Volume 4, Issue 6
March 21 - April 3, 2002
John Common stands on stage with a beer in one hand and a Village People record in the other. It's one song into Rainville's set, and he's telling stories and chatting with the packed house at Hermans. The lucky person who signs up first on Rainville's mailing list and buys a CD will receive this "rare vinyl prize." I get the distinct feeling that these kinds of stunts happen all the time with Rainville.
After a few more songs, Common announces that three dollars of every Rainville record sold tonight will be donated to the Denver Rescue Mission (where he has been known to play). "They truly make a difference there and we're proud to help out any way we can," Common said. I can see why. Common's songs seem to highlight wandering, lost characters, good people who took a wrong step or two and are finding their way back home.
Rainville has been writing and playing in Colorado since 1998 when John Common (vocals, guitar) came to town after traveling and playing solo gigs around the East Coast and Midwest. "You can only take so many coffee house gigs before you start dreaming about tube amps and cold beer. It was time to start a band," Common said backstage before the show. I think he lucked out. He plays with a seriously talented group of guys: Ian Hlatky (guitar, piano), Matt Sumner (bass) and Steve Richards (drums) who has also been dubbed "The Mayor of Rainville." "For us," Richards said, "it's 100 percent about getting great music out to folks and having fun doing it. Trust me, we entertain ourselves as much as anyone else."
The band's first album, Collecting Empties, was released in November, 1999. Along with several local accolades, the record hit Europe where Italy's Buscadero magazine named it one of the best albums of the year. The Italian connection landed them a tour that kicks off from Milan this spring. On this topic, Sumner said, "Rainville in Italy--they better make some more wine." The band is nearly finished with their second album, The Longest Street In America , named after Denver's infamous Colfax Avenue.
We are four songs deeper into the set, and I've already heard crunchy roadhouse rock, a bluesy drinking song about a gritty Colfax character, and "Trains," a soaring Americana anthem that makes me want to quit my job, get in my car and travel the country for a while. The band describes its music as "honest-to-God American music, part rural rock, part gutter-jazz stories about falling stars, stolen cars, roadhouse bars and beat up guitars." If Bruce Springsteen and Tom Waits started a band in a small town north of New Orleans, it might sound like Rainville.
It's near the end of the set. Common is standing in the middle of the stage, head back, eyes closed, singing. Every song has a story inside. A mid-tempo rocker, "Emma," opens out across the room as swells of music move from a rumbling whisper to a jangly snarl. Sumner leans over and stomps his foot in time with Richard's snare drum. Hlatky plays a solo that loops back into the verse. "Emma, I'm coming for you. Hope I get there soon," Common sings. The song builds to a beautiful finish and then the band breaks into its last song, a crazed Russian stomp called "When I'm An Old Man." People twirl and sway at the foot of the stage. Common yells to the crowd, "I want you to dance like a bunch of drunken gypsies!" Just another night in Rainville.
For more info and upcoming tour and gig info, check www.rainvillemusic.com --T. C.
The venue is filled to capacity. Instruments, amps, and promo gear sprawl into the audience. Some fans have been here all day. The bar remains open and bands continue to filter in and out. They meet old friends and new fans, and plug in for one short blistering set. For music junkies, this could be nirvana. Luckily, it's just around the corner and down the street.
UMX , Denver's Ultimate Music Xperience, returns to LoDo this weekend, free and open to the public. The two-day event runs Saturday 9 am-5 pm and Sunday 11 am-8 pm at The Soiled Dove (1949 Market) March 23 and 24. This annual event is keenly disguised as the CHUN People's Fair Entertainment Auditions, but that only electrifies the atmosphere. Over 60 of the region's hottest bands will sink or swim throughout the two-day event, each hoping to grab a slot for the 31st Annual People's Fair scheduled for June 1 and 2.
