French Davis: It is very interesting that you seem to have a huge built-in fan base here. Why do you think your sound resonates so much in Boulder?
G. Love: I think Colorado as a whole has been historically a live-music haven. There’s a lot of young, freewheeling and open-minded people in Colorado, and since we first dropped in ’94 we have been embraced.  Boulder in particular was the epicenter for our vibration out there and we played the s**t out of the Fox Theater over the years. I’m thoroughly looking forward to coming back for New Years, bringing the blues and feeling that love in Colorado.

FD: Can you tell us about This Warm December… how the project came together? What made you interested in recording a “holiday album?”
GL: This is the second Brushfire Records holiday record. I think now that Jack and I both have families, the appeal to do a holiday record was automatically there. I’ve always thought that caroling is the best part of Christmas. When my family gets together for the holiday, we jam out after Christmas dinner and everyone gets involved.

FD: Last year was the biggest year of vinyl sales since the ’80s, and you chose to offer a vinyl version of this album. What draws you to the outdated technology?
GL: I’ve always been a record collector, a vinyl collector. I’ve pushed hard to have all my records released on vinyl. Shoot, we’ve been around so long our first two records came out on cassette and eight track! (Google it or ask your parents. –FD) Aside from that, I just feel like everything sounds better coming off vinyl and the artwork certainly looks better the bigger it is.

FD: What do you miss most about the way things used to be when you first started out? What do you not miss at all?
GL: I miss the innocence and blindness of how it was when we first started. I mean I was 20 years old, my head was completely up my ass, I thought I knew everything. I was riding around in a crappy van for seven years playing over 250 shows a year. It was deep. It’s still deep now and I still think I know everything, my head’s still up my ass and now I ride around in a tour bus so it’s a bit of an improvement.  A lot has changed and a lot is the same, but I love it all. Do what you love.

French Davis: The beauty of the story behind “Elijah’s Song” is rivaled only by the song itself. What has that experience meant to you? How it has informed your music since?

Matisyahu: That was an incredibly wonderful experience. It was almost like it was bigger than me, you know? I mean I get to do what I do and I love it, but then it comes full circle. I get to reach out and impact someone else’s life and they do the same. It is like you are doing something important and you reach out through the music. I try to tell a story and I hope that people get something out of it. And everyone gets something different out of it. Music means something different to everyone and you just hope you are giving them something.

FD: It’s interesting that the boy’s name was that of one of the most famed prophets. Did that carry any additional weight or inspiration for you?

M: It honestly didn’t matter what the name was, it was more about him. The boy was so inspirational. Of course his name is too, but it was about him.

FD: That your religious beliefs and faith have informed your music is obvious; but how has your musical career impacted your spiritual life, (both positive and negative influences)?
M: That is one of the wonderful things about music. I believe that music is spiritual. Listening to music, creating music, is a spiritual undertaking. The process of creating is spiritual and you connect with different things…and it is for an audience too, as they connect with the music or connect with God. It lets everyone connect on a different level and you create something with a certain energy.

FD: How else has your life changed since you found stardom?

M: When I first started about six years ago, I was going through a big transition point. I was in the Lubavitch community, but I was ready to branch out. I started working with music and I got married and had children, and that’s when I started touring. I remember at the time everything started changing and my career started taking off. I got an agent and I got a manager, and I started traveling and doing shows pretty much non-stop at that point. It was like that for several years, and I would go where the music would take me. I would come home and spend time with my wife, and then go back out.

FD: That must have been difficult with a new family.

M: Yes, at first it was. But then as I started earning more money, I would also be able to take my wife and my kids. Of course it all depends on the type of show I was doing, but I would take them when I could.

FD: If you could plan a dream project with any collaborators alive, what would that project be and who would you work with?

M: Rihanna would be one or Beyonce. But If it was anyone alive or dead I’d have to say Bob Marley.

Deb Flomberg contributed to this story

French Davis: How did NOTLD come together? Who had the idea to put this in stage?

Duane Brown: Our director, and co-producer, Kris Hipps, and I used to perform in a sketch and improv comedy group together. Kris had the Night of the Living Dead-on-stage idea in her head for years, and I had always wanted to do a zombie-related comedy piece for kicks. There was a show that fell through at the Bug for October 2008, and Kris said, “Hey, let’s do the zombie thing!” I had heard that the script was public domain, so we put the whole thing together in less than 2 and a half months.

