Volume 3, Issue 19
September 13 - September 26, 2001

Music

STILL FOR THE PEOPLE

Irie Still is reggae with a mission.

Ronnie Noel was on a messianic mission as he delivered the sermon on the mic. His disciples gathered around him on stage. A silence, punctuated by brief moments of hushed conversation, hung in the room as the flock waited in eager anticipation for the word. Music erupted, taking the audience by tropical storm. "I've always associated music with spirituality," said Noel, founder and leader of Denver based reggae band Irie Still, "so for me, it's a great spiritual journey. I want my voice to be a voice of the people--to champion the less fortunate."

Irie Still's music is political. "I think people want a kind of music that would make them think as well as dance," Noel said. "We try to promote good lyrical content along with a steady dance beat, and it seems to work." The band's message of humanity and justice in songs like "Drive By" and "Revolution" is driven with Noel's commanding vocals and weaves through upbeat Caribbean rhythms inspired by such reggae greats as Bob Marley and Third World, with a little Monk thrown in for good syncopated measure. "The music for me will always be a medium for people to look at themselves. To understand people's suffering you have to be in touch with yourself."

Noel developed his love affair with the music when he was 9 years old living in his native Trinidad in the West Indies. "I was a singer in the Roman Catholic boys choir," he said. "That's where I got my training." Several years later, Noel became interested in the folk music of the West Indies. "When I was 19, I saw Bob Marley and the Wailers live for the first time," he said. "My life has never been the same after that."

In 1988, Noel left Trinidad, and moved to Albuquerque, New Mexico, where his brother Dennis lived. "My brother was responsible for getting me into the arts," Noel said. "He was an African dancer. I would go hang out with the drummers when he danced." In

Albuquerque, Noel first formed Irie Still in 1995. "We did really well down there," he said. "But it's one of those towns where you can get put to the top of your game, and then that's it. There's no one to see you. Shit man, Bugs Bunny took a wrong turn in Albuquerque."

Noel decided to move to Denver. "I wanted to get out of Albuquerque, but I didn't want to move to LA," he said. "The choice was Phoenix or Denver. We decided to move to Denver and try to capitalize on the ski season. You never know who you're going to see in Colorado."

Recently, Irie Still added two new members to its seven-member cast, Cameron Thompson on drums, and Luis on guitar. "Every time somebody quits and someone new comes in, it just gets better," Noel said. The two members joined Mike Hester on keyboards, Dwight Thompson on bass, Matt White on sax flute and keyboards and Tony Marino on trumpet. Noel said he likes to run the band with the same philosophy behind his lyrics. "I hate dictators," he said. "The band is totally democratic. I don't get paid more than anybody else, and everybody gets a say. Sometimes I think I shoot myself in the foot, but I'm convinced it will work. Some musicians think I'm unreasonable, some don't. I like perfection. I think music is a perfect thing. A human being can't be perfect, but music is. The only way to come close to perfection is to try to be perfect."

--Sean Weaver

BEHIND THE REGGAE

Backstage at Reggae on the Rocks.

There was a lot of Red Stripe and Guinness back stage. The beer just about took over the tiny dressing room reserved for the opening band. Not a bad way to start a Saturday morning. During sound check, the red walls of the amphitheatre slowly awakened with the blazing sun and the promise of another sweltering, swirling, mystical day at Red Rocks. The gear arrived, various personnel meandered about, and the first band on the bill surveyed the scene. As drummer Zach Pietlock exclaimed, "The vibe in here is so cool that it's almost overwhelming!"

The 15th Annual Reggae on the Rocks is an exciting and beloved event, as both performers and legions of fans will attest. August 25, Denver reggae and ska band Judge Roughneck opened up for what would turn out to be a fantastic show and a glorious celebration of the unique culture, outstanding musicianship, and an inherent love and respect of reggae music. The bill also included impressive names like Burning Spear, Yellowman, Wailing Souls, Mutabaruka, Dave Wakeling, Mighty Diamond, and Worl-a-Girl.

"It still blows me away when we play big reggae shows like this," said saxophonist Jon Hegel from Roughneck. "The crowd is so diverse and everyone is so hungry to hear this music. It's great. The music is all part of the same family but expresses the different voices of all the members." The wide variety of players was soon evident. After an energetic and flawless set which explored traditional reggae, some two-tune style, and a few groovy hip hop flavors, Roughneck passed the microphone to Worl-a-Girl, a mostly female group from the East Coast that seemed to combine The Wailers with Destiny's Child.

