Volume 3, Issue 14
July 5 - July 18, 2001

Music

D IS FOR DIFFERENT

DeVotchKa ’s mariachi polka punk makes music worth listening to again.

Many things about local band DeVotchKa are unusual, and we as listeners and critics should be thankful. Self-described as "mariachi polka punk," the band has been credited with both revitalizing the regional music scene and embracing a street level "indie" approach to musical expression. The debut release Supermelodrama (Dago Records) mixes zesty ethnic sounds, passionate songwriting, and a slew of tremendously talented classical music students and raucous rockers.

Let's examine the line-up: founding member Nick Urata (vocals, guitar, trumpet), Tom Hagerman (violin, accordion), Paul Fonfera (clarinet, concertina), Jeanie Schroder (sousaphone, upright bass), David Rastettar (drums, Afro-Cuban percussion) and Sam Young (drums). With a cursory glance at the instrumentation, a night out with a chamber orchestra may come to mind. Once everyone is plugged in, however, Urata counts off the first beats of the evening and the atmosphere changes from symphonic to exotic.

Jeanie Schroder is one of three current players and a descendent of many more who were plucked from the rigors of academic study and let loose to conquer the rock music stage. Schroder, along with Tom Hagerman and Paul Fonfera, did not noodle around in the basement on her instrument before catching the live music bug, but rather endured the hoops and trials of earning a Bachelor's of Music degree. Both Schroder and band leader Nick Urata admit the classically trained musician brings a different edge to the band's sound.

"We try to keep them challenged," Urata said laughing, referring to the classical folks. "The skill level and command of their instruments often exceeds my expectations of what they can do with a solo or a fill, or even when I have just a barebones skeleton of a song idea." Schroder admits her attraction to the pop music stage was born out of a need to be more creative on her instruments than many traditional groups allow (Schroder also plays with a jazz trio and two brass bands in town) and to be louder and more aggressive in her playing. "Being in this band forces me to use a different style of performing," Schroder said. "I have to remain more focused on stage presence and being in the moment. Other styles of music don't need me to be so much of a loud or creative presence on stage."

"The attraction of our band for many classically trained musicians may be the creative element we can offer versus symphony stuff," Urata said. For a clarinet, violin or tuba player, symphony jobs are desired, but performances remain "stuck to the page," meaning the performer follows the music exactly as written. DeVotchKa's varied blend of improvisation, Latin, Slavic, gypsy and folk music intertwine with the physical and mental skill of musicians who spend hours a day practicing and training for a career.

"The advantage to having such a variety of instruments and having people who play in other types of music is that we can draw from all of those influences," Schroder said. "DeVotchKa is a 'rock band' I guess, but at the same time, we can quote classical pieces in our songs or bow the bass and have cellos and violins." Judy B. DeVotchKa continues to explore the sonic unknown throughout the summer. Find out more at www.devotchka.net. See the band: July 13, Boulder Theater with The Czars; July 20, Java Mountain Coffee, Idaho Springs; July 21, Bluebird with Slim Cessna.

BEYOND MOZART

Since the demise of Denver's only independent "classical" format radio station (formerly 92.5 FM, then 1280 AM, then 1340 AM, now nothing), we must continue the search for something beyond the Mid-Day Mozart and the early Beethoven String Quartets. Much has changed since late-18th century Vienna, and our Western Art Music (formerly "classical" to the old schoolers) is filled with wonderful, yet underplayed artists. Below is a sample.

George Crumb (b. 1929), USA: Makrokosmos. Subtitled "Twelve fantasy pieces after the Zodiac for amplified piano." Innovative and brilliant new sounds coming from a good ol' concert grand. Crumb has a certain edginess about his writing that can leave chills in the air.

Dmitry Shostakovich (1906-1975), Russia. Piano Concerto No. 2, Symphony No. 5. Living under Soviet rule didn't allow the traditional freedoms and high-society perks musicians in America have received. Shostakovich's music manages to be ironic and funny and wise all at once. It carries with it the weight of a man torn between betraying his country (and being killed) and writing with conviction and feeling. And yet it's so beautiful.

