Queen City Sounds and Art

Queen City Sounds Podcast S3E17: Everything Is Terrible!

Everything Is Terrible!, photo by Jim Newberry

Since 2007 Everything Is Terrible! has mined the detritus of media cultural artifacts from thrift stores, garage sales and the like in the form of VHS tapes and in more recent years some streaming video for content to recontextualize clips of the most absurd and awful videos into informative and hilariously disturbing new forms. EIT helped to propel trash media culture into the mainstream of meme-making with its now nine found footage documentaries that shine a light on what our culture has produced and often decided to forget the way it does the rest of disposable media that reveals often uncomfortable truths about the submerged aspirations and dreams of our collective, modern civilization. Since 2009 the artist collective has toured with screenings of its films and have incorporated a puppet variety show and music to add just that special little layer of the surreal and weird to enhance the viewing experience of the people that show up. Perhaps the collective’s most infamous project is its goal of collecting thousands of VHS copies of the 1996 film Jerry Maguire with the goal of building a pyramid from the tapes in the desert. As of May 2023, the collection has reached 40,000+ copies and counting. In 2022 EIT released perhaps its greatest and most coherent creation to date, Kidz Klub! The film draws on the sheer dreck of the most misguided and misconceived television and home video programming made for children designed to educate and in many cases indoctrinate the nation’s youth. Even a casual viewing of the movie reveals recurring themes that edited together seem to be a continuous narrative with a touch of hypnotic reputation. For this iteration of the collective’s creative output the soundtrack pulled both from the original source material and original composition establishes the perfect air of the hyper real and otherworldly at once. In the live setting the movie is split up into roughly 5-10 minute sections interspersed with the puppet show and dance and song routines giving it the air of a psychedelic variety show in real time. It’s the kind of thing no one was asking for but which we all needed as a dose of sanity in a world in which we are increasingly bombarded with random content disconnected from the endless stream that is life itself.

Listen to our interview with Commodore Gilgamesh on Bandcamp and for more information on Everything Is Terrible!, to purchase merch and copies of the videos, and for information on live performances, please visit everythingisterrible.com. EIT is currently on tour now with a stop at Meow Wolf Convergence Station in Denver on August 15, 2023 and for tickets click this link.

FiRES WERE SHOT Channel the Ghosts of Urban Decay Past on Ambient Drone Composition “Sleeping Land”

FiRES WERE SHOT, photo courtesy the artists

“Sleeping Land” by FiRES WERE SHOT begins with the faint sounds of children at play like an enigmatic reel-to-reel recording found on a machine acquired at a thrift store. No date, no identifying information, simple the raw audio and the question mark hanging there as to why someone would make such a recording with limited fidelity. But then the song drifts into a flowing drone of bright sound sitting in a fog bank of white noise. A faint pulse of the remains of a melody looped like another fragment tape of a recording from the dregs of a public emergency broadcast signal. The effect as the title suggests are like the dreams of a neglected phase of human occupied territory over which our current environs were built and the song is something like urban exploration through the ambient spirits of that place not so long ago rendered irrelevant by a superficial sense of progress and an unrelenting need to redevelop and transform every bit of earth into something of use to the current economic mode of operation where something not turning out a profit is considered a waste. The rest of the Siberia EP, which FiRES WERE SHOT released on June 23, 2023, has a similar vibe but different specific flavors of real time, sonic, urban archaeology. Listen to “Sleeping Land” and follow FiRES WERE SHOT at the links below.

FiRES WERE SHOT on YouTube

K.ZIA Sagely Applies the Principles of the Japanese Art of “Golden Repair” to the Human Psychology on Alternative R&B Pop Song “Kintsugi Heart”

When K.ZIA looks over a photo booth strip at pictures of a better time in a certain relationship in the video for “Kintsugi Heart” one might expect that a story of agonized heartbreak is ahead in dramatic musical fashion. But instead there are delicate string melodies, soulful vocals treated to warp in moments to sound like a memory transforming and passing out of active, conscious memory and a beat that is like a heartbeat combined with the kinds of rhythms you keep with your hands and feet in their organic and informal way though seemingly programmed. The lyrics take on a much more original metaphor for mending a broken heart with the image of “kintsugi” or “golden repair,” the Japanese art of repairing broken pottery with lacquer dusted/mixed with powdered precious metals like gold, silver or platinum. It is a practice that embraces imperfection and flaws and finding value in the new form. K.ZIA takes this concept and humanizes it and in the video shows her own methods and practices for reassembling her own heart and psychology in a way that honors her experience and resilience as a person who learns from her experiences rather than brushes them aside like even an unpleasant experience never touched her, rather folding those changes into her life in a way that enriches the story of her life. It is a quietly thoughtful, elegant and thoroughly effective expression of a different way of thinking and dealing with grief, loss and heartache and one that is more creative cast as a pop song that itself expands what pop songcraft can be. Watch the video for “Kintsugi Heart” on YouTube and follow the Belgian songwriter now based on Berlin at the links below.

