters  “Sexy and I Know It” [single] (2012) – The cut I played on the show is a full band version that BTHM keyboardist and local producer/engineer (Hickman Dalton Gang among others) sent to me .. that he described to me as having been worked on in many different places out on the road this winter.  The video is Todd rockin it solo.

(N) Katie Glassman “Honey Pie” from Snapshot (2012)
The Swayback “Lost Lake Woods Club” from Double Four Time (2012)
Soul Merchants “Crowns of Glory” from Soul Merchants (2007)
(N) Varlet “In My Pocket” from The Drifter (2012)
Jim Stranahan “Caliente” from Free For All (2010)