To quote my distant relatives (not really) over at McSweeney's, "it's decorative gourd season, mother . . ." and this month's Local 303 is the perfect soundtrack while you sip that pumpkin spice latte. This crisp time of year lends itself to not only making the transition between summer and winter that much cozier with oversized sweaters and crunching leaves down the sidewalk on a chilly day; but this is also when Fall releases start to come out and the Colorado music scene delivers.
Local rockers The Velveteers signed to the label Easy Eye Sound, which is founded by The Black Keys' Dan Auerbach, and he produced their highly-anticipated debut Nightmare Daydream. For the softer side of rock, Patrick Dethlefs and Covenhoven have returned with new records that will warm you up as the change in the air goes cold. Patrick Meese, drummer of Nathaniel Rateliff and the Night Sweats has put out his first record as The Centennial in over a decade that is seasonally on point! Other breezy beats and songs come from Nat Tate, Waiting Room, and Big Dopes. For those of us that like to hold onto summertime a bit longer, pop songs from Doze, Andy Frasco & the U.N., Little Trips, and NEEFF got you covered. And we welcome rising funk act Cities in the Sky who rounds out this month making it all feel like the coolest party of the season!
The days are shorter, the Halloween decorations are out; take some time to fall in love with the Local 303!
Andy Frasco & the U.N.
Hometown: Los Angeles, CA - Now Denver, CO
Formed: 2007
Latest Release: Live On The Rocks (live album recorded at Red Rocks Amphitheatre)
Pronouns: He/Him
About: Born and raised in California, Frasco’s first exposure to the music industry came not onstage, but rather in an office. As a young teenager, he worked with legendary indie label Drive-Thru Records and helped book bands like Hello Goodbye, and by the time he turned 18, he’d already moved to New York City for a gig with Atlantic Records. When the job fell through, though, Frasco made a leap of faith and decided to launch his own career as an artist, taking everything he’d learned working with other bands and applying it to himself.
Initially, Frasco hired local pickup musicians off of Craigslist to back him for gigs, but soon he put together a steady(ish) lineup, and Andy Frasco & The U.N. began taking the world by storm. The group would release a series of acclaimed records, share bills with the likes of Leon Russell, Galactic, Gary Clark, Jr., The Revivalists, and Marcus King among others, and slay festival stages everywhere from Mountain Jam in the U.S. to Rock am Ring in Germany and COTAI Jazz & Blues in China (this summer, Frasco will perform at multiple summer festivals including Summer Camp, FloydFest and hopefully many more to be announced). NME hailed the constantly evolving group as “party-starting touring stalwarts,” while Relix praised their “raucous energy,” and Clash lauded their live show as a “nightly high-octane experience that doubles as a celebration of life and music…energized by a powerfully entertaining multi-cultural soundtrack that will shake the foundations of all nearby structures.”
Every party has to end sometime, though, and while it seemed Frasco was living out his rock and roll dreams on his 2019 and early 2020 tours, he was facing an internal darkness few knew about.
“I hit a breaking point,” he explains. “I was sitting alone in my van, and I realized that I didn’t know who my friends were. Worse, I didn’t know who I was. I was drinking too much, I was addicted to cocaine, and I was dealing with really heavy depression. I even contemplated suicide, but I decided that if I’m fortunate enough to leave behind a legacy, I didn’t want to be remembered just as some good-time party guy. I wanted to show people that I’m more than the crowd-surfing, Jameson-drinking maniac they see onstage.”
Frasco began writing poetry that eventually became songs. He wrote about despair and anxiety, about friendship and growth, about accountability and potential, transforming the poems into defiant rock and roll anthems. These songs became his most recent album ‘Keep On Keeping On' released at the beginning of the pandemic in April of 2020.
Like many, the pandemic hit Andy hard. He was once again feeling that ‘breaking point’ and he quickly transformed his high energy road show into a year long digital blitz of new music, a 33-episode variety show which garnered 20 millions views, a highly attended digital Dance Party and Andy further developed his already successful and compelling podcast (Andy Frasco’s World Saving Podcast). His variety show and podcast included interviews and musical performances by many notable guests such as Tony Hawk, Kurt Vile, Nathaniel Rateliff, Kamasi Washington, Pigeons Playing Ping Pong and more.