The People's Fair Entertainment committee received over 350 submissions and created two separate listening parties for committee members to streamline some of the talent. CHUN Public Relations Spokesperson Jodi Long said, "The mix of genres and diverse sound are the best we have ever collected. This year's auditions will feature some new acts that will amaze you as well as some good ol 'favorites. We always knew the region had some good talent, but this is amazing."
Here's the deal: each band gets 10 minutes to play on one of two stages set up inside the Dove. It's fast and furious, and by mid-day, the room reaches a fever pitch. Definite bands on the track include United Dope Front, Looks Like Me, Rachel's Playpen, Mighty Short Giants, Funkiphino, Armando Zuppa's Kitchen, and Breck Alan along with many, many others. Go to www.peoplesfair.com for the complete and updated schedule. See you there!
In July of 1947, an extra-terrestrial vehicle crash landed near Roswell, New Mexico. The vehicle and its injured passengers were immediately transported to a secret military facility ninety miles north of Las Vegas. According to the secretary of the Air Force, the crash was actually a balloon-borne research project code-named Mogul that was piloted by anthropomorphic test dummies and the case is officially closed...but the case has been unofficially re-opened at an club under Pearl Street in Boulder.
Three and a half years ago, Marci Lieberman placed her very first record on a turntable slipmat. Three and a half years later, she is resident deejay and part-owner of Area Fifty-One, Boulder's only full-time eighteen plus venue. How did she get here from there? Via Mad Production gigs at the Ogden Theatre, Club Pure, the Root Underground, Synergy, Club Cyrano in Glenwood Springs, the Gothic Theatre, and the Colorado Springs City Auditorium. Inspired by the likes of deep house duo Deep Dish and the Underworld's Darren Emerson, Marci has been known to mix everything from hard house to hip-hop, but generously shares Area Fifty-One turntable responsibilities with current residents Sharky, Sean, & Beatchild.
What motivation do you have to set foot in the joint? Pool, foosball, air hockey, video games, miscellaneous munchies, virgin daiquiris, weekly Wednesday deejay tournaments...and the truth is in there somewhere.
Area Fifty-One is located at 124 Pearl Street in Boulder. For further information and/or directions, give their info line a buzz at 303-545-2448.
The first time is always the one you remember most. Back on February 26, 2000, Canadian icon Bruce Cockburn came through town and set the Paramount Theater ablaze with his unique virtuoso guitar stylings, legendary literate songs, and breath-robbing rhythm. The sights and sounds from the stage captured the senses. Bruce, along with the bassist and drummer, created a rock-sturdy, I-beam-insulated foundation of musical marmalade. The trio ran through an impressive array of Cockburn's work, leaving the concert-goers with a true taste of the skills Canada has to offer to the rest of the world. If you were a musician and in the audience that memorable night, you would have either wanted to throw down your instrument and call it quits, or else block off the intrusive world and practice day and night.
Many days and nights have passed since that memorable Saturday night at the Paramount, and Cockburn continues to ride the train that makes him welcome in Colorado. He seems to fit the intellectual, geographical makeup and cultural mores of the Front Range. Conventionalism has never been his friend. Instead, he has put his pen to paper and let his heart speak, whether it's regarding bigotry, the victims of war, imperialism, spiritual convictions or environmental concerns. Cockburn, in a sense, is akin to a '60s rogue poet/folk singer who would have flocked to Boulder or Denver with their conscience and love or art as their guide. He takes this spirit with him, by such efforts as involving himself with the Boulder-based radio program E-Town and his environmental and social concerns and world travels.
His fellow countrymen (like conscientious Coloradans) have long touted his talent, and in good cheer and celebration, Cockburn was inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame last year. It seems especially fitting considering he has released 26 albums since his debut release in 1970. Along the way, he has amassed 11 Juno awards, 16 gold records, and 3 platinum records in Canada. However, Cockburn can remain light and jokingly comfortable about the whole event. After all, he is not about awards, he will tell you. And he despises the whole competition of talent. He does consider the Hall of Fame ceremony to be a bit different, however, and was appreciative of the honor and recognition. "It was a strange experience; a positive one but a strange (sort of thing)," Cockburn recalled. "First of all, I had to make a speech, which is not something I generally look forward to doing. Second of all, it seems like the Hall of Fame is something that happens to you when you're dead." (chuckles) "Are they trying to tell me my career is over and I should quit? But I got over that. I guess you don't have to be dead if you've been around long enough (chuckles)."
