The Mile High genre now has other names, including “Gothic country” and “gothabilly,” but the overall sonics, filled with banjos and violins and a punk-rock ethos, remain the same. And Slim Cessna's Auto Club may as well be its patron saint, with poetic lyricism reminiscent of the late, great American novelist Cormac McCarthy, conjuring apocalyptic imagery laced with religious underpinnings.
Slim Cessna, the band's founder, began pioneering the unique sound as a member of the Denver Gentlemen. Back then, he played alongside David Eugene Edwards and Jeffery-Paul Norlander, both of whom would go on to form another celebrated Mile High group, 16 Horsepower. Edwards later started the ever-popular Wovenhand, as well.
But the Auto Club is as legendary as ever, inspiring numerous musicians over the years, even if the bandmembers don’t necessarily see themselves in that light. “I don’t particularly speak to other musicians, and when I do, it’s certainly not about that,” admits Jay Munly, who goes by Munly Munly. “That’s flattering that anybody would say that.” Munly, who's been SCAC’s primary songwriter since the turn of the century, can seem morose or dismissive at first blush, but that’s not the case. His honesty is refreshing, and appreciated, as the conversation steers toward the group’s legacy and role in the genre it helped create. When asked whether he ever thinks about his band's impact, Munly answers: “I don’t know if that would be healthy — at least for me, it wouldn’t be. I think we rest too much on our own laurels anyway, and going further than that would be patting ourselves on the back, which is not a direction I want to go.
“I would rather be the band that people are listening to than hearing what others are doing,” he adds. “I’d rather be working.”
Longtime bandmate Lord Dwight Pentacost, who joined the Auto Club in 1998 alongside Munly, shares a similar sentiment. “It’s not something I ever really think about or talk about with other people,” says the banjo picker and guitarist. “It’s nice to hear, though.”
“It’s flattering, but in the context of things, it’s fairly rare that someone comes up to you and talks about it,” Munly agrees.
But George Cessna, Slim’s son and SCAC’s youngest member, has a different perspective, given that he grew up attending shows when his dad’s group was first active and building a loyal local following. Aside from playing bass in the band nowadays, George currently books talent for the hi-dive, where he’s regularly reminded just how much Slim Cessna’s Auto Club has meant to many of the musicians who play there.
“I think that I’m more aware of that than you guys might be,” says George, who is also a solo musician as well as a member of the band Snakes. “Just with musicians every night constantly talking to me about Auto Club and things like that, and being around people who are playing music and constantly telling me how influential Auto Club was to them...I always love hearing that from people.”
Slim Cessna's Auto Club will play the hi-dive on December 30 and 31.
Courtesy Slim Cessna's Auto Club
Munly — who takes a moment from talking to calm his blind cat crying in the background — enjoys contributing stories, which often become lyrics, to the band. The Auto Club's last record, 2016’s The Commandments According to SCAC, is full of Christian iconography, naturally. He's also created his own world, Lupercalia, that he’s explored in detail through his music and writing as a published author and playwright over the years. Slim, Vera and Pentacost all play in Munly’s band Munly & the Lupercalians, as well as the Denver Broncos UK (aka DBUK).
“For me, it certainly starts with the stories," Munly says. "Then we move on from there. ... I come in with the words all finished. I would say the basis of the music is all finished, too. We have a map. That’s our terminology, and then people add what they do to that. That’s what makes it the Auto Club, to me.”
Pentacost says it also comes down to creating the right “accompaniment that makes sense and hopefully sounds amazing.”
“It’s changed over the years, but it’s been this way for quite a few records now,” he says of the science behind the music-making process. "I just love working, creating and playing shows with these people, my friends. My favorite part, really, is this creation with my friends."
“We’ve all found our jobs within the Auto Club. I feel that that’s what I’m able to contribute — stories," Munly adds. "Hopefully they’re interesting. They’re interesting to me. I joke that we’re not doing anything groundbreaking, but sometimes I hope we are.”
Slim Cessna interacts with a congregation member during a show in the Czech Republic over the summer.
Courtesy Slim Cessna's Auto Club
Munly says he's grateful for the bands and fans who continue to show support for SCAC. When it comes to making the music they love, he says, “you just keep going. Put your head down and keep going — it’s that simple.”
He jokes that the line sounds like it should be shared on a bumper sticker, but that's what he earnestly believes. “I hope that I never take that for granted. I’m still amazed when anybody comes to a show,” he says. “I know that I still haven’t written the perfect song, and I still haven’t given the perfect performance. Until then, I’m going to continue to think that way, and perhaps if one day I achieve writing the best song I can write, then maybe I’ll think about that other stuff.
“The only motivation I need is perfection, which I’ve heard somebody say was unattainable. I’m positive I can never get there,” he adds. “I have to look at myself every day, so I know what I’m up against.”
George, who’s been with the band in a full-time capacity since 2018, still considers himself the “new member," learning the ropes and parts of players who came before him. It’s not that he isn't already a skilled musician, but he knows what it means to be part of a band that’s meant so much to so many people.
“My motivation has always been that I don’t know if I’ll ever play in a band that I like the music more than the Auto Club,” George concludes. “I’m honored to be part of it, even though I’m still the new member. I always look forward to shows. That helps push me. I hope someday I can play in another band that I respect more, but I don’t see that happening.”
Slim Cessna's Auto Club, 9 p.m. Saturday, December 30, and Sunday, December 31, hi-dive, 7 South Broadway. Tickets are $25-$40.
