Saturday, December 4, 2010

My reach is global. My tower is secure. My cause is noble. My power is pure.

Once again another local band from Denver, The Flobots, consist of six different members: Jonny 5, Brer Rabbit, Mackenzie Roberts, Andy Guerrero, Jesse Walker and Kenny Ortiz; and all are, "dedicated to social action, change and thought."  Jonny 5 and Brer Rabbit first started the Flotbots and soon took in viola player Mackenzie Roberts and guitarist Any Guerrero in 2005. Bassist Jesse Walker and drummer Kenny Ortiz later joined the band to make it what it is today. The Flobots are a genre of their own with funky guitar riffs, heavy bass and drums and a viola to supplement their provoking lyrics. The six musicians started playing around Denver and started to gain a popular following of people who not only love their music, but also believe in social awareness. Their music and push for social change took the Flobots first cd, Fight with Tools, to the charts and produced Top 2 singles for "Handlebars" and "Rise." With this success the Flobots became the most-talked about up and coming band in 2008. Their talent and powerful lyrics landed the Flobots on Late Night Television shoes like The Tonight Show, Conan O'Brien and Carson Daly. Not only did they perform on national televisions but also led anti-war marches in Denver during the Democratic National Convention in Denver, performed in Washington DC on election night and have had extremely successful tours in the United State and Europe.

To make social change more aware in Denver the Flotbots opened flobots.org Community Center in September 2009 in Denver. This center is their headquarters for community work, which helps with everything from school art programs to voter registration. The Flotbots make sure to keep engaged with their fans through message boards, emails, comments on social networking sites and actual conversations. Andy Guerrero explains, "Talking with the audience before and after shows gives us constant inspiration, and motivation, to keep doing what we do."

Jonny 5 best explains what the band hopes their fans feel while listening to their newest album, Survival Story,  "When people listen to Survival Story we want them to see themselves and their own stories, with all of their complications, questions, and frustrations. Rather than seek to hide them, we chose to embrace and even celebrate them as a part of a global transformation, one in which forces of violence, hopelessness and waste will be composted into fertile soil from which new possibility can grow. We want to leave people with a sense of excitement that a new world is emerging, one which we have the power to shape, that a new story is being written and we must write it together. When the album is over, we want our listeners to walk away with a profound awareness of the cracks in the surface, a deep sense of what’s at stake and a strong resolve to make sure that the new world is one in which loved ones near and far, known and unknown, survive."

For more information visit the Flobots official website or follow them on Facebook and Twitter



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Thursday, December 2, 2010

Concerts, Concerts and More Concerts for December 6 - December 15

With the holidays coming up many artists are taking the time off to spend with their family and friends, but Denver still has a many concerts coming up with in the next few weeks. During December 6-15 you can expect to have a variety of artists coming through but here are a few of the most popular...
Along with regular concerts there are a few Christmas Shows to get you in the holiday spirit...



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Wednesday, December 1, 2010

Hometown Lovin'

Tickle Me Pink is an all - American Emo-Rock band hailing from the local scene of Fort Collins, Colorado and are currently signed to Wind-Up Records. Sean Kennedy, Stefan Runstrom, Joey Barba and Steven Beck have been playing the music scene since 2005 with their release of two EPs, If Only We Were Twenty One and Up and  Half Seas Over. Before coming together as a band all member had been playing music for many years. Sean Kennedy played music for over 11 years as well as studying opera, piano, training with classical guitarists and released an acoustic solo album in 2006. Johnny Schou worked in a recording studio and began working with a producer. Stefan Runstrom began playing percussion when he was 12 years old. Finally, Steven Beck began playing guitar at age six and also taught at the Academy of Guitar in Fort Collins. Tickle Me Pink draws their musical inspiration from Third Eye Blind, Brand New and At The Drive-In. In 2008 the band was able to release their debt album, Madeline. Sadly, this album release was marked the passing of Tickle Me Pink's then bassist Johnny Schou. Since 2008 the band has gained national recognition due to their single "Typical" playing on MTV2 Unleashed and airtime thanks to Denver radio station 93.3 KTCL. Since their radio success Tickle Me Pink has been on many national tours, but their most popular tour was opening up for Emo-Punk Rock band, Hawthorne Heights.
Currently, Tickle Me Pink is touring throughout Colorado so make sure you catch them at a venue near you. For more information visit Tickle Me Pink's official website, twitter and facebook.