When you are in business as long as Cockburn and the Canadian Music Hall of Fame has recognized your contribution to the country, you have earned yourself a break. Cockburn, in fact, took last year off. He did mention that the time was not much of a restful one. "I was actually very busy; more so than I thought," he confessed. This year, the time off has entered into memory and current times have unveiled a new release for Cockburn. The 26th entry onto the Cockburn discography, entitled, Anything Anytime Anywhere: Singles 1979-2002 , is a celebration of his work during the last 23 years. Two new, recently-recorded tracks are featured, which make this more than a partial best-of album.
The new release signals a change for Cockburn, ending his distribution relationship with Rykodisc, the label that distributed his last three releases. Cockburn has also had affiliation with Island, MCA, and Columbia in the past as distributors, and is set for a new beginning with Boston-based indie label Rounder Records. Most artists/labels save "Best Of" projects for later (or at the end) of the artist's time with the label. However, Rounder's first order of business was the recent release of Anything Anytime Anywhere: Singles 1979-2002 . "For me, personally, it was a way to buy some time," Cockburn explained. "Rounder liked the idea because it's a way for them to start a relationship (and to say) 'Here's this guy that we've signed. This is what he's done over the years.' So it fulfilled both our purposes."
Cockburn, with a recent purposed fulfilled, and a supportive distributor, is back traveling from town to town, mesmerizing audiences with his gifts, in support of the new record. He arrived on the stage at the Fillmore on the night of March 13th, most definitely backed by an applause of true Colorado love. This time the format was a bit different. It was Cockburn by himself. There were no singing fretless bass notes or intricate drumming. It was all Cockburn and it had to have been something that entertainment editors drool over. Several years ago, he covered a song called . Strong Hand of Love . for inclusion on a tribute album in honor of deceased underground singer/songwriter, Mark Heard. I can only imagine the live feel of his rendition of the song, acoustic guitar and vocal only, with its earthy, otherworldly breathiness and conviction, not to mention inward pain and longing. His possession of the stage with the company of his guitar and a microphone probably captured what the Heard tribute recording did. Audiences, I'm sure, could not wish for more in this type of concert setting where the focal point is the artist, the scope is the song and the performance of the compositions. They had a true solo performance; a man and his instrument, a man, alone, without a backing band. "It's a whole different thing; a whole different relationship with the audience," Cockburn said. "It's much more personal. It puts the song kind of right front and center. It's also much scarier (chuckles) I'm the only guy on stage and if I screw up, everyone's going to know."
True, he is a Berkley-honored musician, so there are tricks to prevent such a catastrophe. He could, perhaps, change keys if a mistake occurs, hopefully prohibiting error detection.
"Well, there is that," Cockburn said. "If you're quick enough."
By Julie Hullverson
Photos by Sean Hartgrove
If you believe in karma, then it's payback time for Elizabeth Rose. This singer/songwriter/actress has had her share of struggles over the years, but now everything seems to have come full circle; she is in her 22nd month of a starring role in I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change at the Denver Center Theatre Company, she's just released a CD called Still Pretending , she has a cool kid named Ari, and she's married to fellow musician Tony Morales, whom she describes as "the most amazing man I've ever met."
Elizabeth has lived in Five Points for the past 12 years and that's a long way from Littleton, where she grew up with one younger brother and some seriously fundamentalist folks. Her Father is a Christian preacher and a biblical literalist who doesn't believe in evolution or scientists. In other words, he believes that Eve literally came from Adam's rib and that Dinosaurs never existed. Elizabeth's Mom was a preacher's wife who dutifully dragged the kids to church three times a week.
