Backwash

For a couple of years now, Radio 1190 in Boulder has held the distinction of being the area's most righteous arbiter of interesting sounds, many of them local. But KGOAT Radio in Idaho Springs -- which broadcasts from a tiny studio in the hillside town and, like Radio 1190, is staffed entirely by volunteers -- has recently made some meaningful moves to promote Colorado artists. In consort with Loveland-based indie label Hapi Skratch, the Clear Creek County station (which can be picked up at higher elevations at 101.9 or 102.3 FM, in Denver at 97.7 FM, or through kgoat.org) hosts two regionally centered programs in its regular rotation. Tidal Wave, which airs live on the first Sunday of each month from 9 a.m. to noon, is three hours of local artists; The Colorado Wave, hosted by Carmen, airs all other Sunday mornings from 11 a.m to noon. (Bands are encouraged to send material to: The Wave, c/o CCR, P.O. Box 1419, Idaho Springs, CO 80452.)

Maybe if Denver's radio programmers spent more time in the hills, we'd be able to count on hearing local artists supported on the city's collective bandwidth -- or maybe not. For now, appreciative local-music fans will have to be satisfied with getting a bit more intimate with KGOAT: On Sunday, September 9, the station will host the "Blooze, Brews, Bar-b-que and Tye-Dyeing Festival" in eensy-weensy Empire; performers will include the Steve Crenshaw Band, Jimmy Lewis and the Budz, Little Mary and the Tom Cats and the Teresa Lynne Blues Band. Tune in to the station for more details.

A couple of Thursdays ago, Backwash headed out to a quadruple bill at the 15th Street Tavern; the music didn't start until after ten. Forgive me for sounding geriatric, but after a while, this kind of scheduling can be rough on a person with a day job. For once, it might be nice to actually see a headlining band complete a set without knowing that your brain will feel as though it has been smeared with paste the following morning. Fortunately, the good people at the Tavern have whipped up an intermittent antidote to EMORS (Early Morning Over-Rock Syndrome) by sporadically hosting double-bill nights, with two complete shows in one evening. It's a formula that the club will employ when it can't accommodate all the rock it would like to within the regular format; it's a development that also has happy implications for the chronically sleep-deprived. On Tuesday, September 11, former Archers of Loaf leader Eric Bachmann will headline the first double bill with his newish project, Crooked Fingers; O'er the Ramparts opens that show, which begins at the refreshingly happy-hour-friendly time of 6:30 p.m. At 10:30, the Down-N-Outs kick off a show for Dead Moon, the legendary Oregonian garage-punk outfit fronted by husband-and-wife team Fred and Toody Cole. Club owners take note: This is a good system.