Creative Agency altr. Hosting Artist Showcase This Weekend at Skylark Lounge

Growing up in the Front Range area, Jordan Altergott has been attending and shooting shows around Denver for as long as she can remember. Being such a regular in the scene has also allowed her to work with bands on everything from photo shoots to music videos, which ultimately led to the formation of altr. (styled with a period and pronounced “alter"), her own full-service creative agency, in early 2020.

“As these bands would level up, they wanted something a little bit more highly crafted. I was also at a point creatively where I wanted to do more. Combined with my background in advertising and branding, I wanted to help bands create an overall look and brand, and turn whatever the band is into more of an experience for fans,” Altergott says, calling her altr. team “small but fierce."

"We do it out of love for the craft," she adds. "I grew up in the scene going to shows, so this really feels like a community to me. While I love what I do and it’s the best job in the world, I also try to focus on building community in both the music space and the filmmaking space.”

One of the first bands Altergott partnered with was Denver indie-rock group Gestalt, or the “greatest rock band in America,” as lead singer Zane Deluccie proclaims.

“That’s not a hyperbole; it’s just a fun time,” he adds dryly. “It was born out of this need to build a community around alternative music.”

He goes on to credit Altergott and altr. for helping the group build its multimedia portfolio over the years.

“Working with Jordan and her team has been amazing. We would not have music videos or even gotten into that media whatsoever if it wasn’t for Jordan reaching out in the first place,” Deluccie says. “That’s been a match made in heaven, so to speak. I’m really thankful for her and the altr. team.”

The two are teaming up again for the first altr. artist showcase on Saturday, March 18, at the Skylark Lounge. Local bands the Crooked Rugs and Horse Bitch are also on the bill.

Deluccie says Denver’s Horse Bitch is “one of my favorite bands to ever exist,” while Altergott adds that she first heard of the group while on tour with Deluccie and Gestalt. Horse Bitch labels its music as “proto-cuck emo-tonk.” Fort Colins's Crooked Rugs, on the other hand, mix pysch with Western rock.

The idea behind putting together such a show is to bring bands from both Denver and northern Colorado together, Altergott explains.

“There’s so much talent in both areas that I’d love them to come together a little bit more,” she says. “I think these three bands in particular are sonically diverse, but they make sense to be on a bill together. I think that what they’re doing is so unique across the board.”

After 2022 EP RIGHT ON TIME, Gestalt has continued to take a more methodical approach to performing and releasing new music, as Deluccie admits that being a young professional not far removed from his college days has been a change of pace. Plus, he adds, “Music is so fun, but it does not pay rent.” But that hasn’t stopped him or his bandmates from giving audiences “tasteful doses of their technical instrumental chops, soulful vocals and melodies that are sure to stick in your brain like a John Carpenter-esque alienworm,” according to the band’s bio.

“It’s been a ride. Where we’re at right now is we have an EP in the works for 2023, but we may not be playing live as much,” Deluccie says, adding that just means that anyone interested in hearing Gestalt’s blend of indie rock, alt-country and emo should check out the band whenever they get a chance.

“This new stuff coming out, I’ve been listening more to Nick Shoulders, Alex G; more of a singer-songwriter vibe and less of a pop-punk thing,” he adds. “When you’re in a band, there’s this expectation of 'content, content, shows, shows, shows.' That cycle can get a little bit exhausting. We’re really slow with it. We have a couple perfectionists in the group that make releasing music inconsistent; [that's] the best way to say it. I’m able to say that I’m not playing as many shows, but you’re getting one more EP for sure [this year].”

More showcases like the one at the Skylark are in the works as well, Altergott says. The creative agency also works with local high schools and students interested in music and videography in an effort tp reach more people who share a similar passion.

“I started doing altr. because I missed hanging out with my friends and hearing music live,” she says. “The reason we all do it is because we love it.”

Gestalt, 7 p.m. Saturday, March 18, Skylark Lounge, 140 South Broadway. Tickets are $15-$18.