Editor’s Picks – Bands and Burlesque

Rachel and the Ruckus

Rachel Alena performs regularly with Rachel & the Ruckus, a hard rock band that is performing at Nissi’s this month. We spoke to Alena to talk about the past, present and future…R

Yellow Scene: How long has the band been going?

Rachel Alena: About three and a half years. I’ve been making music since I was a child. I’m the typical musician that started before I was talking. I’m originally from Los Angeles and my dad went to high school with Phil Spector and wound up playing for him. I grew up thinking that I would love to achieve what he’s been able to achieve.

YS: When did you move here?

RA: I have been here for 14 years. The music scene is very fresh. We were recording with a company that came from California and moved here. The engineer has worked with Ozzy Osbourne, Macy Gray and all sorts of big bands, and he said, “I’m coming to Denver because that’s the next place to blow up.”

YS: Describe your sound…

RA: Everything we do is rock-based. We call ourselves “rocky mountain rock,” because we play rock-blues, rock-country, but it all stems from rock.

YS: Have you played Nissi’s before?

RA: We’ve played there a couple of times. It has a fantastic sound system, a really nice stage, a great area for dancing. It’s perfect for this area because the demographics here tend to be families and people who want to go out early.

YS: What are your plans for the set?

RA: We’re an original band, but for a show like Nissi’s we’ll do 70 percent originals and 30 percent familiar covers so the people can get dancing.