Additionally, Frasco recently scored ‘The Great Depresh,’ an HBO documentary about Gary Gulman exploring the comic’s struggles with depression that was produced by Judd Apatow and directed by Mike Bonfiglio)
Musicians That Inspire: John Craigie, The Band, Van Morrison, Wilson Pickett, Chance the Rapper
Do you feel like lockdown has shaped you as a musician/band? If so, how? I think it taught me how to dig deeper into your dreams when times are tough. People need art and I wanted to give it to them in any way I could.
What's next? We're on a nationwide tour spanning 40 states and 50 cities in the span of 3 months.
Website: https://www.andyfrasco.com/
Get Social: Facebook, Instagram, Twitter
Big Dopes
Hometown: Denver, CO
Formed: 2017
Latest Release: "Aimee Avenue" (Single) out Sep. 29 and new album out November 5!
Pronouns: They/them & each member is he/him
About: Marked by "tastefully fuzzy melodies and poignant and touchingly poetic lyrics" (Tom Murphy, QUEEN CITY SOUNDS AND ART), Big Dopes evokes the loose, lighthearted feel of 90s alternative and indie, like Built to Spill and Guided by Voices.
Lead songwriter Eddie Schmid (also of Denver dream-pop band Oxeye Daisy) uses a playful, conversational baritone to sing through neuroses about long-distance relationships, being a houseguest, and wasting money on busted headphones. Veteran drummer Ricky Brewer lends a steady groove and harmonies, Justin Catanzaro plays energetic, melodic basslines, and Paul Simmons chips in guitar, violin, and synths.
The band released two new singles in 2021, "Lovers on the Weekdays" and "Aimee Avenue," with a new album set for release November 5 produced by Mark Anderson (Paper Bird, The Still Tide).
Musicians That Inspire: Lately it's been a lot of Katy Kirby, Indigo de Souza, Sly Stone, Prefab Sprout, Dehd, Liz Phair, Liam Kazar, Laura Nyro, Claire Heywood
Do you feel like lockdown has shaped you as a musician/band? If so, how? We sure had a lot of time to think! Over zoom chats we dreamed and planned about what we truly want as a band and as individual people. In our case, we decided to put a lot of work into making an album that we were really proud of, and to work around our limitations. And to take it seriously and to involve more friends in the project, whether that was with art, production, or the business side of things.
And jeez I missed everyone. Like some people I felt a creative spark in those romantic early days of lockdown. I wrote some songs I'm happy with. But over time that spark definitely faded. I realized in a deep, at times crushing way how much I missed people, and how much I depend on other people to energize me creatively, whether that's my bandmates themselves or people in a live audience. So we are trying not to take anything for granted again. What's next?: We're going on our first tour ever in October behind our new album! It's called Destination Wedding. The tour is called the Destination Wedding tour. We're heading through the Midwest and Front Range. We're absolutely giddy over the sheer thought of playing these new songs to friends and strangers!
Website: bigdopes.org
Get Social: Spotify, Facebook, YouTube, Instagram
The Centennial
Hometown: Denver, CO
Formed: 2011
Latest Release: Buried Gold EP on Mod y Vi Records
Pronouns: He/his
About: Denver drummer Patrick Meese has revived his project The Centennial to release Buried Gold, his first recordings in over 10 years.
Aside from drumming and producing for Nathaniel Rateliff and the Night Sweats, Patrick has performed live in other Colorado acts Tennis and with Gregory Alan Isakov.
The Centennial first came on the scene by hosting an annual house party held during the Underground Music Showcase- Denver’s influential indie music festival. The “Yellow House” party, as it became known in the community, brought in bands from Colorado and around the country and held host to one of the Nights Sweats first shows.
Buried Gold is a new five song release written, performed and produced by Patrick at his studio during the Covid-19 pandemic: “Writing and recording on my own is usually a slow process. The pandemic hit right as I began a year of touring with Nathaniel Rateliff so all of the sudden I had a pretty empty calendar. I’m grateful to have a studio at home and I tried to make the best of bad situation. I was able to try ideas I’ve had for years but never had enough time to experiment with.”
