I’ve long said that per capita, the Colorado music scene is as good as any in the nation. Every genre you can think of is represented by top notch talent in the Centennial State, and with each passing year, more artists bubble to the top of an already outstanding slate of performers. This year’s collection of some of my favorite albums is by no means comprehensive, nor representative of all the great music released in 2023 — but it is the best I can offer in less than 750 words. Here then, in no particular order, is a short list of some of the great albums released this year.

Future Joy

Present Peace

A lively blend of EDM, jazz sax, and pop, this album features 7 dance-friendly tracks that overflow with groove.

Listen: FutureJoyMusic.com

New Ben Franklins

Existential Dread Capricious Joy

Long time Denver alt-country darlings, the New Ben Franklins seep into a little more despair, a little more melancholy and a little more existential dread on this outing.

Listen: Spoti.fi/40ZFe7M

Manzanita Quintet

Osmosis

Recorded by Colin Bricker at Mighty Fine Studios in Denver, this jazz album features eight originals that blend startlingly well with covers of Thelonius Monk’s “Bemsha Swing” and Charlie Haden’s “Silence.” Bricker’s recording captures the live feel of a jazz club without sacrificing clarity in the slightest.

Listen: ManzanitaQuintet.Bandcamp.com

Ryan Fiegl

Out From Light

A virtuoso guitarist and educator, Ryan Fiegl’s newest release delivers a rich, lush soundscape of atmospheric lullabies that pluck any doleful strings you may have in your heart.

RyanFiegl.Bandcamp.com

N3ptune

Renaissance (The Revival)

By all accounts N3ptune’s live performances are everything you’d expect after listening to this brash, bombastic, gospel-flavored soul-meets-rock album. Not to get hyperbolic, but there’s little doubt Prince himself wouldn’t love this outing.

Listen: www.n3ptune.com

Still Gonna Bail

Riley

Though it’s only a 3-song EP, it definitely deserves attention. Billing themselves as “Music you can lose your virginity to,” might suggest you’d hear something other than pop-ska-punk, but that doesn’t make this outing any less infectious. Just make sure to stretch first.

Listen: facebook.com/StillGonnaBail

Matthew Wilburn Skinner

When the Sky Falls

As someone who has never been a big fan of the banjo, I still listened to this album on repeat. Skinner’s vocals have the right amount of plaintive grit to blend with his banjo wizardry in a way that just scratches your heart with bramble weeds.

Listen: MatthewWilburnSkinner.com

The Trujillo Company

4 Arrows

This power rock trio does an outstanding job of sounding bigger than they are without resorting to too much in the way of production tricks and overdubs. Riff-heavy rock that appeals to the Nirvana fan in all of us.

Listen: Facebook.com/TheTrujilloCompany

The Ephinjis

After Hours

Fuzzy guitar-driven punk with new wave tendencies and soaring vocal harmonies, the Ephinjis’ latest outing delivers all the edge we’ve come to expect out of the Boulder-trio.

Listen: TheEphinjis.com

The Mañanas

3000

I admittedly don’t tire much of good power-pop; The Apples in Stereo remains one of my all-time favorite bands, and The Mañanas’ latest outing fits neatly in the same bin as any Apples album. Great hooks, jangly guitars and indelible songwriting make this one an instant classic I’ll be spinning for years.

Listen: TheMananasBand.com

MF Ruckus

The Front Lines of Good Times

I attended MF Ruckus’ new album release at the Bluebird in Denver last summer, and it was hands-down the hardest rock show I’d attended in years. Just in-your-face, sweaty, bombastic, thunderous rock the way it was meant to be played from a band that knows how to deliver live or on wax.

Listen: MFRuckus.com

Dear Marsha

Notes From The Tip Jar

Inescapably engaging vocal harmonies and a southern rock-tinged pop sensibility make Dear Marsha’s 5-song EP a great underscore for a summer camping trip and some time on a lazy inner tube river float.

Listen: Facebook.com/DearMarshaRocks

SOLOHAWK

Rio Grande

Earlier this year, Til Willis and Steve Schnepel drove out to Rangely, CO — a few miles from the Utah border in the northwest corner of the state — to record this hauntingly gorgeous EP at The Tank studio. The dark, lush reverb is all-natural, a result of recording live in a 7-story abandoned water tank. Wicked cool.

Listen: Solohawk.Bandcamp.com

The post Spotlight on Local Band Releases of the Year appeared first on Yellow Scene Magazine.

