“There’s a nationwide talent crisis in skilled labor,” says Chris McGilvray, dean of the manufacturing program at Front Range Community College. Now, support for closing that gap in the workforce is coming from an unlikely source: Metallica, one of the greatest heavy-metal bands in history. Metallica Scholars is a scholarship program supporting education in trades and skilled labor, and it’s entering its second year of funding at Front Range Community College.
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The impetus for supporting education, specifically in the trades, came about when lead singer and guitarist James Hetfield’s kids were in school. Richardson notes that all the bandmembers are on the foundation’s board, and at a meeting, “James stood up and passionately spoke up about how his kids were coming through school and no one was telling them they could have a very successful career working with their hands, as a plumber or carpenter or mechanic.”

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Frail Talk Hosts LP Release Party With Slow Caves and Sound of Honey at the Aggie

In the alternative indie music world, new bands with distinct sounds are described in ever-more inventive ways. Frail Talk, an intriguing duo out of Fort Collins, may be the first band whose sound has been described as “squiggly.” Yet the longer you listen to this innovative group, the more the term makes sense.

“Squiggly can mean so many things,” says Frail Talk's Alex Woodchek. “But we like that word for how we are as we explore sounds, not shying away from authenticity and our values, and just following whatever squiggly spirit is running through our instruments.” The result is a self-described “weird blend” of acoustic and synthetic sounds, honoring folk roots while discovering new melodic variations.

“A sine wave is sort of a squiggly symbol used in synth music as a technical way of understanding how a note is generated," adds bandmate Cor Wright. "That squiggly-ness is not sharp but smooth.” And technically, it's acoustically pure.

The squiggly quality carries over to the creative ways fans receive Frail Talk's music. “It’s interesting to hear the fun ways people describe our sound," says Woodchek, adding that one of the more fascinating descriptors came from “a fan who told me after a show that we write lullaby bangers.”

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The Dirty Turkeys Are Bringing New Life to Acid Rock

What kind of band walks into the studio for the first time and records two albums of 28 songs in just two days? The Dirty Turkeys, that's who.

The Madchester movement that gave the world acid-rock royalty the Stone Roses has a distant heir in a groovy new band on the Colorado music scene. The Dirty Turkeys are a Boulder-based act that’s been making a name for itself with a funky new sound and a reputation for raucous live shows. The Turkeys fuse classic rock, rockabilly, acid rock, psychedelia and even a bit of surf punk to create a whimsical style it's deemed “Acid Cowpunk.”

With the April release of the single “Benny,” a sardonically soulful acid-rock groove that evokes the genre’s classic-rock roots with a bluesy guitar riff, the band launched an ambitious return to the scene with a tour and planned LP drop in the fall. The Dirty Turkeys recently unveiled a second single, “Undercover Billionaire,” from the upcoming album Cowboy Caravan, and its first full-length music video for the song premiered on August 19. With those two singles, the Turkeys are charting a new musical direction that will expand their audience while also pleasing longtime fans.

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Local Band Radio Fluke Plays Red Rocks for the First Time

Denver alt-rock band Radio Fluke has been rocking the Front Range since 2018, but its members feel like they’ve finally arrived with the dream Colorado gig: playing Red Rocks. After winning the Sundown Throwdown, sponsored by Colorado Native beer, Red Rocks Amphitheatre and Denver Film, the band will bring its funky, eclectic, blues-influenced rock and roll to Red Rocks on Monday, August 19, as the opener for the popular Film on the Rocks series, featuring 2015's post-apocalyptic classic Mad Max: Fury Road.On August 14, the band dropped its second of three singles this summer, leading up to an LP release in November. “Fade Away” follows the June release of “Blue Light,” and if these tunes are any indication, Radio Fluke’s fourth studio album is not to be missed.

“Fade Away” played a key role in securing the Red Rocks gig. Radio Fluke's initial submission was a live version of the song from a February show at the Oriental Theater, for local band Tireshoe’s EP-release party. It’s not surprising the song won Radio Fluke a chance to play in the Throwdown: The band's live show is a groove, and "Fade Away" has a broad range, starting on a pensive guitar hook that pulls you in, then throttles up with power guitar chords. The single’s revved-up, slowed-down tempo is both engaging and thoughtful.

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Australian Indie-Pop Band Sheppard to Kick Off Tour in Denver

In the fall of 2023, the Australian indie-pop band Sheppard took a leap of faith and moved across the world, relocating to Nashville from its lifelong home in Brisbane. That positive adventurous spirit aligns perfectly with the philosophy behind the band’s biggest hit, “Geronimo,” which celebrates its tenth anniversary this year. 

Following the move and release of Sheppard's fourth studio album, Zora, the Aussie sibling trio is hitting the road for the West Coast run of its “Say Geronimo Tour,” kicking off in the Moon Room at Summit on Tuesday, August 20.The band completed an East Coast run in the spring, and “seeing the fans come back out after we didn’t tour our last album was really gratifying," says bassist Emma Sheppard. "This is one of the most important and special tours we’ve done.”