Patrick teamed with LA-based artist Ben Radatz and New York-based artist Brian Alfred to create five lyric videos for the release, each inspired by images of the West.
Colorado and the West helped shaped the sound of Buried Gold. Meese moved to Denver from Northeast Ohio in 2001, “I wanted to theme these songs around being something small in a big space, which is how I felt for much of 2020. It was important for it to sound expansive.”
Musicians That Inspire: Musicians that inspire me recently are Ted Lucas, Alabaster DePlume, Clarence Carter, Jim James, Soundgarden, Sam Evian
Do you feel like lockdown has shaped you as a musician/band? If so, how? The lockdown has definitely made me more grateful that ever before. Grateful that I have job making music with my closest friends, grateful for the time at home to make a record we love and grateful to have time to work on my own music as well. So many of our friends and family experienced the worst of a pandemic. It inspires me to work harder.
What’s Next? The Night Sweats originally hoped to hit touring harder at the end of this year but some places just can’t get it together. We still have shows this fall, all outside. It’s great to be playing again in any capacity. And I plan on releasing another EP as The Centennial next year and try to make that a regular thing.
Website:www.thecentennial.net
Get Social: Instagram
Cities in the Sky
Hometown: Denver, CO
Formed: November 2019
Latest Release: Wasted Words EP
Pronouns: Band is they/them and members are Sequoia Greene (she/her), Andreas (he/him), David James (he/him), James Medina (he/him), Miles Stephens (he/him)
About: Cities in the Sky is an up-and-coming band based out of Denver, CO, known for their energetic and captivating shows. The band is driven by awe-inspiring vocals, euphonic resonance, and atmospheric, jaw-dropping instrumental solos.
Originally a two-piece acoustic project, Sequoia Greene and David James shared an exceptionally unique vocal pairing and a visceral love for music. The group became a trio with the addition of classically trained Alex Pockrus, who used his Master's degree in music to bring a new depth to the duo’s music, augmenting their sound with transcendental compositions and rousing motifs and melodies. James Medina, former drummer for Denver band Marafiki, and touring bassist Miles Stephens, joined the group soon after, expanding the band's musical evolution with complex beats and punchy bass lines.
Each artist pours their heart and soul into every note, delivering thrilling and passionate performances, with a wide-ranged sound that spans varied genres including but not limited to funk, soul, metal, jazz, blues, and rock n’ roll.
Musicians that Inspire: Radiohead, Dear Hunter, Paramore, Muse, Foo Fighters, Tool, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Kings of Leon, Yeah Yeah Yeahs
Do you feel like the lockdown has shaped you as a band? The lockdown was very trying for our band. We felt as though we had just started building momentum right when it all started, but it gave us an opportunity to write a plethora of new music and grow closer together as a little family. We couldn't be more excited to start playing in front of real crowds now that it is almost completely behind us.
What's next? We have a festival booked in California at the end of October, but plan on putting the majority of our focus on getting back into the studio to start recording some of our new music and getting started on some new visual media.
Get Social: Instagram, Facebook
Covenhoven
Hometown: Denver, CO
Formed: 2013
Latest Release: the new LP "IV" comes out October 15th
Pronouns: He/him
About: National emerging folk/indie artist Covenhoven (aka Joel Van Horne) draws from a wide palette of musical colors. He is as equally at home in lyric-forward folk songs as he is in the poly-rhythms and complex harmonies of jazz and classical. Simply put, Joel’s music blends the big and lush with the simple and intimate, all serving as a backdrop to his carefully crafted poetry. Beginning in 2013, he has released 3 LPs and 2 EPs, all to critical acclaim, and which now have been streamed over 2 million times online.
After a full year of intense focus, the Colorado-based artist is set to release his fourth LP later this year (2021). Made mostly through the isolation of a global pandemic, it’s ironically his most collaborative effort to date, with a large cast of Colorado musicians lending their talents to the album. In the live setting, much like the studio albums, Covenhoven is known for his ability to cover the full sonic spectrum, ranging from intimate solo acoustic performances to explosive orchestral spectacles.