It’s fair to say the local music scene was effectively cratered by the COVID-19 pandemic and resulting protocols to combat it in Colorado. Simply put, without gigs, musicians can’t make a living.

But that hasn’t stopped them from creating.

In 2021, so many local musicians have made the best of the worst situation — using the time to hone their craft and record some amazing work. As we close out the year, let’s take a look back at a handful of examples of some of the great albums released from the deep well of talent representing the Centennial State.

The Radio Waves and Your Movies — Solohawk

An indie-rock/folk acoustic duo featuring Til Willis and Steve Faceman, Solohawk (yes, not “duohawk”) is comprised of two outstanding songwriters who found each other outside of their own rock band projects and delivered this enigmatic collection of tunes exploring the human condition. At times melancholy and joyous, the album is marked by lilting melodies and deeply effective production. This is their second full-length outing – and it’s an effortless sophomore follow-up to their debut, Another Way Out (2016). Get it at solohawk.bandcamp.com.

Nightmare Daydream — The Velveteers

From the very first bars of the fuzz-driven opening guitar lick of “Charmer and the Snake” from The Velveteers’ October release Nightmare Daydream (Eagle Eye Sound), the thumbprint of producer Dan Auerbach is indelible. The Black Keys frontman polishes the Boulder-based band’s golden hue to an unmistakable gleam. That’s not to suggest it’s an over-produced effort — far from it. There’s an unmistakable, raw beauty to this 12-track outing, driven home by singer Demi Demitro’s fierce vocals and her impressive baritone guitar chops. This one’s a barn burner. Get it at thevelveteers.bandcamp.com.

The Grand Alliance — The Grand Alliance

Spanning a collection of 9 cuts steeped in what they’ve dubbed a “future-funk” sound, The Grand Alliance’s eponymous debut is a stunning outing. Tackling social justice themes through a science fiction lens, the group manages to explore afrofuturism deftly, with incredible attention to detail and zero haughty pretension. It’s a soulful, snappy debut, and one that should place them firmly on your bands-to-watch for in 2022. Big things ahead for this trio. Check them out at legrandalliance.com.

For My Animals — American Culture

Six years after their sophomore outing, American Culture’s third effort, For My Animals (Happy Happy Birthday to Me Records, 2021), is a low-fi collection of fuzz-rock goodness, depicting the life of a road-weary, DIY garage band, ironically released in a year touring was all but completely halted for everyone. And while you can stream the 15-song album on your platform of choice, it was released on vinyl, which is where it really needs to be enjoyed. You check it out at americanculture.bandcamp.com.

Story of Sirens — Darkarts

The haunting first few refrains of “Lady,” the fifth track from Darkarts’ latest EP Story of Sirens immediately recalls The Cranberries’ Niall Quinn’s style. There are other parallels within in the song compositions to the iconic ‘90s indie rock band, but that’s all just a dash of influence; Darkarts does their own thing on this outing, a 10-track alternative rock that isn’t afraid to sprinkle in hints of operatic incandescence one pulsing rock rhythms. Check it out at darkartsband.com.

CO/CA — Matt Larrabee Band

Slated to drop in December, Larrabee’s latest effort is an introspective 15-track collection of lo-fi indie rock flavored with notes of grunge and vocal harmonies delivered by his sister Heather Larrabee. Recorded and produced by Kyle Jones (himself a long time Denver fixture who tracked the Flobots hit debut “Handlebars”), CO/CA is just a good old-fashioned rock album that delivers on every cut. Search for it on your favorite streaming service come mid-December.

The post Spotlight on… Favorites from the Past Year | November 2021 appeared first on Yellow Scene Magazine.

After a 2020 with no live music to speak of, we’re stoked for these 5 upcoming shows to finish the summer of 2021:

1) August 13 – Wu-Tang Clan with the Colorado Symphony at Red Rocks
7pm, $69+, redrocksonline.com

2) August 20 – Solohawk at The Lyric (premiere event for the film Small Town Remedies)
6:30pm, $10, lyriccinema.com

3) August 21 – The Jayhawks at Mishawaka Amphitheatre
8pm, $27.50+, themishawaka.com

4) August 23-25 – Nathaniel Rateliff & the Night Sweats at Red Rocks
8pm, $45+, redrocksonline.com

5) September 1 – Rodrigo y Gabriela at Chautauqua Auditorium
6:30pm, $55+, chautauqua.com

The post French’s 5 | July 2021 appeared first on Yellow Scene Magazine.