Queen City Sounds Podcast – Page 13 – Queen City Sounds and Art

Queen City Sounds Podcast S3E20: The Siren Project

The Siren Project, image courtesy the artists

The Siren Project is a downtempo/dream pop/post-punk band that started in Denver in 1998 and quickly became a staple in the local Goth and alternative rock scenes for several years. When the cultural infrastructure around the Goth scene began to dissolve and being a band perceived as making music in that style and the social connections surrounding it didn’t quite line up with the ascendance of mid-2000s indie rock in Denver, The Siren Project most often performed at events and club nights that catered to the subculture. And during the course of life events that sometimes put being more active on hold the band remained the enduring duo of vocalist Malgorzata Wacht and producer/synthesist Alex Seminara throughout the 2010s and now 2020s. In 2016 The Siren Project released its debut album Denouement. The record included songs dating back to the group’s earliest days and featured the contributions of various collaborators and yet at its heart was the sense of yearning and connection, of a romance with life and its meaning. Wacht’s powerful and expressive vocals and the lush and dreamlike melodies conveyed a very European sensibility that one hears in bands that influenced the duo’s early creative efforts like Clan of Xymox, Depeche Mode, Dead Can Dance and The Cure. Yet The Siren Project very much as its own sound that has set itself apart from its peers in the older Goth scene of Denver and of today. These days the style might best fall under the umbrella of darkwave seeing as its songwriting style and aesthetic has had less in common with industrial and EBM and more with modern acts like Boy Harsher, KANGA and Kaelan Mikla.

Listen to our interview with Wacht and Seminara on Bandcamp and follow The Siren Project at the links below. The band has a live show opening for Goth industrial legends Seraphim Shock at The Oriental Theater on Friday, September 1, 2023 with Faces Under the Mirror, hosted by Sid Pink and DJ sets from DJ Slave 1. For more information on the band and its goings on as well as to listen to the music please visit the links below.

thesirenprojectmusic.com

The Siren Project on Facebook

The Siren Project on YouTube

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.

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 S3E12: Stella Rose

Stella Rose released her debut full length album Eyes of Glass LP on May 19 via Yves Rothman’s KRO Records. The daughter of a famous pop star, Dave Gahan of Depeche Mode fame, Stella Rose might have been given a pass for following in his footsteps as a songwriter and musician herself and resting on those laurels but even a superficial listen to the album and its early singles made obvious that Rose has forged her own creative identity beyond any advantages she may have had growing up. There is a thorny grit to the songs and a dark moodiness and intensity that has to come from self-cultivation. Visually this aesthetic has been given dramatic form in the three music videos for the singles from the album thus far in the treatments for “Angel,” “Muddled Man” and “Jane.” Rose has been performing live shows over the past couple of years and the footage has revealed an artist who has quickly established an individual musical vision that has continued to evolve even beyond the recording of the album. It is perhaps facile to compare to her to the likes of PJ Harvey but a bit of that raw energy and poetic sensibility (she got her start songwriting through her poetry and other writing) is part of Rose’s appeal as is her facility with combining the aesthetics of rock instrumentation and the electronic and though not obvious her instinct toward exploring more experimental newer artists Jenny Hval (as we discuss in the interview) is reflected in the creative directions each song takes.

Listen to our interview with Rose on Bandcamp and follow the songwriter at the links below.

Stella Rose on Instagram

Stella Rose on Twitter

Stella Rose and the Dead Language LinkTree

Stella Rose on TikTok

Queen City Sounds Podcast S3E12: Brian Krumm

Brian Krumm is the frontman of Chicago-based Americana/alt-country band The Great Crusades and like most musicians at the beginning of the pandemic lock downs he found himself with ample time to think, consider and stew about the state of things and contemplate about the future of his chosen path in life. So in an effort to stay sane he drank a shot of whiskey every evening at 5 p.m. and tried to write a song. 25 days later he had 25 songs and over the course of the next two to three years he identified 11 that he could shape into an album and develop the material with band mates and other musical colleagues. The result is Just Fade Away, released as Brian Krumm and his Barfly Friends, out now on Pravda on digital, 12” vinyl LP and CD as well as streaming platforms. The record is a deeply introspective and poetically observed set of songs that get into an assessment of one’s life and one’s shortcomings, triumphs and the moments of joy that illuminate existence. Fans of Tom Waits will appreciate Krumm’s vulnerable rasp and the frank and witty storytelling is reminiscent of the likes of Robyn Hitchcock and Warren Zevon.