Covenhoven tours the U.S. regularly and has shared the stage with José González, Gregory Alan Isakov, Blind Pilot, S. Carey (Bon Iver), Lord Huron, Aaron Embry, Rayland Baxter, The Oh Hellos, John Paul White (Civil Wars), Esmé Patterson, Joshua James, John Craigie, Daniel Rodriguez (Elephant Revival), Rainbow Girls, Shook Twins, Reed Foehl, Anna Tivel, Joan Shelley, etc.
Covenhoven songs are featured in many TV shows including: Flaked, 13 Reasons Why, Nashville, Teen Wolf, Teen Mom 2, Private Eyes, Home Before Dark, and Kevin Probably Saves the World.
Musicians That Inspire: Beethoven, Radiohead, Bob Dylan, Leonard Cohen
Do you feel like lockdown has shaped you as a musician/band? If so, how? I think this past year has inevitably changed everyone, but we're not yet aware of just how much and in what ways exactly. It's made everything feel more confusing, and I'm not sure what's next for independent musicians. I think lockdown forced me to really focus on my new album. Normally I'm being pulled in 50 different directions while recording, and that experience allowed me to stay focused and be more patient. But add to that plenty of anxiety and a healthy dose of dread, and it was/is a weird mixture of feelings to try and cut through and be creative. It may have made me more blunt and to the point in some of my lyrics. :)
What's next? The release of my fourth LP, and hopefully a LOT of touring in 2022.
Website: www.covenhoven.com
Get Social: Instagram, Twitter, Facebook
Doze
Hometown: Providence, RI (currently living in Five Points, Denver)
Formed: 2018
Latest Release: "Times one thousand" out Sep. 24, 2021
Pronouns: He/him
About: With an intrinsic desire to connect with people fueling his art, Doze is a multi-disciplined creative, singer, songwriter and producer currently based in Denver. With a penchant for speaking to the many different facets of the human experience, the 27-year-old Providence native found himself instinctively drawn to music's ability to influence mood and awaken creativity from a young age. Doze has since spent his career exploring the interconnected relationships of music, emotion and visual art, balancing his work as a recording artist with his endeavors in graphic and web design.
Releasing music under the Doze moniker further affirmed his deeper purpose as an artist, allowing him to draw from his myriad of talents to best support his singular vision. From gathering inspiration and forming conceptual ideas to handling every step of the execution process, including producing, recording, mixing, mastering and even designing his own cover art, Doze's expertise spans all bases of his creative voice. This allows his authenticity and individuality to shine through without compromise or constraint, as well as illustrates how his self-expression is not limited to one medium. After earning an arts degree from the University of Colorado at Boulder, Doze continued to hone his skills as a producer, as well as rediscovered his love for singing and began shaping his distinctive sound.
As exemplified by a series of loose singles, including "Hues," "Get Over It," "Uppercut" and "Leaves," to name a few, Doze has amassed hundreds of thousands of streams, building a name for himself as an independent artist determined to rise. In 2020, he released his debut project, Outside, a six-track collection that featured Doze weaving through deeply personal themes and narratives with the kind of wisdom found only in old souls. With a strength for crafting lush sonic atmospheres, Doze guides listeners through his multifaceted worldview with care, reminding others that with love, positivity, empathy and acceptance a brighter future is possible. As an artist who not only trusts the process but makes sure to truly enjoy it, Doze's heartfelt offerings make for a welcome addition to any playlist, with his latest "Shadow" a testament to the power of making it happen on your own terms.
Musicians That Inspire: Smino, Tame Impala, Saba, Robert Glasper, Atmosphere, Stevie Wonder
Do you feel like lockdown has shaped you as a musician/band? If so, how? Honestly, lockdown hasn’t changed much about how I create music. I’ve always been an introverted extrovert and do my recharging while creating. I spend a lot of time alone, and pretty much exclusively create music alone (hence everything being entirely self produced, recorded, written, mixed, and mastered).
What's next?: Tons of creating, new singles, and art!
Website: outside-doze.com
Get Social: @outsidedoze everywhere!
Little Trips
Hometown: Denver, CO
Formed: 2020
Latest Release: Downhill to Paradise out digitally and on vinyl Oct. 27, 2021 through Staycation Records
Pronouns: They/them
About: Little Trips is a mission to take people on adventures outside of this world. Consisting of Greg Laut and Jason Paton, the duo wrote and recorded their upcoming debut LP Downhill to Paradise throughout 2020. Working remotely with producer Drew Vandenberg (Faye Webster, Toro y Moi), Little Trips refined a swirling, dream-pop sound that simultaneously feels intimate and immersive.
