With the path of totality landing next week across a swath of the United States, Orange Peel Moses released the video for his latest single “Under the Eclipse.” The video is edited together from various live performances in which the songwriter tested out the song in front of audiences as well as scenes of other events but it all fits well with clips that serve the plot of the song in which the narrator is seeking out a lady eclipse chaser with whom to make a magical eclipse baby during the great event. Produced by El Javi at Wolf Howl Records in Denver, mixed by Andy McEwen of Crucilble Recording and mastered by David Glasser at Airshow Mastering in Boulder with contributions from pianist Erik Deutsch, percussionist Zay Alejandro Rios and vocalist Lex Alvis, the song is a lighthearted tribute to hedonism and cosmic events. The video edited by Rocco Mountain Productions features footage captured by BinghamX, Eric Heiland, Thor Wixom and Rocco Mountain in locations including Invisible City, the defunct Everland, Danny Fantastic HQ and at California’s Lighting in a Bottle Festival captures but the laid back spirit of the song, its sense of fun and colorful tones. The music is like an indie rock/modern indie pop with touches of psychedelia and vocals reminiscent of early 70s Cat Stevens with inviting tonal resonances and a leaning into possibilities. Orange Peel Moses will be performing during the Texas Eclipse event at Reveille Park Range Friday April 5, 2024 through Tuesday, April, 9, 2024 and there’s a good chance if you’re there during the festivities you can catch the song live. Watch the video for “Under the Eclipse” on YouTube and follow Orange Peel Moses at the links below.
Orange Peel Moses has been a figure in the Colorado music scene going back over a decade. He first came to prominence in the 2000s for his collaborations with production duo Friends in Stereo garnering critical and popular acclaim for a string of singles that bridged a gap between pop, indie rock and electronic dance music. Around that same time the Orange Peel Moses also entered into a long career as a singing telegram artist whose performances have appeared on television. He is also a stilt performer who has been onstage with LMFAO and Will.i.am at Ultra Music Festival in Miami as well as the Electric Daisy Carnival. He has also done impersonations of various characters like Hunter S. Thompson, The Grinch, Jack Skellington and The White Rabbit from Alice in Wonderland. You might not be able to track down a conventional physical release of any Orange Peel Moses music because he’s mainly been focused on occasional singles as original releases including his new song “Under the Eclipse.” The song was written by OPM who also performs lead vocals but the rest of the music was brought to life by collaborators like engineer, producer and musician El Javi, Erik Deutsch on piano (Leftover Salmon, The Black Crowes, Dixie Chicks etc.), percussionist Zay Alejandro Rios and backing vocals by Lex Alvis. All mixed and mastered by Andy McEwen at Crucible Recording in Eldorado Springs, Colorado. The song is about a man who is looking for a partner with whom to make a “magical eclipse baby with him during a total solar eclipse.” In the lushly colorful music video we see live musical performances tof OPM test-driving the song in front of audiences mixed with frolicking in clubs and scenes of the narrator of the story living out his dream. Musically it’s a charming and humorous blend of piano driven, folk-inflected indie rock and gentle psychedelia reminiscent of early 70s Cat Stevens. In the wake of the release of the single Orange Peel Moses will perform during the Texas Eclipse event at Reveille Park Range Friday April 5, 2024 through Tuesday, April, 9, 2024 in the path of totality. Following that on April 19 at Archipelago Clubs for “Singaversary: 20 Years of Singing Grams” to mark a major anniversary of his career.
Listen to our interview with Orange Peel Moses on Bandcamp, watch the music video for “Under the Eclipse” below and follow the artist at the links provided.
Tyto Alba releases its new album Sucker at Hi-Dive on Saturday, May 4
Thursday | May 2
Jai Wolf, photo by Shervin Lainez
What:Jail Wolf w/Hotel Garuda, ford When: Thursday, 05.02, 7 p.m. Where: The Ogden Why: Sajeeb Saha got started making electronic music and did remixes for the likes of Odesza and Dirty South before embarking on making the kind of effervescent pop that appeared on his 2016 EP Kindred Spirits as Jai Wolf. The EP reflected his earlier production experience in terms of the musical ideas and details that one might hear on an EDM record. But it also incorporated the kind of expansive and psyche cleansing musicality of the post-chillwave efforts of artists like Toro Y Moi and Washed Out. Three years later the new Jai Wolf album, The Cure to Loneliness sounds like a massive leap forward evolving the eccentric sonic flourishes of EDM into more interesting features of a song and tighter songwriting with a wider array of instrumentation including guitar and percussion that sounds like a human is behind the performance somewhere. Intact and more fully realized in its expression, though, is Saha’s gift for expressing a sense of wonder and hope, qualities that are much needed given the state of the world. The same line-up same time performs at the Ogden Theatre on Friday, May 3.