If you've ever experienced the backstage tunnels and bellies of Red Rocks, there is a casual alertness to the security people that perhaps becomes old hat to the road-weary veterans, but which kept me alert and, well, not-so-casual. I wanted to see big names, big dreads, and big love. Where was Burning Spear hiding out? Would Dave Wakeling give me a minute to talk about his memories with General Public?

Alas, I am a sucker for the live show, and I found myself glued to the stage, happily dancing in the audience, press passes flapping in the sweet breeze. I heard a Doors cover tune by the Wailing Souls that was, hands down, better than the original. I saw Yellowman leap and fly around stage like a person obsessed and bring the crowd to an outright frenzy. I witnessed the tightest horn section I have ever heard during Burning Spear's powerful closing set, and reveled in the cool, shady shadows of my surroundings.

For a history of reggae, hit the books. On this day, I learned that with almost no radio airplay in this country, reggae music--and its relatives ska, dub and two-tone--can unite and entertain thousands of people faster and more easily than other "festivals" in recent memory by adhering to one simple thing: keeping it the people's music.

--Judy B. with Jon Hegel

BEAT DIET

FAREWELL TO TRACKS

After dozens of remodels, and hundreds of decoration changes, the Tracks 2000 era has come to an end. September 8, Tracks 2000 closed its doors to Denver's clubbing population for the last time. Tracks has become a mogul in the Denver nightlife, infamous for its fresh talent and new look almost every week. It has always set the standard for the scene, has always stayed on the cutting edge of dance music, and has always made every effort to bring new DJs to our city. From the Neverending Story to the Labyrinth to drag queens wrestling in applesauce, one never really knew what to expect when walking through the doors. Many crews of promoters have taken over the club, and many local DJs have gotten their start in the Tracks 2000 DJ booth.

Anyone who has worked close to the Tracks 2000 crew will tell you, it has become a family. Many crewmembers spend a vast majority of their time in the club, working to redecorate it for the weekly theme, or just being a part of the legend. Many of the staff who work there have worked there for years, helping to mold the club into what it has become today. They have overcome many obstacles, including a rash of violence in 1998. Although the crowd has changed, the décor has changed, and the music has changed, one thing remains the same ... the tight-knit family of people working towards a common goal: to run a successful nightclub.

Tracks 2000 has become more than just a nightclub to most of its regular attendees. It is a place to be yourself, whether that be gay, straight, bi, black, white, Asian, whatever; you could feel free to be it. It was a place of acceptance and discovery. It was the place where many people came to meet friends, and even make new ones. For many people, it was the place where their journey into the world of dance music began.

Navigated by local favorite DJ Ty Tek, Thursday nights became the most popular night at Tracks. Thursdays were built up with crazy theme nights, clever flyers, and great music. The first 50 people got in for free (and had for years), and customers could always expect an amazing visual spectacle on a night when national talent was scheduled. At the height of Tracks 2000 Thursdays, the second room was turned into an all-jungle room. The name described not only the style of music, but also the atmosphere. Complete with huge tropical flowers and a water fountain, the Jungle Room at Tracks always featured some of Denver's finest jungle DJs, as well as its finest dancers. Upstairs there is a small, hot room called the Heaven Lounge. The whole room was decorated in retro, from the animal print couches to the lava lamps, to the colorful flashing dance floor. The music was a combination of retro and pop. In the Heaven Lounge you could hear anything from Madonna to Aqua.

When Tracks closed its doors, the second room was the retro/ pop room, and the owners had expanded the club to include an outdoor patio. That was where the jungle stage was set up, and where until the end, some of Denver's best dancers would still make an appearance. Upstairs they had built the Red Room. It had more of a lounge feel, including a large fish tank, and the decorations living up to the name of the room. There was also a bar in this area, and it was where people who were 21 and older could come and drink.

Tracks 2000 may be over, but the legend will live on in the family of people and DJs who have worked so hard to make the club what it is. They have acquired a brand new venue, about four times the size of the current club. Keep your eyes and ears open for this new space, and be sure not to miss out on the start of what is sure to be a new legend.