Listen to our interview with Brian Krumm on Bandcamp and connect with the artist at the links below.

briankrumm.com

Brian Krumm on Instagram

Brian Krumm on Twitter

Brian Krumm on Facebook

Brian Krumm on Bands In Town

Brian Krumm on Songkick

Brian Krumm and his Barfly Friends on Pravda Records Bandcamp

Queen City Sounds Podcast S3E11: Brenda Sauter of Wild Carnation

Wild Carnation circa 1996, photo courtesy the artists

Wild Carnation formed in 1992 with Richard Barnes, Chrstopher O’Donovan and Brenda Sauter. Though all members of the band had been in Speed the Plough, the latter, lead vocalist and bass player, had performed with The Feelies and The Trypes (as well as others) and the new band would have some roots in the intricate guitar melodies and layered rhythms of the better bands out of the indie underground of Haledon and Hoboken, New Jersey. In 2023 the trio’s 1994 debut full length Tricycle was released on digital, CD and vinyl via Delmore Recording Society, the renamed Delmore Recordings label that issued the album initially. The energetic jangle pop of the songs and Sauter’s beautifully expressive vocals recall a sound of that era of which one hears echoes in Flying Nun bands, Elephant 6 and of course Yo La Tengo with the mix of tenderness and intensity, of irresistible melodies and emotional nuance that a certain vintage of indiepop embodied perfectly and which seems somehow even more relevant for the current era when that level of elegant songwriting and attention to sonic detail seems like something the world has finally caught up to more so than in years past.

Listen to our interview with Brenda Sauter on Bandcamp and to listen to Tricycle and keep up with all things Wild Carnation follow the links below.

wildcarnation.com

delmorerecordings.com

Wild Carnation on Facebook

Queen City Sounds Podcast S3E10: David Heatley

David Heatley is a cartoonist, illustrator, graphic designer and musician whose comic work has appeared in or on The New Yorker, The New York Times, Mome, Kramers Ergot and McSweeney’s. His high school band Velvet Cactus Society had a couple of records out on Shimmy Disc in the 90s and for his 2008 graphic novel My Brain is Hanging Upside Down he recorded a soundtrack under his own name including a cover of The Ramones song from which he borrowed the title. He has also been a member of the band The Bischoffs. In 2021 he launched his animation production company Dream Puppy, Inc. and a television show based on his 2019 graphic memoir Qualification is currently under production by Gaspin Media. In March 2023 Heatley released his latest album If…, a collection of songs that seem to explore the concept of love, requited, not so requited, potential, as manifest in one’s life and the implications of that feeling in one’s life and how it affects how you live it. Its baroque pop and bossa nova sounds sounds like something from an earlier era but its sensibility and treatment of the subject matter is very modern and tinged with the kind of self-awareness and at times a touch of irony but never about love itself. In this interview we discuss his music and his life as an artist and his influences including his connections with the legendary Providence, Rhode Island DIY space Fort Thunder.

Listen to our interview with David Heatley on Bandcamp and follow the songwriter/artist’s doings on his website linked below where you can listen to the new album in its entirety.

davidheatley.com

Queen City Sounds Podcast S3E08: Ghost Canyon Fest

Ghost Canyon Fest organizers (L-R: Brian Dooley, Cory Hager, Jeremy Brashaw and Sean Dove), photo by Tom Murphy