What:Speakeasy Series: Denizens of the Deep and Felix Fast4ward When: Thursday, 05.02, 6:30 p.m. Where: Hooked On Colfax Why: This edition of the Speakeasy Series presented by Glasss Recorods are master Denver soundsculptors Denizens of the Deep and Felix Fast4ward. Both fit somewhere in the realm of ambient and electronic dance music and psychedelia without needing to fit in any of those categories.
What:Monolord w/The Munsens and The Well When: Thursday, 05.02, 7 p.m. Where: Hi-Dive Why: Solid doom show including Monolord from Gothenburg, Sweden, a city more well-known for its melodic death metal. Monolord sounds more like they grew up listening to pre-1995 Melvins and that’s a positive.
What:A Rembrance for Brittany Strummer w/Typesetter, Cheap Perfume and Ersatz Robots When: Thursday, 05.02, 7 p.m. Where: 3 Kings Tavern Why: Brittany Strummer was not in bands but as a fan and associate of bands and the punk community and a friend to many she touched many lives nationally and even internationally. For this show some of her friends are getting together to celebrate her life and legacy with live music.
What:Shpongle w/Tipper, Desert Dwellers, Leo P (from Too Many Zooz) When: Thursday, 05.02, 6:30 p.m. Where: Red Rocks Why: Shpongle has kind of a silly name and its fusion of world music, psychedelia and electronic dance music isn’t for everyone but it’s shows are like an idiosyncratic ritual of spectacle and depth of sound. Tipper’s deep ambient abstract dance could be headling this show as well but is only on this first date of Shpongle’s 2-day run at Red Rocks.
Friday | May 3
eHpH circa 2018, photo by Tom Murphy
What:Faces Under the Mirror, Rosegarden Funeral Party, Vio\ator and eHpH When: Friday, 05.03, 8 p.m. Where: Mutiny Information Café Why: Darkwave show of the week with electro-industrial band Faces Under the Mirror, Dallas-based post-punkers Rose Garden Funeral Party, noisy dark industrial project Vio/lator and Denver EBM duo eHpH whose electronic industrial soundscapes have a bit of confrontational energy built into the mix.
What:Jacket of Spiders When: Friday, 05.03, 9 p.m. Where: Denver Art Society Why: The debut show of the new band from former members of Tarmints/Twice Wilted/Cynic’s Bane/Soulbender ,AJ Hathaway, Bobby Jamison and Bobby Bane.
What:Copper Leaf, Bear and the Beasts and Gun Street Ghost When: Friday, 05.03, 9 p.m. Where: BarFly Why: A free show. Somewhere betwixt Americana and late 90s/early 2000s indie pop with a charming richness of musical detail is Copper Leaf. Bear and the Beasts is like-minded but more rock and probably more influenced by the likes of Lucero. Gun Street Ghost is kind of a gritty Americana band but Mike Perfetti’s masterful storytelling and charisma sets any of his projects apart from most other bands.
What:Benefit for Yes on 300, screening of segments of “The Right to Rest” film, Laura Goldhamer, Knuckle Pups, Poppet When: Friday, 05.03, 7:30 p.m. Where: BarFly Why: Denver Initiative 300 isn’t going to legalize people sleeping on your porch and littering your neighborhood with needles or whatever. Nor will it magically make that appear everywhere. The sort of fear mongering surrounding the initiative is misplaced. This show is a benefit for voting yes on the measure including the multi-media artist/songwriter Laura Goldhamer.
What:Roller Disco 2 When: Friday, 05.03, 11:30 p.m. Where: Roller City Why: Late night culture is back to being nascent and underground in Denver but this is something along those lines where your entry fee gets you a skate rental and new wave and synth pop songs appropriate to the occasion playing into the wee hours.