The trio put together the tour as a true DIY project. “Now that we’re in America, it’s just the band and our partners,” Emma says. Like the act itself, “the tour is a real family affair," she adds. "There's no crew, we’re driving ourselves, selling the merch, carrying the gear. Plus, we’re getting to see a lot of the States, which we haven’t done before.”

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Country's Largest Juried Sculpture Show Celebrates Fortieth Anniversary in Loveland

Just how did the small town of Loveland, Colorado, amass one of the largest collections of contemporary public sculpture in the United States?
Forty years ago, a group of five Loveland artists sat down over beers and decided the town needed an art show. The resulting event, now known as Sculpture in the Park, is the largest outdoor juried sculpture show in the country, and it returns this weekend for its fortieth anniversary at Benson Sculpture Garden in downtown Loveland.

Dennis Sohocki, a contemporary abstract sculptor from Sedona, has participated from the beginning. “In 1984, Loveland had well-known fine-art casting foundries, and artists came from across the country to cast work there," he recalls. "The town thought it’d be nice to retain some of the art for the city. So five artists — George Lundeen, Dan Ostermiller, George Walbye, Fritz White and Hollis Williford — said, 'We’ll put on a show to earn money and buy art for the town.”

The artists connected with city leaders to develop a show whose proceeds would go toward purchasing a monument-sized sculpture for the city of Loveland. “Everyone from the mayor on down was in favor,” Walbye recalls. “Not a negative comment or hesitation. To this day, it just amazes me how many people come from everywhere to enjoy the park.”

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Guster Discusses Its Milestone Concert at Red Rocks With the Colorado Symphony

The Colorado music landscape is rich and varied, and what could be a better celebration of the area’s musical diversity than a collaboration between orchestral symphonic music and ’90s alternative rock? That’s what awaits fans at Red Rocks on Thursday, August 1, for Guster’s 25th anniversary show of the band’s breakthrough album Lost & Gone Forever in collaboration with the Colorado Symphony Orchestra and special guest Kevin Morby.

Formed in 1991 in the dorms of Tufts University, Guster has been a mainstay of the alt-rock music scene for more than thirty years, with a loyal fan following and an ever-evolving catalogue of new music. Known for its unique instrumentation, including eclectic variations on percussion, Guster is a model of musical innovation, and for a decade now it has been part of the band circuit fusing rock music with classical compositions. In a community of vast musical subcultures, this collaboration is exactly what a music scene like Colorado's appreciates.

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Denver Indigenous Indie-Pop Group Cherokee Social to Drop Debut Music Video

Alien girls, bounty hunters, space outlaws and a strange musical virus called “Cinnamon Sugar” — it could be a kids’ make-believe game or perhaps a cyberpunk sci-fi graphic novel or even the latest cinematic spin-off from the Star Wars franchise. But it’s actually the debut music video from Denver’s innovative Indigenous indie-pop band Cherokee Social. The official release date for the video is Saturday, July 13, but you can preview the song now on YouTube and streaming platforms.

Evolving from Julian Navarro’s previous project Faceless Ones, the duo Cherokee Social, comprising percussionist and vocalist Navarro and guitarist Alex Creighton, is finding its niche in the Denver indie scene. “We have an ongoing joke that I’m Cherokee and Alex is Social," Navarro says. "Obviously, I’m the Native American in the band.” But Navarro emphasizes inclusivity in teaming with Creighton, even encouraging him to embrace Indigenous attire, such as the beaded guitar strap given to the band by the Mother Sierra organization. In Navarro’s cultural experience, “If you hunt with us and stay with us and eat with us, you’re part of the tribe. Well, Alex and I live together, so we check those boxes.”

Talking with the band is as wacky and fun as the video for “Cinnamon Sugar,” with Alex and Julian often finishing each other’s sentences or elaborating on an idea. It’s easy to see how their creative process leads to collaboration and the writing of hundreds of songs. In fact, the band is set to release its first full-length album of twelve new songs with Pretty Boy Modeling School, though the single “Cinnamon Sugar” isn’t even on the LP because, according to Navarro, “'Cinnamon Sugar'’s era has not happened yet in Cherokee Social.”

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Bask in the Music of John Prine at Four Mile Historic Park

Any discussion of American songwriting must include the legendary country-folk singer John Prine. Once called the "Mark Twain of American songwriting” by Rolling Stone, Prine is considered one of the most influential musicians and songwriters of the twentieth century. His songs are pure Americana, sharing stories of joy and pain with a touch of sardonic wit and the calm, comfortable twang of a rural everyman telling stories on the front porch.

For Brian Johanson of Fort Collins honky-tonk band Sugar Britches, Prine is more than just an influence — he’s an inspiration. Prine’s life and career are a piece of American history, with a musical legacy reaching back to folk legend Woody Guthrie. “His life is just such a great story,” Johanson notes — “returning from military service and working as a postman, writing songs in his head while walking his route.” Prine’s untimely death during the pandemic hit Johanson particularly hard, and from the moment he heard the news, he wanted to do something to remember and honor the man and his music.

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The Best Punk Bands From Denver and Beyond You Need to See Live

It's been a while since I posted here because I've had a few pieces in the works for Westword. Here's my latest about the local punk rock scene.