FD: When did the idea to make this an annual event pop up?

DB: To be honest, we were surprised at how well the show was received this first year. We were not expecting sold-out houses, though we knew zombie lovers would certainly make the audience fun for us. Once we saw how popular the show was, co-producer Alex Weimer said we should do this every year.

FD: How did you get around the zombie unions? I hear they’re a pain to work with.

DB: Zombie unions are a real pain to work with, but the positive is that zombies are pretty stupid. We actually want them to strike because if zombies refuse to show up every day to eat people, then humanity is actually better off. It’s kind of funny that they still haven’t figured this out, so we treat them like crap in hopes of a strike. You’re welcome, America.

FD: What are some things you’ve learned through this process?

DB: We’ve learned a million things. Here are three: 1) Create a show that you’re passionate about and have fun doing. If you stay true to that, you’ll be successful. Critics for “real” theater may not take us very seriously, but our audiences have a blast and that’s all that really matters. 2) In the inevitable zombie apocalypse, it’s probably best not to lock yourself up in a house with Barbara, because seriously, Barbara…they’re coming to get you, which means I’m going to be eaten by association. 3) Never hug a zombie.

FD: What’s the hardest thing about working with zombies?

DB: Their general clumsiness. They knock over just about every prop backstage, and you can forget about them cleaning up anything.

FD: How do you direct zombies? Is it all method? Or just line readings?

DB: Zombies are very much method actors, but honestly, it’s all they know. We use two schools of thought: Reward and punishment. If they get to their spot on stage correctly, we might toss them a piece of meat or a kitten. If they mess things up, I might hold up a drawing of a zombie missing its head with an arrow pointing to it that reads, “YOU!”

French Davis: How did the idea for this tour germinate…? Did allowing fans to choose your setlist pose any surprise gotchas on this tour? What have been the highlights/lowlights so far?

Taylor Hanson: The initial idea for the tour was inspired by the concert series Five of Five, which we put together in New York and London. The series was a week-long engagement of concerts where each night we performed one of our five studio albums in its entirety, as a live show. During the second series, which was in London earlier this spring, the idea of performing full albums live on tour began bubbling up. The final tour concept stuck when we settled on the concept of putting the tour in the hands of the fans through nightly voting—that pushed it over the edge.

FD: Of all the charitable causes, what led you toward AIDS/HIV prevention in Africa as what you wanted to champion?

TH: There are many worthy causes, but the issues in Africa regarding HIV/AIDS and extreme poverty resonated for a couple reasons. Firstly, there is no other issue impacting people of our generation in a more devastating way. Secondly, there are real things that can be done about the issues triggering HIV and poverty, that are significant and that make a lasting difference, most of which are simple and tangible…it’s just a cause that needs many champions.

FD: The Tinted Windows project is fascinating, can you talk about how that happened? I can’t imagine a universe where the guy from Hanson and the guy from Cheap Trick happen into each other and decide to start a band.

TH: Tinted Windows was/is an awesome project which, though it could seem far-fetched, was quite organic in its creation. The construction of the band was based on a couple friendships between musicians. Adam Schlesinger and I met years ago in 1996 when we were working on our first record, and many times talked about doing a project together. Years later, Adam and James Iha, who had known one another for some time and started a studio together, asked me if I would be into forming a band based on tight power pop songs and loud guitars. It sounded intriguing and something I knew we could pull off, so I said yes, and we started building an album. Along the way, we reached out to iconic drummer Bun E Carlos to play drums on the record and be a part of the project, and once he heard the songs he agreed … You know, it was about the music (how bizarre). After about three years of on-and-off sessions, we had a completed record, and we found a label that would put it out.

FD: You did “MMMBop” on Dancing with the Stars recently. Do you still enjoy playing the song? There are obviously a ton of benefits of having a popular song, but in retrospect, has having a gianormous hit hindered your careers at all after the shine wore off? Has it made it harder to be taken seriously in other endeavors?

TH: We’re really proud of “MMMBop” and enjoy playing it still after 15-plus years. There’s good and bad to a big hit song, of course. There’s no question you always desire for people to have a wide and varied perspective on your career beyond a few hit songs, but you also have to be proud of anything that can reach millions of people, especially when it is with something that you created and has meaning to people.