Arvo Part (b. 1935), Estonia. Tabula Rasa. The passion and grace in Part's work is stunning and needs to be heard. One piece, "Fratres," is best when performed by pianist Keith Jarrett and violinist Gidon Kremer on the ECM label. As Part says of his music, "I could compare my music to white light which contains all colors. Only a prism can divide the colors and make them appear; this prism could be the spirit of the listener."

Gyorgy Ligeti (b. 1923), Hungary. Etudes for Piano (1985). This ferocious and volcanic style that Ligeti uses to compose mixes math and music, creating seminal works for piano, as well as other pieces for choral groups. It may not be the easiest to listen to, but if you can read music and pick up a copy of the score, it makes fascinating reading. And sometimes the magnitude of the piano etudes is good when stuck in rush hour traffic.

Guy Klucevsek (b. 1947), USA. Transylvanian Softwear. Not only does this guy make accordion records, he makes good accordion records. Drawing from folk music from all over the world (with a decidedly Hasidic sound), Klucevsek plays tunes by John Zorn, Fred Frith, William Duckworth, and Alvin Lucier when not composing on his own. This is a fun and funny record, but the quality of Klucevsek's playing makes it a rare find. His label, Starkland, is based in Boulder.

Judy B.

BEAT DIET

INTO THE WORLD OF DRUM & BASS (PART 2 OF 2)

DJ Fury could be called the Godfather of the Denver Jungle scene. With a simple love for the music, he has kept the Jungle scene alive for as long as the rave scene in Denver has existed. No matter how many times crowds left his dance floor in the beginning from a lack of understanding, he continued on. He began attending raves in 1991, and from a desire to do more than just sit back and watch, bought a pair of turntables three months later. He started playing at small house parties in Summit County where people did not understand this new sound. As he began to make connections in Denver, he was added to the Come Together roster as one of the only Jungle DJs in Denver. Soon after, he started Lowerworld Productions. He is also the founder of Reload Productions, and in addition to managing Breakdown Thursdays at the Snake Pit, Fury also currently owns and operates The Firm Graphics, one of the primary providers of rave and club event flyers in Denver.

DJ Ecco has been living in Denver for about 10 years. He was first exposed to electronic music via old skool break beat tapes given to him by a friend in 1995. Enticed by this new sound, he attended his first rave in 1994 in search of that sound. What he found was the thumping house music commonly found at Denver raves at that time. Insistent on finding breaks, he attended raves for about six months when he finally discovered "Flashback," Together Productions' yearly old skool techno party. It was there he discovered Fury playing the sound he had been searching for. The next time he went to see Fury, he discovered Jungle. Being absorbed into the Jungle scene, he was then inspired by international talent like Mystical Influence, Sniper, Darren Jay, and Kenny Ken to become actively involved in Jungle culture. He began buying records in 1995, was booked by the Rewind crew in 1997, and progressed from that to playing for Together Productions. Now an active member of the promotional team in charge of Breakdown Thursdays, he is also a part of the Reload Productions crew. Currently he is working with Sabotage in the studio producing tracks due for release in early September. He is also looking to promote the record label Terraformat in order to help progress the domestic Drum & Bass scene, as Jungle is still very rooted in the United Kingdom, where a majority of Jungle has been produced since 1992.

DJ Canon attended his first party in 1992 in New York, but his DJ career began in a club in New York called Kiwi 2, where he used to play punk and heavy metal. He moved to Denver in 1996.