Denver’s indie music scene is broad, diverse and absolutely thriving right now. With live music available across the city, including at hubs on South Broadway and along Colfax, Denver music fans are in a true oasis of sound. “It’s amazing how you can go out any night of the week and see five, six, even eight or more really great bands, all doing original music," says Felipe Patino, bassist and singer for Peruvian-punk band Bricheros and owner of Green Door Recordings.

Nearly every genre of music is well represented in Denver, but the punk scene has a long, rich history going back decades, though defining punk can be challenging, with so many derivative terms: punk, hardcore, post-punk, pop punk, melodic hardcore, Midwest emo, riot grrrl...the list goes on, all describing what is essentially raw, scaled-down rock music with high energy and attitude.

Cheap Perfume
With the seminal Riot Grrrl punk-rock outfit Bikini Kill hitting the road for a North American tour in August and lead singer and guitarist Kathleen Hanna releasing her best-selling memoir, Rebel Girl, any Denver punk-rock story would be remiss if it didn't mention Colorado’s premier fem-core band, Cheap Perfume. Cheap Perfume will open for Bikini Kill on August 25, when the tour stops in Salt Lake City ahead of its Denver stop at Mission Ballroom on August 27. The band has been tearing up the club scene between Denver and Colorado Springs since 2017 with a punk-rock aesthetic that is unapologetically political and in-your-face fierce. With hard-hitting, fast-paced screeds like “Yes, It’s Ok to Punch Nazis,” “Fauxminism” and “No Men,” Cheap Perfume songs pull no punches. And the band’s live shows are raucous, riotous celebrations of energy and attitude, especially when singer Stephanie Byrne charges into the crowd from the first chord.

Dead Pioneers
Since releasing its self-titled debut album in September 2023, Indigenous Denver punk band Dead Pioneers has been on a meteoric rise, garnering international attention. Led by acclaimed visual artist Gregg Deal, the band hit the Denver scene in January opening for Cheap Perfume at the Skylark in a show that was attended by punk icon Jello Biafra of Dead Kennedys fame. Since then, Dead Pioneers has signed a three-album deal with Hassle Records, a London label, and has secured a spot opening for punk-rock legends NOFX and Suicidal Tendencies at the 2024 Punk in Drublic festival on July 21. With a searing sound of raucous punk-rock chords and riffs from guitarists Josh Rivera and Abe Brennan over Deal’s scathing spoken-word lyrics about social justice and Native activism, Dead Pioneers represents punk rock’s new conscience. The band’s debut single and video, “Bad Indian,” has racked up thousands of views on YouTube and nearly a million streams. With heavy influences from Minutemen, Rage Against the Machine and Rollins Band, Dead Pioneers has crafted a unique and impressive sound that represents the best of the punk-rock ethos and the Denver indie scene. Dead Pioneers next plays the Punk Rock Saves Lives fest at Ratio Beerworks on July 7.

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Denver Band Velvet Daydream Drops the Perfect Summer Single

Music fans know summer doesn’t officially begin until that first new groove of the season. Beyond the last days of school, Memorial Day parades, pool openings and barbecues, summertime is captured in those songs that remind us to relax, unwind, ease back and embrace the halcyon days of our youth. Of course, party songs, whimsical melodies and rock anthems can all become the song of the summer. But as temperatures rise in Denver this year, classic-rock fans with an ear for harmonies dripping in sunshine and relaxation need look no further than “Sunflower Sky,” the new single from local band Velvet Daydream.

“Sunflower Sky” dropped the first week of May, and the standalone single follows up the band’s self-titled debut LP, released last October. The new acoustic-sounding rock melody with a psychedelic vibe is enveloped in warm nostalgic feelings that pull up summer memories, and the story behind the song is as sweet as the sound. Heading east to Nebraska last summer on Interstate 76 to record demos for the first album, the band was struck by a calm pastoral image outside. Within the only car on an open road, the bandmates found themselves surrounded by fields of sunflowers, and guitarist Kaeden Keys felt himself “wanting to capture that image into something people can hear.”

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Denver's DJ Williams Is a Musical Tour de Force

When a virtuoso guitarist whose sound is rooted in rock, soul, jazz and funk releases a cover of Nirvana’s “Heart-Shaped Box” and cites the orchestral influence of the Beach Boys’ Brian Wilson in the arrangement, it’s time for music fans to sit and take a listen.

Denver musician DJ Williams is a musical tour de force, and with his summer tour and a new EP, he’s bringing the noise and the funk to growing legions of fans with numerous stops around Colorado, including a show on Thursday, June 13, at the Velvet Elk Lounge in Boulder, before kicking off an East Coast run in New York City on June 19.

Williams says his latest album, By Way of the RVA, is a "love letter to the town of Richmond, Virginia,” the same place where he discovered his passion for music. The recording has a little bit of something for everyone, and that’s a testament to all the influences that coalesce in Williams’s cohesive sound. His style is a treasure chest of musical history as the sounds of ’60s Motown merge with ’70s soul, filtered through ’90s grunge and hip-hop and a healthy dose of jazz to create a velvety smooth blend of melody and rhythm.

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