7-8 p.m.
McCormick's Fish House & Bar
THE LA DONNAS
In a recent interview with Westword, Roscoe LaDonnahue of the La Donnas was quoted as saying, "I only like one band in Denver, and that's Boss 302." A few days after this piece appeared in print, a letter came into this office addressed to the band. It began: "We all got together to write this letter to tell you, 'Oh yeah? Well, we don't like you, either!!'" And the signoff? "Sincerely, All the bands in Denver (except Boss 302)." When he's told about the missive, Roscoe makes no effort to disguise his glee. "We got some calls about what I said, too," he reveals. "I guess honesty gets you nowhere these days." Actually, that's not quite right: The La Donnas' truth-telling brand of melodic punk rock earned the band a record deal with Scooch Pooch, a subsidiary of Seattle's Sub-Pop firm, and plenty of fans who are as allergic to baloney as the LaDonnas are. Shady Lane, the quartet's Scooch Pooch bow, is a blast of pure adrenaline that the La Donnas will follow up early next year. "We're going to record in February, I believe," Roscoe contends. "I think we'll be doing it with Conrad Uno at Egg Studio again. But that could change." There'll also be a three-week tour in October that will begin in Seattle and head south from there. "Other than that, nothing much is up with us," Roscoe suggests. "Except pissing off everybody in town, I mean."
11 p.m.-12 midnight
Rock Island
ART LANDE
Lande, the man widely acknowledged to be Colorado's best jazz pianist, is set to raise his consistently high profile to another level. The Russian Dragon Band, consisting of bassist Dwight Kilian, guitarist Khabu, saxophonist Bruce Williamson and Lande on drums, will soon release When Kentucky Was Indiana, the inaugural CD on a new Denver imprint, Synergy. "Mike Fitts is in charge of the label," Lande says. "It's intended for people who are doing creative and original music, which we are." The disc, according to Lande, "is from a live concert tour that we did last year. There are ten pieces that were recorded during six different shows in New York and Massachusetts, and they include a lot of improvisation--not just in terms of songs, but in terms of worlds of sound. It's pretty electric-sounding and kind of evocative of a story I wrote that's included on the jacket of the album." Because Khabu and Williamson live in New York, the official release of Kentucky likely will wait until December. In the meantime, Lande is set to begin work on another CD, this one featuring his piano playing and the flute and saxophone work of Mark Miller. "That will also be on Synergy," Lande reveals. "It doesn't have a title yet, but the music is more like modern classical. I've written a bunch of chorales which are entirely classical, but we also have some things that are completely improvisational. So the pieces are either very composed or not composed at all." As if these projects weren't enough to occupy Lande, he's also busy teaching at Naropa Institute; planning a special Naropa workshop on the creative process to be conducted in early October with California choreographer Candy Beal; preparing for November appearances in France, Switzerland and Austria; and maintaining his Wednesday gig at Boulder's West End Tavern and his regular Thursday stops at Vartan Jazz. About the last two items, Lande explains, "These are my ongoing weekly ways of expressing myself and sharing my music. And sharing my music is my life."
10:15-11:15 p.m.
The Sports Column
LAUGHING HANDS
Steve Mullins and his brother Brian, who each play mandolin (among other things) for Laughing Hands, like to keep matters all in the family. Most siblings who work together would be eager to collaborate with someone else in their off hours, but these two are an exception to this rule: They're making a CD together as the Mullins Brothers--and Mike, a third Mullins lad, is creating the painting that will serve as its cover. "The music uses a variety of influences, just like Laughing Hands," Steve says of the side project. "But I'd say it's a little mellower in general because it's not as big a sound. I hesitate to call it new-age, but it's closer to that market." By contrast, Laughing Hands is a brew of Latin American and Eastern European folk stylings that's becoming livelier thanks to some new Hands on deck. In addition to Steve, Brian, guitarist Ed Rudman and percussionist Ed Contreras, the combo has just taken aboard new bassist Mike Fitzmaurice and drummer Clay Bielman. These changes, in Steve's view, "are really exciting. I think with the extra drums and percussion, we're going to have a more powerful sound than ever, and Mike Fitzmaurice is just phenomenal." The band's recent CD, Laughing Hands (on Resounding Records), has done well enough locally to have attracted the attention of a European distributor with whom the group is in conversation, and Steve reveals that the recording of another Laughing Hands platter should get under way in the new year. "We have all the material already composed and ready," Steve says. "And I can't wait to start."
