2011 Line Up

a. Tom Collins

Before you ask – the answer is “yes”. a. Tom Collins is the great-great-grandson of Tom Collins, creator of the eponymous gin cocktail. Other notable relations, near and distant, include British monarch Anne Boleyn, second-man-on-the-moon Buzz Aldrin, fictional detective Hercule Poirot, and saxophonist Clarence Clemons. But here we are, in the present moment, the only time that actually exists – according to Zen Buddhism (and The Stooges) – and a. Tom Collins walks among us; taking note of the wilderness of horrors and occasional blips of joy that are this waking Life – and turning them into boozy, moody, stomp-and-wrangle-worthy anthems of the Now Times.

Oh No! by a. Tom Collins

Broken Tongues

Broken Tongues is an innovative, six-piece, alternative hip-hop band based in Denver, CO. At times muscular in their tone, at others soulful and refined, The Tongues craft a singular, live-instrumental style, born from years of musical study, collaboration and performance. The result is a genre-bending alchemy, giving novel insight into evolving trends within live and alternative music. Brothers/producers Mike and Zach Warkentin founded Broken Tongues in 2008, quickly solidifying the group’s lineup with talented and professional Colorado musicians. Broken Tongues is currently recording its new studio album, while continuing to gig in and around Denver.

Does Hip Hop Remember the Jazz by Broken Tongues

http://www.BrokenTongues.com

Dr. Harlans Amazing Bluegrass Tonic

Dr. Harlan's Amazing Bluegrass Tonic provides a mixture of classic, contemporary, and original bluegrass music that will cure all your ailments! Together for just over a year, the band already has developed a solid repertoire of original songs and vocal harmonies that leaves crowds wanting more. Come try a taste of the good doctor's tonic!

Fox on the Run by Dr. Harlan's Amazing Bluegrass Tonic

http://www.reverbnation.com/drharlansamazingbluegrasstonic

John Common & The Blinding Flashes of Light

Local fixtures John Common and Blinding Flashes of Light are about to embark on a U.S. tour in support of their Beautiful Empty album, which was released nationally this year. Recorded in Denver and featuring such local musicians as Jess DeNicola, Daren Hahn, Scott McCormick, Wesley Michaels, Adam Revell, Casey Sidwell, Carl Sorensen, Jimmy Stofer and Jon Wirtz, John Common's Beautiful Empty has ridden a wave of critical acclaim onto the national music scene this year and John was recently featured on NPR's "Colorado Matters".

Can You Hear Me by John Common and Blinding Flashes of Light

http://www.johncommon.com

Pink Hawks

Pink Hawks tickle your roots/make feet uncontrollable/like moths in the light — and it makes world music cool. With African drums, jazz horns and a sound that is 100 percent born in Denver, Pink Hawks is a joyful sprinkling of rhythm, noise, lament and celebration. Pink Hawks don’t just want you to watch them perform, they want you to join them. Comprised of ample world musicianship garnering comparison to sonic innovators such as Fela Kuti’s Afro-beat, Mulatu Astatke’s Ethiopiques Jazz, “Sun Ra’s melodically off-the-rails piano playing, and the languid, sonically adventurous atmospheres of Yo La Tengo” (Tom Murphy, Westword), Pink Hawks have evolved from an entirely free-form performance art group, to the more focused psychedelic Afro-Beat ensemble they are today.

http://pinkhawks.bandcamp.com

The Love Royale

The Love Royale features Heather & Matt Larrabee and Kyle Jones (producer of Denver breakout band, the Flobots – Universal). Delivering electric soul with top notes of jazz, R&B, pop, and indie-rock, the band has enjoyed residencies in Denver and Los Angeles clubs. Their music is sexy, soulful, rocking, funky. Featured soloists include Tony Morales, Dave Petry and Daren Hahn (Ani DiFranco) on drums and the inimitable Jon Wirtz on keys who can be heard performing nationally with Matt Morris (Interscope), and Angie Stevens. The Love Royale also features the potent stylings of Denver’s underground poet laureate, Lady Speech, a mainstay in the city’s poetry and cultural arts scenes.

Rain by The Love Royale

http://www.theloveroyale.com

The Raven and the Writing Desk

n the past year, The Raven and the Writing Desk have broken out on the Denver music scene like an urgent heartbeat. The sextet draws from classical influences in the creation of a sound that is dark, haunted, dreamy, carnivalesque and full of theatricality. Don't miss their stunning live performance.

I Will Make You Mine by The Raven and the Writing Desk

http://ravenandwritingdesk.com

Yo Mamas & Papas

Yo' Mamas & Papas are a band consisting of a rotating cast of musical parents from the Denver/Boulder music scene that want to bring a fun rocking vibe to families. Do you miss gong out to shows because you don't have a sitter? Showtime is too late? Music is too loud for the kiddos? Don't want to be the only one with a kid at the show? Well look no further, Yo' Mamas & Papas bring families together one song at a time! Mike Studeny has been performing for the kids as a solo entertainer for a few years and it just made sense to put a band together to give the kids and their parents a fuller experience of songs,sounds, and beats that everyone can dance to. Come on out and have some fun with your kids!

Iuengliss

Iuengliss, commonly pronounced "eye-wen-gliss", is the music of Northern Colorado based Tommy Metz. Growing up in Fort Collins and later moving to Denver, Tommy is heavily involved in the Denver and Fort Collins DIY/Indie music scenes, co-running Bocumast Records and releasing music with Plastic Sound Supply (Cacheflowe, Scaffolding) and Laserpalace (Hideous Men, Pictureplane). He is also one half of the Drill-n-Bass experimental duo Yawn Tron with drummer Shane Zweygardt. Iuengliss has performed alongside Ulrich Schnauss, Black Moth Super Rainbow, Max Tundra,Phantogram, Deastro, Starfucker and many other local/national acts.

Malaysian Caning by Iuengliss

http://www.iuengliss.com/

Bonnie and the Beard

As two singer/songwriters both eager to push the limits of their material, their sound quickly morphed after adding a drummer over the summer and making the change from acoustic to electric guitars. Dreaming about vast desert stretches, wonder and carnival lights, Bonnie and the Beard’s debut album encompasses the development of their sound from country-folk to southern gypsy rock.

Lonely Hills by Bonnie and the Beard

http://bonnieandthebeard.com/

Colorado Goat Ropers Guild

Brothers Wayne and Charlie Russell, both musicians and songwriters, had been performing around Denver as a duo since 2005 and by 2009 were playing as the Hicksy Dix, a trio-sometimes-4-pack. They were an odd country project still in need of some color. Enter craigslist and the posting "pedal steel player available" and subsequently, Glen Taylor. Well-known in the Denver music scene, The Russell brothers knew nothing about the quiet genius that was about to enter their lives. With their first record, Fly, just about complete, the Goat Ropers are ready to "chip off some cement," spread their wings and do just that.

Faith and Roses by Colorado Goat Ropers Guild

http://www.ropeagoat.com/index.html