After sleeping on DJ Fury and local DJ Beekay's floor for a few days, he was introduced to Jungle music and the rave scene. Then a breaks and speed garage DJ, he was just beginning to understand Jungle music. Gradually it started to grow on him. He attended parties with Fury and Beekay, and soon began to spin Jungle. After handing out a few of what he calls "embarrassing" tapes, he was booked to open the Jungle room at a Come Together 4th of July event, "Unity." He began to help spread awareness of the local Jungle scene by writing scene reports for Urb and Mixer, and now is one of a primary member of the promotion team for the Reload parties. He is also an active member of the Breakdown crew.

The Reload and breakdown crews are not the only place you can find Jungle music. Eternal Firdays at Tracks 2000 features Jungle music all night long on the patio. Tuesdays check out Conflict Of Interest in the fire room at the Zodiac Lounge, 1523 Market Street. Also, keep your eyes open for local DJs J-dub, the Dub Reckaz, Jonathan, Guy, Footer, Alec, and Denver favorite A-tak. Online, check out www.co-dnb.net.

ORANGE PEEL

When Paul Oakenfold first predicted trance would be the next big thing in popular music, few Americans even knew who the hell he was, let alone cared what he was talking about. In July 1999, my ex-girlfriend Lavender dragged me to the now extinct Club Bent to witness my first Oakenfold set. Two years later, Oakenfold is headlining the Focus area of Moby's Area One Festival stop at Mile High Stadium, and trance has indeed catapulted itself to the big time of American popular music. . . . On May 25, the Colorado Dance Music Award for best trance was presented to 303 Collective/ Impulse DJ Shahzad. Guess what? Shahzad deserved it. For concrete evidence, download Shahzad's newest mixed CD titled Sunrise from www. 303collective. com. Shahzad operates a mission to take flight, proclaims the MC trinity intro that opens the disc. And flight is exactly what Shahzad does best.

The initial liftoff is accomplished by the Warp Brothers' jump pump break from one of Shahzad's favorite labels Dos Or Die. The remainder of the mix is chock full of the kind of soaring trance cuts that make a party unforgettable, then later creep up into your memory when you least expect them. Highlights include Mario Debellis' "City Lights," Talla 2xlc's "World In My Eyes," Gaia's "Four Elements," and Bossi's "See Me, Feel Me." Stabak and DJ Ittybitty then proceed to pilot the set gracefully back to solid ground with the title track, "Sunrise." For more information on DJ Shahzad, give his info line a buzz at 303-607-PLUR or drop him a line in cyberspace at shahzad@ 303collective. com. . . . Five years ago, I had a ticket to witness Radiohead at the Ogden Theatre. Unfortunately, some idiot decided to make off with an entire truckload of the band's equipment, thereby depriving innocent Colorado fans of a live show for nearly a decade. Thankfully, Radiohead finally forgave us with an absolutely flawless performance at the single greatest outdoor venue in the entire country: Red Rocks Ampitheatre.

Radiohead fans nervous that the lack of guitar on its two most recent offerings would carry over to its live act had nothing to fear but fear itself. Kid A's national anthem broke the sonic ice with a grand total of three axes. Suspended blacklight ladders backlighted the band, while flashing oranges picked up the complimentary duties. Lead singer/ songwriter Thom Yorke moved to organ for "Morning Bell," initiating a game of musical instruments between him and guitarist Colin Greenwood which continued throughout the evening.

The clouds were interfering with his signals, but that didn't stop Thom from strumming his way from a whisper to the wailing climax of the Romeo and Juliet-inspired "Exit Music." "Fake Plastic Trees" featured symbolic visual representation from the blue X-mas strands draped like grapevines from the suspended blacklights. Ambition might indeed make you look pretty ugly, but the psychotic six-string solo of ok computer's epic "Paranoid Android" sure as hell made Radiohead sound pretty fucking phenomenal. Every single note was in its place.

After seven long years of waiting, Radiohead's triumphant return to Colorado was well worth all 3,679,200 minutes. Which is exactly why the sold out crowd in attendence wasn't going anywhere without an encore. Which is exactly what Yorke's iron lungs delivered with a gun and a pack of sandwiches.

