A sticker on the shrink-wrap that covers Dark Dear Heart, the latest album by Canadian vocalist Holly Cole, reads, “File in Rock/Pop Vocal.” But such a label hardly does justice to Cole’s versatility. She’s been described as a smoky siren, a jazz interpreter, a chanteuse and a sultry cabaret specialist–and…
The Halo Benders The Rebels Not In (K Records) The Halo Benders are generally referred to in print as an indie-rock supergroup, and that tag is certainly justified: The main men behind it are Calvin Johnson (founder of K Records, leader of Beat Happening and Dub Narcotic Sound System) and…
For rock historians and rockabilly fiends, Paul Burlison, guitarist for the Rock ‘N Roll Trio, is every bit as important a figure as Scotty Moore or Link Wray. Led by wildcat vocalist/acoustic guitarist Johnny Burnette and his stand-up bass-slapping brother, Dorsey, the Trio crafted some of the rawest music of…
KTCL-FM/93.3, which makes a couple of appearances in this week’s article about Denver radio (see page 73), has spent much of the Nineties as the butt of criticism. Back in the day, the outlet took chances with its music, introducing area listeners to exciting alternative acts they might otherwise never…
How bad is Denver radio? For an answer, look no further than my middle finger–the one I use to button-push during my drive to and from work. Earlier this decade, I was able to leave the needle set on one frequency for minutes at a time, but over the past…
When the subject of Thelonius Monk is raised, most people think about the late pianists’ groundbreaking compositions and his singular approach to playing, which was marked by rhythmic innovation, subtly virtuosic technique and stirring emotionalism. By contrast, T.S. Monk, Thelonius’s only son, is as apt to inspire lust–particularly among females…
“I was reading an article about 16 Horsepower,” says Rhett Miller, the leader of the Old 97’s, from Dallas, Texas, “and one of the guys in the band said something like, ‘Trains are bad. If we could tour in a covered wagon, we would.’ And I was like, ‘You would…
Pearl Jam Yield (Epic) The amount of ink spilled over Yield by our friends at daily newspapers across the country suggests that mainstream pop scribes view it as the most awaited disc of the season, but I see little evidence of that. A lot of people with whom I’ve spoken…
It’s no exaggeration to say that behind every great reggae band is a great bass player–and the bass player who’s been behind more great reggae bands than practically anyone else is Aston “Family Man” Barrett. His work with the Skatalites, Lee Perry and the Upsetters, Bob Marley and the Wailers…
Since bands tend to change personnel more frequently than Kenneth Starr subpoenas interns, the majority of lineup shifts are of only passing interest. But every once in a while, there’s a departure so odd that it begs to be looked at in detail. Such is the case with bassist Kirwan…
Percussionist/DJ “Field” Marshall Goodman is a member of a band called the Long Beach Dub All Stars. But when he’s interviewed these days, the number of questions about his current group generally come in a distant second to the amount of inquiries about the act with which he was previously…
Pete Alexander, bassist and co-frontman for Denver’s Damn Shambles, knows a thing or two about eating up his group’s profits. “We were playing at the Market Street Lounge, and some guy comes up to me and says he wants a CD,” he remembers. “I said, ‘Ten bucks,’ and he says,…
“Our audiences are smaller than, say, country’s or rock’s,” concedes Del McCoury, as exciting and authentic a bluegrass performer as any presently drawing breath. “And I’m sure a lot of bluegrass people would like to get more coverage or popularity. But I kind of enjoy it this way–because I’ve been…
It’s a story as old and tired as Liam Gallagher’s liver. A group releases an album on an independent label. Shortly thereafter, said combo is dubbed an “indie” band and in turn receives undying praise from the rock-and-roll press and indie-rock devotees who admire its staunch “DIY sensibilities.” But unfortunately,…
The anticipated Denver concert-promotions war has not yet begun in earnest, but the field of battle is already crowded with potential combatants. The January 22 Feedback column contained information about the new partnership between veteran Colorado promoter and manager Chuck Morris and Bill Graham Presents, a major San Francisco enterprise…
Although Denver doesn’t have a reputation as a national hip-hop mecca, Jeffrey McWhorter, aka Kingdom, believes it’s only a matter of time before the scene is acknowledged–as long as the artists and fans in the community support one another. “You’ll never see me talk down any rapper in Colorado,” he…
A few years back, I spent an afternoon with Pat DiNizio, the leader of the Smithereens, in Hartford, Connecticut, killing time before a radio interview. At a time when everyone else was replacing their record collection with CDs, DiNizio was looking high and low for a turntable to accompany him…
Roni Size Reprazent: New Forms (Talkin’ Loud/Mercury) Plenty of electronica artists are taking the Prodigy route: i.e., they’re attempting to split the difference between dance music and pop in the hope of coming up with hit singles that will still work in Clubland. Size, for his part, is moving in…
Way back in our January 1 issue, I wrote about Sire Records’ decision to license Tone Soul Evolution, a fine CD by the Apples that was originally emblazoned with the spinART logo. Now Sire has climbed into the sack, business-wise, with another Denver artist: Sherri Jackson, whose eponymous debut on…
Timbaland and Magoo Welcome to Our World (Blackground/Atlantic) Tim Mosley, aka Timbaland, is a producer who has stepped into the spotlight a la Sean “Puffy” Combs–but unlike the Puffster, Mosley seems to understand his limitations. Rather than positioning himself as an egomaniacal rap word-slinger, he keeps the focus on the…
Joe Queer, leader of the Queers, is a veteran of the punk-rock wars, but that doesn’t mean he’s stopped making enemies. A recent example involves Converse, the sneaker giant, which slapped the Queers with a cease-and-desist order after the band appropriated the company’s corporate logo for a series of T-shirts…
Something’s rotten in the music industry, and Ian O’Dougherty, guitarist/vocalist for Denver’s Uphollow, thinks he knows what it is. During performances, he says, most local and national musicians he’s seen lately have spent more time looking down at their hands than at the audience members with whom they’re supposed to…