Elizabeth's artistic interests sprang up early--she started playing the piano at age 5 and by high school she had been bitten by the acting bug. This acting thing didn't sit well with Mom and Preacher Pops, though; they considered acting to be amoral and while they didnt outright condemn it, they certainly didn't condone it. To make matters worse, her brother, who's 14 months younger, was an all-star jock whom her parents supported whole-heartedly.
At 16, Elizabeth began reading books on Buddhism and Eastern philosophy, which led her to seriously question the religious beliefs that had been imposed upon her since birth. Although the seeds of doubt had been planted, throughout high school Elizabeth remained pretty straight. She also apparently remained at home quite a lot since she was forbidden to enter the sinful city of Denver, and she had a strict 11 pm curfew until she went off to college. And go off to college she did--the minute her car screeched into the parking lot of CSU in Ft. Collins, she'd ditched her far right fundamentalist frock for a one-way ticket to party town. "I went crazy at college," Elizabeth said. "I made up for lost time. It was like jumping off a cliff, and for a long time, I didn't tell myself 'no'."
Although partying like a rock star took up a lot of her time, Elizabeth managed to focus enough to graduate with two degrees, one in Theater and one in English Lit. And before she collected her diploma, Elizabeth landed herself a juicy role in a major Hollywood movie called Flashback starring Kiefer Sutherland and Dennis Hopper.
In 1990, after Flashback , Elizabeth headed to Denver and started acting. She got some theater and commercial work as well as several featured roles on Father Dowling Mysteries and Perry Mason, both of which were shot in Denver. However, a steady paycheck was not yet in the cards.
Around this time Elizabeth's personal life went through an overhaul as well. Her parents seemed to come around on the acting thing, and suddenly she was getting calls from her family excitingly saying, "We saw you on TV tonight!" Elizabeth harbors no resentment against her parents about the way she was raised, "I can't really blame my parents," she said. "They got married really young at 15, and had me when they were 17 and 18. So they've changed a lot now, and they're much more mellow and cool."
Another event occurred in 1990 that would change her life forever; Elizabeth had a son, Ari, who is now 11 years old, and whom she doesn't like to discuss in public other than to say he is awesome and the light of her life. With more changes in store--Elizabeth started singing for local art rock band Sympathy F, fell in love with fellow band member Tony Morales and got married. Sympathy F played around town for a while, and were close to landing a record deal but it fell through and the band went their separate ways and onto other projects.
Elizabeth then sang with hip-hop and R&B band Judge Roughneck, and they too did the local circuit from Herman's Hideaway, The Soiled Dove and Round Midnight to venues around Steamboat and Colorado Springs. Then came Elizabeth's big break. She landed the acting gig of a lifetime at the Denver Center as one of four cast members in the musical revue I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change, which touches upon the themes of dating, romance, marriage, lovers and in-laws.
"It was a hard decision to leave the band, but I had to," she says. "It is the best acting job in Denver. It’s a steady job,in theater, the four of us (main cast members)are paid well above equity,and we get to work at the Denver Center-–for a local actor to get a gig like this is amazing.They took a chance by hiring locals and we proved them right, because it is now Denver Center’s 2nd longest running show ever, behind Patsy Cline. We proved that you don’t have to go to New York or LA to find good actors and singers, there are a lot of talented people in Denver.”
Although Elizabeth has been doing eight shows a week for the past 22 months at the Denver Center, she has also somehow found the time to write and record an album of her own music called Still Pretending. The songs were written late at night after coming home from the theater. “I’d put my son to bed, go in the living room, play the piano and sing him to sleep. I could have called the album Songs for Tony though, because they’re all love songs for my husband. We’ve been together for ten years and I still worship him.”