ORANGE PEEL

Fifteen years ago, Larry Harvey and Jerry James constructed a man-like sculpture out of lumber, dragged it to baker beach in San Francisco, and set it on fire. Fifteen years later, the sculpture is more than four times taller, Nevada's Black Rock Desert is the venue, but his annual fate remains the same: to burn.

Burning Man-- the event that began with two men, their flammable sculpture and a single match-- has gradually evolved into the world's largest temporary city, boasting a peak population of more than 25,000 citizens. Why in the hell are so many goddamn people compelled to travel from all over the world to witness the ignition of a giant stick figure year after year? Good question. Why not? Though different burners make the journey for different reasons, the monumental signifigance of an experimental artistic community that praises continuous creative expression should not be underestimated. From the enormous interactive installations which occupy the circular center portion of Black Rock City, to the mobility priveleges granted to permanently altered vehi-cles, to the performance art that takes place on and off stages all over the playa, art is life at Burning Man. Not only is it evident in the three previously-mentioned artistic genres, but it spills generously over into all other forms of human behavior including desert survival, the gift-giving/ barter economy, and even sexual relationships.

--orange peel moses

CD Review

JUNKER JORG: DIET OF WORMS

First and foremost I want to say, for the record, that I have the utmost respect for all bands who get out there and live their dream. I am only here to give my opinion. Next, I will begin this review by stating the merits of Diet of Worms , the latest effort by Denver's Junker Jorg. A great live band with a good stage presence, Junker Jorg is a hard metal band which generates a powerful and tight thrashing wall of sound. In addition, Diet of Worms is a well-produced CD. This, however, is where the compliments end. Junker Jorg, though it possesses a decent sound, is an unimaginative culmination of all the soon-to-be "has been" bands floating around out there, such as Limp Bizkit, Godsmack and Papa Roach. Its sound is so contrived and unoriginal, I have heard it all 10,000 times before. The vocals are weak and one dimensional, bereft of any feeling or passion, encompassing unimpressive whining to the overdone staged anger bit. I can sit here and count all the times in the song "Lamentation" Junker Jorg is ripping off Metallica. Upon investigation of the lyrics, these boys could be considered Christian Death Metal, (a.k.a. Metal with a Message), crying about social reform, moral and environmental bankruptcy, blah, blah blah. The band members, known as Romo (guitar), "D" (Bass), Muttster (drums) and Shan-o (vocals and guitar) hardly carry the talent to constitute their Rock Star attitudes. Please. Playing live is the band's only salvation. Diet of Worms gave me about as much satisfaction as a heaping plate of night crawlers. D+ --Sally Miller

CD Review

GORILLAZ: GORILLAZ

As with most things, there is a surface, and a reality. The surface is "Clint Eastwood," a song quickly taking over the fall due to an engaging animated video getting heavy play on MTV and a creepy hook that will soon find its way onto one of Denver's obsessively repetitive radio playlists. The surface concerns a cartoon band, made up of four fictional members, some of whom may or may not be zombies.

There's 2-D, the dumb-as-post frontman with a soprano in his back pocket where a comb should be, and the sick-sweet demeanor we've come to demand from Brit pop; Murdoc, the evil bass-playing ring leader with enough attitude to make this a rock-n-roll project; Russel, the American, the drummer, the hip-hop, the one possessed by smooth rapping demons; And finally Noodles, a ten-year-old Japanese girl who, if you believe the surface, arrived in a FedEx crate with a Fender.

This surface is broad enough to circumnavigate the globe. The Gorillaz visit Latin America, CBGB in New York, India, Compton, the Heartland, Camden Town in London, and Tokyo. It's a guarantee: this CD will be available used, because all those suckers who picked it up to hear 60 minutes of "Clint Eastwood" will be frightened by the group's enormous range of experimentation, leaving the unwrapped carcass in a resale bin for us true fans of music to scavenge.

So what lies beneath? What are you really getting into with this ... whatever it is? Gorillaz is Blur's Damon Albarn on vocals (2-D), cult cartoonist Jamie Hewlett on bass (Murdoc), Deltron 3030's Kid Koala and Del Tha Funkee Homosapien on beats (Russel), and Cibo Matto's Miho Hatori on experimental axe (Noodles). A supergroup for the new millennium, or just another frivolous conglomerate of known drug users? Either way, I'm happy, I've got sunshine in a bag. A --Chris J. Magyar