FD: You all seemed to escape adolescence without a rap sheet. How does a young celebrity stay out of trouble?

TH: Well, I guess how anyone else stays out of trouble…stay out of trouble. Also, not seeking out the most celeb-popular locations for your entertainment can help, so that your mistakes are done outside of the limelight instead of right in the middle of its beam.

FD: How has growing up and having families changed you as musicians and songwriters? How does being musicians influence how you are as parents?

TH: I think for all of us, it is simply further inspiration in our lives, and something that enhances your view of the world as an artist. We love being dads—there’s nothing better.

FD: What are some of the biggest business differences in the music industry between when you first broke and now? Are things better or worse?

TH: Well, when we started you had to be a mad scientist to get on a computer and find any song in the world for free. Now most anyone can get any media without paying for it and walk around with thousands of them on a mobile device. I would say that is a pretty big difference in the business of music.

FD: Who is on your iPod these days?

TH: Hmm. Some old and new. Listening to the late Amy Winehouse, who was such a sad loss for the music world and for millions of her fans. Also, a couple artists that are on tour with us this fall, Charlie Mars and Meiko, who are both fantastic. Also, Mark Ronson and the Business International who we caught up with in London this last weekend at V Festival.

—Andra Coberly contributed to this story.

French Davis: You were the sixth greatest comic in the world as of Last Comic Standing, Season 5. What was the experience like? Did you learn anything? Regret anything?

Doug Benson: I had a great time on Last Comic, made some life-long friends, a little money and my stand-up got a bigger platform than ever before. No regrets, and didn’t learn anything, either.
 
FD: You’ve been in comedy long enough to watch it evolve over the years.  How are things different today than they were 25 years ago? How are they the same?

DB: I think there is much more storytelling in stand-up now. Less emphasis on the joke. Jokes are still important, but it feels like a more intimate and personal experience these days.
 
FD: Which comedians have been your biggest influence, and why?

DB: When I was a kid, without knowing that I’d be a stand-up myself one day, I listened to albums by Steve Martin, Bill Cosby and George Carlin, over and over again. I had their stuff memorized. My parents weren’t thrilled that I could rattle off Carlin’s Seven Words You Can’t Say On Television routine.
 
FD: Who are some of your favorite comedians working today and why?

DB: There are too many to list, and I have too many friends in comedy who would be disappointed that I didn’t mention them. But I will say that I love Zach Galifianakis. But who doesn’t?
 
FD: You’ve got 150 words to pitch your own sitcom project. Go!

DB: It takes place in an amusement park, and I play a dude who walks around in a bear costume. How many words do I have left?
 
FD: What’s your writing process like? When do you know a joke is “done?”

DB: I just jot jokes down as I think of them, and then add them to the act the next time I’m on stage. Jokes are never really “done,” because each time you perform them you can add words or nuances that weren’t there before.
 
FD: Can you tell me about your podcast “Doug Loves Movies?”

DB: It’s a podcast where I sit and talk to my comedy friends, like Zach Galifianakis for example, about movies. Each week there’s a free episode in the iTunes comedy section, and there are also “premium” episodes in the Comedy Album section of iTunes for $2.

FD: You interrupted a lot of comedians on your Comedy Central show The Benson Interruption.  Who would you love the chance to interrupt?

DB: Donald Trump.

French Davis: Mark, can you talk about your background and history in local jazz and blues? You’ve become a bit of a fixture in the last few…well, decades, now, isn’t it?

Mark Diamond: Ha, yes, decades! Thirty-one years and counting. I moved here from New Jersey in 1980 with the band Arabesque, a five-piece acoustic string band that looked like a bluegrass band, which we were, but we also played jazz and swing, country, funk, a little reggae and almost anything else.  Then I joined a traveling band called “The Seattle Rhythm Band,” which played Latin jazz/rock, salsa, funk and contemporary tunes of the time.  After a year on the road, I came back to Boulder and joined a blues band from Fort Collins which became The Blues Survivors. During this time I met pianist Andy Weyl and alto sax player Michael Sweeney, and we started a jazz happy hour on “The Mezz” in the Hotel Boulderado. This turned into a five-days-a-week jazz happy-hour gig that lasted through most of the ’80s.  We called it “The Jazz Showcase” because each day we “showcased” a different special guest artist, which might have been a horn player, guitarist, drummer or singer.  This gig was a big part of my jazz education because I got to play with more experienced, world-class musicians every single day. Twenty-nine years later Andy and I, along with drummer Paul Romaine are known as “Big Swing Trio,” and are the house band for The Sunday Night Jazz Jam at the Boulder Outlook Hotel, among other gigs.