As production on the album was wrapping up, a portal to another dimension was opened in the Little Trips studio and a mysterious figure in a spacesuit emerged from the cosmos. His name was Larry Fury. Larry’s spacecraft picked up a faint signal of a Little Trips’ song, he followed the signal to Earth but busted his spacecraft upon landing. While he waits for his home planet to receive his SOS distress signal, Larry is crashing at the Little Trips studio. He’s bummed. Larry demanded to be featured on the Downhill to Paradise album cover, manages the band’s Twitter account, crashes their photo shoots, and appears at their live shows to dance and party with Earthlings. Despite their best attempts to make nice, Larry insists that he will never be friends with Little Trips.
Musicians that Inspire: Richard Swift, Alvvays, Dave Fridmann, Radiohead, Beach House
Do you feel like lockdown has shaped you as a musician/band? If so, how? It's safe to say that Little Trips wouldn't exist if not for the pandemic. The band formed and spent much of the most intensive parts of the lockdown working remotely to write and produce Downhill to Paradise.Little Trips was able to connect with musicians they admire outside of the Denver area, such as pedal steel guitarist Pistol Stoessel, who contributed to the record from their home studios.
What's Next? Little Trips will be celebrating Downhill to Paradise with an album release show at Larimer Lounge on November 3rd.
Website: https://www.littletrips.co/
Get Social: Instagram, Twitter
Nat Tate
Hometown: Denver
Formed: 2012 was my first show at Leon Gallery
Latest Release: "Penelope" (Single) with accompanying track "Play Along"
Pronouns: They/them
About: Whether playing solo, accompanied by an acoustic ensemble, or floating amongst ethereal synths and electronic beats, homegrown Colorado artist Nat Tate brings us the sound of warm spaciousness and gentle vulnerability. The command of subtlety and unguarded emotion in Nat's voice has a way of bringing us back to forgotten places inside ourselves. Nat's well-loved, long-time presence in the Denver music community earned them Denver Westword's voter-awarded title of Best Singer-Songwriter in 2016 and 2017.
Musicians That Inspire: For this latest release, I was super inspired by Belle and Sebastian.
Website: www.nattatemusic.com
Get Social: Instagram, Facebook, Bandcamp
NEEFF
Hometown: Denver/Pueblo
Formed: 1988
Latest Release: The PBS tapes.
About: I’m a visual artist, singer, songwriter. playwright, producer, occultist, magician and fortune teller. I’m not a very quick study. I suppose I am on the winding path. I’m originally from the least populated part of Wyoming but eventually ended up in Boulder in my early 20’s where I started my career within the arts. My birthday is in July and so I’m kind of a sunny guy. I have a cute cat named Daisy and I love to sing her songs. I’ve been doing the art career thing for a while but for the last couple of years I’ve made my living developing and selling esoteric tools and art and playing music.
Musicians That Inspire: I have to say Colorado is absolutely full of surprises. I just got back from Dear Summer Fest in Manitou Springs. There is something wonderful brewing down south. Some of the most passionate and inspired musicians I’ve seen in all my life. Zhé has a soulfuI , playful and deeply moving voice. Her whole presence, and I mean presence, reminds me of the earthshaking performances of Janis Joplin. She sings at Icon in Colorado Springs every Wednesday-Saturday so she’s got more chops than the best of them. Jevy aka Jevion Ice, has landed on this planet for the goodness of all mankind. Chocuba, will stir up something real in you. I love playing music with Lio Bumbakini when we aren’t painting in his garage. I recently also discovered an incredible musician Lady Moon through Instagram. If sirens could charm the winds then Lady Moon could calm a storm. It turns out she’s out in Loveland! How cool is that? Good job, Colorado.