What:Tyto Alba album release – Sucker w/Panther Martin and Modern Leisure When: Saturday, 05.04, 8 p.m. Where: Hi-Dive Why: Anyone paying attention to the Denver underground rock scene with any taste or discernment would tell you that Tyto Alba is one of the city’s best bands. Its ear for melody and keen sense of dynamics has resulted in a body of work that is emotionally rich and deeply evocative. Its dream pop is a master class in contrasts between strong rhythms and delicate, gauzy melodies and Melanie Steinway’s thought-provoking lyrics delivered with a gift for expressing nuanced sometimes uncomfortable truths with a vulnerability and strength of conviction that isn’t common enough. The group’s new album Sucker is a showcase for the band’s songwriting versatility. Tyto Alba already had a sound of fascinating contrasts and complexities (moody, bright, melancholic, emotional truthfulness and acceptance of the range of one’s feelings) but Sucker is the band at its peak of development so far. In the hands of other artists some of the material could be brutal but a sense of compassion has also long informed the music.
What:Cinco De Mayo with Los Mocochetes including Vic N’ The Narwhals, Kiltro and El Javi When: Sunday, 05.05, 7 p.m. Where: Larimer Lounge Why: If you were so inclined to go to a show on Cinco De Mayo billed as such none better than seeing Latin indie funk stars Los Mocochetes and soulful garage rock psychedelic band Vic N’ The Narwhals.
Skating Polly, photo by Angel Ceballos
What:Skating Polly w/MONSTERWATCH and Backseat Vinyl When: Sunday, 05.05, 8 p.m. Where: Streets of London Why: Because Skating Polly had to come up as musicians in an insular way and didn’t come up on trends the way many other musicians have, its almost outsider blend of primal grunge and garage rock is unlike much else in the scenes of the revival of either of the past decade.
Monday | May 6
Pedestrian Deposit circa 2012, photo by Tom Murphy
What:Pedestrian Deposit w/Entrancer, Anime Love Hotel, Sunk Cost When: Monday, 05.06, 8 p.m. Where: Syntax Physic Opera Why: Pedestrian Deposit combines layers of sound to create an engulfing sonic experience. From organic stringed instruments, field recordings, tape collage, harsh noise and electronic instrumentation, the duo from Los Angeles is unlike many bands in the realm of “noise” and its shows border on a kind of ritual born out of urban decay and neglect. Also sharing the bill are techno wizard and ambient artist Entrancer and noise sculptor supreme Sunk Cost.
What:Lolo Zouaï: High Highs to Low Lows Tour w/Jean Deaux When: Monday, 05.06, 7 p.m. Where: Larimer Lounge Why: Lolo Zouaï’s 2018 full-length High Highs to Low Lows is surprisingly downtempo and world weary for an artist in her early 20s. She cites Too Short as an influence so maybe that is a factor. Its lush production and trap-esque and gritty, ethereal flavor bears comparison to Alice Glass’s solo EP of a couple of years ago.
What:Winter w/Ancient Elk When: Monday, 05.06, 8 p.m. Where: Lost Lake Why: Samir Winter and the band that takes its moniker from her surname is fortunately not sticking to one sound for an entire career. Yes, those blissfully atmospheric pop songs from the debut album benefited from Winter’s strong, evocative singing. But the 2018 album Ethereality sounds like the group adopted a bit of the muscular, fuzzy upbeat rock sound of other groups that are tapping into the 90s but Winter’s buoyant yet introspective presence gives it some depth. Denver psychedelic folk band Ancient Elk is changing its name and supposedly this is the show where the new name and presumably new line-up will be launched.
Tuesday | May 7
Perturbator, photo courtesy the artist
What:Perturbator w/GOST and Many Blessings When: Tuesday, 05.07, 8 p.m. Where: The Oriental Theater Why: Perturbator takes that sort of analog synth John Carpenter worship soundtrack thing and elevates it with even more dramatic flourish and volume by transforming it into industrial dance music.
What:Real Dom, Terror Pigeon, Techno Allah, Aman When: Tuesday, 05.07, 8 p.m. Where: Rhinoceropolis
Why: Since the late 2000s Terror Pigeon has created bombastic synth poppy dance music with deep grooves like they were some band out of Brooklyn rather than Nashville.
Wednesday | May 8
Malamadre circa 2014, photo by Tom Murphy. Vincent Fasano on right.
What:Fasano Twin Film Night When: Wednesday, 05.08, 10 p.m. Where: Mutiny Information Café Why: Charly and Vincent Fasano have been fixtures of the front range art, poetry and music scene for close to three decades. Charly “The City Mouse” will be screening some of his short films while Vinnie “Cheap” will provide musical accompaniment with his experimental jazz group Still Birth of Cool.
Queen City Sounds and Art 
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