FD: You’re working with some of the best-known and most talented players in the state. How does your communication evolve, musically, playing with the same people week-in, week-out?

MD: The longer you play with somebody, the higher the level of telepathy that occurs. When I work with musicians that I’ve played with for many years, there is an inherent trust that allows us to go where we want to go musically.  When you know the language of jazz, or any other style of music, you can play with anybody, anywhere, and create a great performance.  It doesn’t matter who you add to the mix, as long as they know what they’re doing. I’ve been in foreign countries where I couldn’t even speak to the band and yet we were able to play great music together!

FD: Why Colorado? Why not New York or Chicago or LA? What has kept you here?

MD: I came to Colorado from New Jersey, very near New York City, where I cut my teeth as a young musician.  As great as New York is, I always had affection for the mountains.  I first visited Colorado in the summer of 1977 while hitchhiking all over the country with a friend.  This is where I met my great wife Karen, raised two wonderful children, and made so many friends. It’s home!

FD: Who have been your biggest influences in music and why?

MD: This is always a hard question to answer because it takes the history of music to answer it.  I love and play so many kinds of music, and when I’ve delved into each style that I’ve studied, the innovators stand out.  If I have to choose a few, I’d say Traffic, Joni Mitchell, John Coltrane, The Beatles, Scott Lafaro, Ron Carter, CSNY, The Allman Brothers, Charles Mingus, Muddy Waters, James Brown, Willie Dixon, Tito Puente, you get the idea.  And as for why, I’ve had an emotional response to all of these artists, and I think if the music moves you, it’s serving its purpose.

Chances are you don’t know Quana Ramira yet. But you may have seen the name of her act, the QDiva Experience, pass by once or twice. A local up-and-comer with a strong voice and Chaka Khan-ian stage presence, this driven chanteuse is so committed to making a career out of her musical passion that it’s now her full-time pursuit, day jobs be damned. Here, she talks about her passion for the song, the local scene in general, and what it’s like to be a “diva.”

French Davis: When did you start singing?

Quana Ramira: I come from a musical family. My father was a musician, and my very first memories were of him singing and playing guitar with my three older sisters. I remember my sisters harmonizing with him. I was about 4 years old, and I knew I was supposed to sing.

FD: Where did you grow up? Give us “The story of Quana.”

QR: Coming from a military family, we were kind of all over the place! I was born in Hawaii, and we stayed there until I was about 2 years old. We were then transferred to Tacoma/Seattle, which is where I remained until moving to Colorado at age 19.

FD: Who have some of your biggest musical influences been?

QR: I was raised on everything from The Beatles to Janis Joplin to John Denver. Some of my major influences include Michael Jackson, Prince, Tori Amos, Sarah McLaughlin, Marvin Gaye, Annie Lennox and Billie Holiday, just to name a few. Interestingly enough, there are some that seem to be tempted to automatically try to pigeon hole me as a jazz/soul/blues singer. Of course I am also highly influenced by those genres, and I feel my energy and style exudes a great deal of “soul” as it were. However, I am not limited to these styles as I feel my expression is a wonderful fusion of many styles. End result being something perhaps one has not seen or heard before.

FD: Why “QDiva Experience?” Considering how often the term is tossed around…are you actually a diva?

QR: My answer depends on what context the term “diva” is being used. The original definition is “accomplished female vocalist.” So, if that is the context, then yes, I am a diva! I take issue with how the term is being “tossed” around these days. The name of the band sprung from “QDiva,” which was the name given to me by one of my musical partners for a stage persona that seemed to erupt on stage out of the blue. So, in affect, “QDiva” is my alter ego. She is the energy/personality that seems to come through on stage, becomes explosive, and tears everything up. …When I decided to move forward with my own band, I wanted a name that was different. At first, I was going to call it QDiva Project, but that never felt quite right. A dear friend of mine said to me, “You’re not a project, you’re an experience.” Thus, QDiva Experience was born.