Do you feel like lockdown has shaped you as a musician/band? If so, how? Everything has changed and it’s still shaping my music. Lockdown made me reassess how I shared (or was not sharing) aspects of my work. I had kept the spiritual aspect of my work and life very protective until lockdown hit. I think sometimes depth can only be reached through openness and sharing. Lockdown personally felt like a creative pressure cooker that made me want to share myself with the world again. This whole time is a gateway to shed the past and move in to a more genuine existence. During lockdown I began putting in to place a cohesive long term plan in regards to where my music and my art is heading and it is guided by a strong feeling of creating and fostering that depth. It made me realize that I am here and I must be free in this world.
What's next? Here's a preview of my different art . . .
Music- Life feels like a catapult sometimes. I’ve been doing a lot lately and the large majority of my projects are coming to a head at the same time right now which is super exciting! I’m releasing lots of new music on my own label, Tantrum Records, throughout the fall. I’m releasing a humble EP called the PBS tapes. From 2017-2019 my friends and I were making a lot of music and really experimenting with pop sounds mixed with hip hop and techno and everything under the sun. These songs make up the EP. KokoLa aka 
KORRYNEEA$$IDELUPITA (of the R A R E B Y R D $) says that PBS stands for Pure But Savage and I think that’s a wonderful way to sum it up. You know I really love everything about scrapping something together with what is around you and being so genuine that it’s sort of radical. The PBS tapes are inspired by the ethos of public television and radio, because as you know, NEEFF and Friends, are for the people.
I’ve been secretly working a lovely record of guitar melodies and fun rhythms that will be very soulful and a lovely live experience. A sort of 180 from the PBS tapes. Right now it looks a lot like singing songs quietly in my room and sending songs over emails. I love playing guitar inspired by everything Brazil and I feel like I am coming in to my own as a dynamic person in a strange time. The name is TBD, but I’ll be rolling a lot of songs out as I make them.
Visual Art- I’ve been wrapping up a year and half long project of developing my own divinatory system called the Mercury Oracle. I am a proficient illustrator and I love to research and It is a culmination of the many cosmologies that I have found to be coherent in their truthmaking: astrology, permaculture, paganism, chaos magick, the Gurdjieff work and oddly enough some CIA documents. I based the aesthetic off of vintage learning aids because I think art can act as a direct transfer of meaning and the deck is meant to act as a teacher as well. I’ve conceived and illustrated 88 cards that work on a metaphoric level but are also tied to various methods and meditations for taking a more Oblique approach towards life’s challenges. Reading, testing and creating the deck has become a humbling and harrowing endeavor and has afforded me a lot of travel and open doors. I hope that it will become the new standard in cartomantic wayfinding and oracle reading. I will be raising money to mass produce the Mercury Oracle on kickstarter before the holidays.
Website: imneeff.com
Get Social: Instagram, Mailing List
Patrick Dethlefs
Hometown: Kittredge, CO
Formed: Est 1990 haha, I guess 2010?
Latest Release: If You Listen, Self-Release, Oct. 1 2021
Pronouns: He/him
About: "Patrick Dethlefs (pron. DET-Lefs) songwriting crests like a humble Townes Van Zandt, innocent of his own haunting melodies and lyricism. Dethlefs music offers folk Americana with effortless sincerity at a time when many acts strive purposefully to revive the stripped-down feel of a musical history long past.Dethlefs finds poetry in the memories and that slight pain in the laugh lines." -Daytrotter
Musicians That Inspire: My friends/local musicians, Paul DeHaven, Heavy Diamond Ring, Jess Parsons, Nathaniel Rateliff, The Centennial, Joe Sampson, etc.
Do you feel like lockdown has shaped you as a musician/band? If so, how? We started recording this new record before lockdown and ended up having to take about 4 months off in the middle before getting back to work and finishing it. I ended up writing quite a few songs in that time, so it's really hard to imagine those songs existing without the pandemic taking place. I really tried to steer away from the mentality of "I need to come away from this pandemic with something to show" and focus on just getting through. To my surprise songs came and music acted as it always has for me, a sort of balm/shelter/retreat to help me through hard times.
What's next? Fingers crossed, hopefully playing more shows and playing these new songs live.