K.ZIA on Facebook

K.ZIA on Instagram

Queen City Sounds Podcast S3E16: BIG|BRAVE

BIG|BRAVE is an experimental music trio based in Montreal, Québec, Canada. Formed in 2012 the group has taken the approach of utilizing instruments on hand to craft sounds and explore musical expressions that suited a style of musical storytelling that is widely dynamic with a tranquil center. Its early forays into minimalist folk and ambient music transformed as the group of necessity adopted new equipment in the making of its sounds resulting in a blend of high and low volume that served its core of vulnerable minimalism. During the course of the band’s existence it has been embraced by a wider heavy music community and its songwriting often considered within the realm of doom when its performances and compositions don’t fit neatly into a specific genre even the large umbrella of post-rock though fans of both of those styles will find much to appreciate about BIG|BRAVE’s output. In 2021 the group released a collaborative album with The Body, a duo often associated as well with doom and extreme metal generally but whose own musical roots are broader as well, called Leaving None But Small Birds, an eclectic work of experimental folk music that probably no one outside of the bands would have expected coming out of a collective work. In 2023 BIG|BRAVE released nature morte, a collection of six songs that seem to have the quality of folkloric tales about the perilous and precarious state of the world around us, “the consequences of trauma” and interconnected themes of “the subjugation of femininity in all its pluralities.” It is a challenging record but not one without an element of catharsis and the beauty of stark truths manifested in creative expression.

Listen to our interview with Robin Wattie and Matthieu Ball of BIG|BRAVE on Bandcamp and go see the trio at Ghost Canyon Fest in Denver at the Hi-Dive on Sunday, August 13, 2023. Ball also performs a solo set the afternoon prior on August 12 at Mutiny Information Café for the matinee section of the festival. For more information on BIG|BRAVE please visit bigbrave.ca.

Queen City Sounds Podcast S3E15: Many Blessings

Many Blessings in 2021, photo by Tom Murphy

Many Blessings is the long-running, solo noise project of Ethan McCarthy. The latter is perhaps best known to the world outside of Denver as the vocalist and guitarist of extreme metal band Primitive Man. But McCarthy has long been one of the pivotal figures in Denver underground going back a couple of decades. He first came to prominence as a member of grindcore outfit Clinging to the Trees of a Forest Fire and he ran the DIY space that was the downtown location of Monkey Mania that transitioned into Kingdom of Doom under his stewardship. McCarthy has always exerted a benevolent influence in the Denver scene as someone who hosts shows, books events and as an ambassador within and beyond the Mile High City who not only ran Kingdom of Doom but spaces like Funhouse and Aqualung’s Community Music Space in addition to booking shows at Blast-O-Mat before it turned into Seventh Circle Music Collective. His musical output has bridged the worlds of metal, noise and experimental music of various kinds including one-off noise projects, death doom bands Vermin Womb, Death of Self and Keep. Many Blessings represents an evolution of McCarthy’s exploration of a more harsh noise end of that musical leaning with processed vocals and electronic components that allow him an outlet of self-expression not dependent on anyone else’s input or timeline or availability. It is also his most prolific musical endeavor to date with dozens of releases. In contrast to his more ambient solo noise concern Spiritual Poison, Many Blessings has gritty texture and a darkly cathartic reflection of the brutal and ugly aspects of our civilization. McCarthy has also made a bit of a name for himself as a visual artist and these days releasing that work through his Hell Simulation moniker with his evocative creations gracing flyers, album art, tour posters and more.

Listen to our interview with Ethan McCarthy of Many Blessings on Bandcamp and catch him live at Ghost Canyon Fest this weekend at the matinee show at Mutiny Information Café on Saturday, August 12, 2023. Many Blessings also tours internationally so there’s a good chance you’ll be able to catch a performance sometime down the line if you’re not able to make it to Denver for the fest. For more information on McCarthy and his visual art and other projects the best portal of contact is likely via hellsimulation.com.

Queen City Sounds Podcast S3E14: Heet Deth

Heet Deth is a noise punk duo of drummer/vocalist Julia Bard and guitarist/vocalist Laila Eskin from Chicago that formed in 2018. Its musical style, as manifest on its 2021 album Heet Deth HOORAY! might be described as an unhinged and noisy, mutant garage rock infused with a deep sense of play and informed by sharp social commentary. Expect a raw, unvarnished, righteous clamor but not without its own sophistication of self-cultivated style that taps into camp science fiction for the content of its lyrics and its live performances. Fans of the reckless and scuzzy, lo-fi glory of Royal Trux, Lost Sounds and The Cramps may truly appreciate what Heet Deth is doing.

Listen to our interview with Heet Deth on Bandcamp and follow the group at the links below. Catch Heet Death live at Ghost Canyon Fest on Friday, August 11, 2023 at The Skylark Lounge for the first night of the festival. For more information on the band and to keep appraised of its doings, please visit heetdeth.com.