FD: Which local venues are most supportive of “new” local acts?

QR: Nissi’s, Jazz at Jacks, Herman’s Hideaway and Toad Tavern are all good venues for new bands. They provide a space and opportunity for new bands and artists to showcase themselves and get the ball rolling. These venues understand there has to be a way for new acts to start, everyone’s got to start somewhere.

FD: What’s your advice to those who want to make music their full-time career?

QR: Spend time on self-reflection until there is an inner readiness and knowing that it is “time.” Keep things to yourself until such time. You have to be strong and sure of your path because one can easily get thrown off. Unfortunately, due to fear, others either—in an attempt to be well meaning, nosey, or worse yet— may feel threatened on some level by your choice. They may try to talk you out of it, express “worry” or doubt, and try to remind you of how “difficult” it is, etc. Accept that you are the creator of your reality.

Alliteration aside, Wendy Woo has been one of the most recognizable singer/songwriters to call Colorado her home. Her family moved here when she was a child; her parents were founding faculty members at Naropa University. Before it was en vogue, Woo was a DIY career musician—she released eight albums on her own label and is a business case for self-management. Here, she talks about doing it on her own terms, why Colorado’s a great music market and her love of top 40 music.

French Davis: You’ve carved yourself out a steady career as a DIY musician, tell me about when you decided to make the leap and commit 100 percent to that direction.

Wendy Woo: I never really decided to be a DIY musician. I just did it myself. I wrote my own music, I recorded my own albums. I booked my own shows and did my own promotions. I started my own label, WooMusic, Inc. as a vehicle for my music. Over the years, record stores and record labels have gone the way of the dinosaur. Musicians, instead of waiting for the big break of a record contract, just started doing it themselves. …I’m my own label and I call the shots.

FD: How has the explosion of technology in the last decade helped your career?

WW: Fifteen years ago, we used to pile into a van and drive around to play venues all over the country. Now, you can reach a potential audience of hundreds of millions of people within a few days without having to leave the comfort of your own home. …I remember we used to cut and paste our posters together. We used to print out labels, design homemade post cards, purchase stamps and then make an assembly line of roommates and parents to put out a 1,000 person mailing of upcoming shows and events. Now, with one mouse click, I send out to more than 3,000 fans my schedule every week and it immediately updates to my Facebook, Myspace and Twitter.

FD: How has it hindered your career?

WW: Over saturation and more competition in the market. One drawback is the piracy. Today, technology allows an intellectual property thief to mass produce and distribute with no noticeable degradation of the product. This has spawned a mindset that music, or literature, or movies should not cost anything and that the theft of these things is really a victimless crime.

FD: Why have you chosen to stay based in Colorado, considering the relatively small/unknown music scene (as much as that might be a misconception)?

WW: That is one of the biggest misconceptions people have about the Colorado scene. I’ve watched artists move to LA or Nashville only to continue to come back here to gig because they can get paid. In LA, you don’t get paid to gig. You have to rent a venue yourself, do your own show and, ideally, sell enough tickets to cover your costs. My family is here and all of my friends and I think it is a great place to raise a family. Also, my fan base is here. I have a very loyal and committed fan base. Even though it is a small scene, it is very supportive. A $10 or $15 CD is a very small investment a fan can make toward you and your project to show support and to get something valuable for their investment.

FD: Who are you listening to on your iPod these days?

WW: Kind of embarassing but I mostly listen to NPR. I listen to Pandora and on my Pandora account I have John Mayer, Matchbox 20, Kings of Leon. I love top 40 mostly to see what is interesting to the pop culture of today.

French Davis: You’ve had the opportunity to play some great roles in your career—two that stand out weren’t even comedic. I’m talking about your roles in The Usual Suspects and A Few Good Men. What drew you to these roles?

Kevin Pollak: First and foremost, they were two of the best scripts I have ever read.

FD: Your impression of William Shatner is legendary. Has he ever seen it? Ever confronted you about it?

KP: He loves it, and we’ve become friends because of it, which is one of my greatest joys in life.