For more information on Radiohead, you can visit them in cyberspace at www.radiohead.com or check out the show's sponsor House Of Blues at www.hob.com

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Note: due to the overwhelming demand for the event, Fire has been bumped up one week to July 14.

CD Review

JORDON OLIVER: LIVE IN VENEZUELA

Jordon Oliver has found a way to live life as a classical pianist in a time when classical musicians often find themselves with a narrow playing field for success, so to speak. His latest recording, Live in Venezuela, reveals a young man whose talent is apparent and who has taken his gifts, training, and academic experiences to the professional level.

In our recent history, original compositions for solo piano have been most exploited by the Windham Hill recording label: soft, pretty, new age stuff with lots of flowing passage work and pop song chord progressions. In Oliver's compositions, there is certainly a sense of two worlds melding the academic rigor and sensibility of classical training and radiofriendly popular music. But just as Beethoven lived in the shadows of Bach, Mozart, and Haydn, Oliver seems to have borrowed tricks from his 'peer' the endless and teeming world of commercial music.

Oliver's piano skill is impressive, however, and is obvious from the dense and elaborate technical elements he incorporates into many of the 14 tracks. A percussive component permeates his work, using the piano for than just melodic involvement. Also unique is that this is a live recording, so we should assume whatever Oliver played that night in Merida, Venezuela, is what the listener hears, blips and all. This element of the performance only adds to Oliver's credibility.

The first seven tracks have a decisive Latin flavor, products of Oliver's recent travels through Spain. The influence of Andalusian-Spanish music is easily heard in such pieces as "Madamoiselle" and "Cha Cha Morocco." He incorporates a variety of textures in his compositions as on the first track, "Madamoiselle," with strong, rhythmic sections balanced by more melodic and Romantic lines.

Oliver's first record, Purely Piano, also featured his original compositions reflecting a fusion of blues, jazz, and neo-classical styles. The last seven tracks on the live record return to that format as well. "I Love You So Blue" and "Allegro Appassionata" lurk around the edge of being any type of official style but reflect Oliver's ability to turn models from the past into meaningful portraits of today. After extensive travel and study in Europe, the Carribbean and Central and South America, Oliver has settled in Boulder as the founder of Unipeg Records. See more at www.unipeg.com B+ Judy B.

CD Review

STATE OF THE ART:THE BOULDER UNSIGNED MUSIC SAMPLER

Four years ago, Pax moved to Boulder from the east coast hoping to find a community of local DJs and producers building an underground scene full of underground sounds. Inspired by the dubplate culture of the United Kingdom and the Liquid Sky family in New York City, Pax founded an independent label which he ran from the recording studio in his basement. State of the Art: the Boulder Unsigned Sampler is the first official release from his label, Supatek Media, in cooperation with Dig Interactive/ Yellow 69 DJ Gel-O's own imprint Clean Cut Recordings.

The Boulder Unsigned Sampler was originally put together to expose local dance music producers to major and minor record labels at the Winter Music Conference in Miami, but after Pax put samples from the discs on his website, he got more than 100 e-mail messages asking, "Where can I get one of those?" The answer: Bart's CD Cellar on Pearl Street in Boulder, or Twist & Shout Records in Denver.

Artists featured on the double-disc sampler include Dyno, Gel-O, The Idealistiks, Gel-kap, Styles Neck Deep, Evan Diehl, DJ Freddy Savage, digital bOy, Rob E B & Paulmer Hood, 4trak Mind, and Supatek Media's own Pax. Genres represented include drum & bass, breakbeat, tech-house, trance, ghetto-house, hip-hop, gabber, trip-hop, and hard acid. Several of the artists featured on the sampler are already working on major projects for different labels; these discs will give you a glimpse of what they have been doing holed up in their basements like mad scientists for the past year. For more information on the Boulder Unsigned Sampler, give Pax a buzz at 720-565-5977 or visit him in cyberspace at www.supatek.com A orange peel moses