Ghost Canyon Fest is “A Boundary-Pushing DIY Music Festival” that runs August 11-13 across three venues. The event germinated as an idea among friends in the bands New Standards Men, Moon Pussy and Almanac Man who attended and/or performed at events like PRF BBQ, Caterwaul and No Coast and felt there was enough interest and enough mutual connections among bands well outside of Denver to hold a viable, like-minded festival in the Mile High City. In year’s past Denver hosted multiple festivals of strongly focused curation like Goldrush Festival, Transistor Festival, Denver Noise Fest, DAD Fest , Ultra Metal and in Boulder Communikey among others but left field sounds are largely not included in most other festivals in Denver. Ghost Canyon Fest in its inaugural year of 2023 goes to some length to shine a light on those sounds in a more high profile way including a mention in a recent issue of The Wire as a festival of note. If you go, expect to see stars of local and non-local noise rock, post-metal, noise and experimental dance and drone including BIG|BRAVE, Quits, Masma Dream World, Big’N, Church Fire, Pleasure Venom and of course the projects of the event organizers. For a full list and a schedule of events please and to purchase passes for the weekend or single nights visit the Ghost Canyon Fest website. At the site you can link to curated playlists created by various artists performing that weekend. This interview includes a conversation with Jeremy Brashaw (New Standards Men), Cory Hager (Moon Pussy), Sean Dove (Almanac Man) and Brian Dooley (Almanac Man).

Listen to our interview with the organizers on Bandcamp and look for our interviews with various artists performing at Ghost Canyon Fest in the coming weeks.

Ghost Canyon Fest website

Queen City Sounds Podcast S3E07: Charming Disaster

Charming Disaster is a “goth-folk duo” comprised of Ellia Bisker and Jeff Morris based out of Brooklyn, NY that has since 2012 written high concept songs that explore themes of human exploration of the natural world and the ways our attempts at explaining the world and our lives weave their way into culture in fascinating ways that are often hidden from contemporary society. In its songwriting Charming Disaster uncover these secret and often merely neglected connections and turn those paths of curiosity into fascinating narratives for its body of work. The project’s latest album is Super Natural History, a musical cabinet of curiosities in which each song is a curio and oddity of our collective mythological heritage in the form of stories of witchcraft, monsters and the underworld and where our ideas of magic and science intersect in alchemical fashion. The music is rooted in a sense of wonder and strong songcraft that renders the sometimes unusual subject matter accessible and immediately relatable.

Listen to our interview with Charming Disaster on Bandcamp, listen to Super Natural History below where you can also purchase the album digitally, on CD or vinyl on the group’s own Bandcamp site and follow the adventures and exploits of Charming Disaster at charmingdisaster.com.

Queen City Sounds Podcast S3E06: Isadora Eden

Isadora Eden started as a solo project in a more indie singer-songwriter vein but even the early releases were imbued with an imaginative flair and an ear for deeper emotional coloring. As Eden brought on board collaborators to help flesh out the sound in the newer songs she was writing the music evolved into a darker, more sonically rich sound that was a bit more like something one might expect to hear from a songwriter like PJ Harvey or Mary Timony but more darkwave, more flourishes of atmospheric sounds both guitar-rooted and electronic akin to the stranger end of shoegaze. This creative period has resulted in one of the more fascinating records of 2023 in forget what makes it glow, the debut full-length for the project. Eden’s deeply evocative voice guides you through an introspective set of songs that are melancholic, reflective and in the end cathartic. Like the kind of dream pop record with some grit and edge, willing to wax noisy in moments as if to embody the way life and our subsconscious experiences are analog and meaningful, intimate, in a way pristine digital and curated experiences rarely are. The album will be available on vinyl and digital and for more information on finding group’s releases, social media and upcoming shows please visit the band’s website.

Listen to our interview with Isadora Eden and main songwriting partner and drummer Sumner Erhard on Bandcamp and catch one of the album release live shows listed below.

Thursday 7.13 w/Mystee and SGRNY at The Lair (207 ½ S. 3rd) 7 p.m. Laramie, WY

Friday 7.14 at The Lyric Cinema 7:30 p.m. w/Safekeeper, Elke and Mystee

Saturday 7.15 w/Pink Lady Monster and Deth Rali at The Marquis 7 p.m.