“天華 (Tenka)” by omocha privacy is a Strikingly Original, Genre Bending Fusion of Japanese Folk, Dream Pop and Electronic Dance Music

omocha privacy, photo courtesy the artists

“天華 (Tenka)” means “a beautiful flower that blooms in the heavenly realm” and it seems to fit the song of the same name by omocha privacy from Japan. The song is impossible to place into an existing and narrow genre as a point of reference because its sounds and style bring so many elements together. There are acoustical audio sounds like perhaps piano, strings, some guitar, percussion and of course vocals. But it is arranged as a flowing cluster of sounds that create a sense of otherworldly place with synth gleaming and running through its bright tonality. One imagines the members of the project dancing through a luminescent landscape with twinkling snow falling and resonating with the melodic tones of the song. As the song progresses one hears perhaps a touch of the influence of Japanese classical and folk music in the organic arrangements and vocal style giving the whole piece a feeling of introspection and emotional expansion. Listen to “Tenka” on Spotify and follow omocha privacy at the links provided.

omocha privacy on Instagram

omocha privacy LinkTree

Plastic Cactus Follows a Winding and Colorful Musical Path to Self-Discovery in “Year of the Rat”

Plastic Cactus, photo courtesy the artists

“Year of the Rat” is a single from the forthcoming debut full-length from Portland, Oregon’s Plastic Cactus. It’s sound is a mix of late summery surf rock and dream pop with choice distortion giving the psychedelic flourishes some grit. But it also has some refreshing twists and turns including an almost prog rock bit of ascending passages that give way to melodies in direct motion. It is partly whimsical and partly otherworldly like music for a semi-benevolent, haunted amusement park. Fans of La Luz, Dum Dum Girls and Best Coast will appreciate the fusion of retro pop aesthetics with the eclectic genre bending of a more modern band including a riff or two that recall something The Olivia Tremor Control might have done in its own trick of pop songcraft misdirection. And yet this song seems to ultimately be about braving the dark waters of your own psyche to encourage one’s authentic self to emerge in spite of the forces that have driven it into hiding. Listen to “Year of the Rat” on Spotify and follow Plastic Cactus at the links below.

Plastic Cactus on TikTok

Plastic Cactus on Facebook

Plastic Cactus on Bandcamp

Plastic Cactus on Instagram

Queen City Sounds Podcast S3E13: Savoy Brown

Kim Simmonds of Savoy Brown, photo by Arnie Goodman

Savoy Brown was one of the pioneering bands of the “British blues” scene of the 1960s going forward. It’s sound though it could be described as blues rock had a faithfulness to the roots of that musical form that took that style and form to craft a prolific body of work that demonstrates the great versatility of style and emotional range of blues. Obviously the lineup of the band changed greatly over the years and for a brief period included Bill Bruford before he found long-lasting fame as a drummer in Yes and King Crimson. But the main force behind Savoy Brown has been from the beginning in 1965 to the end in 2022, guitarist and vocalist Kim Simmonds. Under his leadership with critical input by other band mates including early on Chris Youlden. It wasn’t until late in the group’s career that it found its most enduring and longest-lasting membership when bassist Pat DeSalvo and drummer Garnet Grimm came on board full time in 2009 having worked known Simmonds for more than a decade. It was this crew of musicians as a trio that worked on and finished the recording of the final Savoy Brown album Blues All Around which came out on February 17, 2023 on Quarto Valley Records. Simmonds, however, had passed on December 13, 2022 from cancer just over a week after his seventy-fifth birthday. A creative triumph the record reflected Simmonds physical limitations later in his career as cancer took its toll on his body but those limitations pushed him and the band to experiment with their methods and in doing so took the songwriting in a bit of a new direction. We had a chance to speak with Grimm and DeSalvo about the making of the record, their origins as musicians and their late, great bandmate.

Listen to our interview with Garnet Grimm and Pat DeSalvo on Bandcamp and for more information on Savoy Brown and to purchase the new record as well as other merchandise and prints of Kim Simmonds’ artwork, please visit savoybrown.com.

This is a Revolver Gives Voice to Modern Agonized Existential Malaise on Psychedelic Punk Song “Stir Crazy”

This is a Revolver, photo courtesy the artists

This is a Revolver really nails a sense of desperation and hopelessness on “Stir Crazy.” The song reflects members of the band’s recent experience with COVID-19 and having to quarantine for a few weeks but takes that a step further into existential territory and injects that immediate mood with a touch of dark euphoria that seems to come with knowing you’ve tried all the solutions presented to you by experts and friends. When the lyrics mention “barely getting by” and being “busted from the brain down” that could be modern life in general and a very understandable and relatable reaction to a situation that doesn’t look like it’s getting better and the generalized anxiety that extends from there. In the music video the band’s vocalist looks to be meeting experiences in a prolonged state of duress while pointing out how she’s “seen a doctor” and “seen a priest” and read the kinds of books people say are going to fix what ails you, tried to use magic of the naturalistic kind of otherwise and taken the pills that are supposed to put things right. But there are situations that our culture and society hasn’t done so great at addressing including the pandemic as we pretend it’s over when you hear about people in your circle of family and friends getting COVID for the first time even now. And the sound of of This Is A Revolver’s psychedelic and borderline deathrock song is the embodiment of that agonized malaise. Watch the video for “Stir Crazy” on YouTube and follow This is a Revolver at the links below.

This is a Revolver on TikTok

This is a Revolver on Instagram