A brief chat with Altas

Local post-rock band Altas spoke to us about their forthcoming UMS festival appearance.L

Yellow Scene: When did the band form and what was the mission?

Enrique Jimenez: The band started in 2008. We were operating under a different name, and we’ve added a few more members since then. About two years ago, we started recording our full length album and we put that out in October 2014, and that’s really when we solidified the new lineup and got a different, more expansive sound.

YS: Describe the sound…

EJ: It’s kinda post-rock, a little bit heavier, a bit more melodic. Instrumental rock, of course. It’s difficult to describe because you really have to see it live in order to really get a good definition of what the music sounds like. Artists like Mogwai, Explosions in the Sky – those are the kinds of artists that we’re influenced by, and of course many others. It’s reminiscent of that kind of sound.

YS: Have you played UMS before?

EJ: We’ve played UMS since 2013, I believe. UMS is a great time. It’s always good to see all of our musician friends all on one weekend. Sometimes we don’t get to see some people’s shows because we have shows or we’re rehearsing – something along those lines. Its great to get Denver’s musicians together, and see them play. It’s always a fun time.

YS: What do you think of the current state of the Denver scene?

EJ: I think it’s been steadily increasing in talented people ever since we started and obviously before that. Now, it’s reached a really good place where there are a lot of venues, a lot of supportive artists, a lot of supportive communities, different types of music, so it’s not just one particular sound. There are some that are more radio-friendly or popular. But there’s still quite a bit of variety in the music scene and quite a bit of support from most musicians, and promotors and bookers.

YS: What can we expect from the set?

EJ: We’re going to be expanding out light show. Last year, we had a power outage when we were about midway through our set. Hopefully we can get away from that happening. We’ll just put on a great show like we always do.