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Monday, November 29, 2010

"...No, I can't figure out just how much air I will NEED TO BREATHE when your wave crashes over me..."

NEEDTOBREATHE can best be described as a new-age Christian-Rock band. Bear Rinehart, Bo Rinehart, Seth Bolt and Joe Stillwell bring in elements of worship, blues, and rock; all combined with an edgy southern soul. Lead singer, Bear Rinehart explains their southern sound by saying, "The 'Southern thing' is very scary to some people, but for us, it's not so much a sound than a feeling. It's just about having some soul in the words you write, the music that you play. And it's something that just comes naturally to us." (bio)
The band has been on the music scene since 1999 and have release three albums, their most recent titled The Outsiders'. Although, NEEDTOBREATHE started playing over a decade ago, it took them about seven years to finally get their big break with Daylight label and begin a national tour. During this time is when the band released their second album, The Heat and more importantly their hit single "More Time", which went to top 10 at Triple-A radio. This was a huge accomplishment because their music was being played along side with Coldplay and Jack Johnson. The song "More Time" was also picked up by major movies and shows like P.S. I Love You and MTV's "The Hills".
With their latest album, NEEDTOBREATHE, wanted to defy any restrictions and push the limits of their style so they chose to co-produce the album with three different producers in Los Angeles, Atlanta and Charleston. First, they worked with Jim Scott who worked on Tom Petty's Wildflowers. Then, former jazz guitar teacher, Rick Beato who has worked with Shinedown and Jump, Little Children. Finally, their third co-producer was John Alagia, who has worked with Dave Matthews Band and John Mayer. Combining the specialties and talents of each co-producer helped to mold the band to what they are today.
NEEDTOBREATHE is currently on tour and will be coming to the Ogden Theatre on December 3. For more information and to check out videos visit their official website.You can also follow NEEDTOBREATHE on Twitter, Facebook and their blog.


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Colorado Concerts November 30 - December 5

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving that was filled with lots of good food! Now it's time for your weekly Colorado Concerts update. This week there are 22 shows coming to Denver and the surrounding area. Since Thanksgiving is over, the nation is in Christmas mode so many of the upcoming shows are holiday theme, of course with the exception of a select few. 




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Sunday, November 7, 2010

well that's a... REEL BIG FISH

Reel Big Fish is a ska punk band who got their start in the music scene in the mid 1990s. Ska music combines elements of Caribbean, Calypso, American Jazz, Rhythm and Blues. Ska music is based around the saxophone, trumpet, trombone, keyboard and base. Reel Big Fish, along with Sublime, No Doubt and The Mighty Mighty Bosstones are considered to be the founding fathers of Third Wave Ska music aka Ska Punk. Reel Big Fish released their song "Sell Out" to mainstream radio which reached #10 on the Billboard Modern Rock Charts in 1997.  Since the bands start they have been doing through multiple ups and downs. For example, only three of the original members are still playing and many different people have come in and out of the band. It is hard for bands for succeed when they keep loosing members and have to continuously find replacements. Also, Ska music has had a very hard time breaking into the main stream. Often, Ska Punk has a following of its own but unless you know it, you've probably never heard of it. Reel Big Fish is best known for their energetic tunes and distinct lyrics. Fans of Reel Big Fish are very supportive of the band and this is clear to see in the comment section on ticketmaster.com. One fan said, " The supporting bands were awesome! The energy was incredible! Reel Big Fish sounded amazing. The crowd was dancing along. I really don't think anyone didn't have a good time. If you've never seen Reel Big Fish before, go see them ASAP! You won't regret it!!" While another fan raved, "A must see for anyone who likes ska and live performances."

For more information on Reel Bid Fish visit their official website, Myspace, Facebook or Twitter.




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Saturday, November 6, 2010

Denver Concerts.... Sports... Arts & Theatre: November 6 - November 12

This week Denver has a very limited amount of concerts, only 27 on ticketmaster.com and many bands are underground or not very widely heard of. Some of the more popular bands are:
The follows bands have a great following, but are not very well known:
  • Kate Nash and Peggy Sue at the Ogden Theatre on Saturday, November 6
  • Eisley, Ives the Band, Cristie Dupree, Politic at the Bluebird Theater on Tuesday, November  9
Even sports are slow this week, the Broncos and Nuggets are off this week so it is all about college athletics:
Arts and Theater:
  • Tutankhamun the Golden King and the Great Pharaohs at the Denver Art Museum starting Tuesday, November 9




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