Ether, an act signed to Denver's Terraform imprint, impresses on a new EP, Slow Violence. My package includes little information, so I don't know whether or not I should credit Terraform's John Chamie with shaping the sound on display here. But whoever manned the boards deserves a pat on the back for the hooky opener, "Shape Shifter," the intricate "Steel Transmission" and the other five numbers on hand, all of which find a common ground between big beats and rich atmospherics. First-rate (Terraform Records, 784-4841). On its self-titled demo, the Doc Ross Band blithely ignores current trends in favor of the sort of hard rock and boogie that was the bee's knees during the Seventies. "No Show Joe" has a wanky but fleet guitar solo to go along with its big riffs, "Grizzly Bear Bop" reworks "Move It On Over" to predictable effect, "This Is Love" sports a power-ballad feel, and "All the Dreams" has biker bar written all over it. Thought you'd want to know (Rocky Mountain Precision Machine, 274-1960). Bray is the name under which Bray Ghiglia, a veteran of bands featuring Firefall's Rick Roberts and the Eagles' Randy Meisner, performs. He lives in Boulder these days, and his new CD, Soulsounding, finds him in familiar territory. The opening number, "Slow Down," features background vocals from Meisner on a ditty that recalls early Neil Young; "Motor Car" moves along at a pretty good clip; "Time" is an endless opus; and "Desert Song" sounds like a little piece of Marshall Tucker, thanks to the inclusion of Bray's signature instrument, the flute. The ten songs here have a been-there-done-that aura about them, but those of you who still have a fondness for mid-Seventies country rock may be charmed. As for me, Soulsounding is a flashback I'd rather not have (Ghiglia Publishing, 3580 16th Street, Boulder 80304).
Singer-songwriter Munly doesn't live here anymore; he's relocated to Austin and formed a kind-of-country band that performs under the awkward handle Munly De Dar He. Check out his latest incarnation on Saturday, August 30, at the Boulder Theater, with Slim Cessna's Auto Club and DeVotchKa.
The Reejers are the winners of a recent battle-of-the-bands contest called "One Shot to Stardom" (sponsored by Jim Beam, not Lee Harvey Oswald). The combo will represent Colorado at the competition's finals, which take place September 8 at the House of Blues in Chicago. Best of luck to them and theirs. The same goes for the folks putting together the Rock Out AIDS events on Friday, August 29, and Saturday, August 30, at Herman's Hideaway. Acts include Opie Gone Bad, Zeut, Bad Rufus, the Galactix and Carolyn's Mother, and all proceeds are earmarked to benefit the Colorado AIDS Project.
Also beneficial. On Thursday, August 28, Buck-O-Nine joins Sketch and Left Foot Green at the Boulder Theater. On Friday, August 29, A&M Records signee Big Back Forty spreads out at Soapy Smith's; Johnson slips into Cricket on the Hill, with Safety Club and Turbo A.C.'s; the Big Town, from Los Angeles, plays for the first of two nights at 9th Avenue West; the Wendy Woo Band shows up at Round Midnight; Lord of Word and the Disciples of Bass headline at the Fox Theatre; and the four-day Taste of Colorado bash kicks off at Civic Center Park with a lineup that includes (I'm not saying this just to frighten you) Maria Muldaur and Loverboy. On Saturday, August 30, Martyn Leaper of the Minders celebrates his birthday by performing at Across the Street Cafe with Neutral Milk Hotel and Marbles (the solo project of the Apples' Robert Schneider), and AKA Streisand & Onassis drops names at Penny Lane. On Sunday, August 31, Liquid Air gets trippy at the Fox. On Tuesday, September 2, Sweet 75, a new group featuring ex-Nirvana bassist Krist Novoselic, opens up for L7 at the Ogden Theatre. And on Wednesday, September 3, Phantasmorgasm requires no cover at Seven South, and Liz Queler and Julie Hoest do the entertaining at the Mercury Cafe. No further information is available at this time.--Michael Roberts
Backbeat's e-mail address is: Michael_Roberts@ westword.comMichael_Roberts@. While you're online, visit Michael Roberts's Jukebox at www.westword.com