FD: What about some of your other impressions? Rumor has it your Alan Arkin was so good it fooled the man himself. True story? How did that go down?

KP: Yes, I left a voicemail on his answering machine, as him. He called me back saying, “That’s not funny because there were about nine minutes when I did not remember leaving that message.”

FD: Love your turn on Dinner for Five with Jon Favreau and Sarah Silverman and Rod Stiger and that one guy from Sex and the City. Was the actual experience as enjoyable as it looked in the final cut? Or are those situations weird and awkward and it’s simply being a professional that makes it successful?

KP: It was a mostly enjoyable experience except for Rod Stiger being wildly passive aggressive.

FD: The Kevin Pollak Chat Show might be one of the Internet’s best-kept secrets. What’s the story on how that came to pass?

KP: Best-kept secret? Have you checked the homepage of AOL? Kevin Smith, Adam Corolla and I are now featured five nights a week on the homepage, reaching 15 million views a day. (I prefer to think this statement was intended irony; 15 million people who don’t know they don’t need AOL to access the Internet also don’t know how to change their homepage. Pretty sure the click through from there to the chat show is a bit less—FD)

FD: Who have been some of your biggest influences as a comedian, and why?

KP: Bill Cosby was the first, and then George Carlin and Albert Brooks.

FD: What’s your all-time favorite comedic movie, and why?

KP: Hard to nail it down to one, if not impossible. If you are putting a gun to my head, I will say The In-Laws starring Alan Arkin.

FD: Is the industry better or worse than when you started?

KP: It’s changed so much, in fact, that I can’t tell you if it’s harder or easier to get in.

FD: Which do you prefer: film or live touring? Why?

KP: I’m often asked which I prefer, and because I prefer a sweet combination of both, I imagine I also prefer not to be asked.

Between beating the snot out of the Washington Generals a few gazillion times and launching Wilt “The Stilt” Chamberlain’s career, the team has been the heart and soul of exhibition basketball since its inception almost a century ago. Here, Hot Shot Branch, a 6’ 4” guard in his eighth season out of Baylor (7th leading scorer in school history), talks about carrying such a vaunted mantle, meeting royalty and the fabled 4-point shot.

French Davis: How did your path lead to the Globetrotters?

Hot Shot Branch: (After college), I spent years playing for different leagues, even in Europe and South America. Then the Globetrotters saw me playing in Houston, Texas, and told me about the tryouts. There were 75 guys there and I was one of three chosen out of those tryouts.

FD: What’s an average practice like? Walk us through one.

HSB: We work on a lot of ball handling, different drills, plays and tricks. The important thing is that everyone gets time to practice, so even the young guys are prepared if they have to go in come game time. Fans expect a specific type of game play, so we have to make sure that no matter what happens, like if someone was to get injured or something, they still get the full Globetrotters experience.


FD: You guys have competed seriously on and off over the years, between 
“exhibitions games.” How does your preparation differ between the two?

HSB: It’s really all the same. Even with the exhibition games, it’s still a game. It’s still competing. We gotta show them that we are the best, no matter what game we are playing. Gotta give the fans something to cheer about.

FD: How much of a role does 85 years of tradition play in your daily Globetrotter life? Is it weird knowing you’re playing for the same team that Wilt The Stilt once played on?

HSB: It is such a big honor for me. I think to myself about who has played on this team and what they’ve done over the past 85 years for basketball and for African Americans in the sport, and it’s just an honor to be a part of it. Like with the Globetrotters, fans don’t come for a name. They come for the team and who and what the whole team is. So to be a part of that team and that tradition is humbling. In all 85 years, there have only been some 600 players so it’s like joining an elite family.

FD: Do any of the old timers come by and provide a little mentorship or anything? What’s that like?

HSB: Oh yeah, in every city we go to. If former players are there, they’ll come in and share some of their time. They’ll talk about the obstacles and boundaries that they had to face. It’s not as challenging for us now, I mean we have guys that went through the depression and the civil rights movement. We appreciate them so much.

FD: How do you like Broomfield? Does the altitude bother you? 


HSB: You can feel it for the first few minutes, but once you hear those fans cheering and screaming, you forget all that and it’s game on. As long as the fans have enough air to cheer for us, we’ll do great.