Westword Music Showcase 2004

To borrow some logic from members of the dearly departed and much-loved Five Iron Frenzy, welcome to our newest Westword Music Showcase ever! Each year we blather on about how "this year's event is bigger and better than ever," and while historically it's always been true -- since the Showcase debuted in 1995, each year's event has been markedly bigger and better than the previous year's -- we're not making that claim again this year. Not exactly. Yes, the 2004 Westword Music Showcase is definitely the biggest yet. But the best? Like the decision on the Westword Showcase award winners, we're leaving that judgment call up to you. God knows, we're proud as hell of this year's version, our tenth, and we've done everything possible to make sure that it's our best ever, from adding new venues to scheduling like-minded acts in specific rooms. For instance, electronic enthusiasts will be in heaven upstairs at the Church, where some of the area's finest DJs will throw down; downstairs in the same building, metalheads will be in for a hell of a good time. With the quality and quantity of acts on this year's lineup -- fifty of Mootown's best and brightest, nearly double the number at last year's Showcase, as well as special performances by the VIOLENT FEMMES and Josh Wink -- you'll wish you could clone yourself in order to see them all.

ANTIK
NOMINATED IN PUNK
5 P.M., SERENGETI

And you are...?
Antik: Sean, CJ, Cody and Adam.

Website?
www.antiksucks.com

How long has your act been together?
One year in August.

What are some of your noteworthy recent feats?
2004 Vans Warped Tour.

Recent recordings of note?
"Alone" single.

How do you pay the bills? What are your day jobs?
Sean: Dish Network; CJ: Planet Honda; Cody works with his dad; and Adam is a waiter.

What's the biggest crowd you've ever played for?
750.

Favorite places to play?
Fox Theatre, Boulder.

Why music?
Extremely friendly and professional staff. Best group ever worked with.

If not music, what else?
Cars!!

What band names were left on the cutting-room floor in favor of your current one?
Last Ride

Funniest/strangest gig story -- local?
At our show at the Ogden with Ion, Misunderstood and the Commodes, the crowd was off the hook. They were stage-diving, getting in fights, crowd-surfing and more. Definitely a sight to see. Play it safe, kids!

Worst gig?
May 29 at the Gothic Theatre. NIPP's new security for that place sucked. Totally disrespectful.

What do you love about the local scene?
The scene is getting huge! It's awesome to watch all the bands blow up in Denver and even at national levels.

What bugs you about the local scene?
Too much trash-talking. If a performer or artist is getting recognized, there is always someone that has to bang them for it.

What's the biggest misconception about your band/act?
Some people say that the bandmembers are extremely full of themselves. In fact, we are not at all. Hence the name: antiksucks.com. If you meet each one of us, you will see we are very friendly, caring guys.

Any random facts we should know?
Vote for us on Lollapalooza!!

Avalanche or Broncos?
Broncos.

Parting shot/final comments?
Cement Mixer...ahhh, love the taste.

APOSTLE
NOMINATED IN HIP-HOP
10 P.M., OPAL

And you are . . .?
Jeff Campbell, aka Apostle.

Website?
www.coloradohiphop.org

How long has your act been together?
I am a solo artist. I've been spittin' rhymes since I was fourteen years old, in 1984. I was first published in 1994, so I guess you can say a decade.

What are some of your noteworthy recent feats?
I attended the National Hip-Hop Convention in Newark, New Jersey, as the state chair for Colorado.

Recent recordings of note?
New album coming soon, entitled Intelligent Movement.

How do you pay the bills? What is your day job?
I'm the executive director of the Colorado Hip-Hop Coalition.

What's the biggest crowd you've ever played for?
6,000 in 1999 at Reggae on the Rocks. (In 1984, as a breakdancer at the Denver Center for the Performing Arts, I performed in front of 15,000.)

Favorite places to play?
Club Triology in Boulder; Soiled Dove in LoDo; Cervantes'; and Red Sea in Portland.

Why music?
It inspired me so much in my life. Stevie Wonder helped me learn to read. It was what moved me at a very early age.

If not music, what else?
Community organizing.

What band names were left on the cutting-room floor in favor of your current one?
Mos Jef, Short Man's Complex, JRS-One and One Pac.

Funniest/strangest gig story -- local?
In 2000, at Southwest Plaza Mall, Borders Books Coffee and Music: I had some little sixteen-year-old girl dance with me, and I pissed off her parents.

Funniest/weirdest gig story -- on tour?
I met a Vietnam Vet who was only 5'10" -- but had size 13 1/2 shoes.

Worst gig?
At the Chief Theater in Pueblo in 1995. The host of the event introduced me as the "Ass Pistol."

What do you love about the local scene?
The incredible talent.

What bugs you about the local scene?
No sense of community.

What's the biggest misconception about your band/act?
That I've retired. Don't call it a comeback -- the new joint is on fire!

Any random facts we should know?
The new album, featuring KRS-One and Stero Lion and produced by Heavyweight Dub Champion, is some of my best work.

Avalanche or Broncos?
Favorite Colorado athlete: Amy Van Dyken.

Parting shot/final comments?
Hip-hop in Colorado keeps getting better. Suckas trying to X me out, but they can't circumvent the real deal. I'm proud of my age, my accomplishments and the mistakes I've learned from. Stop talking shit. You know who you are. Let's build a community with this hip-hop. It ain't about a hot record; fuck a hot record. Live this. Peace.

BACKBONE VELVET
NOMINATED IN FUNK/SOUL

And you are...?
Marri Jo, Backbone Velvet.

Website?
www.backbonevelvet.com (Our site is currently being updated and improved and will be current soon!)

How long has your act been together?
Three to three and a half years. Our first show was at the Cricket, on January 16, 2001.

What are some of your noteworthy recent feats?
Nominated for the Westword Music Showcase -- second year in a row now. We just played our third People's Fair, and our new live CD was just released.

Recent recordings of note?
New Backbone Velvet live CD.