Website: www.patrickdethlefs.com
Get Social: Instagram, Facebook, Twitter
The Velveteers
Hometown: Denver, Colorado
Formed: 2014
Latest Release: Nightmare Daydream, Easy Eye Sound, Oct. 8, 2021
Pronouns: Demi: She/her; Baby: They/them; Jonny: He/him
About: The Velveteers, a primal rock trio from the mountains of Boulder, CO made up of singer/guitarist Demi Demitro and drummers Baby Pottersmith and Jonny Fig, will unveil their debut album Nightmare Daydream on October 8 via Easy Eye Sound. Produced by Grammy Award-winning artist Dan Auerbach, the record is the long-awaited first statement from a band that formed in 2014 and has been carefully honing its sound and identity ever since. “Charmer And The Snake,” the record’s first single, is out now with an accompanying video.
Growing up in Boulder, Demitro rebelled through her guitar, practicing up to nine hours a day and neglecting schoolwork to develop a playing style that is heavy but agile, theatrical but nuanced, grounded in rock history but wholly idiosyncratic. With Pottersmith and Fig playing on a conjoined set, the band developed a reputation for their rip-roaring performances. Clips of the band’s live shows and DIY videos made it back to Auerbach, who invited them to his studio in Nashville to produce Nightmare Daydream.
“I instantly dug them,” says Auerbach. “They’re amazing live, and their videos are so creative. And they just sound so powerful. Any time you doubletrack drums on a record, it’s going to sound so heavy. Then you put that together with this baritone guitar player who is so unique, and it’s so bombastic. There’s nothing like them.”
Nightmare Daydream finds The Velveteers stripping down rock and roll to its most primal elements—the riff, the rhythm, the snarl—and rebuilding it in their own image. “We don’t want to sound like a band from a different time,” says Demitro. “We want to sound like a band that’s right here right now—in this very moment.”
Musicians That Inspire: PJ Harvey, Brockhampton, Richard Swift, Rose Hill Drive, Radiohead, Sonic Youth, The Kills
Do you feel like lockdown has shaped you as a musician/band? If so, how? Being unable to play shows during all of last year, it freed us up to purely focus on new music and figuring out exactly what we wanted our album to sound like without having to be distracted by a show coming up. We wrote and made multiple demos everyday and then we went to Nashville and recorded our album. During that time away from the public, we grew into the band we've always wanted to be.
What's next? Our debut album Nightmare Daydream is coming out October 8th and we are about to head out this weekend to finally start playing shows and touring again, so we are beyond excited about that. We are also excited to start writing new music and continue making music videos for the rest of the songs on our album. We are hoping everybody can stay safe and healthy and that shows can continue to happen if we all get vaccinated and use masks.
Website: www.thevelveteers.com
Get Social: Instagram, Twitter, Facebook
Waiting Room
Hometown: Denver, CO
Formed: 2020
Latest Release: Echoes EP, Self-Released, July 16, 2021
Pronouns: Breanna Ahlgren (she/her), Stevie Gunter (name/all pronouns), Nathan Shamblin (he/him), Emmanuel Luna (he/him), Jessica Mendez (she/her).
About: Waiting Room is a Denver based indie alt-pop band. Primary songwriters Breanna Ahlgren and Jessica Mendez (formerly of The Corner Girls) diverged from their punk background and began writing new music together reflecting on a period of growth and change. After guitarist Stevie Gunter and drummer Nathan Shamblin joineded by fall 2020, the band recorded and released Echoes, their debut EP released in 2021. The result was lyrically driven songs molding melodic guitar riffs, ambient ornamentation, and danceable beats. The songs evoke the confusion of having to move on: at times aloof, at others painfully self-aware. The live band was rounded out by the addition of Emmanuel Luna on keys in 2021.
Musicians That Inspire: Alvvays, Tennis, The Pixies, Warpaint, Japanese Breakfast, Tony Maiden, David Gavurin.
Do you feel like lockdown has shaped you as a musician/band? If so, how? Absolutely. We formed during lockdown which gave us time to work through our ideas without the pressure to be performance ready. It fostered a relaxed environment of experimentation and gave us time to develop our musical and personal relationships with each other.
What's next?: We are working on new music and visuals, and will continue to play live shows. We will be selling new merch at our November 14th show at Lost Lake.
https://lost-lake.com/event/walden-w-day-shaper-waiting-room/
Website: Bandcamp
Get Social: Instagram, Facebook, Twitter