She describes the sound on Still Pretending as “a total departure from the type of stuff I was singing with Sympathy F or Roughneck. These songs came out of mellow, late night piano place; they’re parlor songs, like a hot little jazz trio in a smoky café.” Elizabeth wrote and arranged the songs, hired local musi- cians,whom she refers to as “her brothers” to play on her record, including the boys from Judge Roughneck, her husband Tony Morales, Kyle Jones on bass and John Hegel on horns.
So it seems that after years of trying to make it,not to mention simply make ends meet as an artist, Elizabeth Rose has finally arrived. “I’m so happy I never gave up,”she said,“and I still can’t believe my good fortune.”
You can purchase Still Pretending at Scene to Screen in the Denver Center Complex,or at www.Elizabethrose.net, where you can also listen to MP3 samples and if you want to see Elizabeth in action,check out I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change at the Denver Center.
Funky, funky, funky. Holy crap, Prince lives in Denver. At least you might say that after a thorough listening of the new Greenhaus CD. I can say that this blew me away because the previous CD from this band, Bitter Suite , contains only glimpses of potential. This time, Greenhaus grabbed hold of the soul wheel and cranked up the engine full throttle.
As just a three-piece, the production is terrific. It's full and phat with lots of chewy texture and stylistic variety. Band members Paul Derek Moore (lead vocals, guitar), Ian Keldin (drums, keyboards) and Skye Perry (bass) took the high road and instead of creating all the sounds and vision, elected to invite some noteworthy local friends to contribute. Highlights include Dan Fleming on harmonica and Jon Hegel (Judge Roughneck) on sax through a couple of tracks.
Nice work.
The whole album contains a long, but vague, thread that holds it together as one unit. The prelude and reprise of "Blossom," a terrific instrumental, sets the tone. The title track is simply a great tune. Its easy groove and R&B influence get your head bopping. Moore's lyrics have always been rather "deep" and pay tribute to life and its wacky lessons, but on this record, he has honed them into small vignettes and concise snippets of philosophy, humor, satire, and joy. "Cool" is exactly what it claims to be. Moore uses a pretty good falsetto through the track. "Go Directly to Jail" oozes Motown. The rolling romp through "Stereo Cherry Pie" blends '70s disco and Red Hot Chili Peppers (old school) frenzy. "Pretty Little Ditty" (another reference to RHCP?) high-lights Moore's growth and imagination as a vocalist and lyricist.
Watch this band closely. Find out more at
www.greenhausmusic.com
--Pearl
With their newest release, True , Judge Roughneck proves once again that guys in natty suits and porkpie hats can make ecstatic party music that says something.
You CAN write songs about unity and racial equality and still get people dancing. Judge Roughneck has easily been one of the most visible bands in Denver and without a doubt, the finest representative of ska music in our region for the better part of a decade, and for good reason. Uh, 'cause they don't suck, yo.
Thank the lord for Judge Roughneck. For a long time now, music that's genuinely FUN to listen to has been predicated by the unfortunate notion that it also has to be vapid and cheesy. Finally, a band has come along who's not afraid to be positive without pandering to the lowest common denominator. A band that'll have you swangin' your ass like a spooked lab monkey, but still respects your mind. There's something truly commendable about being happy and inspiring and uplifting without being a toadyish sycophant--Judge Roughneck does that and then some.
JR is a great band, playing great songs, having a great time, and they don't apologize for it (because they don't have to). They have the musical skills and the social integrity to back it up. Aside from being absurdly talented, Judge Roughneck has done more to improve race relations than any member of our State government. We should all be falling over ourselves to run out and buy this record. Support the Roughneck, and put the "FU" in fun!
Go to the store, pick up a copy of "True" and skank to your little heart's content; you
won't have to compromise one iota of your intelligence or your hipster aesthetic. Dub,
ska, reggae, songs about racial harmony and weed? What more could you possibly ask
for? You can take Judge Roughneck's True home and still feel good about yourself in the
morning. Viva la skank!
--D. Koke
All Rights Reserved © 2002 Go Go Media, LLC, Denver, Colorado