Email Author John Jesitus

1996 Stories by John Jesitus

• Playlist

  published December 5, 1996

  Tricky Pre-Millennium Tension (Island) In a music scene dominated by the safe, the threadbare and the predictable, Tricky... More >>

• Playlist

  published November 14, 1996

  The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion Now I Got Worry (Matador) R.L. Burnside A Ass Pocket of Whiskey (Matador) ... More >>

• Women's Glib

  published November 14, 1996

  During performances of "Crazy Song," a variation on the Patsy Cline favorite, Boulder's Lisa Wagner displays an impressive voice--or maybe two.... More >>

• Playlist

  published November 7, 1996

  John Parish and Polly Jean Harvey Dance Hall at Louse Point (Island) This disc has garnered the worst reviews of Ms. Harvey's... More >>

• The Bucks Stop Here

  published October 31, 1996

  Let's get this out of the way right at the top: The father of Evan, Paige and Preston O'Meara, who constitute three-fifths of Denver's 8-Bucks... More >>

• Playlist

  published October 24, 1996

  Carman Righteous Invasion of Truth (Sparrow) The rub with so much of today's contemporary Christian music isn't its focus on... More >>

• Twisted Sisters

  published October 3, 1996

  "We're a very high-maintenance band," confesses Christina Ortega, singer and guitarist for the Front Range's Velveeta Sisters. "When we get gigs,... More >>

• Playlist

  published September 12, 1996

  Soul Coughing Irresistible Bliss (Slash/Warner Bros.) On Ruby Vroom, Soul Coughing's bow, bandleader M. Doughty and his... More >>

• Getting Cosy

  published September 12, 1996

  "Recently," says singer Cosy Sheridan, "I've attempted to look at songwriting sort of as a public service." This comment doesn't mean that... More >>

• Media Dar-ling

  published August 22, 1996

  Twenty-something singer-songwriter Dar Williams confesses, "I'm probably getting a little more hype than I'm worth." This becoming display... More >>

• Playlist

  published August 22, 1996

  Nas It Was Written (Columbia) The reported death of gangsta rap has been greatly exaggerated: It Was Written entered the... More >>

• In Their Element

  published August 15, 1996

  "Our style of music is called garage punk," says Michael Daboll, lead singer and guitarist for Denver's Element 79--and he's glad to elaborate.... More >>

• Playlist

  published August 15, 1996

  The Artist Formerly Known as Prince Chaos and Disorder (Warner Bros.) Spite is often overlooked as a spur to creativity, but... More >>

• Playlist

  published July 18, 1996

  Patti Smith Gone Again (Arista) For an artist with such a stratospheric reputation, Smith's body of work is, in a word,... More >>

• A Meice of the Action

  published July 11, 1996

  "It's weird where songs come from," muses Joe Reinke, lead vocalist and guitarist for San Francisco's Meices, during a mid-June interview. "They... More >>

• Playlist

  published July 11, 1996

  Beck! Odelay (DGC) Based on the two shows I've seen him perform, Beck Hansen probably isn't the worst performer in the history... More >>

• Even Stephen

  published July 4, 1996

  In a world of pierced navels and rainbow-coiffed power forwards, no-nonsense performers like Stephen Lee tend to get shunted into the background.... More >>

• Playlist

  published June 13, 1996

  The Cranberries To the Faithful Departed (Island) There's a fine line between a distinctive voice and an annoying voice, and... More >>

• Hour Gang

  published May 30, 1996

  If the members of Denver's Eleventh Hour appear to be suffering from an identity crisis, you can hardly blame them. According to Howard Bridges... More >>

• Playlist

  published May 23, 1996

  Rage Against the Machine Evil Empire (Epic) Why are so many left-wingers humorless? Sure, there are terrible things happening... More >>

• They're Melting! They're Melting!

  published May 16, 1996

  With washed-up bands from the Seventies reuniting faster than you can say "Fiddler's Green," perhaps it's only fitting that Modern English, a... More >>

• Playlist

  published May 9, 1996

  Hootie & the Blowfish Fairweather Johnson (Atlantic) Listening to this album put me in mind of a line from an episode of the... More >>

• There Otter Be a Law

  published May 9, 1996

  Rick Martinez, drummer for Denver's Otter Popps, is definitely dedicated to his band. After all, one of the main reasons he's upset that his... More >>

• Playlist

  published May 2, 1996

  Manfred Hubler and Siegfried Schwab Vampyros Lesbos: Sexadelic Dance Party (Motel) If you haven't seen a film by director Jess... More >>

• The Butlers Did It

  published March 7, 1996

  "In the Boulder-Denver area, there are so many bands that play fifteen-minute jams," says Paul Massey, vocalist and rhythm guitarist for Boulder's... More >>